From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 11:26:45 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Protocols for Insurance to Maintain Privacy
In-Reply-To: <199710302115.PAA03448@multi26.netcomi.com>
Message-ID: <v03102800b07eef7633f3@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 2:15 PM -0700 10/29/97, Neva Remailer wrote:

>The Emergency Room Scenario is a little more challenging.  One way to
>deal with it is to wear some obvious signs of wealth like a $10,000
>watch.  In a pinch you can give them the watch.  ;-) (Some of the
>nurses won't know what it is, but the doctors will, I am sure.)
>
>I'm pretty sure that if you are an unconscious wealthy looking person
>they don't turn you away.  You really only need to survive until your
>lawyer gets to the hospital with a suitcase of cash.

Read "The Millionaire Next Door" for tips on what millionaires (who are of
course the "barely non-poor" these days) are likely to be wearing and
flaunting. Turns out that most Yuppies driving BMWs and wearning Rolexes
are doing so on _credit_. Driving a Mercedes or BMW has nothing to do with
actual ability to pay bills.

>How do super rich people solve this problem?  You can be pretty sure
>that Bill Gates self insures and protects his privacy at the same
>time.  How does he do it?  How does he solve the Emergency Room
>Scenario?

I can't speak for what Gates does, but the 3rd or 4th richest man, Gordon
Moore of Intel, was signed up for the company plan. As a fail-safe,
emergency room plan, it's a winner. If grossly more expensive treatments
are needed, more than the health care plan will pay for, he can always opt
for this.

(The "savings" by self-insuring are trivial, even to average folks. Given
that a company health plan will not _stop_ patients from paying more, the
company plan is valuable insurance against being turned away as an
indigent.)

--Tim May

The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^2,976,221   | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."