Opus 2014-204: Getting into Good Hands

We need to turn our health insurance over to the auto insurance industry.

This is not original with me.  I am sure you have heard it before.  I may have written on it before.  We have turned the health insurance “need” into a version of the Divine Right of Kings.  Consumers think their wishes are God’s commands.  Or the primary focus of government.

Think about your auto insurance.  It doesn’t cover tune ups, windshield wipers, oil changes, flat tires or any other regular maintenance.  It doesn’t pay for a blown gasket, a bent axle, an overheated radiator or other things that go wrong.  It covers major accidents.  And you get to chose whether you want more than the basic property damage and personal liability.  You decide what you pay for and live with the results.

In health insurance we want someone else to pay for every little ache, pain and inconvenience that our bodies present us with.  We want prescriptions for things we could buy over the counter.  I remember when my doctor started getting excited about my low vitamin D count.  He put me on some expensive intense dosage until I finally asked, “Can’t I buy this over the counter?”  It was much cheaper.

Think about the times you have gone to the doctor in the past year.  How many of the visits would you have made if you were paying for them?  Obviously if you have a heart attack or a stroke you need some help.  If you had to pay for it would you go to see a doctor because you were light headed or had an ache just here?

Sometimes, yes.  Sometimes, no.

There are answers.  The problem is that most of us want a system where we have Lexus care with Kia fare.

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