[89536] in Cypherpunks
Re: Protocols for Insurance to Maintain Privacy
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (John Kelsey)
Wed Nov 5 23:26:00 1997
From: "John Kelsey" <kelsey@plnet.net>
To: "cypherpunks" <cypherpunks@algebra.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 13:01:30 -0600
Reply-To: "John Kelsey" <kelsey@plnet.net>
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[ To: cypherpunks ## Date: 11/05/97 ##
Subject: Re: Protocols for Insurance to Maintain Privacy ]
>Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 23:05:16 -0700
>From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
>Subject: Re: Protocols for Insurance to Maintain Privacy
>What an insurance card is really a *line of credit*. Or a
>*proof of payment*. The admitting hospital knows they'll at
>least be reimbursed for the initial visit and emergency
>treatment.
>Perhaps there's a business idea for some enterprising
>Cypherpunk. A prepaid hospital card, good for a few days'
>worth of treatment (e.g., $5000), but only at the better
>rates. This could even be done with Chaumian
>privacy-protecting methods. There's an idea.
This seems straightforward enough in principle. It's just
like a prepaid credit card, or even a normal credit card,
right? I mean, what it says on the card is probably
different, but the financial arrangements are pretty-much
the same. I suspect it would be easier to implement this
(at least in the US) as an extra function on a credit card,
rather than as a new kind of insurance, since there are so
many odd insurance regulations out there. Currently, lots
of credit cards offer special benefits like automatic
insurance on rental cars--this seems like a close variation
on the same idea.
>--Tim May
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--John Kelsey, Counterpane Systems, kelsey@counterpane.com
PGP 2.6 fingerprint = 4FE2 F421 100F BB0A 03D1 FE06 A435 7E36
