I wonder what would happen if all healthy people suddenly dropped their health insurance...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

It would be interesting to see.

[villager]

1. I think an "insurance strike" is a wonderful idea

We could bring those conniving bastards to their knees in mere months, if not weeks...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. It seems like it would...

The only difficulty would be in convincing people to let their fear of becoming ill take a back seat to their desire for a system that doesn't aim to rip them off.

[alfredo]

2. I've thought about that too. I think just the threat of such an act would

force reform.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. Either that or

Bushco would declare a state of emergency and threaten to jail everybody who dropped their insurance.

[alfredo]

39. Win win situation. In jail we'd get free health care.

[cynatnite]

3. Every health insurance company should be dismantled...

and their assets taken. Use the money they have bled from the American people to expand Medicaid and Medicare to cover every man, woman, and child in the US.

I hate them and I want those companies to die.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. I'm with you...

America needs a "health care" system...not an "I don't give a shit about your health" system.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Right. People are gonna put their kids at risk. Yah - I can *totally* see that.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. I don't have any kids to risk

:shrug:

[BlooInBloo]

6. And that's relevant exactly if you are "all healthy people".

[cynatnite]

8. As much as I hate the insurance companies...

I couldn't stop ours. We can't risk it with our kids. Several years ago, when we didn't have any, our oldest daughter had a sudden appendicitis attack. We're still paying on those bills and I've seen people lose their homes over medical bills. So, no, we wouldn't do it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. I'm curious...

How much would your insurance cover now, if your daughter had an appendicitis attack?

My husband had neck surgery 4 years ago; and we're still paying the bills even though we have "insurance".

[cynatnite]

40. 90%...and our share would have only been about $300 n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

53. I'm glad you were able to

find a program that takes care of you. And I understand your position.

Have you seen "Sicko"? I'm wondering whether Moore offers perspectives from all sides of the insurance debacle, or if he mainly focuses on the un- and under-insured.

[villager]

9. even if everyone without kids did it...

..the impact would be huge.

[davsand]

41. Actually, the insurance company WANTS the folks who won't make claims.

Young, single--the insurance companies WANT those folks. They pay for insurance they rarely make claims against. They do not want women who might have expensive (read high risk) maternity claims or older adults who might face serious claims (like cancer, strokes or heart attacks.)

The younger folks are helping pay for the rest of us because most often (not always but frequently!) the young insured are only making claims when they have some kind of accident or catastrophic illness. Insurance is a giant pool that generates bigger profits if the pool is a younger healthier one.



Laura

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Of course.

I didn't ask whether it would be easy to get people to drop their insurance. I asked what would happen if they did.

I believe, in the current state, many people would be willing to put their kids "at risk", because "at risk" isn't much worse than the half-assed insurance they receive.

[SheilaT]

7. Yeah, right.t.

Perfectly healthy people will igive up their insuracne to make a pont.

The problem with your idea, even though it might seem to be a good won, is that none of us know when some kind of major health crisis might strike, and so no sensible person will give up their insurance.

It's the kind of thing that seems like a good idea in teh abstract, but in reality simply won't work, won't happen.

[villager]

10. it could happen. With a little nerve, good faith, and say a certain

window -- three months, six months, whatever.

If all those who could afford the "risk" did it, the impact would be enormous.

[Ferry Fey]

11. temporarily able-bodied

If all those who could afford the "risk" did it, the impact would be enormous.

I get the feeling that "temporarily able-bodied" is not a phrase you relate much.

[villager]

20. Again, the constant fear keeps you in thrall to the insurance companies. The idea was

for a "time out" in health premiums -- a three or six month period (well, that's my addition to the OP).

This is not a suggestion for people with kids, or people in their 80's, etc.

But -- if healthy, younger people fomented a "health insurance strike" for a set period of time, it'd get noticed.

[BlooInBloo]

12. Genius, Faith-based health. My god.

[villager]

21. as opposed to the constant fear you seem to be advocating, I mean

n/t

[mmonk]

13. How about a big protest where everybody burns their insurance cards?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. I like it...but

inhaling those melted plastic fumes might send someone to the ER. ;-)

[ben_meyers]

14. Okay everyone cancels at once

I'm an insurance company that collects premiums and invests that money in stocks, bonds, real estate etc. Some of the money I pay out in claims but there aren't anymore claims because everyone has canceled. So I lay off the low level employees and manage my portfolio. Now I've become a large investment firm, but you've proved your point and now want back in. Fine, go get yourself a physical because I'm not taking any preexisting conditions. Have you ever filed a claim? You get a higher premium. and on and on.

But hey, go for it.

[seriousstan]

19. Funny, I am the only response to your post.

Imagine that.

[villager]

22. of course, you might not be covered even if you have insurance, and your rates

will go up when do you get sick, and nothing will change unless we change it.

But hey, love insurance companies that much? Go for it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. If people weren't filing claims,

wouldn't the cost of hospitalization be lowered? In its current state, costs are hyper-inflated, since the big investment companies are paying for it.

