Medical Bills Are Killing Us

[jackfengshui]

If you have the time and patience, I highly recommend the excellent article in Time Magazine on why medical costs are out of control in this country. No matter where you stand on healthcare reform, it shows clearly that doing nothing is not an option.

[Guest070916]

True!
The joys of deregulation, which was supposed to save us money! What a farce! Never happened! Everything that has been deregulated has shot up in price and now they are allowed to pick our pockets at will, for any reason they can dream up! Gas prices at the pump are another prime example!
Our parents KNEW BETTER! They realized these industries and businesses are nothing but a bunch of crooks and HAD TO BE tightly regulated, or they will rob you blind. Our parents were smart....those who followed, not to bright, and too easily swayed by slippery tongued businessmen BS, who would sell there mothers for a fast buck!

[Guest121613]

the medical industry is now what the auto companies used to be like, very powerful economic influence

true affordable healthcare would result in a deeper recession, and healthcare is a significant amount of the GDP

[roscoe14850]

What I find the most ridiculous are the ads for prescription medicine. I would like to know how much of my bills go to pay for Nexium, Crestor, Cialis, Viagara, Clarinex, Flownase, Zoloft, Lipitor, etc. ads on TV?!?!?!

[jokacz]

I may be wrong, but I believe the only two countries that allow these ads are America and Australia. My 96 year old long retired pediatrician father, used to charge 10 bucks for a house call. Now these pigs are making high 6 or 7 figures per annum and bitching that they have to pay a lousy 50, 60 grand for malpractice insurance. It's time to get these entitled fucks off our tits.

Originally Posted by roscoe14850

What I find the most ridiculous are the ads for prescription medicine. I would like to know how much of my bills go to pay for Nexium, Crestor, Cialis, Viagara, Clarinex, Flownase, Zoloft, Lipitor, etc. ads on TV?!?!?!

[jackfengshui]

We are barking on the wrong tree in the healthcare debate. Before arguing about who should pay the bills, we should first address why the bills are so high to begin with. That lengthy article pinpoints who the culprits are, especially the "not-for-profit" hospitals with their anything-goes prices and multi-million-dollar executive salaries.

[drluv1]

Originally Posted by jackfengshui

We are barking on the wrong tree in the healthcare debate. Before arguing about who should pay the bills, we should first address why the bills are so high to begin with. That lengthy article pinpoints who the culprits are, especially the "not-for-profit" hospitals with their anything-goes prices and multi-million-dollar executive salaries.

Hopefully Obamacare can bend the cost curve. A Canadian style system would be much better. The profit margins on some of those items are Outrageous. Taxpayers heavily subsidize health care, our interest should be first and foremost, but as long as we allow lobbyists to run washington, don't look for the situation to get better soon.

[Guest121613]

in recently working with an account at a large hospitol in the area, there is little cost control, and each little segment is a profit center, and they all charge what the market will bear. The insuance companies try to make the same, which is actually bad. For instance, if u needed ass surgery, do u go different hospitols and have them place rfqs for the work? Cheapest hospitol gets ur business? Sort of differnet paradigm, not sure if people are ready for that?

[Guest070916]

Most other advanced countries of the world ridicule high US healthcare costs that generally are twice as high or higher than their costs. Canada is one where costs run half of what we pay in the USA.

Last year a friend needed an ambulance to go 7.5 miles from Lancaster to Millard Fillmore Suburban hospital. The ambulance company bilked his insurance for $1350 for that short ride! That's pure avarice! His ambulance co-pay was $, his insurance picked up the rest. These predators NEED REGULATING!

[jackfengshui]

The most outrageous aspect of the healthcare mess is that the only people who are being asked to pay those arbitrarily inflated medical costs are the hard-working middle class with no or inadequate health insurance. They can be ruined financially by one medical episode.

[DomCapers]

its all fixed, they passed the bill, in 2014 we will be living in paradise and the R's didnt screw anything up by voting for it.

[Doove]

Originally Posted by jackfengshui

The most outrageous aspect of the healthcare mess is that the only people who are being asked to pay those arbitrarily inflated medical costs are the hard-working middle class with no or inadequate health insurance. They can be ruined financially by one medical episode.

True. I imagine it's pretty regular practice to bill individuals $12,500 for a procedure in which they'll take $3500 as "paid in full" from the insurance companies.

[jackfengshui]

The current healthcare reform is a start, but it is not perfect, especially in the cost-control measures. The gravy-train lobby is very strong.

Even if you "hate" Obamacare, doing nothing is not an option.

[DomCapers]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbx1JW2mj9o

[jackfengshui]

The last thing we need is putting our heads in the sand, and offering mockery instead of constructive solutions.