Interesting idea. Free health insurance for people
 

Just read a blog post by Mark Cuban where he was wondering about how people could get free health insurance. His idea would be that companies like Walmart would agree to put a person on their corporate health insurance so you would get the same coverage as their employees do if you pledge to buy only from them (for products that they offer). That is an oversimplification, there would be no way to know that you bought only from them so they would probably require you to spend a certain amount per year to qualify, but it is an interesting idea.

Costco offers certain customers a free executive membership. With that membership you get a percentage of what you spend back in cash each year. If your refund is not at least $100 (the cost of the annual membership) then they will pay the membership fee for you. Of course they only offer this to people who spend a lot with them to start with.

So if Walmart started a plan where you got a "membership" card that you scanned every time you bought something and you spent a minimum amount per year, they give you free health insurance. I have no idea how much that amount would be, but it is an interesting, outside the box, idea.

Here is Mark's blog post on it. http://blogmaverick.com/2010/02/27/i...lth-insurance/

Will they make us wear GPS tracking devices capable of delivering electric shocks? And zap us if we go into a competitors store?

http://gpsobsessed.com/wp-content/up...9/bracelet.jpg

LOL. That would be funny. You are standing in line at 7-11 and the guy in front of you goes down like he was tazed when he tries to buy a six pack and some chips.

I think they would have something like a club card that would keep track of how much you spent and you would be required to spend a certain minimum amount each year to keep your coverage.

But maybe not. Maybe your first two strikes they just taze you, After two strikes they put the shock box on your balls :)

All health economics research point in one direction and one direction only. It is profitable for any government to provide a certain, minimum, level of health care for free or very cheap to it's population and cover the charges with taxes.

And not knowing Walmart's profit margin, I see three problems:
1. Would they increase their prices to cover for the insurance? If not, why would they take out of their profit margin when they already have about every second American already coming into their store on some kind of regular basis?

2. I don't think the profit margin on all items are the same. So buying $10000 worth of milk will not render Walmart the same profit as buying $10000 worth of DVDs. Having a spending amount makes no sense.

3. The agency problem. The people signing up for this would probably be the ones who need sit the most, i.e. costs the insurance company the most. Signing up a lot of high cost insurance individuals, who you have no control over, will certainly make your premium skyrocket.

Every country in the Western hemisphere except Haiti, does provide subsidized healthcare for it's population. The US needs to grow up and understand the math behind this, all coming to the conclusion that you can either get the same amount and quality of healthcare for less $ - or more and higher quality for the same $ as current situation.

Only by having the State acting as one big insurance company, compulsively insuring the whole population, paid via the tax system, you will avoid the Adverse Selection problem as well as the Agency Problem. It will be cheaper for everyone and it will guarantee all a certain minimum level of care. Only by doing so can the US move forward. Just look at the Canadians, they do it, and they are certainly not communists!

Man up, do the changes, and save the money. It well overdue!

without combating insurance fraud first, NOTHING will work

We have the NHS over here in the UK and we all pay National Insurance Contributions on top of our taxes which is very little considering the treament we can get if we need it. A lot of people would be totaly stuffed without our NHS service. We also have the option of paying for private treatment ourselves and a some companys offer their employees private hospital treatment as well. It works well over here so I dont see why it cant work for you guys over in the US

cant happen..

If they do pass a public option I feel that it is only fair that all government officials get exactly the same coverage as the public option they voted in.