Thank you for actually answering the question in my OP... :-)

[BenDavid]

15. Being human beings those that

drop their health insurance would begin to worry so much it would cause all kinds of problems from stress to high blood pressure and strokes and heart attacks.....I say stay well, eat your veggies and your fruits and lean meats and keep your health insurance because the day may come that you may not quality for any health insurance because you worried so damn much after you dropped it....

I do thank you
Ben David

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. That's an interesting point...

though I'm not sure all would worry to the point of ill health.

I've got insurance now; but I'm still worried.

[lakeguy]

16. wouldn't work..

i expect to be flamed, but not too many are willing to make the personal sacrifice for the good of the whole. that's the noose the insurance companies have around us. there is a risk involved but there always is for anything with a substantial gain. problem is, people will only see their personal risk and not the huge gain something like this could provide.

[BlooInBloo]

18. I know! Fucking selfish bastards - caring about their children What tools.

[villager]

23. so... you're intentionally ignoring the parts of the discussion agreeing people with

children could be understandably exempted from such a movement?

Which, if DUers are this weak-kneed about doing anything, won't get any farther han a discussion here.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

33. I understand what you're saying...

especially since we've had it drilled into our heads that in order to really love our children, we must provide insurance for them...insurance, not health care.

Still, if people had a well-thought boycott plan presented to them (if such a thing is possible), I think a significant percentage of the population would be willing to participate. Remember, at one time, nobody ever would have thought that Americans would stop drinking tea.

[villager]

44. another link would be for doctors to offer "wellness" care during the "strike"

that could make the months-long movement nearly invincible...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

50. Maybe Doctors Without Borders could lend a hand

The cost of malpractice insurance for many doctors is absurd. If there was some way of working together with doctors toward a common goal, we might receive their support.

Of course, doctors are, for the most part, among the better-insured, better-covered.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

17. Rather than a quixotic gesture like this, those same people electing a candidate who supports

universal health coverage would seem more productive.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. That certainly is important...

But, given the current state of Congress, I have my doubts about such a program being implemented without "we the people" taking dramatic action.

[Quantess]

30. I am super healthy, and I haven't had health insurance for years.

Whenever I go to the doctor, I just pay the bill. It's a lot cheaper.
Anyway, I can't afford health insurance.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. At $800/month

I often wonder if I wouldn't be as well off putting our money in CDs.

[Vinca]

37. The scary part about paying the $800 every month is you don't

really know you'll be covered when something happens until it's too late. As Michael Moore pointed out in SICKO, file a claim and they'll comb through your past like a monkey looking for fleas.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

38. Exactly...

As I mentioned in a post above, we're still paying off hospital bills from 4 years ago.

The last time I had a check-up, my doctor ordered a bunch of tests that cost me close to $2,000.

[Quantess]

45. I can't afford to save anything right now.

I really can't afford health insurance. Good thing I'm so healthy!

But yes, $800 every month sounds like too much.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

46. When you're self-employed...

That's the cheapest option available. And the coverage sucks.

[NuttyFluffers]

36. it would be interesting to see.

unfortunately i have a higher expectation of seeing bush frog marched into the Hague before this. desperate people don't do noble acts of unity unless their very lives are at stake -- at that exact moment. content sheeple are even more recalcitrant.

but keep brainstorming, there's probably a great way to help usher in single payer health care. :hug:

[spanone]

42. we 'might' get reasonable prices for health care.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. Hospitals and pharm companies would have to

bring their costs way down. Insurance companies could no longer be expected to pay $5 for a band-aid, etc.

I think there need to be changes in the current malpractice laws, as well. My husband's neurosurgeon had to quit his position as head of the department in the hospital. He could no longer afford to pay $250,000 a year for his insurance. :-(

[mondo joe]

43. Isn't most insurance purchased by employers to begin with?

This is the second most poorly thought out suggestion this weekend in GD, right after enormous boycott threats delivered via DU lurkers.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

49. Read the original post, please.

I said "I wonder what would happen if..." It was not intended as a well-thought suggestion. It was intended as a question, hopefully to be answered by people who had knowledge of the insurance industry. Do you? Do you have any thoughts or ideas regarding what would happen?

If so, I'd really like to know.

And, to answer your question: Not all insurance is paid for by employers. People who are self-employed and people who survive by working multiple part-time jobs must pay for their own. In some instances, these people pay more for their insurance per month than they do for their rent.

[losthills]

48. What would happen?

Doctors would immediately start slashing their prices...

[rucky]

51. That would really screw over sick people.

which any one of us could become at any time.

edit: After reading these posts, it's shocking. While insurance companies overcharge everybody, the general idea is that you pay into a pool of money that is used to treat people when they get get sick. While you're healthy, your money goes to treating sick people, and when it's your turn, all the other healthy people's money goes to pay for your treatment.

If healthy people bailed, that would leave us with a bunch of insured sick people who wouldn't get treated.

My mind didn't even travel to breaking the insurance companies - while it sounds like a good concept, we have to have a national system in place first.

[Pavulon]

52. You really want to know, here you go...

the remaining people in the risk pools would be punished by massive rate increases. However they would have to pay the cost since the chronically ill can not afford cash payment.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

54. or have a cooperative health insurance

non profit - take the market out of health