Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Jermyn, I can sympathize with the case you referenced, but again, the insurance companies 1) exist to make a profit 2) have seen the cost of care go through the roof because of litigious happy lawyers filling frivolous suits.
Someone made a point about recourse in the case of frivolous lawsuits, but failed to address how insurance companies have been forced by juries to pay out claims for people's stupidity. All because the insurance companies have deep pockets, right?
Doctors have raised their rate through the roof because of......higher insurance premiums for malpractice insurance. Do a study to see how many have gotten out of the ob/gyn field simply because of the THREAT of a future lawsuit.
We need reform, but let's start with the cause, not the symptoms. Tort reform first.
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
I saw a report just this afternoon about how the current disparity in cost of health insurance between younger people and seasoned citizens was around 6 or 7 to 1, with older people paying the most.
One model being proposed in the house plan would bring that ratio to 2 or 3 to 1. The average rise in cost for younger people would be around $1100 per year. Guess what? If the younger generation won't spend what it currently costs, they ain't about to spend more.
And, there is a good argument to be made for government man-dated health insurance being unconstitutional.
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
I agree with you, but Tort Reform should be part of a system overhaul.
I also believe that the Public option would be great the equalizer for out of control salaries that are paid by the faithful who, in many cases can't even get all of the coverage needed when the time of illness or disease comes.
When I look at what hospitals and insurance companies charge our Veterans, and then look at what we in turn pay in response to their charges, and when I note that that the same hospitals and insurance companies simply agree to what we pay, I get to see just how inflated healthcare costs really are.
Maybe you have noticed that the pockets of Insurance and Hospital executives are not suffering-- but the average American, somewhere, always gets messed over.
__________________
"The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character."
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChTatum
I saw a report just this afternoon about how the current disparity in cost of health insurance between younger people and seasoned citizens was around 6 or 7 to 1, with older people paying the most.
One model being proposed in the house plan would bring that ratio to 2 or 3 to 1. The average rise in cost for younger people would be around $1100 per year. Guess what? If the younger generation won't spend what it currently costs, they ain't about to spend more.
And, there is a good argument to be made for government man-dated health insurance being unconstitutional.
Older people should pay more, they are more likely to have major health problems and long hospital stays
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson
Well doing nothing while continuing to allow 13 year old little girls to die is immoral.
Both of her parents worked.
They and the child had health insurance.
The insurance company would not agree to do the life saving surgery for her until an hour or two before she died-- a surgery that the parents lobbied for days, trying to save their daughter's life.
i don't know the situation here... but at least for the doctors I work for...they would have done their part without the ins. It was probably more the hospital that was refusing the procedure. Most doctors have a heart.
I know because I write off thousands, our doctors write off a lot to people with no health care. It is a big part of my job, but I do get upset when I see people who live obviously better than I do, seems they all smoke and just don't pay for insurance. My company's healthcare is $130 bi weekly for family plan and there is a $2K yearly deductible to be met before coverage begins. My insurance cost me something... it isn't free... not many people have healthcare for free anymore.
I agree that there needs to be a reform of health insurance, but a national program is not going to be the answer. Just look at the mess of Medicaid and you will know how the govt runs things. Way too much intrusion and from a biller/Pt accts rep stand point... they pay very little and we have to see the patient who is assigned regardless of no shows or prior medical bills owed. Medicaid has its issues and we don't want another program like it.
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfrog
That had nothing to do about the problem. You are blaming the insurance company, but the insurance company wasn't the problem. The problem was that such a procedure was too expensive for anyone involved in that situation to really afford, even the insurance company. I know the big bad insurance companies are just plain evil, but the thing is if they payed for everything that everyone wished they would, then there wouldn't be any insurance companies very much longer...
You've pretty fairly summed up the current state of affairs and the logic behind it.
What I find confusing is the same people who will admit that insurance companies ration care, complain about the possibility of the government rationing care?!? As a public school teacher, if my wife had insured my daughter and I on her plan it would have cost $745 a month.
Basically, we're asking people to pay $10,000 a year for rationed care under the current system right?
__________________
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. Augustine
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfrog
Older people should pay more, they are more likely to have major health problems and long hospital stays
I am 71 years old, will be 72 in early December. My wife is 68. We are both on Medicare plus I have United Health Care through General Electric's benefit program and, GE provides me with a prescription plan.
Both my wife and I have $96.40 deducted from our Social Security checks each month. From what I understand, this will go up to around $104 per month in 2010, then up to $112.00 in 2011, and up to around $120 per month in 2012. Social Security will not include a COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) for the next 2 or 3 years. Medicare costs may change from what I have shown depending on what kind of Democratic Party health care is approved.
Each month I get a pension check from GE. I worked there 32 years and retired March 1, 1998. That established pension check amount will not change during my life time. Each month $202.00 is deducted from my pension check for my medical supplement to Medicare. Last year that actually went down a little but it ordinarily goes up each year.
So, my wife and I pay $394.80 per month for Medicare plus a supplement which covers some of what Medicare does not. That comes to $4737.60 per year. That is over 11 percent of our income.
As senior citizens whose income does not change while expenses continue to increase and age-related health issues loom, we are concerned about what our elected representatives (who seem to pay no attention to the desires of those who elected them and pay their salaries) will do.
__________________
Sam also known as Jim Ellis
Apostolic in doctrine
Pentecostal in experience
Charismatic in practice
Non-denominational in affiliation
Inter-denominational in fellowship
Re: Wraps Up How I Feel About the Health Care Issu
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChTatum
Jermyn, I can sympathize with the case you referenced, but again, the insurance companies 1) exist to make a profit 2) have seen the cost of care go through the roof because of litigious happy lawyers filling frivolous suits.
Someone made a point about recourse in the case of frivolous lawsuits, but failed to address how insurance companies have been forced by juries to pay out claims for people's stupidity. All because the insurance companies have deep pockets, right?
Doctors have raised their rate through the roof because of......higher insurance premiums for malpractice insurance. Do a study to see how many have gotten out of the ob/gyn field simply because of the THREAT of a future lawsuit.
We need reform, but let's start with the cause, not the symptoms. Tort reform first.
lawsuits are a big problem too. That is why they have had to join together in Networks like my employer. We are owned by two of the largest hospitals in this area. We run in the red, the hospitals pay the difference each month. Doctors are paid a percentage of the charges they put in each day. The network takes care of the insurance and lawsuits, billing, collecting, the finances, charity care offered, everything is ran from a central administrative office... which I am apart of. The doctors can't survive on their own anymore, and we really can't survive without the hospital.
If you could see the idiots in this world.. lol that is just the best to describe some people. We had one lawsuit this year that blew my mind. The patient filed bankruptcy #7 and the court sent us the paperwork. We checked for the patient by name and by SS# The patient's name came up, and we stopped statements and wrote off her bill. However, one of the SS# were wrong and we missed a child... the patient got a collections letter from us. The patient had her attorney sue us, and we settled out of court for $3K for her mental anguish of getting a collections letter.
Now, people... just where did that $3K come from??? We also wrote off all of her and her children's medical bills to bankruptcy. This is just passed on the the next patient, because it is just like those who shoplift... go ahead and steal, but someone is paying for it.
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