What do you all think about the concept of "Health Care Credit Unions "?

[Wetzelbill]

I was talking to the Montana State Coordinator of Indian Affairs yesterday and she said Governor Brian Schweitzer is working on a health care plan for small businesses, and she wanted me to talk to one of his main health care policy advisors. I am also about to give the Governor's brother a call here in a few minutes to talk about a few things. Last night I was talking to my Uncle - a small business owner - and he was thrilled at the idea of Health Care Credit Unions. Basically, you have small businesses and individuals invest in a non-profit organization, which in an HMO type fashion comes up with a health care plan according to the investors. That way the people own their own health care provider. It works much like a regular credit union would. Anyway, I'm probably going to bring the idea up both to Schweitzer's brother and his health care advisor. I'm not sure if I support it as a cure-all, but it is innovative and it is an idea to think about and work with. I think it is worth considering.

What are your opinions on this?

[ret5hd]

1. well, lets have a national health care credit union...

for simplicity, we'll just call it national health care.

(not intending to denigrate the tone of the OP, just stating my opinion on the overall subject)

[Wetzelbill]

4. I am in favor of that for sure...

however, I think you gotta start somewhere, you may as well do it on a local level, you know? Obviously, you can't count on the WH or Congress to do much nowadays.

[On the Road]

2. Non-Proft Corporations are Very Underutilized

They can have the benefits of corporations without the drive to maximize profits and raise prices.

It takes a lot of effort to start something like this. Usually driven by the desire of the founders to get rich. But a deep, long-term crisis like health care can lead more people to seek nontraditional solutions.

[Wetzelbill]

5. oh tons of effort...

I should mention I am running for state senate, so I'd like to help legislate something innovative like this. Nontraditional is a good way to put it.

[On the Road]

14. Corporations Have a Lot of Advantages

but the need to maximize shareholder value is not always an asset.

There should be lots of models. PPOs and HMOs didn't used to exist, either.

[Tace]

3. Sounds Very Interesting

It would be insurance in its most simple form.

[sam sarrha]

6. this is ust another Coporate Sham..the Corporation owns the bank too

thei is really dumb.............

Look.. if their lips are moving.. they are lying/or screwing you

is there a citizens review board..??

[Wetzelbill]

7. it's something I would help build from ground up...

as of now it's an idea. I got it from a liberal Democrat named Tom Volgy former mayor of Tucson and now a U of AZ professor.

Nobody owns anything. What it would be is you'd get together a citizen's review board who oversaw everything I would think. I haven't worked out the details. However, I don't think the idea is dumb, I think you misinterpreted what I said. As of now, it doesn't exist. It is a concept. Although, I think a few other countries do have some of this incorporated into their health care systems. But, it's my lips moving so, I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt and say I'm not planning on screwing myself. :)

[sam sarrha]

8. Its called the "Iron Law of Oligarchy, 'Whenever a group of people do

something together for the common good, the people with vested interests steal it for profit'.

[On the Road]

12. How Do You Steal a Credit Union?

How has it been done in the past, or has it? Just wondering.

[sam sarrha]

19. ask Neil Bu$h... he is good at it. cost the tax payers $5,000,000,000 then

the people that stoled the $5 billion, he warned with Daddy's inside information... so they had time to split.. they gave Neil a $22,000,000 Loan with no payment schedule and no interest.

[On the Road]

21. I Understand the Motives of the Silverado Directors

but why would a credit union board do something like that?

[sam sarrha]

22. this is a mental illness, Obsessive Compulsive Sociopathic..

you cant see them coming.. till your are broke..

dsthese are the types in the government.. and in the stock Market, they are addicts.. gambling addicts, power addicts etc

[On the Road]

24. That's Exactly the Point of a Credit-Union-Type Arrangement

the members elect the board. How many scandals have you seen involving credit unions?

[Wetzelbill]

16. the people with vested interests are the people who live in

the community and contribute to it. It's also a non-profit organization. I'm not talking about a major corporation. I'm talking about a community organization. Like an electric co-op for example. Or as the name suggests, a credit union. I'd like to expand the idea to include small businesses as well as individuals. So, what would you advocate? Never doing anything ever because somebody may rip somebody off in the process? Do you advocate Medicare or Medicaid? We have fraud in those two programs as well. So should we scrap them and leave everybody to themselves? I doubt you would say yes. What I'm getting at is that this is a way to take power away from insurance companies and into the hands of a community of people. It's an idea. One that short of single-payer health care could help a lot of the 44 million uninsured in our country get some health care coverage.

