No doubt having to insure just about everything in life sucks. It’s like death and taxes—everyone has to deal with it at some time. Or do they? Think about it. Think about the last time you were excited about paying for something you had to have:
Electricity. Water. Gasoline. Homeowners dues. Orthodontia for the kids. Telephone. Cable. Gardener. Dental work. Cleaning supplies. Car repairs. Insurance.
Now think about the last time you paid for something you wanted:
Big-Screen HDTV. Vacation. New car. New Furniture. New clothes. A night out on the town. Remodeling. Playstation 3. Gifts for special people in your life. Alcohol.
We all like paying for the things we want more than the things we need. How many people out there who claim that they can’t afford insurance coverage spend for things they want before they spend for the things they need? I’ve spoken to so many people whine about how much everything costs, but still have the latest car, cell phone, computer, credit card, etc.
How many of those people have already participated in the Cash for Clunkers Program. They couldn’t afford health insurance but somehow found the money for a new car. With that new car you need to get car insurance and maybe even a five-year warranty. Protecting the car is important. But I forgot. Driving a car is a privilege. Having health insurance is a right (according to some who’ve never read the U.S. Constitution).
A great many people justify their spending habits based on ME WANT NOW NOT LATER and claim it as a need. When gas went up to $4.65 a gallon, a few of my friends traded in their SUVs for hybrids. They were “saving” on gas. Beside, the SUVs were purchased almost four years ago. As soon as gas dropped to $2.50 a gallon, the Prius was traded in for the Dodge Charger Hemi or Ford Flex. They got “a good deal” so they couldn’t pass it up.
Even those of us who pay for health insurance really don’t care about how much health care costs. We just pay our premiums and co-pays. Who cares if the latest doctor’s visit cost the insurance company $787.00? It only cost us $15.00. Who cares if that prescription costs them $225.00? Our co-pay is only $10.00. Oh yeah, we get medical, dental, and eye benefits through our employer. Who cares about the 11% fringe costs added to our salaries? The company pays for it. We still have to pay about $200.00 a month which they take out before we even get our checks so we don’t miss it. We should get checked out at least once a month to get our money’s worth. With our families, we can multiply that number by three or four. Whenever a third party pays the bills, the cost of business goes way up. I’m sure you all paid attention to how much everything cost when you were growing up…while your parents paid for everything.
If your doctor has to give you battery of tests so he can cover his ass in case you want to sue him for malpractice in the future, who cares? You’ve already met the deductible. Who cares how much his malpractice insurance costs? He would just be wasting the extra dough on Chinos and a new set of Pings. Who cares if HMOs only pay so much per procedure? It comes out of his end. He’ll just have to see more patients in less time.
Quit being so lazy, Dr. Slacker!
So how can we HOPE to CHANGE the insurance industry? Tort reform. What kind of tort reform? LOSER PAYS. If the loser of a lawsuit had to pay for all expenses incurred on both sides, frivolous lawsuits would disappear overnight. Right now the scumbags who file these types of lawsuits don’t have a vested interest in limiting them because so many third parties get sucked in. It’s so much easier to settle than fight. Even if you win, you’re out lots of cash to your attorneys. It could cost you more to fight than settle. Imagine winning a case and forwarding your legal bills to your opponent and they actually pay. Imagine only cases that had merit. “Imagine all the people sharing all the world….”—J Lennon.
Unfortunately, because we have more lawyers than rats in this country, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The trial lawyers lobby is very good at influencing the right people. With them are the unions, “educators”, and community organizers which will make the battle ahead very tough.
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Trace, you are right on. I might add that the 47 million number that is being thrown around is such a le... subtract the illegals, the crowd between ages 18 to 29, you are left with about 19 mi;;ion at best. And what about the people in between jobs?
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that I want to pay for a loser who needs treatment because his nipple ring caused an infection right after he had had been partying all night on drugs and booze, paid for by..God knows who.
That's just one example. There are million different ones.
I already pay enormous taxes to the system..and enough already.
Keep up the good work.
Errol