Quote:
Originally Posted by dksuddeth
In free market, a doctors practice can certainly ask those questions, and I'm certainly free to find a doctor that doesn't consider it his business. As to the theory of insurance companies pulling out of the market because they can't price policies? not buying it. there will always be another company coming in to alter their rates and take up the business.
do you think in the universal system you are wanting, these questions will not be asked?
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It has been well established that provision of insurance generally only takes place when they can estimate the risks associated with any person. As you can imagine, insurance companies are not mandated to ask any sort of questions. They do because that is how they can best operate in a free market. To defend a free market for health care and then complain about how it asks unfair questions is simply short sighted.
But let me make the argument more explicit for you. It is an argument that won a few economists the nobel prize: when you can't differentiate between people who are low risk and people who are high risk, you have no way of determining the adequate price each should pay. If they charge the "low risk" price out of everyone, they will go broke because high risk people will drive costs up. If they charge the high risk price, or even the "average" price, out of everyone, they'd be essentially overcharging low risk people, who would either migrate to a company that recognized their status as low risk by asking intrusive questions, or would forgo insurance altogether.
So you end up with a situation where the company that doesnt differentiate between low risk and high risk clients ends up with only high risk clients. That is why private healthcare advocates defend those types of questions. Otherwise, it really isnt a free market (which is why I find it ironic that you complain about that and defend private insurance at the same time. There is a reason all insurers ask that question).
And I have lived in countries with universal healthcare and visited many. None ever ask about guns, and generally only ask about lifestyle questions when its relevant.
-----Added 9/2/2009 at 11 : 51 : 25-----
Quote:
Originally Posted by dksuddeth
since you're neither pro or anti gun and most likely do not follow that issue, I'm not surprised that you've not heard of it happening. It's simply not on your radar.
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I am curious as well. Any evidence of doctors changing diagnostics based on gun ownership? It is not on my radar, but it would be nice to have a concrete example at least, instead "it happens and I know because I am pro gun."