Re:Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by philh on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @12:48PM
(#13978223)
> It's not a free lunch. They paid the admission fee with their health.
You're using the word "paid" in a sense that isn't relevant in context.
Re:Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by tghw on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @01:04PM
(#13978359)
Considering it's a debate about health care and insurance, I'd say the health of the individual is relevant.
Re:Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by philh on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @05:34PM
(#13980922)
Health is relevant. The sense in which you used the word "paid" is not.
Re:Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by rsync on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @11:19AM
(#13977312)
"You absolutely can insure against regularly consumed services, as long as the premium is enough to cover it"
That is called fee for service. Maybe it gets bundled with actual insurance, but it's not insurance. Regular, universal expenses are not underwritable.
Insurance is a technical term that has a strict meaning. You are absolutely correct that regular wellness checkups, etc., can positively affect the outcomes of that insurance pool, but they are not, themselves, insurable. They have to be paid for somewhere.
Re:Don’t Discriminate Against Mutants Like Me
by tghw on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @11:48AM
(#13977586)
They actually are underwritable. Not everyone utilizes wellness visits, just like not everyone gets an x-ray, in a given year. Insurance companies can price in the expected value of wellness visits based on the participation rate.
Therefore, it fits the definition of insurance, even though the likelihood of a claim is relatively high.
It's not a free lunch. They paid the admission fee with their health.
Regular wellness checkups are also not a free lunch. They're priced into the policies. You absolutely can insure against regularly consumed services, as long as the premium is enough to cover it and to do the underwriting for the unexpected expenses. Look at dental or vision insurance. The vast majority of what they cover are regular wellness visits.
Putting that aside, free wellness visits are also in the interest of the insurer. It's far cheaper to prevent disease or to treat it early than it is to deal with it later. Those savings from this so-called "free lunch" ends up right back in their pockets.