Simple Insurance reform. And they won't like it.

[Dawggie]

Auto Insurance.

If you like your car, you have full coverage. It's ridiculous that the Government forces someone to buy a product. The Insurance companies have set up such a scam that they are basically inuring loss against loss. I have not filed an auto insurance claim in over 30 years and have paid the insurance industry enough to buy several new cars. Shit happens. If you are worried about it happening to you, buy insurance.

Health insurance.

END IT. If you think about the billions of dollars spent supporting the health insurance industry and threw that toward the medical industry, health care costs would plummet. Take a look at Canada's system and tweak it to work well here and then let the Insurance comanies know that their jobs have been outsourced. Billions will also be pumped back into the economy because businesses would save shitloads of cash by not having to subsidise their employee's health care.

Of course, the Insurance industry would fucking freak and spend billions fighting to keep their money grubbing hands in virtually EVERY American's pockets.

I have three prescriptions that I fill monthly. I have insurance. Starting this January, my co-pay went from $125 to $240. I can't afford them anymore. Shit. The Insurance companies are driving up deductibles and co-pays up so high that many of us can't afford to go to the Doctor at all and will only go when we are near death.

The Insurance industry has been fucking over for years and their greed has been increasing every year as well. And they have never given me a kiss, much the less a reacharound.

[harmonicon]

1. great

Now what do you do about it?

[regnaD kciN]

2. Well, one thing you DON'T do about it...

...is to "solve" the problem of universal coverage by requiring everybody, by law, to buy coverage through the system.

[harmonicon]

3. agreed

now, how do we do that?

[Dawggie]

4. If I could talk 75% of Americans into boycotting Insurance...

but that won't happen. People are too frightened. The next step would be to elect a Kucinich or Edwards. Or, Elect me. I'd do it if they didn't shoot me first.

Other than that, I'd say it would take a massive cry for freedom and fairness followed by a general strike?

:)

[harmonicon]

5. yep - boycotting insurance is a great idea, but people are afraid

I have complete bare-bones insurance, because my parents feel bad for me, so they pay for it. I wouldn't get it myself. I'm poor. I'm always going to be poor. I have a friend who can't get insurance, due to his medical condition - simply no one will insure him. He's in debt somewhere in the region of 200k from medical bills. Insurance isn't even an option for him. I say vote Kucinich, not that it will do a lot of good. Support union shops over non-union shops. Buy US made over imports (unless the imports are better - not just cheaper)..... don't know what else. I personally feel like my hands are tied.

[Donnachaidh]

7. and the prices of medical TREATMENT are too far over the top

Please -- After having pneumonia I went to my doctor's office to be tested. They had me walk up and down a hallway for 15 minutes - with an aide. GUESS what they billed my insurance for this little stretch of the leg?

Six HUNDRED dollars. The aide wasn't even holding me up -- just walking with me!

It's flat out OBSCENE what these doctors *expect* for their services. Greedy motherf*ckers, the lot of them.

[Lance_Boyle]

9. the providers are mostly victims of the insurers' greed

Wanna venture a guess as to what fraction of that $600 bill went to covering the cost of malpractice insurance?

[Speck Tater]

6. Most of us wouldn't even need medical insurance if...

... if medical costs were reasonable.

But medical costs are not reasonable because:

1. HMO's are FOR PROFIT and dig as deep as they can into the deep pockets of the insurance companies.

2. Everybody freaking sues doctors at the drop of a hat so malpractice insurance costs a fortune.

3. Because of the malpractice risk, doctors feel they have to order tests and procedures that are almost never medically necessary, but done only to cover their butts.

If health care were NON_PROFIT, making enough to cover the doctor's and nurse's salaries, AND people stopped suing for every little thing, so doctors could use good judgment instead of butt-covering to decide when to order extra tests, medical care would be a hell of lot cheaper.

The biggest problem of all is that greedy speculators and investors want a cut of everyone's profits in exchange for doing absolutely nothing at all.

It's like the investor says, "OK company X, I will loan you some money to expand your company, but I expect in return that you will pay me back forever, and ever, and my children you will pay, and my grandchildren and great grandchildren unto the seventh generation, in the form of stock dividends shalt thou pay. So the company is forever in debt to the stockholder, and forever forced to the bidding of those whose only motive is money for nothing.

Greed. That's what drives up medical costs. We need to get the greedy bastards out of the health care "industry".

[Dawggie]

8. Spot on

You described the way things used to be here in the U.S.