Could anything be worse than the health care disaster we have now?

[raccoon]

Yes, it could.

Mandatory health insurance.

[Lasher]

1. The insurance companies' dream.

Fend off real UHC and while you're at it, force everbody to buy their crap.

[flashl]

2. Yes, it could. Medical FICOs. n/t

[antigop]

3. The rightwingnuts would say "YES, there is"--higher taxes n/t

[NewJeffCT]

4. No - the Chinese system is much worse

You have to pay for your medical costs up front - even if it's extreme surgery- and if you're lucky enough to have insurance, you have to go to the insurance company yourself to get reimsbursement.

It's no wonder that China is the world's most medicated society, as people try to pop pills in order to avoid/put off surgery.

[Angela Shelley]

5. Just a thought about mandatory health insurance.

What if there was "mandatory health insurance" and the MANDATORY applied not only to individuals but also to employers.

Meaning, if every employer was required to provide an insurance plan to his or her employees, and every employee had to be signed up.

This way, the employers would look for better health care plans, because that would make the job more attractive for the employee. Employers looking for affordable plans would induce more competition between the insurance companies.

[closeupready]

6. But in a weak job market, they'd be able to change the plan to a cheaper less comprehensive one,

save money, and still be able to attract workers.

So long-term, that doesn't solve anything.

[Angela Shelley]

7. Without having any statistics at hand,

I can imagine that many employers are "good guys" and are truly interested in keeping the best employees which they can find.

Maybe we could try "mandatory comprehensive insurance plans"?

[closeupready]

8. I don't necessarily agree. Businesses put making money supreme, which is neither fair nor unfair,

just the way it is, and if they can make money by trimming some "fat" here and there, they will (at least in my experience). In a weak job market, pay and benefits will always be trimmed.

Yes, there are those organizations which try to do the right thing, even if it's a little more expensive, but if we are going to have a reliable health care system, then the typical worker shouldn't have to rely merely upon the good graces of the powers that be.

Maybe a "mandatory comprehensive insurance plan" would work. It would keep them from cutting too much. The only caveat would be, would the requirements for mandatory coverage have to be changed every few years?