http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... 6/study-/1
Someone just posted this article on Reddit. Seems 1% of the population account for 20% of the medical costs, while half of the population only accounts for 3% of the costs. I knew that insurance spreads the expenses from the more sick to the less sick, but I didn't realize it was that extreme of a difference. Now that I think about it, other than the Army-mandated Anthrax and Smallpox shots, I haven't cost the taxpayers anything in medical expenses this year.
Seems to me, this just further supports the idea of breaking out of the traditional insurance system.
More support for the HSA/HDHP
Not saying I disagree with the policy. But forcing healthy 20 somethings to buy health insurance they don't need so that the premiums for 60+ year olds won't be as costly is a clear shifting of the financial burden of healthcare from those who use it the most to those who use it the least.
Which consequently means making 20 somethings subsidize the healthcare of the 60 somethings.
Which consequently means making 20 somethings subsidize the healthcare of the 60 somethings.
Health care does not fit the traditional insurance model, since there are no cutoffs for age nor are there any conditions imposed. In other words, without conditions or cutoffs, sickness is not an unlikely (insurable) event. Add to that the drastic change in the ways people become sick and die. In 1900, 60% of deaths were from communicable diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis, but by the 1990s, 60% of deaths were from degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The latter are hugely expensive to treat and longer-lasting. We do transfer the costs to those not sick (or less sick), but even these higher costs don't account for the heavy tariffs taken by the insurance companies and the government bureacracies for what is less like insurance than it is like a generational transfer payment.
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happyhippo13
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:03 am
@Hoplite - Your comment about the shift in deaths from communicable to degenerative strengthens my belief that it'd be easy to break free of the system barring genetic issues. I believe that many of these degenerative diseases are caused by our diet and lifestyle, so we can invest in our health by cutting out the HFCS and other processed foods. I used to follow the paleo diet before I deployed* and I felt so much better eating fresher, natural foods.
*I don't really have much choice in what I eat during my deployment, and I'm ashamed at how terrible my diet has become. I've even started drinking soda again, justifying by saying it's got sugar and not HFCS outside the USA. I feel like crap physically, and while some is due to weird hours and stress, most is from a terribly diet.
If we go back to our natural diet, a lot of these issues, especially diabetes, will start to disappear. This will result in much lower medical costs and further support the idea of moving to a HDHP. Obviously this is the selfish solution, but I can't afford to pay for everyone else's eating habits.
*I don't really have much choice in what I eat during my deployment, and I'm ashamed at how terrible my diet has become. I've even started drinking soda again, justifying by saying it's got sugar and not HFCS outside the USA. I feel like crap physically, and while some is due to weird hours and stress, most is from a terribly diet.
If we go back to our natural diet, a lot of these issues, especially diabetes, will start to disappear. This will result in much lower medical costs and further support the idea of moving to a HDHP. Obviously this is the selfish solution, but I can't afford to pay for everyone else's eating habits.
@happyhippo13,
I don't think that you can opt out of the insurance entirely because the costs are arbitrarily imposed, i.e., a minor accident with a few days in hospital can run up to $50,000 even if they hardly do anything for you. And I also remember when HMOs were introduced as the panacea; paying for doctor visits, preventative care and early detection would reduce health care costs. Never happened, and now HMOs are among the most expensive coverages available. In other words, insurance is about financial health (money) rather than physical health.
As to physical health, your approach is well taken; what choice do we really have here? If you are eating a poor diet now, in my experience, it won't hurt you if you're young. The saddest thing I see is people who are health fanatics in their twenties give up when they hit 40. IMO, they have it backwards; maintaining health and diet counts even more the older you get because it's progressively harder to recover.
Wishing you the best in your deployment!
I don't think that you can opt out of the insurance entirely because the costs are arbitrarily imposed, i.e., a minor accident with a few days in hospital can run up to $50,000 even if they hardly do anything for you. And I also remember when HMOs were introduced as the panacea; paying for doctor visits, preventative care and early detection would reduce health care costs. Never happened, and now HMOs are among the most expensive coverages available. In other words, insurance is about financial health (money) rather than physical health.
As to physical health, your approach is well taken; what choice do we really have here? If you are eating a poor diet now, in my experience, it won't hurt you if you're young. The saddest thing I see is people who are health fanatics in their twenties give up when they hit 40. IMO, they have it backwards; maintaining health and diet counts even more the older you get because it's progressively harder to recover.
Wishing you the best in your deployment!