Health Insurance Costs

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Comments

  • OleBoot
    OleBoot Posts: 2,065
    I grew up in England with the National Health system. Great getting free healthcare and medicine. BUT, BUT, BUT, government funding means waaay less facilities and equipment, and long wait times (mind you some of the wait times I have experienced lately come close). In my last years there before leaving, I had private medical insurance through my employer, which worked much better, I understand that nowadays having private insurance there is preferred by the few that can afford it.

    Now, a personal gripe. I am a Type 1 diabetic (diagnosed at 14 years old), and get pi**ed of with getting lumped together with those Type 2 diabetics that got that way as they tried to eat themselves to death (TBF, not all of them). From an insurance perspective, insulin remains a very high copay item, and the majority of Type 2 diabetics are on generic low copay pills. Grrr.

    Rant over,
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,481
    cfrizz wrote: »
    What I like about Canada's system is that they allow clinics to practically be on every block. That way if you get sick, you call your doctor at your clinic down the street, and you have an appt. either that day or within a couple of days depending on the problem.

    Canadians just have to show their city/state medical card and the billing takes care of itself, they pay reasonable prices for meds, and are never denied care for any reason.

    If you have a true emergency, you are treated promptly, however, just like here, if you are having a elective procedure, you have to wait for an opening. When a specialist is needed, you are sent to one.

    That probably frees up some of the congestion at the hospitals ERs, and you get seen faster. All your MDs are in the loop since your info can get transmitted right to them.

    It took us god knows how long to get EMR going, I only signed off on it maybe 5 years ago for it to be done.

    We would benefit significantly from having clinics that are easy to get to in every town in the US.

    The problem is that Americans always want to be armchair QBs and second guess everything, and demand to see specialists, even when one isn't needed. They want to demand that medication that they saw advertised on tv rather than an inexpensive generic.

    Most other countries have Universal Health Care, and are very happy with it and it works. We could have the same thing but that would mean that we all have to get over ourselves and educate ourselves to how UHC actually works.

    Because right now EVERYONE is losing.

    You hit on a very important point Cathy.
    I remember when drug companies couldn't advertise there drugs. Personally i believe we need to go back to that. Many doctors I've seen or trained with in Shotokan have expressed a bit of disdain for all that stuff. Too many go in and ask for the latest greatest for something that may not be in their best interest.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    deronb1 wrote: »

    There is a reason every other industrialized country has socialized healthcare or some form of it.

    Because if government pays for it, they then can tell you how to live your life. They also control at what age your deemed useless to society and a simple pain pill will be the extent of your care.

    Sounds wonderful to me.

    Also, many of these countries enjoy our military protection so they can afford stuff like that. ....crappy as it is.

    The cost of such a plan for a country our size would kill us. We already have 5 times our income on the credit card.

    That's like if you made 100K a year and had 500K on credit cards. Take into account our future liabilities not yet paid for and your at 20 times our income, maybe more. Would you say we are financially able to add that much more downside to our balance sheet ?

    Government run HC is in nobody's best interest, not ours , not governments, not the country in general.
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited November 2018
    Malpractice Insurance skyrocketed 40 years ago. That was the beginning along with no patient turned away policy.

    My doctors office was charging $20,000.00 for a urine drug test and our insurance co. laughed and said don't worry about it, you're not having to pay for it. They paid 15K twice within a 9 month period. There were other urine drug tests every month costing 12K, 10K and 8K for the same test sent to different labs! Pure and obvious SCAMING!!

    Our system is broken and there's scamming doctor's offices getting rich all over our country!!
    Post edited by [Deleted User] on
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    Anyone charging $20,000.00 for a urine test should be told to PI$$ OFF!
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited November 2018
    That's EXACTLY what I told them when my wife found out!! I left them asap!!
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,950
    I have no issue with single payer if all the waste and fraud is eliminated from the system first. Currently Medicare and Medicaid are completely taken advantage of by the system. Increase the scope of inefficiency and fraud to an entire single payer system and it will bankrupt the government.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited November 2018
    This is the scum bag running the scam with some helpers. He was surely keeping her on pain meds to run that urine scam every month on her too, I'm almost 100% sure of it!
    He got caught (in a different way)but the penalty is a slight slap on the hand!
    http://www.kxxv.com/story/38479348/a-wilmington-doctor-treated-a-mothers-back-pain-for-years-she-ended-up-in-detox
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    I have no issue with single payer if all the waste and fraud is eliminated from the system first. Currently Medicare and Medicaid are completely taken advantage of by the system. Increase the scope of inefficiency and fraud to an entire single payer system and it will bankrupt the government.

    Impossible . Just about everything government run is rampant with fraud and abuse. HC would be no different....and costs would skyrocket.

