Health care reform is vital but complicated. Republicans and free marketers advocate for greater consumer (what the hell ever happened to patients?) choice and more responsibility in choosing and paying for insurance plans. So, Romney/Ryan proposes Medicare vouchers that cover some of the cost (leaving a considerable premium for seniors to pay on their own) on the theory that consumers will have more skin in the game and make wiser choices that meet their needs but keep down costs. A lovely theory! It just doesn't work out in practice.
The link below describes the harrowing and complicated journey of a woman who needed neurosurgery. This woman is also a health economist and knows far more than most people about the intricacies of insurance and health care.
Now imagine an average senior citizen - your 85 year old grandmother perhaps - trying to navigate this very complicated, sometimes deliberately obtuse maze. Trying to anticipate, for example, all the illnesses she is likely to have, procedures she might need, drugs she might be prescribed and matching all that to the managed care plans presently available in her area, at the same time predicting how those plans are likely to change and, oh by the way, where she is going to come up with the difference in premium left after the voucher. Most people will choose the cheapest plan or perhaps the best they can afford at the time. They will not be in a position to figure it all out. Granny loses, insurance company wins. Is that what you want for your parents or grandparents? How about for yourself?
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