In a message dated 1/28/2009 11:27:12 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
b.glazer@att.net writes:
As I understand it, medical or health insurance was first negotiated as a
benefit of employment by the unions when they were powerful.
Generally speaking, such benefit plans were introduced as a perk to top
corporate executives during WWII, when wage levels were somewhat restrained.
Following the War, the concept spread to lower level white-collar and
blue-collar workforces as a way to retain employees in a tight labor market. In time,
health insurance plans, like salary, vacation, etc., became an important
aspect of attracting and retaining employees.
As a practical matter, the larger and more diverse the pool of participants
in an insurance plan (it does not matter what kind of insurance, i.e., home,
auto, etc.) the less likely the pool will suffer unexpected gains and losses.
Unless and until we follow the lead of other Western industrialized
democracies and create a National Health Insurance mechanism, individuals seeking
insurance on their own will be subjected to holdups or denials of coverage.
Certainly this approach would equalize the disparate advantage that large
corporations enjoy over small businesses.
As others have noted, the economies and efficiencies of underwriting groups
strongly mitigates against individual purchasers --- who are powerless to
negotiate anything. Those who feel that they suffer as a result of the
employer-based system (typically young, healthy and childless) are myopic --- and
are one incident away from economic disaster -- and all too frequently those
who, at some later date feel they "need" insurance will be unable to secure it.
The costs and benefits of many vital human services are shared by entire
populations --- even though utilization thereof is not. Relatively few citizens
have had their homes catch fire, but I suspect they see the need for a
publicly funded fire department.
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