>>Insurers - private or public- add no value to the health care system and take billions out of it.
>>
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>That is a bit overdrawn. Sometimes insurers can force prices down - OTOH one can argue that only insurances deep pockets allowed those prices to balloon into insane levels in first world ;-))
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>As cost of medical treatment in the last few years before expected death (often real death as well) skyrockets, I think a benefit could be gained by covering exceptionally high cost well before that age, usually encountered via accident (or bad living habits like gigantic obesity, drug abuse and so on). This should only happen ONCE, unless insured in advance for more catastrophic events.
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>Past 50 everybody should pay at least a third of all medical cost to curb the tendency to milk the system. Might make people more conscious to the dangers they create not only for their lives, but their money as well by following unhealthy habits ;-)
>
>Perhaps might eliminate some of the unneccessary treatments, esp. the expensive ones.

But it's the old people that are not only going to have the most health issues and also have the limited income - those are some of the last people you want be taking healthcare from. If people have good healthcare in their lives prior to that, then the costs when they get older should be less. In the long run, from a financial perspective the best thing would be to have everyone insured and able to have regular doctor visits and checkup because in the long run it would cost less. That or just screw everyone and let them die and save all the money together (which is more along the lines of what the GOP is thinking here)


>>There are lots of people in this country would can't afford to pay for a doctor's visit.
>>We should figure out a way to help those people, for sure.
>>However, requiring someone making $100K/year to have health insurance is whacky.