Reader comments
Employer insurance falling fast

In a state that has Right to Work laws(employer rights) and the works have no right to assemble or bargain for workers benefits. An employer has complete control of what benefits and employee gets. Assisted health care being one benefit and cost of health care uncontrolled then it is one of the victims of employees benefits. Then when you add the illegal alien in to the mix the number of employees elligible for health care insurance declines, the cost go up with the decline in the number of legal employees. The bulk discounts from insurance companies decline with fewer eligible employees. A health care insurance tax or taxpayer funded insurance is not the answer, it breeds corruption and fraud and not health care. The government should be investigating out of control cost of health care and insurance company policies and fraud and not be feeding the fire of cost. The americans that can get health care insurance are also supplementing the international cost of health care for illegal foreign nationals. IHC and other health care providers overcharge patients for services provided. A $10 aspirin is not reasonable pricing. Health care is not a right but a government responsibility to regulate.

Insurance premiums up 70% and medical pay down. I wonder which of the insurers are making the big bucks.

I work at one of the "60%" companies that still offers health insurance. In fact, as insurance goes, it is very good -- no deductible, 90/10 copays, $10 doctor visits and for generic prescriptions -- and the employer covers the large majority of the premium.

THAT SAID, contrary to what the reporter wrote, I do NOT think that everything is "just fine." I fully agree that the system is BADLY BROKEN and needs a radical fix. I think the Republican and Democrat leaders in our state and country need to stop treating their party platforms as holy writ and just pass laws that make sense based on the set of facts that are actually before us -- instead of on the sets of "facts" that their "evangelists" are forced by party orthodoxy to preach.

I wonder why.

This from our "family friendly" state!

as an employer I routinly asked my employees, do you want health insurance or the money? They always chose the money.

This is a disgrace and it's time we took steps other than more hand-wringing and the predictable bleating about the superiority of the "free market."

There's no such thing as a free market where health care is concerned. No better proof of this exists than the news article itself.

It's time for a nationwide single-payer health care system. Go ahead and hyperventilate about "socialism" for a minute and then when you get that out of your system and calm down, give some serious consideration to the realities of our predicament.

We spend more per person on health care, yet have _worse_ overall health care than any industrialized nation in the world.

We have phenomenally more health care bureaucrats per patient than any nation in the world.

Our economy is suffering because employers can't afford to fund health insurance, and employees don't move to jobs that match their skills because of health insurance concerns.

Our health care system is predicated on maximizing the profits of hospitals and insurance companies, not the well-being of patients.

Anything short of a national single-payer system is simply more of the same system of failure.

As fewer people are in the insurance pool, cost for those remaining will continue to rise. Especially if those who are leaving are healthier than those who remain. Insurance works best when everyone has coverage. Cost would still rise, but not at the same rate. When government requires coverage for all as it does with auto insurance, cost will not rise as fast. Unfortunately, that will also cost either employers or government more money. We have to make a national decision whether Health care is a right or a privilege.

Why do we blame our congressional leaders on our health care woes? Point the finger out ourselves; obesity, drug abuse, insurance fraud, just to name a few. We abuse the system and expect uncle sam to bail us out. It's a classic case of supply and demand. Let Adam Smith's "invisible hand" work and stave off more government regulation.

Isn't this somehow the Mormon's fault!? Jesus and Satan are brothers? Anyone? C'mon people don't let me down! This could be the first thread not to complain about the LDS church. Where are all the haters?

Fine, it's all George Bush's fault then.

You do not need to look far to find the single largest factor in the ever increasing cost of medical care and medical insurance: Trial Lawyers.

The hospitals need to pay for malpractice insurance. The doctors and nurses do the same. No one pays these costs out of their own pockets. They just pass them along to the consumer. Tort reform would go a long way in reducing malpractice insurance, which would bring the cost of care, and medical insurance, down.

But do you really think we will ever see elected officials (mostly lawyers) ever introduce legislation to bring tort reform into our system?

