Friends,
In listening to the President’s speech on healthcare last night and reaction this morning, I’ve assembled the Jaunty editorial board and I think we can add important perspective to the debate. It’s this—much like the internet is not a truck, health insurance is not like car insurance.
While the President was saying this…
“And that’s why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance — just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.”
I couldn’t help thinking that most states require you to carry auto insurance because there was a very real possibility that your expensive possession was going to be smashed some day by somebody else’s uninsured expensive possession. Your premiums would rise and the offender would skate. The analogy falls down right there unless somebody would like to make the case that health care reform is tantamount to automobile no-fault insurance policies, which I don’t think you can very easily.
A woman interviewed on NPR regarding her opinion of the speech didn’t care for elimination of pre-existing conditions for consideration for health coverage (where do they get these people? -ed My guess is improv night at the dinner theatre.). She likened this to “…while uninsured, driving your car into a tree, then calling the insurance company for a quote.” This is wrongheaded unless people purposely choose to have a pre-existing condition. Which would imply that they’re crazy.
Treatment for which I presume would be covered.
Your pal,
– bob