A Dangerous Topic - the new health care plan

[DuckyBoys]

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So not to sound mean or anything - but seriously - maybe it was not the best time to have another child??? And my suggestion would be to ASK the price before having the procedure. I'm failing to understand how this could be the health insurance company's fault.

And about the Doctors are like Lawyers comment... I don't think you fully understand what it takes to become and be a doctor. How is it their fault? You think they should lower their price for services, even though the cost of providing those services stays the same?

I don't understand why they owe you something.

 

[joebryant]

Anne and I were for the "Single Payer" plan.
As of TODAY, the public option is out the window.
Sorry to say it, but it's the fault of the DEMOCRATS who sold out for the insurance companies' campaign funds. They betrayed their constituents. I've voted for Indiana's Bayh for the last time ever. I'll vote for a possibly honest Republican before I'll vote for him. BTW, his wife has a high-paying insurance company job. Go figure!
Obama supporters have been betrayed and sold out by political puppets.
Anne and I are both VERY upset this morning.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

The simple truth is, either we need to switch to true public coverage for all, or leave it alone. Post #8 here says it all, without even reading through it. Either we are all covered, or we are not; it is nuts to set parameters, qualifications, or whatever. The system itself will have plenty of those. We will have to wait our turn, and will only have so many treatment options. Not that different from Medicare, really.

My opinion is that the government has no choice but to provide health care for everyone, and it is only a matter of time til we do. It's not that I think this is right, but that I think is inevitable. I understand that this has its own problems, as anyone in the UK or Canada will tell you, but I do not see that we have any choice, in the long run. And, no, I do not think that this is the time to try to do this. It is the one thing that Clinton tried to do that was correct.

We cannot continue to be a world leader, or take that stance, and fail to provide medical care for all our citizens. It's not a matter of being in favor of "socialized medicine," it's a matter of there being no feasible alternative.

To me, it is a given that an illegal alien would have no access to health care guaranteed to citizens. I cannot understand why they even have access to our educational system . Parameters could certainly be established for those with legal access, who are working towards citizenship, or otherwise legally here. That's simply about integrating immigration laws; not so complicated. And I even have a friend who would fall n this category, along with her children.

I agree with ddawn, mostly. Being selective about non-essentials is one thing, but when it comes to healthcare, you cannot/should not be picky. If you are visiting in Canada and need healthcare and have no insurance, should they turn you away? Legal or illegal, letting any human suffer without proper access to medical care is not who we should be. Getting control over our 'illegal population' is another problem all to its self.

As to the throwing stones at other governmental agencies, I sometimes just don't get it. Currently, I can do almost all my DMV online, through AAA (immediate service), and never encounter very long lines at one of the many satellite office throughout the state, when I have to get a new photo. I DO remember nightmares 30 years ago ... but they have so streamlined things with the internet. And, why does there always seem to be so much animosity toward the postal system, but it is a stand alone entity that was never meant to be FOR PROFIT, just to provide the best postal service possible at the best prices. That means constanting balancing on a thin wire. Projected budgets can be devastated (like not anticipating $4.00 a gallon gasoline last year) just as it did our little home budgets.d

As to the medical field, now would be a great time to encourage your children to consider a career in that direction or get some retraining. We will need a lot more of EVERYTHING if so many more people are to covered. Is this not a good thing in the long run? More employment for us ~~ or do we just let foreigners come in to fill these jobs?​

 

[DuckyBoys]

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Well rarely do I agree with you Joe - but I am a Republican and would vote for an honest democrat in a heartbeat. I don't care what party they are in - if they represent the people and they are hoenst, I'm with them.

I wish everyone could see that it isn't one party or the other - it is ALL OF THEM who have sold us out.

Look for the honest man or woman that thinks the way you think and then go out and support that person.

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

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I think this fella is "exaggerating" the system ....some people abuse the system ...
Triage is a system they have made up where the persons "ouchy" is evaluated ....so the fella with the massive heart attack doesnt have to wait after the person that may have a sprain wrist ...
Most large cities have many clinics to go to ...one is normally open ....
Our niece was in a terrible car accident in New Jersey a couple years ago ...died on the way to the hospital ....but the wonderful docters saved her ..wonderful doctors !!!..she should have stayed longer to recover but had to come back to Canada to a hospital here ... thank God she had insurance ....being a teenager and all...she thought about it before crossing the border ..... in three to four weeks we tease her because she racked up 40 thousand dollars !!!!!! for her insurance company .........imagine ...?
Yes our system has its problems ...nothings perfect....but at least the kid living off the streets can go into emergency and get antibiotics for a cold / cut etc ....or my child in the middle of the night having a high temp. I dont have to choose between my childs heath and how I am going to pay for this visit ...

 

[DiVon80]

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WOW - talk about pre-conceived ideas.

I think it is sad that you feel this way - that you think the reason people are upset about the "changes" is because they are sore losers.

WOW. That is all I can say.

I mean never mind the trillions of dollars in debt for these new pet projects, or what the constitution says...it must be about petty party bickering.

I cannot even relate to you...really. I'm stunned.

