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Tenpoundbass says

Criticize Smokers, Sweet tooth's and the inactive. Blame them for the high cost of healthcare

That's why it would be better to have free-market insurance. If you want insurance, your rate will be based on risk factors. Just like drivers' insurance is based on driving record and type of vehicle.

People have a lot of control (and responsibility) about smoking, eating habits, exercise, and body weight.

Fuck Insurance it's a zero sum game. There's no fucking reason healthcare can't be out of pocket affordable for most people, other than it is rigged not to be.
To the benefit of the Stocks and the Insurance companies. And the monopoly regional hospital conglomerates that owns and operates every clinic in their regions.
It's a fixed controlled scam, blaming fat people and smokers for graft and fraud is stupid. And the moniker of people who lack critical thinking skills and miss the bigger picture.

"Fuck the fat guy fuck the smoker! Wha... Why is my Premium $3500? "

Play stupid games you win stupid prizes!

Tenpoundbass says

There's no fucking reason healthcare can't be out of pocket affordable for most people, other than it is rigged not to be.

So we're in agreement... allow insurance to be free-market. You can buy whatever free-market insurance that is offered or buy no insurance whatsoever (pay out of pocket, as you suggest).

Bad government policies do a lot to raise prices for everyone to the point that health care at current costs is unaffordable for many people. Getting the cost down would alleviate a lot of problems.

One issue is that any person seriously ill or seriously injured is likely to desire a huge amount of healthcare. Even with lower prices, that person couldn't afford the bill. In that case, catastrophic insurance would be the free-market solution: low cost, very high deductible insurance with a spending cap would work for many people.

SunnyvaleCA says

So we're in agreement... allow insurance to be free-market. You can buy whatever free-market insurance that is offered or buy no insurance whatsoever (pay out of pocket, as you suggest).

This goes far beyond free market insurance. We also allow Insurance companies to be the legal proxy one must have to obtain healthcare. If you don't get that, then you're not qualified to discuss free markets.

Tenpoundbass says

SunnyvaleCA says

So we're in agreement... allow insurance to be free-market. You can buy whatever free-market insurance that is offered or buy no insurance whatsoever (pay out of pocket, as you suggest).

This goes far beyond free market insurance. We also allow Insurance companies to be the legal proxy one must have to obtain healthcare. If you don't get that, then you're not qualified to discuss free markets.

Part of free markets would be getting rid of the gatekeeper aspect that insurance companies currently play. If insurance companies are locking you out of access, then the healthcare market isn't a free market.

SunnyvaleCA says

Part of free markets would be getting rid of the gatekeeper aspect that insurance companies currently play. If insurance companies are locking you out of access, then the healthcare market isn't a free market.

Agreed.

US Healthcare is not expensive because of insurance companies. The big health insurance companies make about 5% profit margins. Raise your hand if you think the unionized government bureaucracy with outrageous pensions could connect people to doctors and treatments for less than five cents on the dollar.

Healthcare is expensive because we pay alot of money to our doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical instrument and drug manufacturers. It is expensive because we go to exorbitant lengths to treat very old and sick people unlike other countries. It is expensive because we have alot of unhealthy people abusing the system. US healthcare is the most heavily regulated industry in the country, requiring loads of expensive admin and legal people along with government bureaucrats to navigate - not to mention regulations limiting the number of health practitioners we could have serving our country.

I think we need to address the fundamentals of why US healthcare (and higher education) is so expensive before throwing more government money at it with Medicare for All schemes.

The greatest scam the insurance company ever played was getting Auto Insurance holders responsible for the non-insured with "no Fault"