http://daniel-t-miles.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] daniel-t-miles.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] cos 2009-09-10 03:08 pm (UTC)

While I agree that I don't care what's fair to the insurance companies, I think you've missed the point about what they mean by fair.

The funding models for public insurance are very different because, like all our progressive taxes (where progressive means the shape of the tax curve, not the name of a political movement), public health care is redistributive. That is to say that the wealthy pay more for it than the poor do but everyone has equal access. Since an insurance company can't manage its funds that way or even manage its risk-pool that way, it isn't fair.

But I think THAT'S the smoke-screen. It's a GOOD thing that it isn't fair, not being fair is how we get better coverage.

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