Category Archives: morality

Two Health Insurance Markets?

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The Wall Street Journal has misunderstood the situation and the proposal [emphasis added].

President Donald Trump’s executive order on health insurance, the most significant step so far to put his stamp on health policy, is designed to give more options to healthy consumers. It also could divide the insurance market in two.

What Trump is purportedly going to do with his Executive Order is

  • instruct[] federal agencies to loosen rules on health plans that the administration says have driven up premiums and reduced insurance offerings
  • direct the Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments to lay the groundwork for the growth of association health plans, coverage that would have fewer mandated benefits than many current plans available to small employers and individuals [and] that wouldn’t be subject to the full range of ACA requirements, such as the mandated package of benefits.
  • departments, in addition, will be told to take steps to expand the availability of short-term medical plans …  allow people to once again buy plans in that category that could last for almost a year.

However, rather than create two health insurance markets, these actions would do no more than begin to create one health insurance market.  There is no extant health insurance market; there is nothing present to become part of “two markets.”  What we have presently is neither insurance nor a market for it.  What we have is a health coverage welfare program that has some (very poor) options from which we’re required to select one for ourselves.

The beginnings of a health insurance market, in addition to being an actual market for health insurance, would, though, lessen the importance of the mandated welfare program—to the benefit of all of us, including those trapped in that welfare program.

A Bit of Schadenfreude

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…for me from Fox News Insider:

And this, from the demographic most critical to the NFL:

The [men aged 34-54] group went from 73% favorable and 19 percent unfavorable to 42 percent favorable and 47% unfavorable.

This is what happens when an industry overtly, proudly, attacks our nation’s flag and national anthem and insults our veterans and our Gold Star families.

False Apology

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UNLV Professor (or at least that’s her title) Tessa Winklemann is saying that the mass murder in Las Vegas last week was at least partially President Donald Trump’s fault.  UNLV has chosen to play down the slur.

While we respect academic freedom in the classroom and the right to free speech, we believe the comments were insensitive, especially given the series of events this week and the healing process that has begun in the community[.]

With this vapid, empty remark, UNLV has shown that it condones Winklemann’s behavior; school management is merely making a pro forma statement.

Far worse, though, is Winklemann’s later statement.

I regret that my comments caused more pain during this difficult time. Emotions were running high and I wish I would have been more thoughtful in how I directed the conversation.

Notice that: she expressed a bit of regret for the outcome of her misbehavior, but she offered not a syllable of apology for her misbehavior.

That’s dishonest.

Another Alternative

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The Seattle Seahawks have figured one out—an alternative to kneeling during our national anthem and thereby attacking our anthem and flag and insulting our veterans and our Gold Star families.

The team announced the “Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund” in a statement on their website, as a way to combat “injustice and inequality by supporting leadership and education programs.”

In a statement signed by the players, they said the program will fund “programs addressing equality and justice” with hopes to “build a more compassionate and inclusive society.”

And

They said an advisory board will be created to oversee the group and to decide how they will distribute the donated money. The board is said to be made up of players, team staff, and business and community leaders.

Good on the Seahawks.  Late?  Meh.  Late means they got it done.  Besides, the correction of the error is much more important than the mere fact of the error.

Unfortunately, though, many of the Seahawks players gave the lie to their part in the gesture by remaining seated during the national anthem at the start of Sunday night’s game.

NFL Management Hypocrisy

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This is from the NFL’s 2017 Rulebook; Section 4 Equipment, Uniforms, Player Appearance; Article 8 Personal Messages:

Throughout the period on game-day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field)….

The League will not grant permission for any club or player to wear, display, or otherwise convey messages, through helmet decals, arm bands, jersey patches, or other items affixed to game uniforms or equipment, which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.

This is the spirit, if not the letter, of the NFL’s pretended attitude toward on-field player political statements like attacking our flag and national anthem.

Plainly, NFL management has no standards it considers important enough to enforce.