Thanks for your comment. It riles me no end that we pay so much for so little — or, perhaps, I should say that we pay so much and get too much of what we don’t need. Thanks for reading the blog and sharing your thoughts.

All the best,

Norm

Thanks for your comment! Wow, 17% of one’s income toward health insurance under the House plan, and without a subsidy? I can’t explain it. I took their word for it when they said one’s personal exposure would be 12% at most. Silly me! I should have done what you did and tested it out. I believe that whatever bill finally gets adopted by Congress will have plenty of surprises just like this one or worse.

Thanks, again, for reading the post and adding your comment.

Best wishes,

Norm

It calculated that the person would have to pay $7606, or 16.9% of his/her income, and receive no subsidies.

Your article stated that individuals would have to pay as much as 12%. Could you comment on that disparity? Thanks so much! Great article!

Please forgive the late reply. I got swamped with other work, and I put my blog on the back burner to spend time on my day job.

You raise an important point. I believe the evidence would support that some 60% or so of the racial inequities in health are attributable to structural problems such as lack of access to health services. The remaining 40% is attributable to things like implicit (unconscious) racial bias on the part of health care providers and the preferences of patients who happen to be African American, Latino, Asian American, or from some other racial or ethnic minority group.

However, I’d maintain that both racial bias and individual patient preferences are themselves the result of social, economic, and political forces. We’re not born with these notions; rather, they’re the result of specific historical and social influences.

Thanks for your comment!

Norm Oliver

Thank you for an important discussion of the health inequities in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. Your link to the Healthy Appalachia Institute failed so I wanted to post a new one. Since the Remote Area Medical Clinic in July, I have had the priveledge of working in this region with the Health wagon and the Institute. This is a beautiful but hurt community and environment. If anyone wants to learn more about the work of the Institute please contact me by email. Norm, thank you for keeping your eye on inequities and oppressive conditions in our Commonwealth. Good luck with your work.

Best,
Joe Fields-Johnson
Post-graduate Fellow
Healthy Appalachia Institute
joefieldsjohnson@gmail.com