I was shocked to discover, looking at my 2012 W-2, line 12 DD, that my employer paid $15,914 for my health care coverage last year. That's $15,914 of my money, which, had they given me, I could have used to buy the coverage of my choice for less money and pocketed the difference - $6218. (ASCAP offers almost identical coverage for $808/ mo). That's right, sports fans. Don't be surprised if your employer spends 30% of your money on your health insurance.
Look at it this way: the first 2 hours and 25 minutes of my work day, every work day, is spent robbing Peter to pay Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Or, how about this: my wife and I have a six-year-old 1800 sq ft home with a two-car garage. Our house payment is $798/mo. and our groceries average $325/mo. Obviously, health insurance is more valuable.
Blue Shield was originally conceived by the U. S. government as a means to compensate doctors who'd worked long hours during WW2, often without pay, their ranks diminished due to 18% enlistment while demand for care skyrocketed as a result of war-related diseases and trauma.
Blue Cross, originally a separate entity, conceived by the U. S. government to compensate hospitals for caring for people who couldn't afford to pay, came into being shortly thereafter.
After the war ended, the doctors who'd served returned home to practice, and in the natural course of things disease and trauma rates diminished. Blue Shield and Blue Cross, having outlasted their respective mandates, but having proven themselves valuable to the medical profession, merged in order to survive, turning, not to the health care professionals they served, but rather, to the public at large for capitalization. Through a combination of artful politicking to enact favorable legislation, and slipping between the sheets with employers and pharmaceutical companies, Blue Cross/Blue Shield has managed not only to to survive, but to grow, and grow huge. The reason we'll never see universal health care in America is because Goliath holds all the stones.
Look at it this way: the first 2 hours and 25 minutes of my work day, every work day, is spent robbing Peter to pay Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Or, how about this: my wife and I have a six-year-old 1800 sq ft home with a two-car garage. Our house payment is $798/mo. and our groceries average $325/mo. Obviously, health insurance is more valuable.
Blue Shield was originally conceived by the U. S. government as a means to compensate doctors who'd worked long hours during WW2, often without pay, their ranks diminished due to 18% enlistment while demand for care skyrocketed as a result of war-related diseases and trauma.
Blue Cross, originally a separate entity, conceived by the U. S. government to compensate hospitals for caring for people who couldn't afford to pay, came into being shortly thereafter.
After the war ended, the doctors who'd served returned home to practice, and in the natural course of things disease and trauma rates diminished. Blue Shield and Blue Cross, having outlasted their respective mandates, but having proven themselves valuable to the medical profession, merged in order to survive, turning, not to the health care professionals they served, but rather, to the public at large for capitalization. Through a combination of artful politicking to enact favorable legislation, and slipping between the sheets with employers and pharmaceutical companies, Blue Cross/Blue Shield has managed not only to to survive, but to grow, and grow huge. The reason we'll never see universal health care in America is because Goliath holds all the stones.
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