Comment by geddy | Hacker News Reader

Comment by geddy | Hacker News Reader

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If we're paying on an individual basis, I want to pay based on my physical health. We'd still pay out the ass because people don't take care of themselves here - it's not healthcare, it's sickcare. People go to the hospital when their bodies start to die and that's why your hospital bill is enormous until the insurance company comes back and says "$25,000? We'll allow $1,200. And we'll pay $800 of it. Here's your bill for $400 - you're welcome."

I'm tired of this model too. People should pay what they're costing. It's just that, the costs should be reasonable. I work out, I eat extremely healthy, I'm never sick, and I don't require medication to keep my heart pumping. Why am I still paying a fortune on healthcare, including premiums and deductibles? I have a great insurance plan, ffs!

You might do and be all those things but none of that will prevent a unforeseen life changing accident from completely debilitating you. This is the true reason for what you say is "sickcare" we are all healthy until we are not. You pay into an insurance system, private or public, to offset the risk of this occurring.

This is a misrepresentation of why healthcare costs so much in the US. There are a lot of reasons, but "you're paying for people who don't take care of themselves" barely makes the list -- insurance companies already give major discounts for not smoking etc.

The biggest problem is that the entire existing system is so convoluted and bureaucratic that the cost of everything is ten times what it ought to be.

They should just delete every single piece of federal healthcare law with two years of notice for the states to be ready to pick up the ball. Then let fifty states try fifty different ways to clean up the mess. Some will get it right and some won't, and then the losers can copy the winners, but even the screw ups can't be much worse than the status quo.

So all people born with or that develop disabilities are now destined to penury and death? Congratulations, you just invented eugenics.

Nice strawman argument. Because I don't want to pay a lot to offset the most expensive, I want people to die. Not what I said at all.

But half the country either smokes or is obese, and I shouldn't have to incur the cost of other people's conditions.

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