One of the major factors from people I know, is ABUSE of their benefits. If their nose runs, they go to the doctor. I know a couple that have appointments every week and many of those appointments just may be unnecessary.
If workers would stop abusing the system and take care of themselves and leave the big things for insurance, we'd all be better off and they would probably be healthier by not taking so much medication.
One of my favorite phrases is "Give doctors half a chance and they'll kill you!"
How much better off we would be if we "doctored ourselves" and weren't always running to the doctor for a cure. They've become gods to our society.
That said, I have coverage but my husband and I rarely go to the doctor. We average once every 3-4 years. We like knowing it's there for us when needed but we never abuse it.

For everyone that thinks that Nationalized Health Care is the way to go, all you need to do is look at Canada or the UK to see what a horrible idea it would be to head down that road. Those people come to the USA to get the medical care they need because the lists for the care that they require are so long, and their health failing so quickly, that they either choose to die or go where they can get the care they need.

And if you think our government does a good job at anything they do, look no further than Social Security.

The answer is not a nationwide single-payer health care system.

The answer is to move away from traditional and HMO style health plans to High Deductible Health Plans with Health Savings Accounts (HSA). The premium savings is significant. Users can put this money in their HSA and spend it as needed on their health care needs. When they reach their deductable cap (usually around $2,000), their health insurance kicks in to pay most if not all of the rest. When they are healthy and don't use it, the money builds up in their HSA and they can use it later when needed.

People are much wiser consumers when they are paying for services out of their own public.

Health Insurance should be like other insurance - to transfer risk of high cost events. Auto insurnace would be much more expensive if it also included the cost of fuel and maintenance.

It IS a big problem. A very big problem. So big, how does one start to reform it? A good start may be watching decorating budgets in administrators offices. Leather chairs, trips to Europe to pick out the art work, etc. Also, the distribution of thousands upon thousands of booklets with tender pictures of happy people all the while stating the corporate "mission". The production of those booklets must have cost many thousands of dollars in paper, printing, not to mention the several committees salaries that it swallowed up. Put the money back into the health CARE part of it. We don't need the fancy marketing.

Dave
I am on the other end from you. I was promised insurance (which was why I took the job) and it didn't happen. My health situation changed (after I was supposed to have insurance) and now I am uninsurable or they ask ridiculous amounts (which my employer can't pay) and my employer has given up on getting me the promised insurance and is ready to hand me the money. I'd rather have insurance.

Just wait until we get a socialist in the white house, and then as small business owners we will have to cut coverage for our employees altogether because we will get our butts taxed off. NOT looking forward to that!

Well, Congress won't do anything becuase the large insurance lobbys put a stop to it. Congressmen and women are more interested in lining their own pockets - what's new!! Also, attorney's have made the medical providers ultra paranoid of law suits. A minor error can lead to a huge lawsuit. Look at how many attorneys are being graduated every year. There is not enough legitmate legal work to go around so they look for ways to sue other people or businesses. Combine all this with the greed of insurance companies,sick politicians and you have a system that is out of control.

I'll tell you why,

Drive around and look at the ridiculous homes that people that have money build in Utah. Rameumptum homes, set up on the hill to show off their success and wealth. It is all around us. Drive an Escalade, drive a Lexus, drive a Hummer. You employ people? You see yourself as one of these line your pockets type people? You taking away health insurance from your employees? How big is your house? How many toys have you? There. You have it.

I have a friend who heard a leader in the church, as they drove around looking at the homes, say, "What are the members thinking?"

That says a lot. My mansion is bigger than yours, I have 4 73" TV's, a home theater, I have a cabin as big as my house, and I have two boats, a house boat at Powell, I have 10 condos, and we spend winters on cruises.

But my employees have no insurance.

I would be all for government health care, but I've worked in the government for years and it is by far the least efficient mechanism to get anything done. The money and time spent by most government agencies to even accomplish simple tasks (a committee to decide which toilet paper dispenser is best for example) would make you sick. Knowing what I do about government run programs, it absolutely terrifies me to think of them taking over medicine. I agree the current system is corrupt beyond repair and needs to be totally revamped. Perhaps the government could play a hand in cleaning house with health care "providers" (not sure what they actually provide) but keep things private.