Currently in the United States of America there is a huge debate on health care reform. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know it’s not giving everyone the health insurance the majority of citizens currently enjoy. As much as I enjoy having coverage, I wouldn’t wish Blue Cross insurance on my worst enemy. Amongst other things, they can give you a quote on what they will cover which has no bearing on what they will actually cover, they can say they will cover things and then not cover them, and they can decide to charge you for conditions based on medications you take, even if you don’t have the condition. Basically, they can diagnose you without any expert knowledge for billing purposes. This makes it extremely unreasonable to go the individual insurance route.
Of course, we brought this on ourselves. Employer-based insurance was a benefit that really gained traction as a result of the price and wage freezes after World War 2. It was a really progressive thing, relatively speaking, it’s just outdated. Remember, that was 60 years ago. Think of the things you’ve had in your family for 60 years, and think of all the things you currently have. Most things don’t last 60 years. Now, this is a policy, not an object, but it’s a policy based on consumption (medical service, medicine, use of / depreciation of expensive medical equipment). In addition, while you might argue the United States have been around over 230 years, take snapshots of it every 50 years. Notice the dramatic changes in Federal vs. State powers, of laws, of policies, of Constitutional amendments. It may be the same government, but it has evolved dramatically. While health insurance has evolved, it hasn’t kept pace.
I don’t know what the answer is, and frankly I don’t think that something that can be managed like a cat allergy really needs full coverage, but I welcome well-considered change.
Of course, I’ll be pleasantly surprised if we get that. We’ll probably get some miserably considered compromise that lines the pockets of politicians and those who line their pockets.