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It’s a nice thought, but how are you going to do it? Is the cartoon proposing pay-as-you-go health care? That’s already failed. The people who most need it won’t be able to afford it.
huh? we pay for it now, but the insurance company clerk denies coverage, refuses a doctor’s prescription, delays payment to the doctor and the pharmacy. anything’s better than what I see now as a pharmacist in a chain drug store - my patients are going without their meds because even though they “paid”, they can’t pay enough. Down with the status quo.
Badly misrepresented; showing his uniformed bias. It’s not a choice of “government- versus self-control;” it’s a choice between “government- versus big business-control.”
Now, if ony you had a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, it would be the People versus Big Business. Y’all might want to look into this form of government.
I agree with texarc. Paying out the rear for insurance and getting nothing but heartache back. Some of my care givers won’t accept my insurance because they make getting paid a huge hassle.
The HMO’s have people on staff whose job it is to find ways of denying care to people. Do you think the government would have people on staff with the same function?
Actually, I’ve only had one run-in with the IRS in my life, and it worked out pretty well. A missed payment on my part, and it was not the nightmare I’ve experienced in working with my insurance company.
As to the DMV, that’s a state government issue, isn’t it? All my dealings with our local DMV have been swift and efficient (I go in, I take the test, I have my license the same day. I send in my registration info for a new car and have plates within a week).
All in all, my government dealings have been no worse than private company dealings. Just saying.
cd
Ummmm DL? Didn’t you say you live in NY. When I moved to NY it took them 9 days to get me my license. Of course they took my old one and I had a little piece of paper, no photo, to serve as my DL. No bank would take it as ID so it was a good thing that I had opened an account earlier. This prompted me to renew my passport despite no plans to leave the U.S. that year. Maybe if you live in Albany it’s fast.
If insurance companies are making so much money why doesnt the govt get into the business so they can pay off our debt with the massive profits…….We are proposing we overhaul the best system in the world for 47 million uninsured. How about the other 260 million of us who want the best care? Why not just pay the premiums of the uninsured and keep your mits off our care…..name one govt program that provides high levels of service and innovation and I sign up for govt healthcare…
“If insurance companies are making so much money why doesnt the govt get into the business so they can pay off our debt with the massive profits…….”
Because the GOP and Blue Dogs won’t let them.
“We are proposing we overhaul the best system in the world for 47 million uninsured. How about the other 260 million of us who want the best care? Why not just pay the premiums of the uninsured and keep your mits off our care…..”
Because going through private insurers creates huge amounts of waste. And because private insurers have no interest in covering everybody. They only want to service the healthy and wealthy because those are the only ones that are profitable.
Better yet, why not dump private insurers and just pay providers directly to provide care for everybody? You still have the same doctors and hospitals. All that gets cut out is the expensive middleman and the uncertainty of not knowing whether our insurance company will drop us.
“name one govt program that provides high levels of service and innovation and I sign up for govt healthcare…”
Medicare, which covers one of the highest-risk segments of our population with an overhead that’s far less than that of any for-profit insurer.
@Gary Kleppe: Regarding your first post, you’ve got it right. I’m not proposing a solution in the cartoon. I hint at it a but it would take a few more cartoons to say it.
I’d like to see health insurance be purchased independently in the same way we buy auto, home or life insurance. It should not be employer-based where you can lose it if you lose your job. It should not be government-based where it becomes subject to politics and a likely growing unfunded liability.
Could insurance companies be better? Yes. Should government set guidelines and constrain the excesses of business? Yes. Should we have a safety net for those in need? Yes. Should we work to make our health care system more efficient? Yes.
There are many ways to solve these issues. And we should think hard about who we’re giving the power to when we propose changes.
I think there are important differences between health insurance and the other varieties. With auto insurance, if you’re a bad risk, it’s often your own fault. People who drive carelessly and get into preventable accidents should have to pay more money and possibly go bankrupt. And it’s possible to give up driving entirely – take the bus or ride with a friend.
For health insurance, none of that applies, and the distribution of costs is much more skewed. Twenty percent of the population account for about eighty-five percent of costs. There are a few people who need millions of dollars per year in care (see this video for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNHNCScYpX8) and a whole lot of people who never need anything more than routine check-ups and the occasional antibiotic. Private insurers want nothing to do with the expensive 20%. Under your proposed system, they surely wouldn’t be able to buy insurance.
The original idea behind insurance was to pool risk – everybody pays in, and those who end up needing it take out. It hasn’t worked out that way in practice, because the profit motive makes insurers avoid risk. What we need is to get everybody, sick or healthy, in the same pool, and I don’t see anyone except government able to do that.
By the way, though I often disagree with you, I enjoy reading your cartoons. I remember one from a few years back which was called something like “How to drive away your customers” which I always thought ought to be pasted on the wall of every company that does customer service by phone.
John Sherffius by John Sherffius
Scott Stantis by Scott Stantis
Comments (18) Jump to Comments Form
dwyant said, 4 months ago
AMEN, brother!!
Gary Kleppe said, 4 months ago
It’s a nice thought, but how are you going to do it? Is the cartoon proposing pay-as-you-go health care? That’s already failed. The people who most need it won’t be able to afford it.
texarc
said,
4 months ago
huh? we pay for it now, but the insurance company clerk denies coverage, refuses a doctor’s prescription, delays payment to the doctor and the pharmacy. anything’s better than what I see now as a pharmacist in a chain drug store - my patients are going without their meds because even though they “paid”, they can’t pay enough. Down with the status quo.
