Insurance is way too over-regulated. I think it should be opened up to market forces and people should be able to buy — and pay for — what they want. If you want higher level coverage, with an extra physician in attendance at things like colonoscopies, then that should be available, at a price adequate to cover its considerable costs. If you don’t care about that, you shouldn’t have to subsidize those that do.

The original concept of “insurance” has been lost: a group of people in a contract with a company for the company to cover them for risks specifically enumerated in the contract. If it’s not in the contract, it’s not covered. If the contract doesn’t suit you, don’t enter into it and go find some other group of people contracting with some other company. If nobody offers what you want there’s probably no market demand for it, but you’d be welcome to start your own company to offer it if you feel differently. People more and more these days think “insurance” should be a universal entitlement for a fixed fee, with uniform services for everyone.

In Japan there’s a 30 percent copayment for any national health services. That’s another way to limit use of services that really aren’t necessary (although anesthetics for colonoscopies are not covered under any circumstances).

This of course precipitated 15 (and counting) years of saying what I think on a job, which is why I’m never at a company for too long

But yeah, I pity anyone stuck with them.

Their dental plan sucks though.