[mos6507]

I don't want to overinflate this, but in an economic crash (which is, of course, not in and of itself dependent on peak oil, global warming, or overshoot) people lose their jobs, and they lose their insurance. Consequently, they don't get the treatment they need, and their life expectancy goes down. The death rate goes up. Seems pretty obvious to me, but now it's being pointed out in the news.

Lack of Health Insurance Raises Death Risk

This is hitting close to home for me because my dad, who is over 70 years old, will not retire in large part because he can't afford to pay for private health insurance as a retiree. He had heart surgery a few years ago, but is now in dire need of hearing aids, which aren't really covered anyway. My mom is still wrestling with cancer treatment and other ailments. Just the fact my dad is a wage slave at his age shows how the Golden Age of america is on the wane. I wish there was something I could do to insure them through my job because some day soon one or both of them will be forced to stop working. Their medical problems are going to catch up with them bigtime.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')his is hitting close to home for me because my dad, who is over 70 years old, will not retire in large part because he can't afford to pay for private health insurance as a retiree.

[DantesPeak]

mos6507 - sorry to hear about your family's problems.

It appears that US life insurance companies are at great risk for pandemics or life in the coming peak oil depression.

If that wasn't bad enough, life insurance companies place a great deal of their reserve assets in long term bonds, which I am afraid are at great risk of future loss due to the massive federal deficits.

Not sure what will get them first. I suppose if they fail state and federal governments will take over, just like they did with AIG. But probably in the future we won't see that 100% bailout that we saw at AIG. The US government made a major error by paying off many AIG liabilities at face value, which many are unhappy about.

[Fishman]

Mos
Move to Mass. Marry your father. No, that's not said in a crude manner. It may get him insurance. You should be able to get the ACLU to back you up. Unfortunately Obamacare will not do the coverage. Instead of our present all care for some, it will be Some care for all. Only a fool could believe it will be all care for all, there's simply not enough money or doctors. Unfortunately being a "wage slave" has been the norm through history, only temporarily slowed by oil enhanced economy.

[thuja]

I've been saying this for years- the INdustrialized "First World" will experience a "Die-off lite". Essentially increasing poverty will lead to a lowered standard of living, worse access to medical care, more stress, poor nutrition, addiction and alcoholism, etc...leading to a substantial drop in the average age of mortality.

That means- there will be a shrinking population in the future. Eventually (100 years), First World population is likely to be halved. Is that a die-off? I'd call it a die-off lite...

[efarmer]

The present system of health insurance with 300 or more insurers
and profit taking from the intercessor between the physician and
patient is a default in large part from the conservative failure to
make the free enterprise system work for health care (they thought
it was totally self regulating via competition even while it paid them
handsomely to stave competitive scenarios away from taking place)
and the liberals, who of course see the government as the key to
managing such a large method for the government and politicians
to produce health care indentured voting blocks.

And so we have created a new class of wealthy health care managers
and over 100 million people who pay for insurance but are defacto
uninsured by the profit motive of health care managers who are
essentially paid handsomely to deny coverage as much as possible.

I really think the solution is going to be largely outside of government
and the health insurance industry if and when it comes. People are going
to be able to buy stock in corporate doctors and medical care firms
or perhaps return to the old school method with village and rural doctors
doing barter and finance from provider to patient directly.

We have overproduced a world class batch of trial lawyers and turned
them loose to troll for clients and feed on our physicians and at the
same time watched our elected officials sell out to lobbyists for big
pharma and health insurance for campaign funds and leave us
on our own.

Americans generally do their best work on their own, they just have
to get their heads around the fact that they are and stop waiting for
people who do not work for them to tell them what they need to do.

If the government mandates everyone must have health insurance
coverage by law, it just may be enough to make the big rotten system
collapse like Wall Street in 2008 and the ad hoc workaround, brutal
hunt for personal alternatives begin.

In the interim we can watch the huge health care machine grind on
and trade people additional life in return for their estates, or their
Government chits, or in some cases, Just Say No. Just Say No really
did work like a charm for drugs, if they are prescription drugs.

We are watching the Health Insurance Bubble right now, and it is
at the 2007 stage that the Subprime Bubble was when a banker
in France asked the fateful question: "Just what is it that we have
just bought from the Americans?"

But hey I am a middle class American, I thought I was rich based on
my credit, I thought I was insured based on my premiums, and I thought
I was represented based on my voting.

[Ferretlover]

The insurance industry, like the banking industry, has its fingers in everything: homes, cars, medicine, employment, life, etc. I heard the other day that there were hedge funds set up regarding how the insurance industry is going to fare.

[hillsidedigger]

A severe plague or famine event would bankrupt most all businesses particularly health and life insurance companies.

[VMarcHart]

Mos, sorry to hear about your folks' health. PM me if you'd like to vent.

Just curious, why isn't your dad in Medicare?

Best,

Marc.

[vision-master]

Catholic Hospice care center.

Atheists are even welcome.

You pay by donation only.

I know someone there right now.

Say want you want about Churches and Religion -> they are there for you when on yer death bed..

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hillsidedigger', 'A') severe plague or famine event would bankrupt most all businesses particularly health and life insurance companies.

[Ferretlover]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hillsidedigger', 'A') severe plague or famine event would bankrupt most all businesses particularly health and life insurance companies.