DrCanuck said, 4 months ago
Badly misrepresented; showing his uniformed bias. It’s not a choice of “government- versus self-control;” it’s a choice between “government- versus big business-control.”
Now, if ony you had a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, it would be the People versus Big Business. Y’all might want to look into this form of government.
xlcustom
said,
4 months ago
I agree with texarc. Paying out the rear for insurance and getting nothing but heartache back. Some of my care givers won’t accept my insurance because they make getting paid a huge hassle.
jimbo1949
said,
4 months ago
I don’t see that insurance company clerk that vetoes the drug or procedure I need listed here. Not all bureaucrats work for the gummint.
bgarner
said,
4 months ago
The HMO’s have people on staff whose job it is to find ways of denying care to people. Do you think the government would have people on staff with the same function?
nomad2112 said, 4 months ago
Health care with the compassion of the IRS and the speed of the DMV? Now THAT’S a dark future.
cdward said, 4 months ago
Actually, I’ve only had one run-in with the IRS in my life, and it worked out pretty well. A missed payment on my part, and it was not the nightmare I’ve experienced in working with my insurance company.
As to the DMV, that’s a state government issue, isn’t it? All my dealings with our local DMV have been swift and efficient (I go in, I take the test, I have my license the same day. I send in my registration info for a new car and have plates within a week).
All in all, my government dealings have been no worse than private company dealings. Just saying.
cabrobst said, 4 months ago
So insurance executives have the power.
Gladius said, 4 months ago
cd
Ummmm DL? Didn’t you say you live in NY. When I moved to NY it took them 9 days to get me my license. Of course they took my old one and I had a little piece of paper, no photo, to serve as my DL. No bank would take it as ID so it was a good thing that I had opened an account earlier. This prompted me to renew my passport despite no plans to leave the U.S. that year. Maybe if you live in Albany it’s fast.
andejas1 said, 4 months ago
If insurance companies are making so much money why doesnt the govt get into the business so they can pay off our debt with the massive profits…….We are proposing we overhaul the best system in the world for 47 million uninsured. How about the other 260 million of us who want the best care? Why not just pay the premiums of the uninsured and keep your mits off our care…..name one govt program that provides high levels of service and innovation and I sign up for govt healthcare…
andejas1 said, 4 months ago
bgarner…yes they will. Obama mentioned it in his press conference the other night…
cdward said, 4 months ago
Gladius,
I don’t live in the city. Closer to Poughkeepsie. I got it all in one day. What can I say?
Gary Kleppe said, 4 months ago
“If insurance companies are making so much money why doesnt the govt get into the business so they can pay off our debt with the massive profits…….”
Because the GOP and Blue Dogs won’t let them.
“We are proposing we overhaul the best system in the world for 47 million uninsured. How about the other 260 million of us who want the best care? Why not just pay the premiums of the uninsured and keep your mits off our care…..”
Because going through private insurers creates huge amounts of waste. And because private insurers have no interest in covering everybody. They only want to service the healthy and wealthy because those are the only ones that are profitable.
Better yet, why not dump private insurers and just pay providers directly to provide care for everybody? You still have the same doctors and hospitals. All that gets cut out is the expensive middleman and the uncertainty of not knowing whether our insurance company will drop us.
“name one govt program that provides high levels of service and innovation and I sign up for govt healthcare…”
Medicare, which covers one of the highest-risk segments of our population with an overhead that’s far less than that of any for-profit insurer.
Gladius said, 4 months ago
I don’t live in the city either, I’m out west.
Briscoe
said,
4 months ago
@Gary Kleppe: Regarding your first post, you’ve got it right. I’m not proposing a solution in the cartoon. I hint at it a but it would take a few more cartoons to say it.
I’d like to see health insurance be purchased independently in the same way we buy auto, home or life insurance. It should not be employer-based where you can lose it if you lose your job. It should not be government-based where it becomes subject to politics and a likely growing unfunded liability.
Could insurance companies be better? Yes. Should government set guidelines and constrain the excesses of business? Yes. Should we have a safety net for those in need? Yes. Should we work to make our health care system more efficient? Yes.
There are many ways to solve these issues. And we should think hard about who we’re giving the power to when we propose changes.
Gary Kleppe said, 3 months ago
Briscoe, thanks for taking the time to reply.
I think there are important differences between health insurance and the other varieties. With auto insurance, if you’re a bad risk, it’s often your own fault. People who drive carelessly and get into preventable accidents should have to pay more money and possibly go bankrupt. And it’s possible to give up driving entirely – take the bus or ride with a friend.
For health insurance, none of that applies, and the distribution of costs is much more skewed. Twenty percent of the population account for about eighty-five percent of costs. There are a few people who need millions of dollars per year in care (see this video for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNHNCScYpX8) and a whole lot of people who never need anything more than routine check-ups and the occasional antibiotic. Private insurers want nothing to do with the expensive 20%. Under your proposed system, they surely wouldn’t be able to buy insurance.
The original idea behind insurance was to pool risk – everybody pays in, and those who end up needing it take out. It hasn’t worked out that way in practice, because the profit motive makes insurers avoid risk. What we need is to get everybody, sick or healthy, in the same pool, and I don’t see anyone except government able to do that.
By the way, though I often disagree with you, I enjoy reading your cartoons. I remember one from a few years back which was called something like “How to drive away your customers” which I always thought ought to be pasted on the wall of every company that does customer service by phone.