I walked by a TV set and saw some talking heads on Fox actually talking about health care reform. The people may have been Bret Baier and Dr. Marc Seigel.
I am ecstatic. Most conservatives I know are intent on preserving Obamacare (under a different name) and refuse absolutely to discuss free market health care reform.
Sadly, what the doctor said was idiotic.
The doctor said the two keys for health care reform were tax deductions and the ability to buy insurance across states lines.
I wanted to scream. Tax deductions only help those who have active income streams. The people who are most in need of help have no income.
Buying insurance across states lines is going to make health care a nightmare.
The biggest problem is that interstate insurance companies do not have contracts with local health care providers.
If your employer decides to save money by buying insurance across state lines; you are likely to find that few local health care providers are willing to take you case because they do not have a contract with your insurance company.
This next paragraph might sound strange to readers, but it is the basis of insurance.
Group insurance works as follows. A group of people place their health care resources into a pool. When individuals need care, they and their doctor file an insurance claim against the pool.
The insurance claim is a lawsuit which is overseen by the court system. Currently the jurisdiction takes place at a state level.
I need to repeat this: An insurance claim is a lawsuit. You put your money in a pool and you must sue the pool to get the money back out to pay for care.
The reason that medical billing is so bizarre is because it is designed for processing through the legal system.
The current system is nuts.
Insurance companies and doctors try to streamline the claims by creating local buyers network. In these networks, insurance companies negotiate the prices of goods and services with local doctors.
These insurance networks are, theoretically, the cost saving mechanisms of insurance.
Insurance companies often have large directories showing which doctors are "in network." These doctors have negotiated with the insurer to provide care at a set price.
When your employer decides to save some money by buying insurance across state lines, you will find that there are few "in network" doctors.
Having few in network doctors means you will not receive the care you desire.
If your employer buys insurance across state lines, you might find that many doctors refuse to accept your insurance because they do not want to take on the hassle of filing an insurance claim in a different state.
Anyway, I was ecstatic to see people on TV discussing health care reform.
Yes, I was disastisfied with the discussion, but people have to go through multiple discussions to find a good solution.
A discussion about free market health care reform must go deeper than talk about tax deductions and state lines. We need to discuss the foundations of health care. If anyone wants to engage in a substantive discussion about health care reform, they could contact me. I have research on hand that would serve as a basis for an illuminating discussion.
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