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Originally Posted by Ecky
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...
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Oregon did an experiment where some randomly selected individuals were given 100% free healthcare with the expectation that they would utilize the emergency room much less since they could visit their primary care physician for free. Instead ER utilization drastically increased. It turns out people who have no intention of paying a medical bill still "feel bad" about it and limit their visits. People who are entitled to free healthcare don't feel bad and have no restraint in considering the cost of their care.
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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.
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I highly recommend an HSA and high deductible plan if you're healthy. I've got my 1 year old daughter on an HSA and my employer contributes $1000 to our HSA in addition to paying half of the premium.