Welp, now I can go buy healthcare

some do... insurance bureaucrats vs. bureaucrats in washington d.c. - pick your poison... if you don't do what the gub'mt bureaucrats tell you, then you might get an unexpected visit from "enforcement", i.e. the beloved IRS... on the bright side,... the IRS may actually be less onerous than today's EPA, but i digress..

the "system" can be made better by breaking down barriers to interstate ins. purchases, and making it easier for small groups to "pool" into ins. plans to save money...

 

Every man for himself doesn't work and leaves people without coverage

 

...the poor already get covered by medicaid... the market should be reformed, but to allow more efficient plans and an ability for those who aren't getting employer subsidized plan to find plans, possibly through "pooling", high-deductible plans, more interstate competition allowed, etc...

high deductible plans are better suited, less wasteful, cheaper premiums, and steer people in the direction of being more accountable and conservative in their "use" of the system... the state of indiana has been a model for giving public employees their a high-deductible option, over the old "pension-type" system, ...and hoards have opted into that system, and the savings to the taxpayer have been significant... a "win-win"...

 

I think that he means the ability for an insurance company to say " We don't approve of this prescription for your medical problem". Or for them to say " We're not paying for that kind of treatment or procedure ". I think that the doctor should be the one to decide if a certain prescription or procedure is required,not some pencil pusher or bean counter at a desk in an office.

I had a friend that went to the doctor and was sent to a lab for blood tests. She went,got the blood drawn,and the doctor got the results etc. 2 months later she gets a bill in the mail from a lab for $600. She remits it to her insurance,who denies coverage of it because it's out of her coverage area. She went to her own doctor,went to a local lab to get the blood drawn. In researching the issue,one of the 3 or 4 tests the doc wanted done that lab didn't do,so the blood sample was sent to Buffalo. The insurance company would NOT pay a dime of it,even though she never knew it was going there.

 

Agreed

 

If you want to know my personal views, you can PM me.

The point is, most healthcare providers want a universal or single payer system. Being that we are closer to the problems of the American health system than anyone, I think that says a lot.

Please stop projecting your views on the population at large. You have no idea what proportion of Americans are "distrustful" of the government. And if they are, they need to stop whining and start acting to fix it. Or they can leave. There are always options

The problem with most people espousing views similar to yours, Wiley, is that they have theirs, want to keep it, and don't care what happens to others. In short, they lack compassion and have been successfully scared by the media into believing some invisible boogeyman is trying to get what they have. Immigrants. Terrorists. The Government. EVERYONE IS OUT TO GET THEM! It's bullshit though - none of us are that special. To people who hold this worldview, I have a pretty simple response: Get over yourselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsPDT5qHtZ4

 

If you can call it coverage at all. Are you at all familiar with the massive number of services medicaid doesn't cover? And the limits on reimbursement?

Just because you're covered doesn't mean you get meaningful treatment. And that's not just a Medicaid problem, that's an American private insurance problem. That's the problem with the whole system. Plenty of people insured with private insurance still end up bankrupt from medical bills. Coverage isn't an answer unless it means something.

 

This

I'll take the " Socialist " system we have , with it's inherent concern and coverage for all Canadians over the every man for himself system that only works for some while callously ignoring others

 

Exactly the problem.

Her insurance is refusing to pay because she went out of network. In-network, they have negotiated fees with providers, and they won't pay outside their network because then they lose profit.

This is something people never seem to understand: I'd rather a non-profit government agency that includes ALL practitioners nationwide as my insurance/provider network rather than a limited for-profit private insurance carrier that has contracted all its services from the lowest bidder.

 

Man this thread is blowing my mind with information from both sides of american society and some frenchy's to boot. Well done me, well done.

 

My dad just got a knee replacement. Retired from a 40 year career at John Deere. Nice pension, good insurance.

Knee replaced at a "in network" hospital. His insurance shelled out $8000.00 and change.

Cost of same surgery, same doctor, same everything if "out of network" : $34 grand.

Now that's some bullshit. That's a big part of the problem, IMO. And I'm pretty confident that the government mandated insurance most will receive under the guise of "protecting the people" will make them broke.

Know why? Because it's not a single-payer, everybody is "in network" sort of policy.

 

...and medicaid is......................................<drumroll>............................

..single-payer! medicaid is single-payer, ...and it sucks... go figure

 

...hmmm... so a "fannie mae / freddie mac" for healthcare, ...sounds wonderful...

 

I respect everyone's views here... both sides. But each of us sees the world through our own lens of experience. This is a strongly divisive issue as we have seen, which transcends the bounds of the medical arena. The healthcare debate divides people on philosophical levels; these philosophies are not easily overcome by a passionate argument or even a heart-tugging story.

While I agree with several provisions of the PPACA, I have strong disagreement with many others. But my heartache is not so much with the whole of the law but with primarily two things: 1) The manner it was sold to the public/ how it was passed; and 2) that it does help move our nation towards a greater nanny state and centralized government--a concept that IMO, flies in the face of our nation's founding.

Again, I respect all opinions here but when I hear people refer to those who don't support this law as heartless, or dis-compassionate, etc., I must laugh. NO ONE who has ever known me would ever accuse me of being any of those things--in fact, they would--I am most positive--refer to me as just the opposite. If you knew me personally, you would know my heart--and my failure to support this law does not mean I am not in favor of any healthcare reform. Just smart reform.

I made this clear in another post but I'll reiterate:

- I am 100% for lifetime coverage for children who are afflicted with disease or disability
- I am 100% for taken care of those clinically diagnosed as mentally ill
- I am 100% for taking care of disabled veterans for life
- I am 100% for taking care of senior citizen's over the age of 70 through the balance of their lives
- I am for keeping your child on your insurance until age 26
- I am for limited pre-existing condition coverage (conditions brought about by poor personal decisions, lifestyle choices, or risky behaviors should not be covered IMO)

- I am not willing to fund unsupported medical expenses for adults, between the ages of 26-70, under any provision not mentioned above--I don't care what your status in life is
- I think all Americans (except those serving on active duty and their immediate family members) should pay a share of their medical coverage--equally--without regard to status. Everyone must have skin in the game.
- I feel my family and my children should not be responsible for any adult who has failed to insure themselves and then suffered financially for their inaction; you take unnecessary chances, you gambled with your life, you pay the financial price. Welcome to adulthood.
- I feel my family and my children should not be responsible for any adult who makes poor personal choices. Life's tough... should have thought about the big picture BEFORE making a poor life decision.
- If an illegal alien receives or seeks medical services, they must pay for these services at the time they are rendered (emergency services excluded--however, payments must be made and not received freely because, by definition, illegal aliens do not pay into the federal or state tax systems)
- I am 100% for healthcare treatment and benefits for the unborn.

Again, this is my opinion, and as of now, it matters not--the law has been upheld, and until it is repealed and replaced in part or in whole. Bottom line, I am not willing to compromise my beliefs to make others happy or to like me--not as long as I believe I am on the right side of this issue. I would not ask you to compromise your beliefs either.