Two other reasons costs are so high. Have you ever hired a plumber or electrician or machanic work on you car? Be prepared to pay $50-$75 per hour. Now those guys are trained a year or two and make money while they are trained. Dr.'s get in >$100,000 in debt during med school and need to train for over 10 years. So from 75 per hour to what? Then nurses. At min a 2 year degree with clinical training, but often a 4 year degree, these people make $$$ and deserve it based on our labor costs in this country. Do you know how much your computer or TV would cost if it was made in the USA?
A major reason is that uninsured people treat the ER like a regular doctor's office. Also, medicare and medicaid do not cover fixed costs for Dr's and hospitals (that's even excluding salaries). Therefore, because they lose so much money giving free (or close to free) healthcare, the costs go up for those that can actually pay for it
Interestingly that isn't the case. I used to think so also.I read a study that says the fat people are likely to die from the first major heart attack or stroke so they cost much less. The huge costs come from treatment of chronic conditions. I was watching cspan and the Dr. panel they had said something like 85% of the costs of medicare are chronic condition treatments like dialysis.
Yeah it is something like 75% they pay right? So to cover that they jack the prices up on us. Thanks government! You cost us paying for the program itself and then program being around costs us more money!
malpractice lawsuits free ER care for indigent peoples aging of baby boomers means more cancer, heart attacks, etc we are fat and out of shape...more heart problems, blood pressure issues, diabetes, etc... drug companies
So do you believe the medical cost should be brought back in or do you believe it should go uncheck and let it keep on growing at double the rate of infalation?
Such a simple question for a problem that has all of these issues. Healthcare is gonna cost what it costs. They only thing is will we all be forced to cover the bill of everyone and accept rationing and waiting lists or not.
Yes. That's it. But Medicaid/care pays less than that. It literally doesn't cover fixed costs excluding the staff (and MD) salary. Therefore, most MD's will only accept about 20% of their patients who have medicare, with 80% being private insurers. The gov'ts solution? Give gov't healthcare costing trillions and still don't pay the MD's the right money and MANDATE that they all have to accept all of the patients. Result? Think of it this way (my wife is a MD). Why would you go through 10 years of med school, residency, training working your ass off and making no money, sacrificing your social life and getting a few hundred grand in debt just to come out and make $50,000 a year?
I don't pretend to know how any of this works. I only have my own experiences to go on. I have insurance through a PPO with Humana. As many of you know I was the victim of a hit and run in Amsterdam on June 2 and spent two days in the hospital there before flying home to have needed surgery to repair my ankle, which was broken on both sides. The hospital in Amsterdam required that I pay cash for my treatment and then seek reimbursement from Humana. The charge was 5,300 Euro which is nearly $8,000. I didn't have my surgery there because there's no way I could have paid the charge in advance. I have a pretty good job but I still live pretty much check to check. I'm going in for surgery tomorrow and I got a call yesterday saying that I needed to pay half of my total charge ($1,500 deductible plus a percentage of total costs equalling a bill to me for $4,500) prior to the operation. After much discussion about how I don't have $2,250, the hospital suggested that I postpone my surgery until I could raise the money. I was outraged. I've already waited too long to have this surgery and I am in constant pain from the injury and (worse) the swelling. I've been in a cast since the night of the injury when the ER doctor re-broke my ankle and set it so it wouldn't move around. So when my foot swells, there's nowhere for it to go. It's like there's a vicegrip around the injury and surrounding areas. It's unbearable, even with medication. And the hospital wanted to postpone my surgery because I didn't have $2,250 in cash to fork over immediately, on one day's notice. Ultimately my father came up with $1,500 and they agreed to finance the rest. But the whole thing really, really pisses me off. If I didn't have insurance at all, the surgery would already be done (albeit by a less talented surgeon). But I pay a substantial amount out of my salary each week so that I'm covered. And then a car hits me out of nowhere and I'm supposed to fork out 8K to the Amsterdam hospital and 4.5K to the Houston one to get surgery that I urgently need. And I typically have about $300 in my only bank account. I don't know what the solution is but the status quo is ****ed. And I know I have it better than a whole hell of a lot of Americans.
yeah, but my question is what is different from ten years ago. when i got my first real job ten years ago, my cost from my company, a public but midsized company was free to me for a single person. Now it probably costs at least $150 a month.
technology is much more commonly in usage. Those big machines cost a crapload of cash. And when you have the medicare system being subsidized by everyone elese we all share the costs. Lawsuits have also become a much larger problem.
Sorry to hear your problems. According to some on this board, since you cannot pay, you should just rot.
You could easily chip in to his fund. If he ends up not paying we all will so since you feel so strongly go ahead and do it now.
I work a (way more than) full-time job and I have health insurance which accounts for a substantial deduction from my check each week. Is it your position that unless I have $2,250 sitting in my bank account at all times in case I get hit by a taxi driver who then flees the scene I am a deadbeat who is leeching off society?
Why do you need 8 years of schooling to be a doctor? get rid of the undergrad requirements and just have a medicine degree.
