Quote:
Originally Posted by KSig RC
"Keep quoting"? I posted one quote, and tried to make it applicable to that poster.
I realize rates will be different all the way around, it's more expensive with dependents, all of this stuff is pretty obvious - it doesn't change much about the conversation, though, does it? It's borderline tautological . . .
The family rate for gov't assistance in the CA plan? $30k - so I feel like my points earlier still apply, no?
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Sorry, that was the plural "you" not the singular "you" as Kevin gave a similar quote.
All states have some form of Medicaid already and it sounds like the CA plan is only slightly better than that. It doesn't sound like the right solution to me.
Having worked in health care for 20 years now, I can honestly say that something has to be done in some areas or 1) more and more hospitals in urban areas will have to close and/or 2) the uninsured and underinsured will end up dying from ailments that can be treated. We are, and have been, in a health care crisis for at least a decade and it's only getting worse as fewer employers are offering health care. The hospital system that I work for gives away $100 million in free care annually. The one that is 15 miles north of the city gives away none, because the residents near that hospital have insurance and the hospital sends them to other hospitals. The Detroit area is in a serious health care crisis with 2-3 hospital systems treating all the uninsured and the other hospitals in the state taking on very little of the burden. The gravity of the situation does vary greatly from state to state because of different assistance available (for instance, most major cities do have county hospitals that get funding to treat the uninsured, but no such program exists in Michigan). So, a single mother of two who makes $40,000 a year and doesn't get health care from her employer is pretty much out of luck, as are her children. There is a difficult area where you make too much to qualify for any aid but not enough to pay for all the expenses. It's a tough spot to be in. After paying $300-400 a week in day care, and $1300 a month for a mortgage, there's not much left to pay for health insurance.
Addtionally, there are people with chronic health conditions who cannot get health insurance independently. The health insurance companies don't have to take them on because they are high risk. I had a friend with a thyroid condition who worked as a contractor making good money and who could afford insurance, but couldn't find a company to insure her.
Those are just a couple of scenarios which vary from the 25 year old single person who would only pay $125 a month.
A large part of why health costs are so much is because the hospitals have to make up for the care that they won't get paid for. I could go on for a long time on this subject with a lot of examples, but I've said enough for now.