Klarinet Archive - Posting 000552.txt from 2004/08

From: "charette@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] [OT] Costco caskets
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 10:31:01 -0400

From: Bill Hausmann

> It flies in the face of the whole principle of shared risk that=20
> the system is based on=2E =20

Shared risk? Hah=2E There's no generic pool of insured; there are "selecte=
d"
risk pools, which, when it comes to medicine, prices segments of the
population out of the market=2E If there were truly a generic pool, some o=
f
us would pay less, and some of us would pay more for our insurance=2E=20

Genetic testing for predisposion towards later life medical problems just
amplifies the current "family history" that you're asked for when applying=

for insurance=2E Your family history partly determines the risk pool you'r=
e
placed in, and of course they're depending on genetic transference of
specific problems=2E Genetic testing can possibly show a lot more informat=
ion
and allow insurance companies to further segregate the pools, lowering the=

risk to their shareholders and letting them "lay off" less of their funds
with other insurance agencies (co-insurance)=2E

So there's less support for the sick by the healthy because of selective
pooling; there's also the complex ethical and moral issue of whether peopl=
e
who make themselves sick (through substance abuse, for instance, or
high-risk activities) should be supported by the healthy=2E

One of my sons is studying actuarial science at U of Mich so we talk often=

of these dilemmas; statistics and their (mis)application is an interesting=

subject=2E

--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web=2Ecom/ =2E

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org