One of the things about M being a student at the University is that he has to prove that he has healthcare or else pay for insurance out of pocket.
It can't be that much, right?
Wrong.
The cost of insuring both M and myself through the University for a total of just over 3 months is $1,854.00. Yes, that's over $500 a month. For health only, ie not dental. I know, because we just got a bill for it.
The "cost" of my insurance coming out of my paycheck for better coverage is about $100 a month, and includes dental.
Am I the only one who thinks that's crazy?
this is because there is unfair tax treatment for individuals buying healthcare on their own vs. employers buying it. something shadegg tried to change in the E&C markup, but was rebuffed. i would be happy to explain in more detail. =)
ReplyDeleteOr maybe the problem is that health insurance is a for-profit industry in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with Anonymous here. In my ideal world, health insurance simply wouldn't be for-profit (the analogy of police and fire services comes to mind). I believe that if we take "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" seriously, we,as a country, should be about protectingand preserving the lives (intimately connected to health) of our citizens (and others, but that's a speech for another day). To me, it's also a moral issue...how can we condone businesses who have a disincentive to help protect life?
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think there are probably tons of amendments (malpractice comes to mind) that should have been considered on the recent millions of health bills before the committees but weren't for purely political reasons. Both sides are extremely guilty of it. I don't know much about Shadegg's amendment, though I believe I recall it has much to do with creating co-ops (or using existing organizations-Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, etc.) as avenues through which to purchase insurance. If you're going to keep the system how it is, that sounds like a fine plan. I just want a different system.
It is utterly crazy that our health insurance is mainly tied to our employers. So if we get laid off, or if we step out into the "free market" to find another job, we are out of health insurance. You either have a good job with decent insurance, or you pay a ton of money to get it yourself. It's just a fundamentally messed up part of our society that puts everyone on thin ice. It's almost like SOMEONE doesn't want working-class people to have stable, secure livelihoods. Hmm, who might that be?
ReplyDeleteIt's even crazier that we treat health insurance as a market at all. I mean, is nothing sacred? Is there anything that is NOT for sale? The United States, in its historic might, ought to be able to guarantee for its citizens something as basic as medical coverage. If there is anything, ANYTHING, that we should all pitch in and do together, this is it. The reason we haven't done that yet is that...
1) Powerful people make a lot of money off the current system, and
2) Conservatives fear that if the country takes a compassionate, humanitarian turn on health care policy, that approach might spread to other areas. Yikes! That would mean promoting "the general welfare" BEFORE private gain. That would would mean putting PEOPLE before profits. You can see how this would be very unsettling for some.
I want a different system, too!