"No one should go broke because they get sick."
I will grant that.
Likewise, no one should be unable to afford healthcare because they're paying for someone else's.
It's tax time and I see how much of our meager earnings remain with the Feral Gubmint.
I see how much is deducted for our healthcare with a an annual deductible equal to two pay periods of take-home pay. I see that we also have a $160 per visit copay that doesn't count against that deductible. I see that we also have to pay 20% of the costs after we've paid 100% up to that deductible. I see that we have to shop around to see which pharmacy has the best rate on which prescriptions, often taking the generic brand.
I see people getting back more in their tax "returns" than they've had deducted from their checks (if any was deducted at all). I see them getting healthcare with zero out-of-pocket expense. No deductible, no copay, no percentage. I see them getting the name brand prescriptions for free regardless of which pharmacy they choose.
I see, because we pay for it, that we are reluctant to go to a doctor for anything less than a catastrophe. I see you going to the emergency room for a cold because it doesn't cost you anything to use the most expensive care available.
I'm going broke because YOU got sick.
Because all that money we're spending on deductibles, copays and cost sharing is overpaying to cover the additional risk of having you in the pool over-consuming scarce resources.
I will grant that.
Likewise, no one should be unable to afford healthcare because they're paying for someone else's.
It's tax time and I see how much of our meager earnings remain with the Feral Gubmint.
I see how much is deducted for our healthcare with a an annual deductible equal to two pay periods of take-home pay. I see that we also have a $160 per visit copay that doesn't count against that deductible. I see that we also have to pay 20% of the costs after we've paid 100% up to that deductible. I see that we have to shop around to see which pharmacy has the best rate on which prescriptions, often taking the generic brand.
I see people getting back more in their tax "returns" than they've had deducted from their checks (if any was deducted at all). I see them getting healthcare with zero out-of-pocket expense. No deductible, no copay, no percentage. I see them getting the name brand prescriptions for free regardless of which pharmacy they choose.
I see, because we pay for it, that we are reluctant to go to a doctor for anything less than a catastrophe. I see you going to the emergency room for a cold because it doesn't cost you anything to use the most expensive care available.
I'm going broke because YOU got sick.
Because all that money we're spending on deductibles, copays and cost sharing is overpaying to cover the additional risk of having you in the pool over-consuming scarce resources.