youngolf

'Free Market' Healthcare: Fix It Now, Before It's Too Late

I worked in the health insurance system for almost 20 years. It is much worse than a 'mess'....The idea of 'free market' healthcare as a solution is the health insurance/medical equipment/pharmacy industry-lobbyists PAC contributions talking.

Insurance companies do not want to cover high risk individuals.....do not want to cover pre-existing conditions.....do not want to cover 50 year olds......do not want to cover individuals period...do not want to cover mom-pop small businesses.

Let's see - that leaves young, healthy, or large corporate group. If you are fortunate enough to be one of those, you tend to think 'free-market' is fine.

Our delivery/financing of health care in this country is a joke. It is just as criminal as the perpetrators of the financial crisis.

Pardon me, I am 50+ and have to go fill out my medical questionnaire hoping this insurer will accept me, after another 30 day wait, so I can pay $500 a month for a $5,000 deductible 70% plan.

Keep the Remaining Blue Cross Plans Non-Profits

Wadhamite.....sadly, your comments are very indicative of public perception of these issues. Those of you who are 'totally free enterprise' types on everything need to understand that not everything can be solved by 'totally free markets'.
I worked in corporate health insurance for 20 years. It is a different animal 'totally'. Our drinking water, if totally provided by a free market, would be very unjustly distributed - the best to the rich, the poor quality to the poor.
Regulation/oversight/c... has to be given those goods that the public need for 'life, and pursuit of happiness'........not threat of bankruptcy due to a greed-filled, broken system as is healthcare financing that leaves 50m uninsured because they cannot afford $1,200 a month for family coverage.

You better hope the gov't gets more involved in healthcare.....or one day your employer will 'reduce you at age 55' and you'll have to go find your own quotes. Then you'll understand - just like my 56 yr old brother now understands what I have been telling him for years.

Now, he is a true disciple of a national healthcare plan.