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What would happen if health insurance only covered emergencies, long term health care, and senior care?

Isn't insurance supposed to be money put into company on the risk that you might need help on a medically related major expense? In today's American society, Health Insurance is no longer a program used to pay for major medical expenses, it's used to cover EVERY MEDICAL EXPENSE. Today, one pays an insurance company to pay all their medical bills, and pays a premium on top of their insurance payment. That drives the cost of all medical expenses up, as now medical providers can get a bunch of money from institutions that pay, instead of 'customers.' But when the uninsured come, they don't have that institution to pay for them, and must pay the same price... and put themselves in financial debt or trouble. But if insurance only covered emergency room trips, long term health care, an senior care for people who paid into the insurance program during their more healthy years, then medical facilities couldn't afford to charge the outrageous fees they do now. Prices would drop, the majority of non emergency care users could probably afford to pay from their pocket, and the more needy could get on some kind of payment plan to the hospital. What do you think of my proposal? Long term health care = diabetes, chronic sicknesses, oxygen, etc. The point is, if seniors come in for a cold, or a checkup, the costs of those should be affordable to them, and if they can pay out of pocket, then they don't need their insurance to begin with. Only when life-altering illnesses or emergencies occur should 'insurance' be dipped into. Granted, seniors would dip more into any insurance fund, but they would have paid into it in their youth.

Public Comments

1. What exactly do you mean by long term health care? Seniors use a disproportionate amount of care - many, many times more than they pay. So, THAT'S not going to be viable. USAGE is what drives up the cost of medical services, along with our (American) inability to practice self restraint. Limit our eating, excercise regularly, stop smoking, etc. We would rather treat our symptoms from being overweight, with medication, than diet and excercise. And seniors are particularly bad about that. Prices won't drop, as long as the people who currently pay in only about 10% of their costs - the seniors - are pulling out many, many, many times that in services.
2. I think your logic is, well, illogical. You fail to take account of the MANY, MANY AND GROWING number of legitimate, incurable but not fatal conditions in which sufferers languish for years unable to earn a living. You take no account at all for the treatment of mental illness, which form the bulk of disbility claims ... George Dubya would sure love you. For a grim reality check of how the health insurance system really works, scroll through http://www.bcdisabilities.com/bcdisforum/viewtopic.php?p=330#330. Note especially the pension/health care meltdown heads-up by Roger Lowenstein and a few truly innovative schemes to address and correct both - http://www.bcdisabilities.com/bcdisforum/viewtopic.php?p=337#337