Go to contentGo to navigationGo to searchBlog Links:HomeAboutArticlesTagsAlso by Roy Latham:Good IngredientsPhotographyFactsPlusLogicA Careful Look at IssuesRSSATOMFriNov 29Light up fatso, you are bailing out ObamacareWhen it comes to saving health care costs, nothing beats dying young. Obamacare requires insurance carriers to ignore pre-existing conditions and health risks, with one exception. Being a meth addict or terminally ill will have no effect on an individual’s premiums, nor will a passion for base jumping or tightrope walking. But the line is drawn at smoking. Insurers, subject to state regulations, may tack on up to 50% of the unsubsidized premium on to an insured person’s insurance bill. Since the subsidy may be 90% or more, the effect is to increase the bottom line by up to a factor of ten in the worst case. The oddest part is that smoking actually decreases life time health care costs.tags: costs, health care, obamacare, obesity, smoking, smoking costsby Roy Latham | Read More| CommentFriNov 15When is insurance worthwhile?Obamacare is now unraveling. Over five million people have lost their health insurance, and if they manage to log on to the government website, many are finding policies with twice the monthly premiums and twice the deductibles. Young people are being encouraged to sign up for expensive policies. They are told it would be foolish to be uninsured, so never mind the price. The question is then: At what price is health insurance not worthwhile? As President Obama says, it’s complicated. But for some, going without insurance is a better bet than it might seem.tags: expected value, insurance risk, obamacare, obamacare instabilityby Roy Latham | Read More| CommentFriNov 30Now the Left will consolidate power.The election was a clear choice, and the people have spoken. The people want free birth control, free abortion, and free just-about-everything from birth to death. They want it paid for by rich people. What they will get is slow death by regulation. It’s inevitable. Legislation is in place to control banking, energy, health care, education, and a myriad of the details of life. The script for the next four years is bureaucracy producing a rising tide of regulations to consolidate control over peoples lives. Congress will provide sideshow distractions, but the main event will be the growth of bureaucratic power.tags: bureaucracy, consolidating power, obama, regulationby Roy Latham | Read More| Comment [2]SatApr 21What O'Reilly doesn't understand about oil pricesBill O’Reilly has been on a rampage recently complaining that because oil supplies are now ample, prices should be low. He’s had a couple of guests try to explain it to him, but he’s not one to sit still for a long explanation — or actually for a short explanation either. There’s not much chance Mr. O’Reilly will read my explanation, but I suspect many other people have simila