Health Insurance

So, as I will officially be uninsured for the umpteenth time as this month draws to a close, I thought I'd share a relevant, yet alarming article that was in today's NY Times. It discusses the introduction of a new system for co-payment pricing. And, quite frankly, it is absurd.

Initially, this system (called Tier 4) was limited to Medicare insurance programs but as of late employers and private insurers are also adopting the plan. If people suffering from ailments that can only be treated with expensive brand name drugs (as opposed to a cheaper generic versions) are paying 20-33% of the cost of their medications rather than a fixed $10 - $40 co-pay, it lessens the blow for other subscribers of the plan. Therefore, as one health care provider interpreted it, "the more the sick person pays, the less the healthy person pays". Here's to social justice, huh? Talk about throwing salt on your wounds. Not only are you going to carry the weight of an illness, but you're going to bear the burden of cost too. (Sadly that's going to deliver more of a bite than salt ever could.)