Do we need healthcare reform?

[Denny347]

We all probably agree that the current health care reform will do little good. However, I firmly agree that something needs to be different but I won't pretend that I know what the answer is. I watched this and was a bit PO'ed because many of us could easily be in this same situation. Should you have to sell everything you own...that belongs to your kids to keep from dying? It is an interesting question. I contend "NO", you should not have to resort to such desperate measures but I do not know what can be done about it. I am sure there is a reasonable solution.
msnbc.com Video Player

 

[leftsock]

What do you want us to say? Insurance and healthcare companies are in business to make money. At some point/level, they can't sustain an activity that isn't financially viable. Perhaps some sort of non-profit healthcare provider? Even non-profits have to stay afloat financially.

I contend "NO", you should not have to resort to such desperate measures but I do not know what can be done about it.

Potential solution: don't receive healthcare you can't afford.

This sounds really callous, but sooner or later everyone dies.

 

[Fletch]

Yes, we need reform. Unfortunately, for the twits in our government to give us the right kind, they'd all need to grow some brains and lose some ambitions.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yes.

1. Abolish the interstate sales restrictions.

2. Make it easier for me to create Health Saving Accounts for myself and my employees.

3. Allow me to deduct yoga, gym membership above the line on my 1040.

4. Allow health insurance premiums for myself or employees to become a tax credit.

I'll settle for 3 of my 4 proposals becoming law.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yes, we need reform. Unfortunately, for the twits in our government to give us the right kind

That's because government is inclined to treat everything as a finite resource that needs regulation to prevent "unfairness" like the Tragedy of the Commons.

Instead human industry is infinite. Do nothing.

Just look at cosmetic surgery, or laser eye surgery. Faster, cheaper, safer and better as we allow those doctors to practice medicine and do not bury them with regulations, semi-socialised Medimedicine and insurance red tape.

Treat all medicine like back hair removal and we would have very little need for reform. We need a 10,000,000 cc injection of Free Market, stat!

 

[CulpeperMM]

I have spoken to, listened to (in person), traded e-mails with, several doctors in the past six months regarding health care reform. ALL of them say one BIG first step in fixing the problem is tort reform. suing for malpractice should not yield the plaintiff a lottery-like settlement from the insurance company (many doctors pay hundreds of thousands for "mal-practice" insurance). We should have a right to sue for reparations (to be put back the way we were prior to procedure or fairly compensated for the change in situation). Just because a doctor made a mistake, doesn't mean the patient should be made wealthy. If the doctor did something wrong (broke the law), then he should be charged criminally, if not then theirr is no reason to seek punitive damages. Civil court SHOULD be about reparations for mistakes, not punishing people. Criminal courts are for punishing.

the litigious nature of the practice has increased the cost of medicine by 50% is what many in the insurance and medical field tell me. its not just the insurance cost, but the cost of unneeded procedures and tests (MRIs, cat-scans, etc) for the sake of CYA.

The other thing that adds to the cost is the fact that the recipient of health care is rarely the payer. I am self employed. I pay ~12k per year for catastrophic coverage myself, wife and baby. all doctor visits are paid cash (HSA debit card). I see my bills. my surgery last year cost me ~5k out of pocket, the baby's delivery was ~10k. That's OK. i knew the baby was coming, so i saved up. i had no choice. I make decisions with my wife, my checkbook and my doctor. most people have no idea what things cost, or do not care because their costs are a flat monthly fee to the HMO or Medicare, or the insurance company. Finally, emergency room visits for common colds is a common occurrence (i hear this from ER doctors and nurses). that is a $5,000 doctor visit that the taxpayer or the hospital eats or passes on to other customers. if these folks were sent away and told to make a doctor's appointment, ERs would save billions nationwide. That is, of course, illegal.

I would venture that health care cost would plummet without the government intervention in the market (medicare and tax incentives to companies). If everyone had to "ration" their own medicine, then they would make more economic choices.

the problems in our medical system are examples of the failure of government and so the politicians want to socialize more! let's try the free market. we haven't tried that in medicine since the mid 1960s.

 

[JcJ]

Malpractice reform would solve 75% of the healthcare financial problems, well, that and a majority of the ambulance chasing trial lawyers at the bottom of the ocean. I would settle for 50% of the above.

