A better alternative to health insurance
By murderistic
@murderistic (2278)
United States
October 23, 2009 12:47pm CST
What if community groups pooled their money together in their own healthcare fund? There would have to be an initial foundation, perhaps made through donations, and from then on people could put in a given affordable amount per month. If there was an emergency situation and not enough funds, people could either donate or make early payments in order to help their community members. Some intentional communities have tried this and it works wonderfully! What do you think?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
24 Oct 09
Interesting concept. I live in a town where basicly no one has to go with out coverage of some sort. It's a small town, under 3000 people, with a hospital that serves us and our surrounding towns. The hospital has a fund that has been in place for ages, started by one of the wealthier founding families back in the day, but is kept going throuhg modern day donations much like you have proposed. Anyone with out the ability to afford a decent health insurance plan, can sign up for it, the income requirements aren't very stringent and it covers every service the hospital and medical center offers. In many cases, the coverage is extended to any hospital in the state as well. There is also a companion prescription program.
It is hands down better than any big government program, with out much of the red tape and beurocrocy. I would love to see more programs like this open up to communities around the country.
1 person likes this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
24 Oct 09
Small private Insurance companies are usually honest and above board, but let that same company grow, become Public, with a President and Board of Directors, and watch the hogs waddle up to the trough to swill down the Dollars. Its happening all over North America, and this is why the US needs to get entirely away from Health Insurance and move to a Federal Health Plan. The Canadian Plan is Insurance free, and has worked well since 1984. Although there are some Canadians who will bad-mouth it, just try to take it away, and there would be riots in the Streets. We love our Health Care, and feel so sorry for those millions of American Citizens who stand to lose everything they have worked for all their life, because of failing health
Well, this isn't really a small insurance company, it's a private non profit charity run through the hospital. Typicly things like this have been far more successfull here in the U.S. than a government run program, especialy a federaly run program. Our system of governence was simply not set up like that.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
24 Oct 09
Small private Insurance companies are usually honest and above board, but let that same company grow, become Public, with a President and Board of Directors, and watch the hogs waddle up to the trough to swill down the Dollars. Its happening all over North America, and this is why the US needs to get entirely away from Health Insurance and move to a Federal Health Plan. The Canadian Plan is Insurance free, and has worked well since 1984. Although there are some Canadians who will bad-mouth it, just try to take it away, and there would be riots in the Streets. We love our Health Care, and feel so sorry for those millions of American Citizens who stand to lose everything they have worked for all their life, because of failing health.
@murderistic (2278)
• United States
24 Oct 09
I read about this in Shane Claiborne's book, "The Irresistable Revolution." You can read about the community that he and some other graduates of my college started in Philadelphia at www.thesimpleway.org
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
23 Oct 09
Small, poor communities wouldn't be able to do this...not when so many folks already aren't making ends meet. If this were a self pay group I doubt the contributions would be able to keep up with the expenses of routine care, illness care and prescriptions for all of the members unless they contributed quite a bit each month. You also need to remember that hospital care is expenseve, especially surgeries. My husband's surgery to clear out his carotid artery cost over $60,000.
1 person likes this
@murderistic (2278)
• United States
24 Oct 09
But not EVERYONE in any community is in need of constant health care and perscriptions. In reality, it would work the same way as health insurance, except it would be non-profit. And as I said, fundraising would have to be done, especially in those small poor communities. If needed they could connect with other communities. It would certainly have to cater to the area and group of people and what they could afford. But it can work, especially if all of the major church denominations and religious institutions started doing this by region.
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
24 Oct 09
Being now an official senior, I have spent a bit of time wondering about what my future might bring, with the spectre of some commercially or government-run old folks prison looming large. It has occurred to me that the obvious answer is something very much along the lines you have suggested: i.e, a resident-owned and run retirement home with a contracted medical/nursing staff and catering. If profit is not a motive, then most of these homes could probably be made much more humanised and comfortable than is now the case. If each resident deposited their cash/assets into the home fund on a share certificate basis, and surely there will be someone in the place with the expertise to administer the investment of excess funds to provide ongoing income for the group, it could be quite viable.
For those without much in the way of accumulated assets, surely a government and/or charity group with its heart in the right place could partially fund the setting up of the home, and then allow the non-profit running to be handled by the residents themselves.
Of course in the West, where individualism and self-interest have become institutionalised, this smacks of communism, heaven forbid, and ideological rubbish would tend to get in the way of the practicalities.
Lash
