Shooter3

Great idea.... Let's get government out of health care.... The free market can solve everything!.... well not really. the free market works great in many areas, but not in health care. In order to make more money insurers have to deny more and more claims. I have narcolepsy. If my dad wasn't able to get insurance from his employer my medications would cost me around 30 grand a year. My dad makes good money, but 30 grand a year for drugs? I'm sure we would find a way to make it work, but hard working people would be screwed. Imagine people with cancer and other serious diseases. So what would happen if we got the government out of health care? I wouldn't get my medications and I would not be able to be a productive member of society. I would be totally out of it all day long. Thanks to the government my dad's employer cannot discriminate against my family because of my preexisting condition. The government does not consider employer contributions to health care as taxable income. So in order my dad's company to get that tax advantage it cannot discriminate based on pre-existing conditions, and it can't restrict health care benefits to big shot employees. Since a large majority of people under 65 get their insurance from their employer it is a good thing that the government is involved in health care!

The free market can be work great when it comes to making things affordable in a lot of areas. Electronic (remember when dvd players came out and cost an insane amount of money; you can also get decent computers for a few hundred bucks now).

But when it comes to health care the free market just won't work. The goal of corporations is to please their shareholders by making as much money as possible. When it comes to health care how do insurers make more money? By denying people with pre-existing conditions, by charging more and more money, by dropping people when they get sick. For most Americans health care works fine because they get it from their employer (and getting insurance from one's employer works makes better because of the government). But if you have to get it on the individual market you are screwed. And due to rising costs more and more companies can't afford to provide their employees with health care benefits. If you have to get insurance on the individual market you better not be sick or get sick. They can deny you because of a preexisting condition, they can drop you if you get sick, they can deny valid medical claims, they can charge you ridiculous amounts of money...

Private health care does not work unless there is strict government regulation.... Could you imagine if your house burned on fire and the fire department would only help you if you paid 100 grand? America's health care system sucks and without the government's involvement in health care it would suck even worse (imagine if old people didn't have medicare....).

Today about 60 percent of bankruptcies involve medical costs. Somewhere around 80% of people who file for bankruptcy because of medical expenses have health insurance!

The insurance companies are just screwing people left and right and many conservatives just don't get it. The main goal of insurance companies to keep their shareholders happy and to increase profits is to maintain a low medical loss ratio. For those of you who never heard of this term here's a easy to understand definition. "Compares the cost of providing service to the amount paid for the service."

In the early 90s I think the average insurer's medical loss ratio was .95 (95 cents out of every dollar was used to pay insurance claims). Today that number is now about .80. Insurance companies make more money by using less money to pay for claims. When companies lower their medical loss ratio their stocks will soar. What is the goal of corporations? To increase profits. How do insurance companies increase their profits? Spend less money on actual health care.

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Shovel Face

Socialist lies.

Regulation, Medicaid and taxes have already killed the free market. That's why health care costs so much in the first place.

Franchise2001

LOL Medicaid has killed the free market? Damn those low income families and their children who can't afford insurance or out of pocket expenses!!! Damn them to hell where they belong!!!

Silly elitist libertarian.

Shooter3

care to explain?

FranchiseBlade

until you learn what socialism is, please stop using it in discussion.

Phillyrocket

Wow this is just staggering ignorance. Healthcare costs have risen for a variety of reasons but if you think the GOP whipping boy regulation is the reason you are sadly sadly mistaken.

rocketsjudoka

Do you have anything to support that contention that a free market healthcare system would lower costs?

Personally I would be very interested in hearing it.

Originally Posted by Inivsible Fan This thread makes Clutch the Bear cry.

Shovel Face

Whatever, Socialist. Why don't you go down to your local hospital and pay for everyone's operations personally, Mother Teresa. Yeah, I didn't think so.

The rising costs of health care started with the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. The abuse and fraud are rampant. These programs are also broke. Bankrupt like betamax. The money is mismanaged, squandered and cannibalized like the buffet at Golden Coral. Government mandates created the mess and certainly is no solution.

Oh, and broke Medicare is most likely to reject a claim, sending away 6.85% of requests. This is more than any private insurer and double that of the private insurers’ average.

This is who the socialists want for a complete health care takeover. Funny thing about Liberals, they hate America but they sure love government.