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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/12/2012 8:50 AM, Tom Hansen
wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:042FD026-27C8-4F86-B965-E4463CB0AF26@moscow.com"
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<div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;
background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tell us about it,
Mr. Marcy, when you are diagnosed with cancer at 75 years old
and browsing the health insurance "marketplace" for an insurer
whose premiums you can afford.</span><br>
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<br>
Fortunately when I will be 75 is many years in the future, by which
time I hope that these public insurance matters will be favorably
resolved, preferably with larger policy population groups than are
available in the State of Idaho. In the alternative, and preferably
sooner, I hope to have better achieved a financial status that will
allow me a lower level of, which is not to say a level of no,
personal financial concern about such matters.<br>
<br>
My point about local control presumes that at least some individuals
are sufficiently interested in the benefits of procuring higher
levels of policy protection, if not perfection, than might otherwise
be available from national, less flexible, insurance regulations.
Idaho has some of the lowest automobile insurance rates in the
nation as a result of characteristics of Idaho citizen drivers. It
well may be that analogous lower health care insurance rates might
be available were Idahoans able to apply our own standards to our
own insurable characteristics. Alternatively, for higher rates
comparable to national standards, levels and varieties of coverage
may be able to be increased for Idaho insurance rate payers.<br>
<br>
The novel idea of a degree of actuarial autonomy being a public
political concern may seem a little strange at first, but it's
really little different than science and technology applied to other
areas of public policy. In May, 2013, the fifth edition of the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Psychiatric_Association"
title="American Psychiatric Association">American Psychiatric
Association's</a> (APA) <i><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders"
title="Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders">Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</a> </i>will be
published. Revisions of existing and new possible diagnoses will
have effects on many people as individuals and as participants in
various publicly-concerned organizations, e.g., public schools.
Health care costs, both public and private, as well as other agency
and private budgets will be affected, both directly and indirectly.
More local control over insurance rates that interact with such
processes seems a good idea, even if learning about and
participating in policy-making about insurance rates is
prerequisite.<br>
<br>
<br>
Ken<i><br>
</i>
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