[MissMarple]

13. So, basically you are suggesting oversight of an impartial review board?

Good idea. The HMO concept can work and as a non profit it could work even better. Keeping them local or at most state wide with easy transference between memberships might keep the rapacious executives at bay and in search of deeper pockets to raid. :D

[applegrove]

9. The larger the number of members..the better risk sharing there will

be. Yes - it would be great if the co-op movement takes off around the world.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. This is a good stopgap, but not the best long term solution

I can go for this idea. It is creative and bold.

But in the end, there's only one real way ... single payer national health care for every citizen.

[Wetzelbill]

17. definitely

not a cure-all for the health system. Just something to help people get out of the insurance company clutches. A way from them to empower themselves and get solid coverage. But, I advocate single-payer health care. In the meantime, because that day is a long way off if ever, we need to get people some relief. I think it could have some benefits. It has to be on a community type level. Not anything too large, you know?

[Vinca]

11. I think we should settle for nothing less than a national health care

program similar to the way the Canadians do it. Heck, Medicare and Medicaid are already in place. It's basically a huge expansion and paying for it with tax dollars rather than private insurance premiums (which more and more cannot afford). What will happen to the health insurance companies you ask? Do you really care? I don't. They've been reaping megaprofits and forcing us out of health care family by family. We dropped ours when it hit $12,000 a year with a $5,000 deductible.

[Wetzelbill]

15. yeah, but good luck sitting around and waiting for national health care

In the meantime, you need to do something. If you can help ease the pain on a local level then you may be able to go some good until the overall system takes proper steps. We have nearly 45 million people uninsured in this country, premiums, as you know are skyrocketing, and will continue to do so, more and more employers are blanching on health coverage for their employees. I don't care about insurance companies, I care about people, that's why I think thinking outside the lines and co-opting health care could work. Out of the nearly 45 million, how many do not qualify for Medicaid, but have to get rid of health insurance because of premiums, like yourself? An alternative like this, which is cost effective, would be ideal for those people and someone like yourself. Do you know that over 80 million people go without insurance a year for at least a month? Many are in between jobs, or their insurance at the new job hasn't kicked in yet. That's a dangerous situation. Also, the uninsured tend to be much sicker than the insured are. Many factors for that, but what applies here is that with a non-profit Health Care Credit Union put into place, they may be able to afford health care year round and not tied to there jobs or other factors. As I said, it's an idea. Single-payer health care, which I advocate may never come to fruition in this country. If it does great, but in the meantime we need to find other ways to take power away from the insurance industry. This idea would do that.

[bread_and_roses]

18. even with best intentions, incremental solutions just perpetuate the

basic problem - talk to people in States where activists have worked on incremental reform in health coverage for decades. They get 10,000 covered, another 10,000 lose coverage. No net gain. The for-profit system of insurance (and drug companies) have poisoned the well. I very much doubt that setting up insurance as a not-for-profit is a guarantor that it will be either affordable or comprehensive.

National Health Insurance, paid for by taxes, INCLUDING taxes on businesses, which would still save money (at least for those currently providing health care) is the only equitable, fair, and realistic solution.

We should work for and settle for nothing less. Every other civilized Country has it, why don't we?

[eridani]

20. Why is Boeing's health insurance still cheaper than--

--that of a few mom and pop stores banding together in a co-op? Because the larger the risk pool, the cheaper insurance is per capita, that's why.

Now, Vanna, tell us what our contestant wins if he answers the final grand prize question correctly!!!

What is the biggest, cheapest risk pool of all?

[SeekerofTruth]

23. I like it! Builds upon a good long term solution

of keeping healthcare privatized. Yes, I said privatized. I think healthcare should be run like our food supply. The government creates the rules and private enterprise functions within those rules.

I have no problem with nationalized healthcare as a safety net, but not as the main healthcare.

From what I've read, it's something that Hillary and Newt consider important as well. (What a strange world we live in.)