What he said.
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Sunday, April 01, 2012
$5000 tummy aches and other delights
This is the kind of insanity that exists when medicine and medical insurance are about private profit rather than public health, when 50 million people are uninsured, when Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements don't always cover true costs and when polarized politics prevent the kind of reasonable discussions that could lead to solutions.--Steve Lopez for The Los Angeles Times
What he said.
What he said.
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11 comments:
A writer with an agenda uses oversimplified examples to make his case. I see these articles all the time. Health care and health insurance ARE businesses. One of the issues the writer mentions is the number of people declaring bankruptcy because of health care costs. I found this article from 2009. See how the headline is pretty misleading?
The headline doesn't tell the whole story
The reason, William, a headline does not tell the entire story is because it's the headline. In order to get the whole story, you generally have to read the whole story.
That said, I didn't find the headline particularly misleading.
So, who are you rooting for, William, the insurance companies ("Obamacare" passes) or eventual single payer?
The righties might just end up being very sorry if they actually get what they wished for.
there are 26.5 MRI's in the US for every 1 million people, 6.2 in Canada for every 1 million. Bottom line, for non-emergency cases, there is a 32 hour wait in the US and 39 days in Canada. As far as CT machines, there are 99 per 1 million in the US. 2005/2006 figures seem to rule, but it was noted by insurancenet.com that Ohio, in 2005 had 250 MRI's as opposed to Canada with 151.
Just one example of why cost's are high for medicine, then again throw in the lawyers to sue everyone in sight with any kind of medical problem.
We are starting at the wrong end to fix health care, first kill all the lawyers. Just kidding of course if your a scum bag lawyer.
James Old Guy
Socialism is not the answer to the problem of high medical costs. Socialized medicine will only empower bureaucrats at the expense of real regular Americans in the heartland. In fact, socialism will likely cost them their lives.
Only an OWS loser would see otherwise.
I think we are already losers in the health care battle. The hostility and anger is just one of the ways we are all losing what we most value about this country: a love and respect for our fellow Americans-- and for their health.
Many times, Erin, the Headline is misleading on purpose. You have to read deep into the story to find that the sick person lost their job, losing income, causing bankruptcy, even though they had insurance.
I'm rooting for a free market with a safetynet for the truly needy. Even Medicare, which the left praises, is fraud ridden because the government doesn't know how to control it. Reducing Doctor fees is causing a shortage of Docs willing to take medicare patients.
Erin, I agree w/you about the headline comment... Lopez is a thorough writer, I have read his column for many years... And yes, insurance is about business... This article has opened my eyes, The one time I went to the ER, I was just charged the $100 fee to be looked at... Tests that were run were not billed to me, the meds, I picked up at my pharmacy... then again that was almost 5 years ago.. I'd hate to think what I would get smacked w/today. Seems as tho, if they know u have insurance then its almost like they have carte blanche to charge up the wazoo... NOT FAIR..and I guess if u declare no insurance, they know they have to charge u the bare minimum?
Oh, you were lucky! My son went for a burnt finger when he was in college, and they charged him $900 and sent him home with some ointment. And that was 6 years ago.
It's insane . . . No way around it.
@ Hal @ 3:16
-do you suppose that throwing the word "loser" into your post makes it more likely or less likely that others will be interested in the merits of the rest of your post?
Now, tell us where you see the threat of socialized medicine? I assume you are commenting in the context of the oral presentations last week in the Supreme Court. If one were to follow the arguments of some quite learned followers of the Court, and of health policy,feel that the PPACA, if it IS in trouble,is in trouble because of the individual mandate.
The individual mandate was incorporated into the law to protect the interests of insurance companies. The entire bill was written to work within the framework of the existing health insurance industry. You deal with any insurance companies that are non-profits? Where's the socialistic aspect you're so alarmed about? The American Medical Associations screamed 'socialism' to everyone who would listen when Medicare was passed in 1965. Within two years 80% of American doctors supported it.
MR
@MR
Happy April Fool's Day.
:D
@hal-I don't know you well enough to have been able to put that in context...
see you next April...
MR
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