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Re:What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Wit... by yakshaving_jgt on Saturday December 29, 2018 @03:05AM (#18782578)
Because those private companies actually have some kind of incentive to keep you happy. If Company A doesn’t give you a good deal on your healthcare, Company B will, meaning Company A will lose out. It’s not a difficult concept.

You really trust the government to take care of you? How blind are you? The UK government wasted £12 billion of taxpayer money on an abandoned IT system.

Re:What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Wit... by pjc50 on Saturday December 29, 2018 @07:11AM (#18783268)
> if Company A doesn’t give you a good deal on your healthcare

... well, too late, because your insurance was chosen and paid for by your employer (if you have one), and your clinical decisions were made for you. Oh, and if you try to change insurers you will be denied coverage for your "pre-existing condition".

The UK is far from perfect, but it does the basics well (antibiotics, contraceptives, emergency care, insulin). And there's zero risk of it making your state worse by bankrupting you.

And for those who want faster care, private insurance is still an option. It's just that: an option. Not something that people have to desperately scramble for.

Re:What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Wit... by yakshaving_jgt on Saturday December 29, 2018 @10:53AM (#18784108)
That’s debatable, and I suppose relative. I’m still bitter about homeopathy and breast implants being given to patients on the NHS, which I am paying for through taxes.
Re:What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Wit... by josho on Saturday December 29, 2018 @01:52PM (#18785086)
> If Company A doesn’t give you a good deal on your healthcare, Company B will

Then when you need to make a claim you discover that Company B gave a good deal because in the fine print they added exclusions that result in your claim being rejected for some arbitrary reason. So yes, in the long term the competitive landscape works as word gets out that Company B's plan is garbage, but in the short term you are forced into personal bankruptcy or a worse health outcome.