From the mailbag: Gaming the ObamaTax

We get mail!Readers may recall Dr Stuart Fickler, a retired but not retiring physicist. During his career, Dr Fickler has been involved in research, education and high-tech business. He has received national recognition in the area of systems based Total Quality Management, and has led successful efforts in improving manufacturing and educational systems.Today, he writes:Although I am very familiar with complex systems in general, I am not familiar with the practical application to the insurance industry.  Therefore, I am requesting your expert opinion on the following.It is well known that the more complex a system is, the more vulnerable it becomes to "gaming." By gaming, I mean the process of manipulating the system in a manner that would be detrimental to the users of the system.  This manipulation can be external or internal. A familiar simple example of external manipulation is identity theft. An example of internal manipulation could be a system that is designed to achieve outcomes other than those stated to the user. An illustration of this might be a financial system that manipulates its fees and costs in a way that reduces earnings to investors.It appears to me that a system as complex as Obamacare is vulnerable to a vast range of gaming.  To be clear, I am not referring to just the computer aspects of the system, but the entire system, from applying to delivery of the care itself.  A simple example of this might be the following. Someone whose i...
Source: InsureBlog - Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Source Type: blogs