Inchoate thoughts on health insurance

There’s been a lot of talk lately about health care. Most of it is about health insurance, but it’s spun as “health care” because that makes a person more emotionally invested in the argument. (Not debate. Argument. I argue with my daughter a lot. There’s not a lot of debate involved.).

Some thoughts – feel free to correct me where I’m wrong:

There’s a number going around that 45 million people in the US are without health insurance. That’s 15 percent of the population. Assuming some of those voluntarily choose to be without insurance, and some are illegal immigrants who by law shouldn’t be here anyway, that makes the pool of people legally in the United States and wanting insurance but unable to get it as being smaller.

If a person voluntarily goes without insurance and gets hit with an expensive illness, that is my problem . . . how?

If a person enters this country illegally and gets hit with an expensive illness, that is my government’s problem . . . how?

I’m paying for these people already because my employer-provided insurance pays extra to make up for charity care and the fact that Medicare/Medicaid don’t pay as much as my insurance company does, right?

I read people saying the US has a lousy health care system. How so, other than the fact it is mostly privatized?

Does the existing government-run health care system function as efficiently and as effectively as the public school system?

My employer provides my health insurance, but it does not provide my car or my homeowner’s insurance. What if I don’t like the plan my employer offers? Shouldn’t I be able to take the insurance payments my employer makes and select a health policy that fits my needs better? And if I make a mistake, shouldn’t I have to pay for it? That’s what’s happening in the private sector now with pensions and retirement benefits.

On the other hand, how many medical expenses that people incur are from physicians going “ka-ching” when their patients walk through the door? A few unnecessary tests, and a country club membership is paid for.

Somebody in the medical industry is making money, considering how hospitals are always building new wings.

Summary: I wish I could say I know where I stand on all this. I do know I want more choice, and I don’t liked being locked into (a) my employer’s health plan (b) a government health plan or (c) expensive, on-your-own insurance.

As far as I know, none of the politicians talking about health insurance look at it from that point of view.