OK, stupid check here people.
I'm mightily sick and tired of hearing about how health care is becoming so expensive.
How you can't afford it for "you and your 4 children" that you apparently gave little thought about while you were schtooping in the back of a Camaro at the age of 20 without a condom.
How you are an "old" person and didn't know that it would cost this much, that health care costs just snuck up on you and you thought that everything would be magically hunky dory and be taken care of if you could only live to 65.
Time to bitch slap you SOB's upside the head with a little adult and economics reality.
OK, ONCE AGAIN HERE PEOPLE, the simple Economics 101 lesson of supply and demand;
You see, there is only a certain amount of resources in this country to provide health care. This is denoted by the supply curve (S1)
When you have an entire generation of Baby Boomers entering Old Fart age and they've voted in programs like Medicare and Medicaid that effectively make health care free, thereby breaking the association of having to pay for what you consume SURPRISE SURPRISE, DEMAND FOR MEDICAL SERVICES GO UP! This is denoted by D1 moving to D2.
The result is not only an increase in the quantity of medical services provided (now consuming 15% of GDP), but also an increase in the price of medical services, denoted as P1 to P2.
Now, brainwashed dolts who watched waaaay too many after school specials and never had the slightest bit of strife in their lives, and therefore never bother to look ahead and have a contingency plan for the future will no doubt take a break from their candle light vigil to come in and say, "Why, that's so mean! How can you be so cruel to your elders!?"
Well because;
1. Our elders (Baby Boomers mind you) have fumbled the ball with the fiscal austerity and financial planning (or lack thereof) of the country's financial future.
2. It just so happens to be true that the old farts consume the vast majority of medical services. Not that this is necessarily their fault, mind you. As you enter Old Fart age your body poops out, breaks down and naturally needs more medical attention. Regardless Old Farts consume the majority of medical services, even though they don't make up the majority of the population.
I further simplified this chart for all you public school educated kids out there.
Now, what gets me and why I'm in a particularly irate mood today is how people fail to make the connection between the aging of Americans and the increasing costs of health care. They somehow think the cost of health care is going up universally for everybody.
No, that's just the insurance.
You see, if you are younger when you pay for health insurance it doesn't go to help you out. It goes to help subsidize the costs the old farts are putting on the system (and this says nothing about the manditory taxes you must pay for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security). Seriously, think about it, do you really consume $400 a month in health care services? I'm a healthy 30 year old that runs and eats right and doesn't smoke. I'm told full coverage would be $385/month. that's an X-Box 360 EACH MONTH! In short, on the average it would be waaay cheaper for you to just pay cash.
"But what if something bad happens? Like an emergency!? I need health care."
Oh you stupid freaking Americans.
For there is another way to insure yourself;
Your house.
"My house?" you say.
Yes, your house.
You see, why pay $400, $500, even $700 a month for health insurance for you and your children are not likely to use (and will inevitably just go to Old Farts anyway) when you can throw that money into your house. This will built up equity in your house on top of any appreciation in the value of your house. Then, in the unfortunate and unlikely event you have an emergency like an appendix needs to be removed or surgery, you can take out a home equity loan to pay for it.
This has many advantages;
1. By making additional principal payments on your house you will save yourself a large amount of interest expense in the future.
2. Your health insurance payments are no longer wasted. You no longer subsidize the insurance and health care of old people, you only pay for the medical services you use. Furthermore, you do not pay for the mark up in health care costs that the insurance companies tack on to pay for their employees and operations.
3. You can afford the most expensive surgeries should the unfortunate happen.
Of course, this requires a bit of financial maturity on your part. Alas I think Americans are tapped out of financial maturity. For they'll take out a home equity loan to pay for an SUV. They'll rack up credit card debt to pay for what ultimately amounts to crap and then consolidate it with a home equity loan. They'll take out a home equity loan to pay for a vacation or their childrens' worthless college education in communications. They'll squeeze every freaking penny of equity out of that house so you can afford that new TV and entertainment system.
But will they take a home equity loan out for health care costs???
Oh, no! They'd rather be the bitch of the health insurance industry forking out $400 a month so they can have that new plasma TV.
I just don't want to hear them complain about the cost of health insurance increasing when they do.
9 comments:
Interesting approach to the problem. My concerns are with the socialized aspect of health care, i.e. universal coverage. Health care is NOT a right. It's not in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence. While it would be very nice to have a big safety net, it has so many problems attached to it that it would destroy the nation. As it is, Americans have abandoned responsibility for their health and expect expensive miracles when the body falls apart. Problem is the state of the art is expensive and they want some abstract they to pay. And of course the miracles are often not so. I have yet to see a medication that is as great as the drug companies spin.
