ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after officials slam it

Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by jakelazaroff on Thursday July 03, 2025 @09:22AM (#44454782)

No, it's definitely more efficient:

- Preventative care is far cheaper and more effective than reactive care (e.g. your dentist telling you to floss more in a particular area vs. filling a cavity vs. filling a root canal)

- Insurance is more effective at dispersing costs amongst a larger pool of people

- In a system like the US where insurance companies must negotiate prices with healthcare providers, larger pools have more bargaining power

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by hellojesus on Thursday July 03, 2025 @11:58AM (#44456380)

Yes, but what happens when you remove competition? Bargining power becomes absolute.

What happens when the single purchaser of healthcare refuses to pay an amount sufficient to raise supply to meet demand?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by jakelazaroff on Thursday July 03, 2025 @12:14PM (#44456559)

There's no need to ask this as a hypothetical; simply look at the many, many countries that have successfully implemented such systems.

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by HaZeust on Thursday July 03, 2025 @12:48PM (#44456946)

I used to actually bat against universal healthcare for this reason, until COVID. The majority of private insurance companies are already doing that, here.

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by hellojesus on Thursday July 03, 2025 @02:00PM (#44457620)

I think this is mostly because the US system strips choice from the individual. I hypothesize the outcomes would be far better if we decoupled private health insurance from employment and allowed an oprn market for individual consumers.

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by jakelazaroff on Thursday July 03, 2025 @03:47PM (#44458560)

I have good news: the open market you're describing already exists! You are free to decline your employer's health insurance and sign up for a private plan at healthcare.gov.

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by hellojesus on Thursday July 03, 2025 @09:42PM (#44460483)

I know it exists, but there is no point to denying the employer provided plan unless one is substantially better off paying for out of pocket care plus the forgone income from the employer.

I would propose that we legislate the ban of employer provided healthcare benefits instead of making it universal.

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Re:ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after ... by jakelazaroff on Friday July 04, 2025 @12:22AM (#44461107)

If you think the foregone income would make the difference, negotiate a raise from your employer in exchange for waiving their health insurance. Problem solved!

You can do what you're describing today, in this world. I think the fact that you don't is instructive.

[ Parent | on HN ]