    Social security.....bankrupt
    Post office...bankrupt
    Medicare...no fraud there eh.
    VA....Nah
    Welfare.....where do we start
    Military....riiiiight.

    I could go on, but you get the point. Putting another massive program in government hands....is simply crazy talk.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,481
    The government couldn't run a bath house.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    You pointing those dis-organizations out is THE problems with our do-nothing government for 60 years or more.

    How many elected jerks have gone through those halls on the hill and haven't done a darn thing to fix either of those failed ventures. Once they get elected, their first and most important job on their lists is to get re-elected and that's about it, PERIOD. :'(
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    The government couldn't run a bath house.

    True, but I know for a fact that George Stephanopoulos would be there if it did.
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited November 2018
    And of those things you listed Tony, only ONE of them is a Constitutional requirement of the Federal government. Even that one is limited to a Navy. The Army was to be constituted from the “several states” only in time of war. They passed laws to give authority to create a standing force, but I don’t believe the Constitution was amended to authorize the military as it stands today.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Exactly Tony. What on earth makes anyone believe things would be different if government ran HC.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited November 2018
    John, constitution has nothing to do with it. Those are just a few examples that we have trusted government to handle, and they fail miserably while being loaded with fraud and abuse.

    They can't run what is on their plate now....22 trillion in debt. But some think it's OK to keep piling on the debt. Do that in your personal life and let me know how that works out for ya.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Some have said....most other countries have government run HC. Why can they do it and not us.

    Know why ? Look at the common denominator in all those other countries. Most are either socialist, communist, Marxist......are we any of those ?
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  • smglbrth
    smglbrth Posts: 1,458
    edited November 2018
    Of course we aren't any of those, thank goodness!! However, I think we are, unfortunately, getting closer by the day since many, MANY people seem to drink that type of kool-aid.

    What most don't seem to understand (for some reason) is that if you give government control of "anything" then they have the power over whatever it might be, period. Why would you freely give more of your money in the form of taxes to a bunch of people who couldn't run a lemonade stand without it going broke?
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,950
    I think the term goverent "run" healthcare is misleading....what exactly does that mean? I just think everyone should have coverage via a single payer system via a payroll tax of some form. Competition needs to be encouraged to administer and provide the actual services. Falling back on one of two extremes of "government cant don anything right" vs. "government should pay for and take care of me my entire life" is unproductive. These are the general idealogies our 2 party system falls back on to whip people into a frenzy because neither side is smart or experienced enough to figure out a better, more efficient way of doing things. The parties also use these 2 arguments to divide us as a people and continue down the same path so they get re elected every cycle. Most of what the media covers has nothing to do with solutions...simply what gets eyeballs on divisive content. Think about all of this next time you see a news story, blog, FB post, or whatever. Ask yourself "where is the solution here?". Start demanding solutions of the 2 party systems. I will get off my soap box now🙂
  • stangman67
    stangman67 Posts: 2,179
    Heath care is one of the huge advantages of being in the military! There aren’t many advantages but never having to worry about Heath care is a big one, I never realized how much insurance costs
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  • Derf
    Derf Posts: 229
    To the OP: if we don’t use the benefits, then all types of insurance can seem like a waste of money. But insurance is not about receiving a return, it’s about lessening your risk. My wife was diagnosed with and died from cancer. Total insurance paid out over those 19 months was well in excess of $500k. Obviously I was glad I had health insurance and did not self insure for that. Will I always have health, homeowners, auto insurance? Absolutely. We just never know if or when tragedy will strike.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Derf wrote: »
    To the OP: if we don’t use the benefits, then all types of insurance can seem like a waste of money. But insurance is not about receiving a return, it’s about lessening your risk. My wife was diagnosed with and died from cancer. Total insurance paid out over those 19 months was well in excess of $500k. Obviously I was glad I had health insurance and did not self insure for that. Will I always have health, homeowners, auto insurance? Absolutely. We just never know if or when tragedy will strike.

    Good point.....and my condolences. One never knows the scope of these things until you go threw them.

    Because HC is something you have to carry, if your a normal person anyway, and with no competition, prices are going to continue to go north. Flip side is trying to make it cheaper by other means.

    That's like shooting a BB gun at an incoming meteor. You have a captive consumer, with no competition, and no will to change any of that. Prices will never go down under those circumstances. That's just reality speaking.

    Other option, is to not carry HC insurance at all, roll the dice, because you know if you get sick they have to by law treat you. You never pay, they chase you, and in the end you may have to claim bankruptcy. Far too many operate under that scenario.

    The example Derf gave, is catastrophic care. Most won't need that until later in life. What about the broken bones, cuts, car accidents, and host of little things that we go to a doctor for. With the deductions on many policies being raised extremely high, insurance companies no longer bear any of those costs, you do.

