Health Insurance Costs

I pay 9K a year in premiums with a 7K deductible. Basically, that's catastrophic care because everything else is going to be under that deductible.

Wasn't long ago HC was given to you at no cost because it was a benefit for most full time employees.

I'll agree, if free market principles and competition were allowed to function in the HC system, costs would come down.

rooftop59 wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

I pay 9K a year in premiums with a 7K deductible. Basically, that's catastrophic care because everything else is going to be under that deductible.

Wasn't long ago HC was given to you at no cost because it was a benefit for most full time employees.

I'll agree, if free market principles and competition were allowed to function in the HC system, costs would come down.

Costs MIGHT come down, maybe. But at least 40% of Americans wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Competition always lowers costs, no maybe's there. We just don't have any in that area.

Too many aspects of HC to be tackled, too little desire to do so. Everyone pays lobbyist to protect their piece of the pie, and nothing gets solved.

Instead of figuring out how to get more people insured, consider that maybe insurance (with the exception of a catastrophic coverage safety net) is the problem.

This is from 9 years ago, but rings even truer today than it did then:

https://youtu.be/3WnS96NVlMI

Not an expert or even very knowledgable about the health insurance industry, but it is a mess.

Before the federal government got involved, the individual state governments were doing an exemplary job of driveing up the cost of insurance. During the debate process, the talking heads were doing an outstanding job of not having a clue about which they were supposed to be informing people about. Lastly, the so called expert economists/financial gurus also had no idea about the industry, and unlike me, wouldn’t admit it.

There was the argument, prior to federal involvement, that if companies could just sell across state lines, insurance cost would come. The two glaring things overlooked was cost of living differences, and individual state mandates. Accounting for these two things alone, would make very little differences.

Currently, the industry has federal mandates. The issue currently overlooked, in an almost obscene manner is that all of these premiums still have to be approved by the individuale states.This is one aspect of the ridicules profit margins that people, in general, law makers in campaign mode, and of course problem solvers in the media, social or other wise seem to not care about.

So in essence, if one thinks about it, the high premiums that the federal government promised to solve with the current system, and the system that promises to solve, if the current system is eliminated, was cause by the same group of people. Some form of government getting involved in a system that nobody really understands in the first place.

Another myth seems to be the older portion of society drives up costs for everybody else. This is only semi-true. The old system insurance companies would limit the maximum lifetime benefits paid out. I believe that in 2010, the year the federal health insurance mandate came into existence, my policy was 5 million. About 5 percent of the population exceeded this thresh hold, and these people had long depilitating illness/diseases. The individuale companies had to artificially raise this standard, because the maximum benefit is no longer allowed.

Not in the medical industry, but I can only assume that about 20 percent of ER visits are a total waste of time and resources, and probably an equal number weren’t really emergencies, but required medical attention. Not much that can be done about that, because of the way the system currently is administered under fairly well established laws.

Cost can come down, if basic economic principles, personal choices, and some kind of individuale financial responsibilities were implemented. Since the concept of basic economic principles are a long forgotten concept, most economists will be of no help. Since, by what seems to be current societal standards, it is never the individuals fault, we can’t expect individuals to take responsibility for their own lack of action. Finally since some bureaucrat, who has no idea of anybody, more than likely even his/her own, financial and medical needs/limitations, is designing, implementing laws/rules/regulations, well....

The health insurance industry is a complete mess, and looking at the options, and who will be trying to figure out this mess, the best you can do is never need medical treatment of any kind. I see very little hope with all the inane ideas that the so called experts seem to think will solve the problem.

I quit whining when I was 4 years old.

I am for a single payer system, earmark it to every paycheck in America, illegals included with penalties for the employer who pays them under the table.

I'm not talking Obama's Obamacare, that was a weak and empty bill.

For me, and my experience, a true universal healthcare system with protocols and expectations for every typical disease process while protecting the providers within the umbrella (medicolegally). Allow doctors to practice protocol base and evidence based medicine rather than legal medicine. Make patients be aware of the limit to healthcare expenses and that not every 90 year old will require a full pan-scan work up from head to toe because she's demented and on all the antibiotics in the world to combat some pan-resistant urinary tract infection.

Yes, to correct the healthcare system, there has to be compromises to be made.

To get a gallbladder out, you will have to wait like everyone else.
To get your appendix out, maybe a round of outpatient antibiotics for those who are not seriously ill and immediate surgery for those who are (there are studies that support this).
Etc etc.

Plus we need a reward system that you can bank over time, you smoke and do nothign about your obesity? That's negative points.
You work out? That's positive points.

Main thing for a true universal healthcare system is to approach it not as a business, but approach it as a way to better society. It would also need to be cognizant that the waste in healthcare is not the provider pay, but every other red tape, hoop, bureaucratic (billing, etc), and medicolegal coveryourbutt medicine that we tend to practice because of the legal climate.

But guess what, it ain't ever going to happen.

