Should Health Insurance be like Auto Insurance?
Should health insurance be like car insurance?
Come on... take a walk with me out of your comfort zone. Especially if you work in corporate America, and you are staring down a 49th birthday and you wonder what is next in your life. Maybe you have been at this, whatever, for 30 years. You walk into Starbucks and there is a smiling face looking back at you and you wonder, you are between conference calls, you worked the weekend toward a deadline and you wonder what does that smiling person looking back at you know that you don't know. They may surprisingly look like you. Similar age, and heck maybe even drive the same car, but what may just separate the two of you is a smile because if they are working more than 20 hours a week they have heath insurance.
If you have auto insurance.. you know the drill. What is the first question asked? do you currently have auto insurance? If you say yes they merrily go on their way of asking a few questions about your history of claims, driving records, license, and such and then if you are a middle aged adult with a good driving record there is an actuary somewhere screaming like Stewie on Family Guy pick me. They know, like me, you probably keep paying that insurance bill and they keep banking the check. You aren't the senior citizen who drives well "most of the time" or the teenager who really does believe in immortality, so you are a great risk for them.
Now.. today health insurance is quite similar. If you have it, then you can get it. If you are employed by a large company most likely you have it, and they don't ask questions. They sign you up as they must and you have health insurance. In my early IBM days, IBM was self insured. Not, as I was told, because it was cheaper but to assure quality for their employees. Imagine this, they actually on your fifth year (I think), sent me for a fully physical so I could stay healthy. Now a days self insurance is about cost not quality, but at least if you are in this group of people you have health insurance. You sit there and worry with Obamacare that safety net of a benefit may be lost, and you will be thrown into the masses of those who either pay their own way, have personal health insurance, or have no or low income and thus are dependent on charities and the government for healthcare. You may have concerns about your own coverage. You see UPS making a decision that many companies already have, I think IBM did years back, that if your spouse can have coverage at their employer they must as to lower the insurance costs for UPS. This probably didn't happen to their union employees but that is just an aside here.
So, you may be enamored with Ted Cruz, he has great hair. He seems to have the attention of the world, and if you are in Texas, you possibly voted for him. You heard the accusations that to get health insurance all you have to do is get a job in this country. Now, I can list 1000's of jobs in this country where working alone will not assure health insurance. And since many of those companies, that would be required under Obamacare, to make Ted correct on something, are choosing to assure their employees don't have enough hours to cover them then that is not the case. The assumption by Ted Cruz's comments and many is that there are millions of lazy Americans choosing not to work, and thus they don't have health insurance as a choice. I haven't met any of these people as of yet. I am sure they exist, as they do the number of employees with work and insurance that don't really work as hard as you do and you wonder how they keep their jobs. So, there are all kinds of differences out there.
Before you tag me as bleeding heart liberal, and dismiss the above, I am for capitalism. I am actually not for this country embarking on socialized medicine. There are too many innovations in medicine that come out because of the financial gain that can be had from that research. Whether by pharmaceutical and bio-medical companies alone or in conjunction with research universities and hospitals. Like it or not, I don't see the same level of innovation coming out of economies with socialized medicine. (maybe I am wrong and would be happy to be proved as such) I think we want the brightest minds and focused efforts and like it or not they tend in aggregate to follow the money in today's America. Obamacare is not socialized medicine, the exchanges are actually marketplace of insurers who by their nature must see the opportunity there.
So, you may be concerned that your health insurance benefits with your company may diminish. That is as much as our culture not valuing these benefits the same way as we did in generations prior. If the only determining value of your job is income, then companies will continue to decrease benefits. This is capitalism at work more so than it is Obamacare.
If your child under 26 is on your company's insurance, and I have heard this from many, this wouldn't have happened without Obamacare. Imagine your 22 your old child who had that skiing accident and had no health insurance. They came out of college with a great degree. Just have not found work yet. Or, they are working for a charity at a low income and can't afford their own insurance. They are on vacation have an accident (maybe with you), and low and behold no insurance and the bills start coming in. They don't come in at what your insurance company negotiated. The hospitals don't discriminate that way. They bill everyone at the list price for their services they set before negotiation. That broken leg isn't going to be cheap. My little thumb cost me close to $1000 and I had insurance. We know you work hard. We know your child is smart, and working hard, but because of the current system they don't have coverage. Do they go bankrupt? do you help pay their bill?
I mention all of this because I take it personally. I know family and friends that are hard working and don't or can't get health insurance. Maybe they have a pre-existing condition. Or, their jobs are just not the financial level of yours so they can't afford it. Especially as we get to middle age where we have more ailments than in previous years. They are not lazy. They are like the kid above that through changes in their lives, or health, find themselves out of this "system" and now just like if they were a car if they don't have health insurance then they can't get it.
