[quote=enron_by_the_sea]As it stands now – the future is HSA+HDHP for everyone. Some will get there earlier, some will get there later. But eventually that is where we all will be! That is all we can afford as a society.
I am not sure if following cost lowering alternatives were ever considered.
[1] Offer catastrophic only coverage at affordable rates through govt. for uninsured.
Not sure why everyone is so fixated on covering every single illness to the uninsured on taxpayer dime.
[2] If you ever use a ER without paying for it – govt. will reimburse the hospital at medicare rate and records it with IRS as a debt to be collected from your SSN.[/quote]
Good points, enron, esp. #2. Emergency room bills at Medicare rate could be withheld from patients’ Federal tax refunds (even their huge earned income credits)! Even Medi-cal has a low co-pay and covers EVERYTHING including comprehensive dental services! Only the choice of providers is limited. Why do we as taxpayers OWE these services to this group when we can’t afford this level of service ourselves??
I HAVE a HDHP but no HSA (I don’t have “wages” to withold an HSA from). I just don’t think it’s right to raise the premiums of a HDHP (which only has a limited 100% “preventative-care” benefit) to exorbitant levels on an individual policyholder who has never tapped into their post-$8,000 ded. hospital benefit. My ins. co. has been doing nothing but making a sizable profit off me for the last few years. I understand the “age-group” pricing but feel like my record alone should speak for MY current premium and not other insureds’ (or soon-to-be-insureds’) records.
I don’t deserve to pay for others’ health problems (whether intentionally or unintentionally caused) and I can ill afford it. It’s not fair to me and I think health premiums should be based solely upon the record of the individual policyholder, like other forms of insurance.
And yes, even if I was diagnosed with cancer tomorrow, I would still have the same opinion.