I also agree w you on this one...Thats how he got elected giving away the tax payers money to people who don't want to work. Just set on the porch and reproduce let the tax payer pay for your kids, we have lots of that here in the south. The other part health care for illegals. Since Katrina we have been drenched w illegals. This all makes me sick. I am against this health care....and this administration. Don"t get me wrong this has nothing to do w color. I just love Colon Powell, I would of voted for him or a man of similar type! Lots of respect for Rice also...Looks to me Hillary has been shoved to the back for czars....Iran, Russia also have czars get the connection. The health care is a way to get hold of you this will be when the cards w be handed out, next they will want to microchip you for your own convience...

 

[joebryant]

Here's one of several articles that my wife wrote for and was published by our local paper:

I am 67 years old. I have had quite a bit of experience dealing with health insurance plans. While my husband and I taught, we were covered by our school systems through private insurance companies. We had good coverage, but I have spent many hours on the telephone straightening out claims payments, as have all my friends, and, I would bet, many of you.

My husband and I now have Medicare coverage. Medicare Part A is for catastrophic coverage and is “free” to us and every other senior citizen, although paid for by our own taxes as well as everyone else’s. Part B is for doctors’ visits and procedures; it costs each of us $96.40 a month. The amount is deducted from our Social Security checks, so we do not have to deal with payments. We decided to purchase a Medicare supplement to pick up the deductible and the relatively small amounts left over after Medicare payments. Our fairly inexpensive group plan through a teachers’ organization costs $280.08 per month for both of us together.

In contrast to my experience with private insurance companies over the years, dealing with Medicare has been wonderful. For several years I helped my mother with her claims, and my husband and I have had Medicare for a combined total of eight years. Only once in all those years have I had to straighten out a claim, and that was because the doctor used the wrong code in filing. In other words, the Medicare staff has not made one single mistake in processing a claim. Each year we receive a booklet that explains very clearly what will be covered. Medicare saves paper and postage by mailing out one Explanation of Benefits each month, rather than one for each date of service. After paying their part, they send the information directly to our Medicare supplement company, which pays the rest and sends us an EOB. It is an efficient and almost error-free system. Medicare’s administrative costs are only 5%, much lower than for the private insurance companies.

In fact, my only concerns with Medicare are on the part of the providers. I understand that payments are slow to come, and the amounts paid seem unbelievably low.

Now, Medicare Part D, the prescription drug part of Medicare, is a completely different story. In order to get it passed, Congress lessened the amount of opposition from insurance and drug companies by setting it up to involve private insurance companies. The Medicare booklet lists three pages of plans for Indiana. This is “choice”. It is a nightmare trying to understand what each plan covers and how it works. Each January the terms change, the prices change, and, if you want to stay on top of your “choice”, you have to go through the selection process all over again. This might mean looking at insurance company websites or calling to find out exactly which drugs are covered, and at which level (generic, preferred brand, non-preferred brand). After you decide and choose you may find out that the drugs you thought were covered, are not, or that they are covered at a different level than you expected so that you have to get prior approval or try cheaper alternatives. This, again, is a huge hassle for the doctors and their staffs, taking time that they would like to spend with their patients.

Medicare Parts A and B is a single-payer plan, with the federal government as the payer. Billing clerks for the doctors and hospitals deal with only one entity. It is easy for them to remember what is covered because so many people are covered by one plan. We once tried an “advantage plan”. A private insurance company administered our Medicare A, B and D plans. We paid the government as usual for Part B, but we paid the insurance company for the prescription drug portion plus the Medicare supplement. The plan was cheap, but the headaches were many. There was a provider network. Each billing office had contracts with so many providers (changing every year, of course) that they could not keep track of the terms. Sometimes they forgot to renew their contract with our insurance company, which meant the contract was no longer valid. The insurance claims agents were not well-trained, so I got various answers, depending on which person I talked to. I think I spent more hours on the phone that year than all the other years combined, and I wound up filing a grievance over payment of claims.

As Congress takes up the issue of health coverage for all of us, not just those who have employer-provided health insurance or enough money to buy it privately, I am very concerned that they will make the same mistake they made with the prescription drug part of Medicare. I am afraid they will involve the private insurance companies and create a system that is confusing and, yes, more expensive, because there will be the expenses of profit for the insurance companies, salespeople, extra staff in doctors’ offices to deal with the variety of plans.

Do I want choice? Yes, I want choice of doctor and medical facility. I have that with Medicare, which I like. It is a single-payer plan.

I do not want choice of plan. My experience with Medicare Part D tells me it will be confusing for patients and providers alike, and it will be more expensive in the end. Private insurance companies compete for the healthiest patients and the highest profits for themselves and their stockholders. This kind of choice is not in the public’s best interest.

 

[PeepsInc]

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Thats it exactly...what hasnt the government screwed up? They need to legislate not control and manage interest.

I think it is pretty sad that the Government gets blamed for everything. So much for UNITED we stand....

No educated person blames the government. It's the elected officials that are to blame. The government was created to build a Republic for the people. It's the peoples fault if a republic fails. It's up to the people to learn "War Powers Under the Constitution of US Military Arrest, Reconstruction & Military Government" With out this knowledge you have no idea how your country is even run. Take the time to read it! We can rebuild the republic, and change the heath care system to suite everyone. United we stand, Divided we are, and have fallen!

 

[Suburban chick farmer 09]

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Makes me sick to my stomach. I would have loved to have the single payer too, but theirs know way that would have gone through. If we don't get something with a public option these blue dog Dems should should pay for it at the polls.

Big buisiness is going to be the down fall of this country.

 

[WalkingWolf]

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And the solution would be socialism? Govt owned big business? That is called communism.