4 Comments

1. 

   asciilifeform January 18, 2010 at 13:30

   AFAIK, only serfs will have prescription coverage – just as before.

2. 

   tricstmr January 18, 2010 at 16:21

   good question..

   With the public option in there–there would have been an alternative that would have always been an alternative to employer based..

   but that, apparently, was too socialist for certain people..

   Now.. I’m not so sure.. I think the Senate version does more to detach health care insurance from employer plans..( by means of an excise tax) but the House version (which still has a public option) does not and the Unions are combatting this–which doesn’t bode well…

   Seriously.. I hope this shit just gets through.. the current system is so far removed from anything resembling a free-market system.. (and I’m not sure that health insurance really fits into free market situations anyway..) and is so monopolistic.. that something has to give..

   We’ll see what happens in MA tomorrow. Truly, if the Republican Candidate there were a real, principled “moderate/liberal” Republican of the old New England Republican mold–I’d be all for him sticking it to the MA Democratic machine..

   Unfortunately, he seems to be shedding that skin just as fast as he can lay his hand on all that national right-wing money…

   To me.. Coakley seems like Kerry.. but just worse…

   Blarghl…

   1. 

      avdi January 19, 2010 at 21:46

      Re: good question..

      I don’t want AN alternative to employee-provided, I want ALL alternatives. End any and all restrictions which penalize independant insurance plans. Ban any laws which impede the sale of insurance between states. End any corporate tax structures which encourage the employer-based model.

      I want to develop a long-term relationship with a health insurer the same way we do with our car insurer. 6-month preexisting condition clauses wouldn’t be nearly as big a deal if we didn’t get new insurance every time we switched jobs.

      1. 

         tricstmr January 19, 2010 at 22:05

         Re: good question..

         I agree on most of those.. only points I would want is to make sure that you did have enough regulation in place to make sure that the outfits that offered you insurance were solvent enough to actually come through with it when the time mattered–basic financial regulation type stuff..

         Otherwise.. yes.. bring back real competition by removing all other sales restrictions..

Comments are closed.