Nighthawks, HMOs are not health insurance. If you buy a real individually owned high deductible insurance policy, you make those decisions. The cost of real insurance, plus the deductible, is the same as an HMO. If you manage to stay healthy and keep below the deductible - you (and the insurance company) come out ahead. HMO’s are a ripoff, and I can’t believe Obama is trying to sell a government run ripoff monopoly to replace the for profit ripoff with that at least has some competition.
The reason so many have HMOs is because the government encourages big companies to provide them with tax benefits. Since the advent of HSAs (Health Savings Accounts - like an IRA) you can get the same tax benefits with an individual policy.
And lets not confuse improving healthcare for the poor with creating a healthcare monopoly. Hospitals were created to provide healthcare for the poor. They no longer work well because the emergency room doesn’t address preventable problems. There needs to be more subsidized prevention for the poor - but not a government monopoly.
Nighthawks Premium Member almost 15 years ago
yes, it’s much better when you wake up and health insurance companies are making those decisions
stuart almost 15 years ago
Nighthawks, HMOs are not health insurance. If you buy a real individually owned high deductible insurance policy, you make those decisions. The cost of real insurance, plus the deductible, is the same as an HMO. If you manage to stay healthy and keep below the deductible - you (and the insurance company) come out ahead. HMO’s are a ripoff, and I can’t believe Obama is trying to sell a government run ripoff monopoly to replace the for profit ripoff with that at least has some competition.
The reason so many have HMOs is because the government encourages big companies to provide them with tax benefits. Since the advent of HSAs (Health Savings Accounts - like an IRA) you can get the same tax benefits with an individual policy.
And lets not confuse improving healthcare for the poor with creating a healthcare monopoly. Hospitals were created to provide healthcare for the poor. They no longer work well because the emergency room doesn’t address preventable problems. There needs to be more subsidized prevention for the poor - but not a government monopoly.