What kind of nonsense is health insurance anyway?
October 10, 2007
I mean, seriously. Insurance is a bet: it’s a bet that you’ll pay more for the insurance over the long run than the insurer will have to pay out. Renters insurance, auto insurance, even life insurance — it’s how they make money.
But medical insurance? You’ve got to be kidding me. The only way you can turn a profit is to insure mostly healthy and sterile people. You have to abandon those people who need it the most. We’re almost all of us a job loss and an illness away from bankruptcy, and once you have that uncovered pre-existing condition you can kiss your insurance goodbye. It’s the stupidest way to fund health care ever devised by man. Right down there with “we’ll fund health care by selling tickets to hamster races.”
Oh hey. Here’s Michelle Malkin whining about the high cost of insurance. See? Even the stalker wingnut of the assholosphere knows health insurance is a crazy stupid idea.
Posted in Politics, Speaking Very Slowly
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October 10th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I have to point out that without my health insurance, Hubby and I would be up a creek. A hospital bill of about $48,000 would do that to you. Although the hospitals do have to greatly inflate their costs to get any money from the insurance companies. I, at least, managed to get my money’s worth out of my insurance company. I’m pretty sure they hate me right now.
October 11th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Of course. We’d be up a creek, too, without the health insurance. But that’s the point — how do they make money? People need health services throughout their lives, and there are quite routine events like pregnancy that cost a bundle. A business model that gambles on you not needing their services seems remarkably inappropriate for health care.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
I think they assume that things like pregnancies happen, but most people aren’t getting seriously ill very often. And then they make sure to have some stupid clause that prevents you from getting all of the coverage you deserve. Oh, and I think they have deals with the hospitals so they don’t pay the full cost you see on the bills. So they’re not paying out the “real” bill like an uninsured person would.
I know someone with a brain tumor–and her insurance company won’t pay for a particular form of a drug SHE NEEDS TO SURVIVE! She’s been taking it for three months, and she’s $27,000 in the hole for it. Apparently, they’ll pay for the IV version of the drug, but not the pill form. So they tack on stupid restrictions that mean you have to pay out-of-pocket for things you thought would be covered.
It’s a stupid system all around, I agree.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
It is a terrible vicious circle. It is nigh impossible to get by without medical insurance, but the reason to blame for that is medical insurance.
Without medical insurance, treatment and care would be much more affordable. I grew up with no medical insurance, but a basic doctor visit was still pretty affforable 30+ years ago. Things are so filled with unneeded treatments and precautions and drugs and staff now that it is a self-fulfilling industry. And since they know that most patients don’t actually have to afford the bill, they can jack up costs however they want.
We also had a baby this last year, the $16,000 bill didn’t cost us a penny, but looking at the bill, $12,000 of it was sitting in a hospital room for three days and being attended by midwives part of the time. Picking the bill apart shows terrifying costs that are unneeded and, if everyone had to pay their own bill, wouldn’t occur. We could have had our baby at home for next to nothing. Though we would have missed all of their exciting tricks and gadgets, but none of those served any purpose in our case.