The Mass. model is working

Crabcake Johnny

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I've obviously been following this almost on a weekly basis and from the myriad of articles and publications I've read it's an overwhelming success so far: Herdt: Ante up for health reform : Columnists : Ventura County Star

Face it, when a 37 year old male can purchase a $2,000 deductible guaranteed issue plan for $109 a month then something is working.

I'm for this as a national model. It keeps private companies in the loop, addresses affordability by offering levels of assistance based on income, still allows employers to offer group coverage and individuals are guaranteed issue.

I'd love to see this expand nationally. Would we be out of work? In the individual market - tough to say. Probably not. We'd see commissions around 5% however we'd be doing 1/10th the work. No health history, no underwriting, no nothing really. Take our clients to the website, choose, pay, issued in 10 seconds.
 
The system works in large part, he said, because Massachusetts requires everyone to have insurance. "The individual mandate," he said, "is so critical to our reform."

It is so great, yet isn't Mass the only State that is actually declining in population? I simply don't like the implications of this at all, this isn't the land of our fathers.
 
Yet no one blinks that car insurance is mandatory? I'm having trouble finding that in the constitution.

While I agree yet they state that since you are driving on Public Roads. Yet who built an paid for those Public Roads? No doubt, the supporters will use similiar jargon to legitmize this otherwise bite into the Individual Freedom thing we once had going on.

I can just see the rewriting of history, "Give me Medical Care or give me Death", "The Underwriters are coming the Underwriters are coming".
 
And the uninsured are using state and local health services and costing localities millions a year. Our "rights" are an interesting topic overall. No smoking in work places? Localities banning smoking in restaurants? What about our freedoms? Can we force motorcyclists to wear helmets? If my yard is messy and I don't pay the fine can my HOA actually put a lien on my home? Why must I buy workers comp if I hire someone? I have to buy homeowners insurance if I have a mortgage?

Can localities ban things like pick-up trucks if certain people deem that they lower the value of the neighborhood? Pickup Trucks Now Allowed To Park On Coral Gable Streets - Local News Story - WTVJ | Miami

Our "freedoms" are a joke. We live under millions and millions of national, state and local laws.
 
No question, Individual Rights are under attack I yet wouldn't call them a joke. Yet though the Helmet laws are under attack, seems as though every study I hear about shows helmets causing as many injuries as they are reported to save. Save a head injury only to inccur a neck injury or that helmets tend to cause accidents due to heating of the head while riding or so reported by some? Yet, I would think that more Supreme Court Cases are in our future, that will relook at this issue now in play in Mass. I would only guess this is far from being over, and looking at the make up of the Supreme Court it could easily tilt more too the Individual and State Rights over Federal Rights, which only mixes things up more for guessing any possible outcomes. We need more Thomas's and Rhenquist type of justices on the court!
 
It's always interesting to me whenever anyone says that mandatory health is a rights violations yet doesn't address auto, homeowners or workers comp. Insurance in various forms has been mandatory for years. The states, localities and private hospitals have been eating millions and millions a year. Why can't I have the right to employ someone without workers comp? Oh...because if they get sick or injured they become that state's burden? Interesting.....

We need free health insurance for the "poor" - offer assistance according to increased income levels and start telling that family making combined $100,000+ income with the two new SUVs in the driveway that they must pay for it.

Again, silly that they, by law, must have auto insurance for those new SUVs yet health insurance becomes a sticky subject. And who foots the bill when Mr "two new SUVs" incurs a $100,000 medical bill? We do.
 
If you're looking for a figure on how much uncovered people are costing - in MD it's 7%. It's an extra 7% in medical costs and hospital charged built into the system. The states have a right to address that. I personally pay close to $300 a month for coverage and it's not fair that I have to pay for my neighbor with the new plasma tv who says "screw it." I have no problem with my tax dollars going to the poor and underpriveledged. I have a huge problem with it going to morons with money who just don't give a crap.

Maryland Newsline - Health Special Report: Uncovered: Maryland's Health Insurance Crisis
 
Face it, when a 37 year old male can purchase a $2,000 deductible guaranteed issue plan for $109 a month then something is working.

I would question the accuracy of this number - last I checked MASS. individual for that scenario was about $600 to $800/mo

GI does not work and I do not endorse GI in any shape or form. Risk Pools are the best strategy in my opinion you can not group the chronic ill with the general pop.
 
Here are the rates for that 37 year old in Boston without the tax break figured in:

massplanspt7.jpg
 
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