Agreed, but in that case get catastrophic insurance for the time until you build up some equity. You'll still come out way ahead paying cash for everything like stiches and broken bones, but the catastrophic will cover you until you can self-insure yourself.
Besides, no solution applies to all people, but this one would certainly take the majorityy of the steam out of most people's complaints about insurance being too costly.
Ok genius- What about those of us who don't have health insurance because the companies we work for do not offer it? How about when everyone was losing their jobs because of the economy, I was lucky to get this one? How about I bust my tail every day for the ability to barely pay my bills? I'm not an old fart. I'm only 35. I make too much money to get any help and didn't quit my job or have lots of babies to get free medicaid. So what about people like me who are playing fairly but still getting screwed? It's kind of hard to build equity up in a rental house. I don't make enough to save up for a down payment on anything. As a result, I haven't been to the doctor in 11 years. If I did have cancer or something, I would just have to die. I can't afford the treatment anyway, so what the heck does matter if I know something's wrong. I haven't missed a day of work in 10 years. I work when I'm sick and just take lots of OTC drugs to get me through the day. What are people like me supposed to do? Not everybody who is bitching has a way out or is trying to cheat the system.
Oh and by the way, Health Care is a right. I believe we have the right to "life", liberty and the pursuit ..... Adequate health care is essential for life. So, I guess that does make it a right. If we have to live in your world, I guess only the wealthy should have the right to live and people like me, "poor", should just go ahead and die.
I think doctors overcharged and are overestimated. They act like they think they are Gods and yet it takes at least 3 $100 visits to determine that a child has an ear infection. Yeah, right pure genius. The only thing they know how to do is hold your life in their hands until they can maximize their profit. They don't care if you live or die. They are selfish, self-righteous and self-indulgent.
And no, I don't have HBO and Showtime and I did forego the SUV for a more economical used vehicle. I drive an old Buick Century. So, what about people like me oh wise one?
Wow Anon...Your life is so hard it is amazing you had time to write that heartbreaking story. Sorry, your "right" to healthcare infringes on those "selfish, self-righteous and self-indulgent" doctor's right to a pursuit of happiness. Who in the hell would go to school for 8-12 years, work on-Godly hours, incur 100K+ in debt, pay outrageous malpractice insurance, and then have you tell them it is your "right" that they treat your ungrateful ass when you are sick.
Any maybe if people of your mentality quit suing over a nosebleed, the free market could produce qualified, but less educated professionals who wold be willing to treat your kid's ear-infection for less than $300, but until then, you are stuck with only the over-regulated, increasingly expensive choice.
But that's just my opinion...I am certainly no "genius"
Anon-
Now you know what it's like to;
1. truly support yourself
2. Be a man
3. how much health care really costs
I, despite your angst, will help you;
Catastrophic insurance.
I used it for years during my self-employmnet days.
This is not a solution, but it helps. Instead of going to see a doctor over something simple like an ear infection or strep throat, go to a nurse practioner. They cost much less, and do the exact same thing as a doctor.
While it may be true universal health care will help people get economical health care, what people forget is that it keeps people from receiving health care at all.
Here in Canada, my family doctor is booking 7 weeks ahead. MRIs, surgeries and specialists are booked years, *years* in advance.
There is no motivation to deliver quality & timely healthcare services in a universal government system.
All these talks about rights and what we "deserve". It seems most people either never knew or have forgotten what America was supposed to be. A Republic, not a democracy. I came across a good article telling the difference. It may help clarify why we have the problems we have today: What is a Republic
That is such a well written article. So well formulated and layed out as to why some of us can't afford healthcare. If I understand correctly after all of your banter and formulas, my stupidity left me in the position I am in. OK, you may be right. So that means I don't deserve affordable healthcare? I think we all deserve it, without any prejudice. While other countries have done a poor job with healthcare reform, I have faith we can do a better job. We are America, the best country in the world. Those that are speaking up against healthcare reform are probably ones that have been able to afford healthcare all along. I am sure that in your opinion that would mean that those are the smart people in the world, and the heck with the stupid people that can't afford it like me.
Those that feel they have a better idea on healthcare reform should have spoken up sooner, rather than waiting until somebody finally wants to do something about it and then objecting.
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