 

[4sarge]

I have spoken to, listened to (in person), traded e-mails with, several doctors in the past six months regarding health care reform. ALL of them say one BIG first step in fixing the problem is tort reform. suing for malpractice should not yield the plaintiff a lottery-like settlement from the insurance company (many doctors pay hundreds of thousands for "mal-practice" insurance). We should have a right to sue for reparations (to be put back the way we were prior to procedure or fairly compensated for the change in situation). Just because a doctor made a mistake, doesn't mean the patient should be made wealthy. If the doctor did something wrong (broke the law), then he should be charged criminally, if not then theirr is no reason to seek punitive damages. Civil court SHOULD be about reparations for mistakes, not punishing people. Criminal courts are for punishing.

the litigious nature of the practice has increased the cost of medicine by 50% is what many in the insurance and medical field tell me. its not just the insurance cost, but the cost of unneeded procedures and tests (MRIs, cat-scans, etc) for the sake of CYA.

The other thing that adds to the cost is the fact that the recipient of health care is rarely the payer. I am self employed. I pay ~12k per year for catastrophic coverage myself, wife and baby. all doctor visits are paid cash (HSA debit card). I see my bills. my surgery last year cost me ~5k out of pocket, the baby's delivery was ~10k. That's OK. i knew the baby was coming, so i saved up. i had no choice. I make decisions with my wife, my checkbook and my doctor. most people have no idea what things cost, or do not care because their costs are a flat monthly fee to the HMO or Medicare, or the insurance company. Finally, emergency room visits for common colds is a common occurrence (i hear this from ER doctors and nurses). that is a $5,000 doctor visit that the taxpayer or the hospital eats or passes on to other customers. if these folks were sent away and told to make a doctor's appointment, ERs would save billions nationwide. That is, of course, illegal.

I would venture that health care cost would plummet without the government intervention in the market (medicare and tax incentives to companies). If everyone had to "ration" their own medicine, then they would make more economic choices.

the problems in our medical system are examples of the failure of government and so the politicians want to socialize more! let's try the free market. we haven't tried that in medicine since the mid 1960s.

Tort Reform

 

[redneckmedic]

There is nothing wrong with our healthcare system, it is the best in the world PERIOD. Now the insurance could use some tweaking. 1st... No one gets a free ride PERIOD. Not sure exactly where to go from there. But I am tired of paying higher premiums because the hospital overcharges to make up for the losers that don't have insurance but get free healthcare.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

You can have tort reform AND have socialised medicine--see the UK.

Market reform should take priority over tort reform.

 

[CulpeperMM]

You can have tort reform AND have socialised medicine--see the UK.

Market reform should take priority over tort reform.

read the second half of my post. tort reform and "market reform". Though it is hard for me to call it a "market" when the recipient doesn't pay or know the price. get the government out, and you will see lower prices.

 

[Denny347]

Yes.

1. Abolish the interstate sales restrictions.

2. Make it easier for me to create Health Saving Accounts for myself and my employees.

3. Allow me to deduct yoga, gym membership above the line on my 1040.

4. Allow health insurance premiums for myself or employees to become a tax credit.

I'll settle for 3 of my 4 proposals becoming law.

See, I knew that someone would have some reasonable (and great) ideas. I like them.

 

[Denny347]

Yes.

1. Abolish the interstate sales restrictions.

I will have to show my ignorance...what is this?

 

[jeremy]

I will have to show my ignorance...what is this?

You can not practice Medicine on I-465...

 

[redneckpastor]

Is it the Governments place to provide healthcare? I mean really is that in the job description or in the constitution?

 

[PhantomJ]

The interstate sales restriction prevents the purchase of health insurance across state lines. I would add removal of the antitrust protection from the insurance companies to the list of good reform.

 

[Fletch]

I will have to show my ignorance...what is this?

Health insurance companies can't compete nationwide; they essentially have different sub-companies in each state.

 

[printcraft]

You can not practice Medicine on I-465...

HA! you tool, shows what u know. 465 is a bypass.

 

[jeremy]

HA! you tool, shows what u know. 465 is a bypass.

And since it's a bypass no interstate tax can be collected on it... Only bypass taxes right...

 

[Denny347]

Now I have my insurance through Anthem and it is the high deductible insurance with a separate health savings account. I pay 100% up to 5000 of the "agreed" insurance rate for whatever medical procedure we have done. After 5000, I pay 20% up to 7000 then I pay 0%. This resets each year. ALL maintenance visits are free to me and my monthly premiums are less than conventional coverage. The department pays 2500 into my account and I add my own share. Now this money carries over each year so I like it better than a normal health savings account that has to be used up each year. I think this is what many insurance companies are moving towards and I think the employers pay less overall by me using it. My only problem was when we went to this last year, my daughter had surgery just a mere month after switching and I did not have any money in my account. You talk about an expensive out of pocket expense. It went all the way to collections before I could afford to pay for it. I did manage to pay for it before it affected my credit. Now what about the video? She fell through the cracks of our current system. How could this have been done better in the future?