Tackling the insurance problem
Carson did provide one interesting analogy… he talked about how the existence of a government agency made it possible for homeowners to afford homeowners insurance. That organization is FEMA. Without FEMA, insurance companies would have to charge premiums that cover a much greater variety of unlikely catastrophes. One of the challenges, he says, that health insurers face is that they must charge enough to cover the event of a catastrophic illness. He says that the government should take responsibility for covering individuals who suffer from catastrophic injuries or illness, relieving insurers from having to factor that into their policies, and therefore, premiums.
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Comments
Kristi:
I find this intriguing since I've actually heard others (whose names escape me now) suggest the opposite: that government should ensure citizens have basic medical coverage and that individuals should then be responsible for buying insurance for long-term disability, etc.
Did Carson comment at all on this alternative perspective?
Posted by: Jeffrey Cufaude | March 30, 2009 7:13 PM
Jeffrey -
No he didn't... in fact, I feel like he may have even used a second example to illustrate this, but I can't remember it.
Posted by: Kristi Donovan | March 30, 2009 10:37 PM
The example I recall from Ben Carson was to compare government provided health insurance with the food stamp system. He stated that the large percent of people who do not currently have healthcare insurance will simply go to the emergency rooms where they have to be treated. This is very expensive for a hospital and for the system.
Instead Dr. Carson suggested a food stamp model where healthcare stamps would be allocated; emergency room care would “cost” a lot more then clinical care so individuals would be more apt to save their stamps by visiting the clinic before going to an emergency room. In addition to the high cost to the system at an emergency room visit, in an emergency room they will patch-up the immediate problem and send folks on their way where as in a clinic they will not only patch the problem but educate and advocate for preventive care. Food for thought…
Posted by: Alyssa Thomas | April 1, 2009 2:39 PM