Sean CastenMy wife and I pay for life insurance even though we have never died. I pay for fire insurance even though my house has never burned down. That's not because we want to throw money at insurance companies. It's because THAT'S HOW INSURANCE WORKS.
MasterMischief@SeanCasten Wait 'till this guy hears what happens in the stock market.
Dan Sugalski@SeanCasten So the republican ACA-replacement plan is "don't get sick, if you get sick it's on you"? That's... well, it's a choice, I guess.
@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote@wordshaper @SeanCasten Who knew the Rethugs were closet “pro choice advocates”
Jonathan Kamens 86 47@SeanCasten It's not that they're too stupid to understand how insurance works, it's that they think their constituents are. Unfortunately, given the propaganda environment and destruction of public education, to a large extent they're correct.
Also, they're selfish fucks who can't conceive of people helping each other.
#poliics #USPol
Also, they're selfish fucks who can't conceive of people helping each other.
#poliics #USPol
Simon Willcocks@jik @SeanCasten "We've reduced the price of drugs 1500%!" DJT
Karin!@SeanCasten "up to" 40% is doing a lot of work there too
Could be 1% for all we know
But yeah, the Republican plan has always been for sick people to just die already (unless they themselves get sick)
Julie Hughes@SeanCasten Sooooo...Republicans are now arguing FOR price controls? These truly are the End Times.
Neil@SeanCasten The insurance model *needs* a large cohort that pays in more than it uses. Remove that 40% and the whole thing collapses.
RealGene ☣️@gneilyo @SeanCasten
Just like Social Security, where the working pay to benefit the retirees they will someday be; the young and healthy pay for the medical care of the old and sick that THEY will someday be…
Just like Social Security, where the working pay to benefit the retirees they will someday be; the young and healthy pay for the medical care of the old and sick that THEY will someday be…
Ben Foote@SeanCasten I haven't been on reddit in years, but one of my favorite posts there went something like:
"Homeowner: I can't believe part of my taxes go to the fire department. My house isn't on fire and yet I still pay for it.
Reply: Yeah, I pay school taxes even though I don't have kids. Sucks to live in a society."
Justin Derrick@benpocalypse @SeanCasten I happily pay my school taxes, even though I don't have kids. Why?
Because I hate living around stupid people. More money for education is always a good thing -- a rising tide lifts all boats sort-of-thing.
Bebadefabo@SeanCasten health insurance is the fraud. End health insurance and implement universal healthcare
@bebadefabo @SeanCasten Ironically, the German health care system is similar, with private clinics and hospitals and for-profit insurance companies, but it works.
Captainrob@SeanCasten the youth, who rarely use health #insurance are now required to pay for health insurance, thus subsidizing the insurance company to cover the elderly.
It's a cash grab, always has been. And making it illegal to not have insurance means it's a mandated pipe directly to insurance companies.
#universalhealthcare would have been supremely better but nope, you gotta feed the #capitalist pigs.
Duckbilled Plattypus.Golly, you're as smart as physician Dr Senator Roger Marshall.
What in the heck do you think Single Payer or Medicare For All or National Healthcare is? Everyone, EVERYONE, pays taxes to cover the medical care FOR ALL. Yup, the old and young pay for everyones' car accident injuries, pregnancies and births, childhood illnesses, ED treatments, contraceptive care, windsurfing accidents, cancer, heart attacks, yup, all of it. Single Payer is a much much larger covered pool with everyone *Forced* to contribute as taxes (subsidies) but with lower admin costs, no profit motive and therefore a fairer distribution of medical care services.
Are you twelve? You are classic #ReplyGuys
@pattykimura @SeanCasten Modern Monetary Theory #MMT says taxes don't pay for anything. If the government wants to fund something it just funds it.
ACA is not #singlepayer. It's mandated profits to private insurance companies.
@captainrob @pattykimura @SeanCasten We know "ACA is not #singlepayer.", it's a Republican plan from the 1990s in response to proposed single payer, that no Republican voted for in the 21st century.
Howard Chu @ Symas@SeanCasten That may be an accurate description of how insurance companies work, but that doesn't mean they're not also a scam.
They employ armies of actuaries to crunch the numbers on how likely they'll have to pay out. But if they ever do pay out, they drop you. You spend your whole life paying them premiums and get zero in return. Auto insurers drop clients after an accident. Earthquake insurers in California all abandoned the market after Northridge quake.