I want to come back to the guy at Starbucks. I understand him very very well. Maybe he reduced his personal overhead. Maybe, his kids were the lucky ones and graduated from University with a good job and benefits. He is too young to officially retire, and maybe he was laid off from his mid-level management job. Or, lets give him more credit please. He decided those deadlines were not as important as the sunrises on the ocean. He is in good health. Maybe he would really like to take a risk and open a small inn near the beach. Or, go back to school and teach, or do something to help other small businesses so they can leverage some of his expertise developed in the corporate world. Instead, he is at Starbucks. Nothing wrong with Starbucks, and if he made that choice I do envy that as a good path. But, what if the primary reason he is there is for health benefits. Because, if you don't have health insurance, it is a bitch to get it especially as you get older.
Think about it with me:
If Obamacare is about assuring availability of health insurance for every one, and keeping capitalism alive in our healthcare market place is that so bad? Mandating everyone pay into the system, is similar to Social Security, where the able bodied younger workers pay into the system but Social Security doesn't eliminate your own retirement planning.
Do you really think that most of the people working at Walmart, McDonalds, and the like are lazy and don't want access? (They may have access but probably can't afford it). Let's hear it for companies like Costco and Starbucks that feel this is their responsibility.
If your employer is choosing to leverage Obamacare to reduce your benefits really kind and gentle, and Obamcare is the evil culprit? Or is it really an opportunity waiting for a reason.
Or.. would you like to get to a place. Where maybe you can walk away from your corporate job, and take a chance? create something new? isnt' that what capitalism and our society all about? Maybe that Starbucks fellow will go back to school, get his PHD in Chemistry, and cure cancer or the common cold while making millions working for a pharmaceutical company cause he could take that chance.
Maybe the opponents don't understand, Obamacare isn't about punishing the wealthy or rewarding the lazy. Maybe, it is more about giving the best of this society choices as they move on in their lives to take chances and grow this economy without risking access to health insurance. Without having to worry that one bad skiing accident, or cooking mishap, will put them in the poor house even though they have saved for this time in their life.
Lastly, we can't know everything that could be wrong with the new system until it is up and running. Then that is the time to legislatively make changes as necessary. These republicans that will shut down the government instead of taking a chance that providing health insurance to every one is a good idea, need to examine their own lives and see who around them doesn't have health insurance today.
I debated whether to write about this at all. Frankly, over the weekend I ignored what was going on in Washington cause what can I do. But,this morning, walking on the beach watching the sunrise. Thinking about a Latte, but not ready to go to work at Starbucks, I realize I am still one of the lucky ones with Cobra. I may have to pay a mint each month but at least I have auto and health insurance.
Take a walk on the beach with me sometime...
Come on... take a walk with me out of your comfort zone. Especially if you work in corporate America, and you are staring down a 49th birthday and you wonder what is next in your life. Maybe you have been at this, whatever, for 30 years. You walk into Starbucks and there is a smiling face looking back at you and you wonder, you are between conference calls, you worked the weekend toward a deadline and you wonder what does that smiling person looking back at you know that you don't know. They may surprisingly look like you. Similar age, and heck maybe even drive the same car, but what may just separate the two of you is a smile because if they are working more than 20 hours a week they have heath insurance.
If you have auto insurance.. you know the drill. What is the first question asked? do you currently have auto insurance? If you say yes they merrily go on their way of asking a few questions about your history of claims, driving records, license, and such and then if you are a middle aged adult with a good driving record there is an actuary somewhere screaming like Stewie on Family Guy pick me. They know, like me, you probably keep paying that insurance bill and they keep banking the check. You aren't the senior citizen who drives well "most of the time" or the teenager who really does believe in immortality, so you are a great risk for them.
Now.. today health insurance is quite similar. If you have it, then you can get it. If you are employed by a large company most likely you have it, and they don't ask questions. They sign you up as they must and you have health insurance. In my early IBM days, IBM was self insured. Not, as I was told, because it was cheaper but to assure quality for their employees. Imagine this, they actually on your fifth year (I think), sent me for a fully physical so I could stay healthy. Now a days self insurance is about cost not quality, but at least if you are in this group of people you have health insurance. You sit there and worry with Obamacare that safety net of a benefit may be lost, and you will be thrown into the masses of those who either pay their own way, have personal health insurance, or have no or low income and thus are dependent on charities and the government for healthcare. You may have concerns about your own coverage. You see UPS making a decision that many companies already have, I think IBM did years back, that if your spouse can have coverage at their employer they must as to lower the insurance costs for UPS. This probably didn't happen to their union employees but that is just an aside here.
So, you may be enamored with Ted Cruz, he has great hair. He seems to have the attention of the world, and if you are in Texas, you possibly voted for him. You heard the accusations that to get health insurance all you have to do is get a job in this country. Now, I can list 1000's of jobs in this country where working alone will not assure health insurance. And since many of those companies, that would be required under Obamacare, to make Ted correct on something, are choosing to assure their employees don't have enough hours to cover them then that is not the case. The assumption by Ted Cruz's comments and many is that there are millions of lazy Americans choosing not to work, and thus they don't have health insurance as a choice. I haven't met any of these people as of yet. I am sure they exist, as they do the number of employees with work and insurance that don't really work as hard as you do and you wonder how they keep their jobs. So, there are all kinds of differences out there.
