Originally Posted by Spencer Collins

Topic: Single-payer health insurance petition

Does anyone "really" think Single Payer is on the table? It just ain't gonna happen folks..

We will see some type of health care reform but don't hold your breath expecting a single payer plan to pass.

Originally Posted by pjohns

Yes.



On balance, I think it might be good for the government to set some minimum standards for any product that is advertised as healthcare insurance--anything not meeting those standards could still be marketed, but only as a "healthcare discount plan," not as actual healthcare insurance--including the following:

No exclusions for pre-existing conditions. (Note: It is my understanding that group plans, at present, cannot legally deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, or charge more for it, under most conditions; although I am not entirely clear as to the exceptions.)

No lifetime (or annual) limit on the carrier's financial responsibility.

An annual catastrophic cap of no more than $10,000 (and preferably less) on out-of-pocket expenses.

Prescription medications sold by mail-order at a reasonable cost. Walmart and Kroger already sell hundreds of generic drugs for just $10 for a 90-day supply. Our own healthcare plan does much the same thing (The exception being that it actually charges the lesser of $10 or the cost to the plan for a 90-day supply of generic drugs. Sometimes, however, the 20 percent co-pay--of the approved Plan Amount, that is--can be even less locally. I paid just $1.80 for a 90-day supply of generic medication purchased recently at Kroger; which works out to exactly two cents per day.)
My husband gets something similar with his Veteran benefit. Although I would like to mention, many drug stores now compete with WMart. Though I believe Wally World did start that ball rolling.
I would also favor the start of healthcare-insurance pools from among the unemployed and the self-employed. Very small communities could band together in this effort, so as to come up with enough participants to keep down costs. (The main reason why individual coverage is so much more expensive than group coverage is the fact that no one person, from among a large group, represents the outsized risk that any individual does.) I never realised that was the reason. But makes sense.


We are in agreement here. The pools is what I wanted all along. That way people could choose and insurers would be able to stay in business while having to compete a little.
I agree with that.

Also, since most of us are likely to panic at a moment of grave danger to a spouse's health, it is probably best for both spouses to remind each other, occasionally, just where the pertinent documents are. Otherwise, an EMT (or whoever is in charge) will simply follow standard procedure; and there is nothing, short of written instructions, that can circumvent that.

Originally Posted by saltwn

Single payer-- I thought I knew what that meant, but--someone enlighten me. What does it mean?

Originally Posted by Spencer Collins

Single-payer health care is highly unlikely and only the far left believes it will be part of the HC reform package.

Originally Posted by Barack Obama

I happen to be a PROPONENT of a single-payer universal healthcare plan...But, as all of you may know, we may not get there immediately...Because first we have to take back the White House...and we gotta take back the Senate.