I was reading a new piece (see below) about complaints from women's groups over differences in health insurance premiums charged to males and females:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33483625/ns/business-small_business

If they get their wish and Congress buckles to demands to charge equal premiums for men and women, then I want re-examination of gender differences that "discriminate against" males. Auto insurance, for example. Why should insurance companies be able to charge young males more for auto insurance than young females? Nevermind that young males have more traffic offenses and accident claims than young females. It's inequality!!

And, why should men have to pay more for life insurance than a woman of the same age and health status? Nevermind that males are statistically more likely to die at every age than a woman, thus making it more likely that someone will collect on his policy. No, ignore that fact and treat us all as if we are identical.

Now, I'm sure women would like to have the fact of their longer longevity ignored, such that they would get higher monthly retirement benefits than they do now. But, how is it fair to me, that I would get the same monthly check as a similarly-situated woman my age, who stands on-average to outlive me by 7 years . . to collect that money for 7 years longer than I might? What is "equal" about that?

This is yet another example where people want change in those aspects of life that would benefit them, but you don't hear a peep from them about changes that would disadvantage them. But life don't work that way -- at least I hope not!

I have a lot of gripes about insurance companies but this is not one of them.

I think it only fair to charge for any service based on the cost of providing that service- and that is not to the same for all people. If my house is twice as big as yours I should not expect the painter to charge me the same as he charges you.

The exception would be someone who has a unusual medical condition that would be totally unaffordable were it based solely on service costs- there some allowance has to be made or people would have no insurance at all.


On this subject, I'm really disgusted with the way health insurance reforms are working out. As I feared- once all the special interests got their say in the matter it is turning out to be a mess that is going to fall far short of solving our healthcare problems. It's a bunch of patchwork on a system which is inherently flawed and should be totally replaced.

It's another example where we think our system is better than all the other countries just because it's our system.

Recently, I watched a couple of programs on my local PBS station that noted differences in health and longevity that correlated socioeconomic status. Many factors relating to stressors, social supports, violence and access to health services were said to greatly influence the health of individuals and communities. The documentaries were thinly veiled political vehicles, as the conclusions were that only government policy changes and additional funding can narrow these inequalities. Obviously, being on the heels on the current health care debates in Congress, the programs seek to influence viewers to support Obama and the Democrats' "public option."

But looking at the "data" presented, it strikes me that individuals (including those who band together with others) in any community have a lot of power to determine the conditions in which they live. Instead of eating a strictly fast food diet, it doesn't take much money for neighbors to get together to garden and grow fresh produce for themselves and each other (e.g., bartering). A lot of the senseless violence and family breakdowns seen in less affluent communities is substance-abuse related. Communities, in cooperation with law enforcement, can do a lot to make it harder for drug dealers and drug users to operate. If everyone doesn't just turn their head and say, "I can't do anything about it. Let someone else do it", then a lot can be done. Truly poor people have access to free health clinics. Granted, the most aggressive treatments may not be available to them. But things like diabetes and hypertension, big killers in minority communities, can be addressed with education, lifestyle changes and the medical care that is already available to the poor.

People have to stop waiting for others to take care of them. They have to take responsibility for themselves and their choices. Yes, you are poor, but that doesn't mean you cannot make healthier diet choices . . it doesn't mean you cannot exercise . . . it doesn't mean that you can't work with others in your community to improve conditions and to have safer parks and playgrounds where you can take your kids and enjoy nature. It doesn't mean you cannot have block parties and other social gatherings, to feed that social need we all have. It doesn't mean that people cannot spruce up their properties, plant a few flowers and try to make their environment pleasant. People can do a lot for themselves and their locale if they don't hide away in their homes, continuing their unhealthy habits and waiting for govt. to fix it for them.

Well I can only agree in part- the fact is that "healthy" food generally cost more than fat-laden processed foods- and gyms and exercise equipment are expensive too. This is not to say that people can't eat less or take walks to get exercise- assuming they live where it's safe to do so. And certainly not everyone can grow a garden- many live in apartments and condos with no ground to do that. But I don't deny that people need to live more healthier life styles- although this won't solve all health problems.