    Under a Universal plan or government run plan, those little things are covered, but the catastrophic side is weak. You won't get the best care, and depending on your age, possibly none at all.

    One option I use, is to offer cash. If you need a test done, see if an outside facility does them, and offer them cash. I've told my own MRI story before. I needed one because of my back problems. Doctor tells me he can do it in the hospital, for 4400 bucks. I cringed at the thought, he saw me make a face and told me I could go to an outside facility to get it done. Cost was something like 12-1400. Much better, but then while on the phone with them making my appointment, making sure they took my insurance, I asked what the price would be if I paid cash. Around 600 bucks.

    So I went from 4400 down to 600 bucks, because much of the middlemen were cut out. Point is, you start putting even more middlemen into the equation, like government, prices will shoot up even more so.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    I think the term goverent "run" healthcare is misleading....what exactly does that mean? I just think everyone should have coverage via a single payer system via a payroll tax of some form. Competition needs to be encouraged to administer and provide the actual services. Falling back on one of two extremes of "government cant don anything right" vs. "government should pay for and take care of me my entire life" is unproductive. These are the general idealogies our 2 party system falls back on to whip people into a frenzy because neither side is smart or experienced enough to figure out a better, more efficient way of doing things. The parties also use these 2 arguments to divide us as a people and continue down the same path so they get re elected every cycle. Most of what the media covers has nothing to do with solutions...simply what gets eyeballs on divisive content. Think about all of this next time you see a news story, blog, FB post, or whatever. Ask yourself "where is the solution here?". Start demanding solutions of the 2 party systems. I will get off my soap box now🙂

    Valid points Kev, but the reason they never muster the will to do anything is because the lobbyists pay them not to. You'll never make headway in this until you separate the money from the politicians.

    We elect our public servants under the guise that they work for us, with our best interest at heart. Nothing could be further from the truth. They all may be sincere when first elected, but then the reality of how Washington works sets in. It's all about concentrating power, control of money and people, demonizing those who would threaten any of that.

    It's frustrating, yes....because things that seem like common sense solutions don't stick, or get messed up in a legislative process once Lobbyists money hits their intended targets.

    That's the core reason, everything else is window dressing to make the voting public think they are doing something. We can't change any of that, unless we vote in more people of moral standing, more who have a better grasp on right from wrong. Has nothing to do with politics, if it sounds that way, but more so what sits in the hearts and souls of men/women, and a will to preserve the country and do what's best for it's citizens first and foremost.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    tonyb wrote: »
    Some have said....most other countries have government run HC. Why can they do it and not us.

    Know why ? Look at the common denominator in all those other countries. Most are either socialist, communist, Marxist......are we any of those ?

    Way off base Tony and the government doesnt have to run it, just do their job to ensure its citizens dont get fleeced. Draw a line instead of continuing to allow this laissez faire attitude towards healthcare.

  • mrloren
    mrloren Posts: 2,454
    The great HC debate!!!

    Ronald Reagan once said the scary word are "We're from the government and are here to help". Or something like that. Once things get mix up in the government it will take years to fix.

    I'm so thankful I am on my wife's plan, coverage from my current employer sucks. Something needs to happen in the health care insurance, it is getting out of control.
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    Sorry for your loss Derf. :'(
    I worked with a man that went through the same thing with not enough coverage. They spent 270K of their savings and he said he'd do it again.




    My memory just took me back 40 years I think it was;

    Government run...yea right >:) .Remember the hammer and toilet seat costs the pentagon paid to some Companies? :s

    That's our government then and up to 2 years ago. ;)
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,556
    Drug costs are so high. Those little blue pills are $70 a pop.
    And those other ones on tv are even worse.
    Our prescription drug costs are out of control.
    And it seems they have decided everybody over 30 should
    Be tested for sleep issues. Care to guess the percentage
    That they decide need to use a cpap machine?
    My all time favorite quote. "We didn't realize how addictive
    Opiodes were".??????? Doctors didn't know?
    Most of modern medicine is driven by profits.
    So just the cvs/walgreens bill is eating up a huge chunk
    Of premiums.
    Who's going to pick up the tab when that bubble bursts?


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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited November 2018
    Tony M wrote: »
    Government run...yea right >:) .Remember the hammer and toilet seat costs the pentagon paid to some Companies? :s

    That's our government then and up to 2 years ago. ;)

    The hammer and toilet seat prices were inflated to hide the budgets for other projects that were so far in the black world even the people building them had zero clue what they were working on. The aircraft in question here was the C5 Galaxy program, but the money was really going to pay for the F-117 Nighthawk, and the still "Above Top-Secret" SR-72 Aurora.


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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    That makes sense then.

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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited November 2018
    Tony M wrote: »
    That makes sense then.

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