This Week's Sign that the Apocalypse is Upon Us

I know that there've been quite a few signs lately, but a headline that just appeared on the NY Times website caught my eye. "UnitedHealth to Insure the Right to Insurance" -- you read that right. Our health insurance system is now so screwed up that one of the nation's largest insurers thinks it will be profitable to offer insurance that guarantees your right to buy health insurance on the individual market in the future. I'm sure they've crunched the numbers and are right that they can make money--and the need for such insurance is clear. If you're sick (or have been sick) or of a certain age and lose your employer-based coverage, then you pretty much have no chance at getting insurance (unless you live in MA like me). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/business/03insure.html?hp

I just think it's the perfect comment on how screwed up our health insurance system has become. Think of how far that means we are from the idea of health insurance as a right. You already have to pay a significant amount of money to buy health insurance and if you can't afford it, you're often excluded from the system. This new "insurance product" was created to ensure you're not excluded from the health insurance system altogether -- even if you can afford to pay a couple of thousand dollars per year. People are so scared of losing health insurance that they're willing to pay a few hundred dollars per year just to make sure they can buy insurance in the future. I'd say that's a strong sign of a poorly functioning market.