Posted on February 19th, 2024

Until now, we have heard from politicians, physicians, and insurance companies on how to best fix our broken healthcare system. Perhaps we should ask the input of the professionals that deal directly with the fallout of the law, as well as all three of the above-mentioned groups—the broker. As an astute observer of the Obamacare failure and group health broker for 25 years, I wonder why there's still a discussion, especially among Republicans, about covering all dependents until they reach the age of 26. Although not as bad as big government coercing insurance carriers to underwrite every American regardless of their health status, blindly covering dependents who can afford the cost of insurance is absurd.

I could accept covering dependents until age 21, when most young Americans are still enrolled in college or legitimately dependent on their parents. However, from that point on, there should be some sort of income test to determine eligibility. The cost of insuring all pre-existing conditions was supposed to be paid for by young, single, healthy Americans who would bankroll the system, but the law, in essence, shot itself in the foot, as there are plenty of millennials ages 22 to 26, who earn a respectable income, that could have contributed a much-needed premium payment and given Obamacare a punching chance of sustainability. Instead, the one-size-fits-all approach greatly reduced the chances of success. Great for any given individual family but terrible for the system's survival.