Before you tag me as bleeding heart liberal, and dismiss the above, I am for capitalism. I am actually not for this country embarking on socialized medicine. There are too many innovations in medicine that come out because of the financial gain that can be had from that research. Whether by pharmaceutical and bio-medical companies alone or in conjunction with research universities and hospitals. Like it or not, I don't see the same level of innovation coming out of economies with socialized medicine. (maybe I am wrong and would be happy to be proved as such) I think we want the brightest minds and focused efforts and like it or not they tend in aggregate to follow the money in today's America. Obamacare is not socialized medicine, the exchanges are actually marketplace of insurers who by their nature must see the opportunity there.
So, you may be concerned that your health insurance benefits with your company may diminish. That is as much as our culture not valuing these benefits the same way as we did in generations prior. If the only determining value of your job is income, then companies will continue to decrease benefits. This is capitalism at work more so than it is Obamacare.
If your child under 26 is on your company's insurance, and I have heard this from many, this wouldn't have happened without Obamacare. Imagine your 22 your old child who had that skiing accident and had no health insurance. They came out of college with a great degree. Just have not found work yet. Or, they are working for a charity at a low income and can't afford their own insurance. They are on vacation have an accident (maybe with you), and low and behold no insurance and the bills start coming in. They don't come in at what your insurance company negotiated. The hospitals don't discriminate that way. They bill everyone at the list price for their services they set before negotiation. That broken leg isn't going to be cheap. My little thumb cost me close to $1000 and I had insurance. We know you work hard. We know your child is smart, and working hard, but because of the current system they don't have coverage. Do they go bankrupt? do you help pay their bill?
I mention all of this because I take it personally. I know family and friends that are hard working and don't or can't get health insurance. Maybe they have a pre-existing condition. Or, their jobs are just not the financial level of yours so they can't afford it. Especially as we get to middle age where we have more ailments than in previous years. They are not lazy. They are like the kid above that through changes in their lives, or health, find themselves out of this "system" and now just like if they were a car if they don't have health insurance then they can't get it.
I want to come back to the guy at Starbucks. I understand him very very well. Maybe he reduced his personal overhead. Maybe, his kids were the lucky ones and graduated from University with a good job and benefits. He is too young to officially retire, and maybe he was laid off from his mid-level management job. Or, lets give him more credit please. He decided those deadlines were not as important as the sunrises on the ocean. He is in good health. Maybe he would really like to take a risk and open a small inn near the beach. Or, go back to school and teach, or do something to help other small businesses so they can leverage some of his expertise developed in the corporate world. Instead, he is at Starbucks. Nothing wrong with Starbucks, and if he made that choice I do envy that as a good path. But, what if the primary reason he is there is for health benefits. Because, if you don't have health insurance, it is a bitch to get it especially as you get older.
Think about it with me:
If Obamacare is about assuring availability of health insurance for every one, and keeping capitalism alive in our healthcare market place is that so bad? Mandating everyone pay into the system, is similar to Social Security, where the able bodied younger workers pay into the system but Social Security doesn't eliminate your own retirement planning.
Do you really think that most of the people working at Walmart, McDonalds, and the like are lazy and don't want access? (They may have access but probably can't afford it). Let's hear it for companies like Costco and Starbucks that feel this is their responsibility.
If your employer is choosing to leverage Obamacare to reduce your benefits really kind and gentle, and Obamcare is the evil culprit? Or is it really an opportunity waiting for a reason.
Or.. would you like to get to a place. Where maybe you can walk away from your corporate job, and take a chance? create something new? isnt' that what capitalism and our society all about? Maybe that Starbucks fellow will go back to school, get his PHD in Chemistry, and cure cancer or the common cold while making millions working for a pharmaceutical company cause he could take that chance.
Maybe the opponents don't understand, Obamacare isn't about punishing the wealthy or rewarding the lazy. Maybe, it is more about giving the best of this society choices as they move on in their lives to take chances and grow this economy without risking access to health insurance. Without having to worry that one bad skiing accident, or cooking mishap, will put them in the poor house even though they have saved for this time in their life.
Lastly, we can't know everything that could be wrong with the new system until it is up and running. Then that is the time to legislatively make changes as necessary. These republicans that will shut down the government instead of taking a chance that providing health insurance to every one is a good idea, need to examine their own lives and see who around them doesn't have health insurance today.
I debated whether to write about this at all. Frankly, over the weekend I ignored what was going on in Washington cause what can I do. But,this morning, walking on the beach watching the sunrise. Thinking about a Latte, but not ready to go to work at Starbucks, I realize I am still one of the lucky ones with Cobra. I may have to pay a mint each month but at least I have auto and health insurance.
Take a walk on the beach with me sometime...
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