alexey Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 There has been a lot of discussion about health care recently. I see some level of standardization of health insurance plans as a key element of allowing the competition in free market. I think that having a standard product and competing on price is the way to go. I like that part of ObamaCare and I am looking forward to it. Obviously this approach would somewhat reduce choices that are available... but it seems that not standardizing plans would result in companies trying to make money using "innovations" of the undesirable kind. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I got Gbs in 2006 Thank goodness for specialists and the United States Doctors/Nurses Though I like military like clinics.... Go there first with hospitals a referral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrong Direction Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Standardization is a big word with a huge potential to mean a lot of things. One man's standardization could mean that everything must be covered at a 20% coinsurance, no matter what. Another man's standardization might mean that a plan proves "Actuarial Equivalence" in their benefit design resulting in 20% cost sharing, but distributing it differently. I agree that some level of standardization, even if only in baseline form, is very helpful. This gives consumers something against which to compare other options. I mostly believe in consumer protections and vehicles to help them understand why their is differentiation in benefit designs. I think the point that you're getting at is that a real marketplace needs transparency. On that, I definitely agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I think standardization at different levels is good,though I don't see why adding ala carte to plans would be difficult too much standardization will end up like cable tv plans....you will buy more than you need to get what you want,or do w/o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I agree 100% with standard forms and a single set of federal regulations which abolish the labrynth of 50 different sets of state regulations. Paperwork takes up a disproportionate amount of expense in the US system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 There has been a lot of discussion about health care recently.I see some level of standardization of health insurance plans as a key element of allowing the competition in free market. I think that having a standard product and competing on price is the way to go. I like that part of ObamaCare and I am looking forward to it. Obviously this approach would somewhat reduce choices that are available... but it seems that not standardizing plans would result in companies trying to make money using "innovations" of the undesirable kind. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts? I agree with you. I know that, at least in my case, really, comparing health insurance plans is impossible. Because it's impossible to tell which one is an apple, and which is an orange. All you can to is pick a brand name that you like the commercials from, pay them whatever they demand, and when you need it, then you find out what you bought. I agree with you. If Obamacare makes it possible for customers to actually compare insurance? Then that will probably be the biggest benefit to come out of the law. (Can it actually accomplish that goal? :whoknows: ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrong Direction Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I agree with you. If Obamacare makes it possible for customers to actually compare insurance? Then that will probably be the biggest benefit to come out of the law. (Can it actually accomplish that goal? :whoknows: ) For what it's worth, I absolutely believe that plan comparison tools are changing this line of thinking. Comparing isn't as daunting as it used to be. For the intermediate term, I totally favor funding for counselors to help people choose the right plan for them. Over time, I think that could be greatly reduced. However, in the short run there's definitely a learning curve that people need help with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I agree 100% with standard forms and a single set of federal regulations which abolish the labrynth of 50 different sets of state regulations. Paperwork takes up a disproportionate amount of expense in the US system I don't automatically have a problem with the creation of one, standard, national, set of regulations. I have a big problem with what every single Republican seems to be proposing: Having the Feds mandate that insurance companies can ignore state laws, as long as they comply with some state's laws. That proposal is simply a way of guaranteeing a "race to the bottom", in which whichever state writes the laws which most favor the insurance companies over consumers, becomes the national law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallen5862 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/30/obamacare-glitch-priced-out-of-health-care_n_2585695.html?utm_hp_ref=business&icid=maing-grid10%7Clegacy%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D263982 Obamacare 'Glitch' Allows Some Families To Be Priced Out Of Health Insurance WASHINGTON — Some families could get priced out of health insurance due to what's being called a glitch in President Barack Obama's overhaul law. IRS regulations issued Wednesday failed to fix the problem as liberal backers of the president's plan had hoped. As a result, some families that can't afford the employer coverage that they are offered on the job will not be able to get financial assistance from the government to buy private health insurance on their own. How many people will be affected is unclear. The Obama administration says its hands were tied by the way Congress wrote the law. Officials said the administration tried to mitigate the impact. Families that can't get coverage because of the glitch will not face a tax penalty for remaining uninsured, the IRS rules said. The problem seems to be the way the law defined affordable. Congress said affordable coverage can't cost more than 9.5 percent of family income. People with coverage the law considers affordable cannot get subsidies to go into the new insurance markets. The purpose of that restriction was to prevent a stampede away from employer coverage. Congress went on to say that what counts as affordable is keyed to the cost of self-only coverage offered to an individual worker, not his or her family. A typical workplace plan costs about $5,600 for an individual worker. But the cost of family coverage is nearly three times higher, about $15,700, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I don't automatically have a problem with the creation of one, standard, national, set of regulations. I have a big problem with what every single Republican seems to be proposing: Having the Feds mandate that insurance companies can ignore state laws, as long as they comply with some state's laws. That proposal is simply a way of guaranteeing a "race to the bottom", in which whichever state writes the laws which most favor the insurance companies over consumers, becomes the national law. Larry, again another fail by the "I don't get it but this is my opinion post" It's not a republican or democrat fail, it's a system fail and our country will get screwed by any decision they make based off of a commercial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88Comrade2000 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 It won't happen overnight but the long term goal is single payer. There won't be any competition, just one entity providing insurance for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I got Gbs in 2006Thank goodness for specialists and the United States Doctors/Nurses Though I like military like clinics.... Go there first with hospitals a referral There are a lot of good doctors around the world where they have socialized medicine. Sweden. UK. Australia. Japan. The second part of your statement is one of the key features of socialized medicine, the Gatekeeper mentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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