Barry Baines

I don't know, again, I'm not a tax lawyer, but the whole thing that spawned employer health insurance was how the money was treated as a benefit so that when I was employed, I wasn't the beneficiary. Health benefits I was getting were not treated as taxable income and the company could deduct it all from their books. Right. And so it was a whole tax thing.

I don't know, again, I'm not a tax lawyer, but the whole thing that spawned employer health insurance was how the money was treated as a benefit so that when I was employed, I wasn't the beneficiary. Health benefits I was getting were not treated as taxable income and the company could deduct it all from their books. Right. And so it was a whole tax thing.

It wasn't designed because, oh, this is a better way to get money. health care coverage for people in the United States. If, you know, again, I may sound a little cynical here with this, but if anybody thinks it's different than it was, you know, a lot of tax lobbies and things like that is very, very complicated. And once that became embedded in the system,

It wasn't designed because, oh, this is a better way to get money. health care coverage for people in the United States. If, you know, again, I may sound a little cynical here with this, but if anybody thinks it's different than it was, you know, a lot of tax lobbies and things like that is very, very complicated. And once that became embedded in the system,

uh good luck trying to you know to go in in a different in a different direction but but i didn't want to say one thing that again relates to something that that clarence said and i'm going to quote uh teddy roosevelt i believe is the person who said this he said you do what you can where you are with what you have Okay. And this, you know, this is the system that we have now.

uh good luck trying to you know to go in in a different in a different direction but but i didn't want to say one thing that again relates to something that that clarence said and i'm going to quote uh teddy roosevelt i believe is the person who said this he said you do what you can where you are with what you have Okay. And this, you know, this is the system that we have now.

So within that system, I would, you know, the question I would pose to us and to our listening audience is given this is what we have right now. how do we navigate this to make this at least work for us now? While, you know, what do they say? Think globally and act locally, you know? Yeah. Right. We're not going to be able to solve the, you know, the bigger issue.

So within that system, I would, you know, the question I would pose to us and to our listening audience is given this is what we have right now. how do we navigate this to make this at least work for us now? While, you know, what do they say? Think globally and act locally, you know? Yeah. Right. We're not going to be able to solve the, you know, the bigger issue.

This has been bandied about for, you know, years, actually since the turn of the, of the 20th century. Yeah. Um, way back, you know, way back when, when actually I believe, uh, There was a movement to have national health insurance like in the late 1890s or 1900s or something like that. But I'll be probably proven wrong on my dates and stuff with that. And then it just got... uh, quashed.

This has been bandied about for, you know, years, actually since the turn of the, of the 20th century. Yeah. Um, way back, you know, way back when, when actually I believe, uh, There was a movement to have national health insurance like in the late 1890s or 1900s or something like that. But I'll be probably proven wrong on my dates and stuff with that. And then it just got... uh, quashed.

Um, and so, you know, there's just so many, this gets so embroiled in, in politics and legislation and laws and stuff like that, that I, you know, I certainly don't feel that, you know, I have much to offer on that piece, but, but with what we have is a very complicated system. Um, that doesn't mean that it can't be

Um, and so, you know, there's just so many, this gets so embroiled in, in politics and legislation and laws and stuff like that, that I, you know, I certainly don't feel that, you know, I have much to offer on that piece, but, but with what we have is a very complicated system. Um, that doesn't mean that it can't be

understood in a way that help that people can get the most out of what we have while we continue to work for making it more equitable. They're just, you know, as we know from other shows we've had, there's so many disparities in health care.

understood in a way that help that people can get the most out of what we have while we continue to work for making it more equitable. They're just, you know, as we know from other shows we've had, there's so many disparities in health care.

But let's, you know, instead of railing against it all for something that we might not be able to accomplish in the short term, how, you know, how can we do the best we can with what we have now? Yeah, I agree.

But let's, you know, instead of railing against it all for something that we might not be able to accomplish in the short term, how, you know, how can we do the best we can with what we have now? Yeah, I agree.

Right. Well, ultimately, it gets passed on to all of us in that sense. However, I think that I can't underscore even more the conundrum, the you know, the fear, like I say, of going down, don't fall down the steps, you know, today. You know, Matthew, you or some of the research staff can check on this. So, you know, trust but verify.

Right. Well, ultimately, it gets passed on to all of us in that sense. However, I think that I can't underscore even more the conundrum, the you know, the fear, like I say, of going down, don't fall down the steps, you know, today. You know, Matthew, you or some of the research staff can check on this. So, you know, trust but verify.

I believe that the number one cause of bankruptcy, personal bankruptcy in the United States is from medical, you know, medical debt. Yeah, yeah. I think that's correct. And so, you know, Matthew, you just highlighted, again, the concern and fear of things that could happen to really, you know, when you say it could ruin you, you know.

I believe that the number one cause of bankruptcy, personal bankruptcy in the United States is from medical, you know, medical debt. Yeah, yeah. I think that's correct. And so, you know, Matthew, you just highlighted, again, the concern and fear of things that could happen to really, you know, when you say it could ruin you, you know.