http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/making-a-plan-and-not-sticking-to-it-3494/ Nationally Acclaimed Politics, Science and Culture Coverage Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:00:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/making-a-plan-and-not-sticking-to-it-3494/#comment-602 David Rosenfeld Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:42:19 +0000 http://blog.miller-mccune.com.s72010.gridserver.com/2009/08/31/making-a-plan-and-not-sticking-to-it/#comment-602 All of the issues here increase the argument for single-payer health insurance, which would eliminate the need to charge people different rates based on the probability they would get sick. In an ideal system, all Americans would be covered automatically and the costs would be shared based on each person's ability to pay, meaning income and wealth. The simplest way to do this would be through a mechanism we already have: taxes. We could still have choice of health plans, as contractors to the government, which could then be apportioned certain amounts of money based on the relative risk of their particular pools in the same way premiums are determined today. But our politicians have completely blocked any debate of this simple and fair approach. All of the issues here increase the argument for single-payer health insurance, which would eliminate the need to charge people different rates based on the probability they would get sick. In an ideal system, all Americans would be covered automatically and the costs would be shared based on each person’s ability to pay, meaning income and wealth. The simplest way to do this would be through a mechanism we already have: taxes. We could still have choice of health plans, as contractors to the government, which could then be apportioned certain amounts of money based on the relative risk of their particular pools in the same way premiums are determined today. But our politicians have completely blocked any debate of this simple and fair approach.

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