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Originally Posted by redpoint5
I don't know which way you're arguing on socialized medicine.
For sure it's simpler and can be less expensive. The only thing you lose is liberty. In my view, probably worth it considering our current situation (and I lean slightly libertarian). Our current system has the worst aspects of both capitalism and socialism. At least in socialized medicine you'll still have the option to pay out of pocket for private medicine. The only thing I don't like is that when the public is responsible for your healthcare, they are also responsible for your personal life decisions. Maybe the socialists make donuts illegal even though I don't abuse them.
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Unfortunately (?) hospitals still treat people even when they can't pay. It just gets written off as a donation, and tax payers still foot the bill. But you probably already knew that.
I guess the question is, if we're going to treat someone who is ill regardless of whether they can afford it, and the burden ultimately falls on tax payers anyway, why not socialize it a little more. Doesn't seem like people take medical expenses into account in their behaviors regardless of what kind of system they live in, and our medical system is strictly sick care anyway - virtually none of it is prevention or lifestyle modification. I don't like it either, and I'm not keen on paying for other people's poor choices, but it just seems to be the reality of things.
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Originally Posted by redpoint5
Yep, been saying the single easiest and best move would be to decouple health insurance from the employer. The group policy has a few options, but I'm not a group, and I may not work at the same place the rest of my life.
If employers wanted to contribute to health insurance, it should go into a special account that can only be utilized for paying a health insurance premium. Still don't like that it would essentially tie health insurance to a particular place of employment.
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Agree 100%.
My wife would really like to go fully contract work and 100% small business, but we can't justify it due to the loss of employer-provided health insurance.
She works for a non-profit, and I'm eligible for pretty steeply discounted coverage through her employer. A few weeks back I was talking with my boss about potentially dropping health care coverage through him, what he might be able to offer me as a compromise. Looks like it might be a $5 an hour raise - we'd both win at that price point.