The Soapbox

Joined: 06/03/2005 Posts: 31191
Likes: 52766

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I’m a big proponent of the free market

solving problems, but healthcare ain’t one of them.

1) what company is going to offer health insurance to an 75 year old with a heart condition? Or hell a 75 year old in good health?
2) what company going to offer health insurance to a 40 year old diagnosed with an aneurysm or AVM
3) company is going to offer health insurance to a 10 year old with leukemia?

Putting aside pre existing conditions, in a perfect capitalist world, how much should health insurance cost for a family of 4? What if someone truly can’t afford the free market premiums and shows up at the hospital with chest pains? Send them home and tell them to rub some dirt on it? What if they show up at the hospital with their 5 year old kid in respiratory distress? Turn them away?

The free market actually does have a solution. It’s called risk based pricing. It’s why the preexisting condition people above can’t qualify for life insurance. But the societal cost of lots of people not having life insurance is small. The societal cost of lots of people not having health insurance is much higher. Unless you think it’s ok to tell people with pre existing conditions: “tough shit, sucks to be you”

(In response to this post by Los Angeles Hoo)

Posted: 04/01/2024 at 6:58PM

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