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We wonder why our healthcare system is screwed up?
Mountains
Veteran
How dumb is this? Five different labs run off of one blood draw, plus a "handling fee" (really?). No health insurance here, and the bill totals $902.25. My PCP told me to call the lab company when I got the bill (it's been like six weeks since the work was done) and tell them I'm self-pay and uninsured. So I did that today. Without batting an eye, the woman gave me a 75% *discount*. Clearly they're still going to make money by running those five labs (plus a "handling fee") for $223.06. And we wonder what's wrong with our health care system? I mean, I'm grateful for the big discount, but seriously?
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Actually, it reminds me of the last time I went to the doctor. After he didn't help me at all, he paused for a minute and then said, "Well.. do you want any tests run? Blood test... or...?" I just thought to myself, "Why are you asking me??? Do I need these things?" It was confusing because he wasn't recommending them. Just asking... probably for the insurance money.
Later, when I was recovering at my mom's house I recieved some home care supplies, just in case. Most of them were in an unopened box and they remained unused and unopened but the company wouldn't take them back and charged insurance a few hundred bucks for them. While in the hospital a nurse tried to use an electric razor to shave me, my beard had grown too long by then so it didn't work. But since she tried to use it on me for a few minutes they couldn't use it on anyone else and had to give me an electric razor, charged to insurance of course. Thankfully I had good insurance at the time.
In a more general way, I don't remember the percentages but a large share of healthcare costs are incurred in the last 2 months of life. Doctors don't get paid for any consultations with patients about end of life care so often times it doesn't get discussed until people and their families are in desperate straights and unable to make clear decisions. Obama's healthcare plan wanted to pay doctors for discussing end of life care with their patients. This plan to help curb the greatest expense in healthcare got spun as the infamous 'death panels'. And we wonder why out healthcare system is screwed up.
Yeah, it's weird. Everyone's complaining about skyrocketing med costs, but no one's really minding the store. Doctors are very cavalier about charging anything and everything to insurance, inflating the charges, and so forth. But try to get some preventive screening done? No, insurance no longer covers that. You have to get sick first, or have the doc invent a justification for a test before insurance will pay for it. It's a broken system that's only getting worse.
IMO, it all started with deregulation of the hospital industry. That caused hospitals to compete with each other, rather than cooperate. So every hospital suddenly had to have all the latest equipment for every specialty, rather than hospitals in a city or region each specializing, and sending the patient to the right hospital for the relevant specialty. It's deregulation that also caused hospitals to charge for every tongue depressor and every aspirin. That stuff was free before.
Doctors see a set of symptoms and professionally "jump to a conclusion" that it is X. That's not totally unjustified. You can't do extensive tests for everything, and they are right most of the time. But it's the few times they are wrong that are concerning.
My doctor will get an earful next visit after the issues with Lipitor and nasal sprays.
If you mean $$$-wise, I'd agree with you. To live here without good health insurance is very difficult.
If you mean quality-wise, I'd still rather be in a hospital here than in most other countries.
Sorry for that
If we're not going to cover everyone than in order to prevent out of control costs we need to not provide treatment to people without insurance or they lack proper incentive to get it. Even though the libertarian sensibility doesn't like to admit it humans have values beyond economic efficiency. So if we don't want to turn people away then to control costs we need to cover everyone and help people manage their health from cradle to grave.
There is also an issue with people who actually do have health insurance where insurance companies are disincentivized to provide preventive care because they pay for care now but the company may not receive the financial benefit because the customer may change providers at some point in the future or go on medicare.
Americans are just to ignorant and (pardon my French) stupid to realize that.
Always amazed at the opposition to universal health care and the ridiculous rantings of those opposed
Fortunately i come from a country where anyone can see a doctor without charge, provides access to heavily subsidised medicine and even those with health issues can have their dental taken care of as well
To me this has been one of the major stumbling blocks to a more socially conscious governmental policy. Smaller European countries that have a better social structure are much more homogenous than the US is so there isn't so much of helping the "other."
@vinlyn
for such a wealthy country (GDP wise anyway) its unfortunate there is so much social inequality .....people screaming "socialism" and rabble rousing to deny the poorest of the poor access to health care is unconscionable
i am often baffled by the hypocricy evident in the US....those people who cry the loudest are usually "supposed" devout christians as well ......now i think i know a little bit about the teachings of christ and his compassion for the less advantaged to be left scratching the old nogan in disbelief
God doesn't think he's a doctor.
I don't know what to do about the extreme attitudes, however there are the caring middle of the road people who may need some knowledge.
As far as that train of thought, to an extent I agree with you. The concept of insurance is that we all throw our money into the pot and then it covers everyone. The problem is that not everyone throws money into the pot, and some throw lots of money into the pot, while others throw very little money into the pot. My mother, for example, had an almost worthless health insurance policy...essentially no money into the pot. My mother had several hospital stays, and over time she would pay a little bit each month, and by the time she died she had paid off most of her bills, but not all. My nephew has no health insurance -- no money into the pot.
But, no system is going to address all issues of inequity in terms of money in or services out. Frankly, I'm in favor of government controlled health insurance, because to me that in part of the "bounty" of this nation.
How do you justify such insulation and focus on the self?
In this country of mine, which incidently is the envy of the world economically and hardly a socialist paradise, we have an additional tax called the medicare levy of 1.5% applied to all those that earn above roughly $30k. This pays for a universal health care system of free hospital, doctors, mental health professionals like counselling, subsidised medicine and dental. People with the means can then pay extra for private health insurance to get access to greater choice and no waiting on elective surgeries etc plus alternative health rebates and other add ons. But underpinning that is a significant safety net, which whilst not perfect, protects the most vulnerable.