@SeanCasten health insurance companies do everything possible to deny care. They should all be abolished.
haui ☭🇵🇸@SeanCasten
Sorry but you're completely wrong. While I would rather shoot myself in the foot than agree with US reps, it is clear that the american health system is a scam and the same goes for insurance in general. Its a racket. The moment the cost of denying legitimate claims is lower than its profit, they do it.
Its demagogues using the truth (insurance is a racket) to push for even worse conditions. Trump has done nothing else since he got into office.
The profit motive is the enemy.
xs4me2The idiot does not get the idea of mutual insurance…
Pxl Phile@SeanCasten yeah, but from what I hear are insurance companies basically fraud machines for their CEOs
suzanne@ppxl @SeanCasten
Yes but the Republican reaction is never going to be get rid of insurance companies. It's just going to be stop giving them tax money. They're all about "allowing" people to put their own money towards anything fraudsters can get away with. That's business!
Yes but the Republican reaction is never going to be get rid of insurance companies. It's just going to be stop giving them tax money. They're all about "allowing" people to put their own money towards anything fraudsters can get away with. That's business!
MidgePhoto@SeanCasten Also "never" in this instance only means "not yet" unless they are dead.
@SeanCasten I don’t think I’ve ever filed a health insurance claim myself, but that’s only because the doctors offices always do it for me; since I’ve been able to afford health insurance every annual policy has had at least a few claims for routine care.
But the alternative to private (for-profit) insurance is public insurance, where the government (that is, the people) is the insurer. Without that, ending private insurance amounts to ending access to acute care for almost everyone
Earthshine@SeanCasten who is he even supposed to be complaining on behalf of here? What's his angle? That people not getting sick and therefore not costing any money is... more expensive than people who do? I'm convinced these people lack even the most fundamental understanding of how money and the economy works, which is why it's baffling that they're the ones running the government. Idiocracy indeed.
Alan Miller 
🇺🇦@SeanCasten what's really amazing is the (religious) groups that object and form cost sharing organizations. Why, the next thing they'll do is have dedicated staff managing it and determining how much gets spent on medical expenses vs administrative. Maybe they can call it something with "Cross" or "Shield" in the name.
Ann EffesIt's a mystery to me why so many people don't understand the basic principle of "insurance".
But of course it's true: people somehow stick together in paying to help individuals in case of an emergency – it's totally communism.
Barbara Monaco@SeanCasten Who the hell is Roger Marshall and why the hell does CNN consider him an expert? His explanation of health insurance is the most stupid analysis I have ever heard. A 12 year old would have a clearer understanding.
George B> Republicans are committed to ending the fraud and making healthcare truly affordable
[Luke and Padme meme]
Oh so they support Medicare for all right?
ray@SeanCasten There's a difference between "choosing" to pay into something and "having" to. I don't want anybody, especially "authorities" telling me I have to do anything.
Lucienne Kennedy@SeanCasten Spot on. Insurance is about the outsourcing of potential financial risk to a third party. Essentially, you are paying someone to cover the costs (or percentage of) if and when something happens. Now, whether the insurance model is the best and most efficient way to cover healthcare expenses- that is an entirely separate question.
Jeri DanskyA social media post from Dr. Roger Marshall
Up to 40% of Obamacare enrollees never file a claim. That's billions in taxpayer dollars flowing to insurance companies for people who don't even use the system.
Republicans are committed to ending the fraud and making healthcare truly affordable.
Noodlemaz@SeanCasten well. Yes. America should get rid of health insurance companies.
They are a scam.
Many other places function much better without them.
They are a scam.
Many other places function much better without them.
derptron@SeanCasten Great reason why it would be way cheaper just to pay for peoples' health care needs as they have them. But no, we have to let these private insurance companies "skim" off the top.
And thank you republicans for keeping it this way and then using the pure stupidity of the situation you created to crush the little help people are given.
Bohemian PeasantThe best way to cut out the #insurance companies is for us to adopt universal not-for-profit #healthcare.
National Health Service.
econads@SeanCasten or maybe using insurance to pay for vital healthcare is massively fucked up in the first place.. they're so close.
David Mitchell 
Properly done, insurance is classic socialist risk sharing, and is very much a public good.
Done for profit the American way, it becomes a giant confidence scheme; pay out just enough claims visibly enough to keep people buying in, but deny as many claims as possible to keep profits flowing the to owners at the top of the pyramid.
ˈdälfən™🐬 💥 🌊@SeanCasten So true. They probably want to move away from a broad insurance system. Not sure they have exact plans, though.