Bottomline: I would think a universal system without the overhead for billing/insurance companies, with a proper policy on healthcare protocols including umbrella malpractice coverage and malpractice REFORM, couple that WITH PATIENT LIABILITY (!!!).... that's a recipe for success in my opinion.

When you put the onus of preventable disease on everyone's shoulders, things start to change.

If you're obese and you're not making an effort (somehow we will have to quantify "effort") to become healthy, then you're not going to be alloted the same healthcare as those who are (you may have to go to a central hospital that cares for similar patients such as yourself, similar to a public hospital today).

Maybe those who are healthy and abide by the system, they get to go to a hospital local to them and if they rake in bonus points over the years, they get to either jump the line for their gallbladder to come out, or use it for a reward system of some sort.

By incentivizing patients in a universal healthcare system (unlike any currently in existence I believe), you put the onus of responsibility in the hands of consumers, thereby cutting unnecessary costs.

By making widespread systemwide protocols for management of typical diseases, you also cut costs on unnecessary studies, and consultants, etc.

By making a national reform on malpractice, and making the practice protocol based, the malpractice rates will drop and people will understand, this is why the doctor ordered this and not this, he's not negligent, he's following the rules.... this will also cut costs.

If you create a universal model with standardized provider pay, you will cut teh need for all this management models and all the manpower required to bill insurance, refuse the bill, and then re-send the bill... to infinity.

Lastly, create a universal model, you remove all the for profit insurance companies, and funnel that money back into the system.

But... don't give me a crappy UHS where you maintain the current status quo, don't hold patients liable, allow for 100 year old people to be on every life saving measure known to man, and still leave the doctors alone to fend themselves against ever prevalent malpractice.... and for sure, don't come in and make a universal healthcare system and think by simply cutting doc pay in half you are making headway, cuz you're not.

This sums up what is wrong with healthcare....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/hospital-denies-womans-heart-transplant-recommends-fundraising-to-pay-for-it/ar-BBQ6UU0?ocid=spartandhp

The biggest problem with universal health care is paying for it. Currently health care is about 17 percent of GDP.

Streamlining, eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and eliminate unnecessary law suites may drop it down to 10-12 percent of GDP.

Of course now it must be administered. Since another or 55 or so bureaucracies will be created, add 30 percent to the cost. Now factor in that currently pay no federal income taxes, and us morons, who do the right things, like work, and we will be taxed somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 percent or more.

Doesn’t seem feasible or rational solution to me. Other choice would be rationing healthcare, and your in worse shape overall

We had to pass that bill in order to find out what was actually in it....

Healthcare is a commodity, not a right to be handed out at governments discretion.

Nice idea in general Joey, holding people accountable, but that's not very realistic. Would a car mechanic hold you responsible for being a crappy driver, not maintaining your vehicle and charge you more to fix it ?

No obviously, you break it, he fixes it, you pay him. Healthcare is similar, you break your body, doctor fixes you, you pay them.

You want the cheapest driveway mechanic to work on your BMW/Benz ? Obviously no, right ? Want the cheapest doctor working on your heart, eyes, operations ? That's what single payer or a Universal HC system will provide you. Need stuff done in a timely fashion ? Not the strong point of government run HC.

The way it is now, you have the Walmart HC system for the mass amount of slugs, and the Macy's system for the rich, politicians. If you want government to control your HC, quality will go down, benefits will go down, and costs go up. Haven't we just learned that lesson ?

Mikey081057 wrote: »

We need to get Gov. and politicians out of healthcare. I don't want anybody who thinks an island will sink making decisions about my life in any way shape or form.

I think a solution might just be in the opposite direction, as touched on by Ivan:

f the house and the senate of the united states and all the individual house and senates in the states had the same health car the masses had they would do a lot more to fix it for sure.

Yep without a doubt things would change, guaranteed, written in stone.
When our problem becomes their problem, things will change.

And I don't know anyone who thinks doctors and nurses make too much.

Mikey081057 wrote: »

We need to get Gov. and politicians out of healthcare. I don't want anybody who thinks an island will sink making decisions about my life in any way shape or form.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Wt2EKE1j4

My GP still makes house calls.

Just putting it out there. I work for an insurance company that dropped health care insurance years ago because of astronomical costs. My company health insurance is through Blue cross blue shield and my 1/3 is 700.00 a month for my son and I the company pays 2/3's. I can't wait until i retire and must pay 1/2 of it. NOT!
A doctors visit still costs 85.00 a visit. BCBS pays the rest average cost of 169.00. My brother the other day was complaining that their family of 3 now must pay 200.00 a month for health insurance. I told him to go pound sand as he is just freakin clueless. He is offered health insurance at work but declines it because it's too "expensive" his wife carries the insurance she works at the local state college. They make 150k a year and have nothing to show for it. He drives a company truck his employer provides and doesn't own his own. He sold his truck as they couldn't "afford" it.... it was paid off so gas and insurance was all it cost.
Whenever he starts to lecture me about all his knowledge of insurance and stuff i tell him to STFU.
I shake me head and walk away.