Quote:
Originally Posted by davidra
Well, by all means, Dr. Economist, please explain to us how HSA's would help low income people who can't benefit from a tax break, yet are working and have no insurance. What do you mean by "most people"? People like you? I'll say again what I said before: HSA's may be fine for relatively young healthy people. They don't help those that need help. But that fits right into the republican playbook. They choose to ignore those that really need help. And you have no idea what your rates will be like. If you want them to be totally controlled, then you should support a single payor option....or tighter control on insurance companies. So tell us, which of these do you favor? The real question is why do republicans and their supporters care so little for people that don't have insurance? There's some hatred for you.
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How HSA's help low income people:
They reduce the cost of healthcare by reducing over-utilization. Over-utilizaton directly contributes to higher prices leading to higher priced/unaffordable care for the poor. See the effects of overutilization in any standard health economics textbook.
What rates will be like:
They will inevitably be higher because an increase in demand with no corresponding increase in supply is not a Republican tactic, its otherwise known as the Law of Supply & Demand and no politician can repeal it.
Totallly controlled rates:
Rates will go down when there is less bureaucratic redtape, not more. Government cannot dictate prices, it is subject to supply and demand just like everybody else. Attempts to control prices are futile and even worse counterproductive. Did you live through the Jimmy Carter era? Misery index sound familiar?
Tighter control over insurance companies:
Those who bear the costs of over-regulation are those who can least afford it, the poor. Want to help the poor? Increase competition in the market place by offering companies incentives NOT dis-incentives to join the market. A healthy, vibrant, efficient insurance market would be one with portable insurance products offered that could be sold across state lines from a plethora of carriers. The best way to regulate companies it to make sure there is another company looking over their shoulder not some bureaucratic regulations that do nothing to make coverage more affordable.