If insurance companies do avoid covering people who are "likely to need care," this suggests that the uninsured are unhealthy. But 60% of the uninsured are in excellent health (Table 10) (In fact, overall the uninsured are only slightly less healthy than the insured).Hat Megan McArdle, who has a pretty interesting analysis.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
What I didn't know about health care
Uninsured people are about as healthy as insured people are:
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3 comments:
Part of that is because of the millions of young, healthy people, who haven't yet reached their prime income producing years and simply don't see the benefit of spending hundreds of dollars per month on health insurance that they will probably never need.
It's not that they can't afford it...they could if they wanted to...they just have chosen different priorities.
Which, in a free country, is supposed to be their right.
There is a lot that we don't know about health care, especially the money part. Which is how the Democrats want it. They, along with their lackeys in the won't-be-extinct-soon-enough Lame Stream Media, who have amped up the hysteria.
In the end it's not about cutting costs or improving health care, it's about controlling a large part of the American economy.
Just as Gun Control isn't about guns or crime, it's about control.
Uninsured doesn't mean no health care. Emergency Departments must examine and stabilize all comers. Which is why the uninsured use this in lieu of going to a primary care doctor.
Plus of course EDs are open all the time, so one can wander in after a week of drinking at 0300 and demand care. Very expensive care, by the way.
If we really wanted to contain health care costs, we'd establish free care clinics as there used to be. Even 100% tax payer funded, it would be far cheaper than using EDs to provide primary care.
We'd also change the law to allow for non emergency situations (after screening) be referred to them.
To politically risky, so it won't happen.
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