Why do People Want to keep Private Insurance over Govt

Medicare payments don't even cover fixed costs for hospitals/practices. Doctors/hospitals lose money

 

There are multiple ways to fix the problem. First and foremost, when it comes to health, its always going to be costly. Reward those who take care of their health, live a healthy lifestyle, and minimize their risks. I've been to the emergency room once and the doctor a handful of times. Why should I pay 20-40% more in taxes because 3/4 of the population refuse to take care of themselves?

If you want government intervention, then do it with other means. Allow the government to pay for doctors schools, equipment, and their practices.

Put a stop to the frivolous lawsuits. If a doctor is negligent, that is one thing. But just because a doctor isn't God doesn't mean he should be sued.

Put an end to insurance fraud. Doctors should bill what they actually did and insurance companies need to pay what is covered. Both sides need to quit screwing the patient.

 

I agree to put more tax money in medical schooling also. Let's make school less demanding financially for the top students that can show financial need. Or forgive loans with less requirements of public service.

 

Thanks, Deckard. I am suffering badly through my first night at home. They tried to give me Norco (before surgery, after surgery and in a prescription for home use). Before surgery, it worked for about two hours at a time (at a 10/325 dose) and it was supposed to be used every four hours. So I'd have two okay hours and two terrible ones. In the third hour my foot would swell and squeeze against the cast and when that happened there was nothing to do but scream for the next three hours, meds or not.

After surgery the pain was much worse. I couldn't believe they were offering Norco on the same schedule (even with morphine, which made no difference at all). The Norco + Morphine equalled less than aspirin. It didn't even put a dent in it. I eventually convinced them to give me the only thing that had worked in the ER: Delaudid. For the next three days they toyed with Oxycodone, more Norco, more Morphine and Tramadol. The only thing that touched the pain at all was Delaudid. Oxycodone was only useful in stepping down my Delaudid shot from every two hours to every four hours.

They sent me home with Norco and Tramadol (apparently the strongest Memorial Hermann can prescribe being a teaching hospital). I borrowed Oxycodone from a friend just to get me through to the appt with a pain specialist tomorrow. I am in hell.

None of these drugs has made me high. And none but the one has done a single thing for pain.

I can't understand at all why they wouldn't give the pain med that manages the pain. Tomorrow I will beg for Oxycontin or better. If I fail, I guarantee I'll be back at the ER by tomorrow night. There's no way I can make it through another night like this.

 

Oh, please... you have been lucky. Discover a lump in your armpit tomorrow morning and get back to us. What? You are one of the "1/4 of the population that takes care of themselves?" Bummer. Cancer doesn't care. And if you lose your insurance, which can happen for a host of legitimate reasons, then try and deal with that suddenly discovered cancer and get back to us. Maybe you can ask the 46,000,000 men, women, and children that are not insured how to cope.

Good lord... you just gave one of the lamest reasons for not insuring everyone in the country that I've heard yet. You happen to be healthy!

At the moment.

 

One of those 46,000,000 was one of my best friends: Cary Winscott. He died of skin cancer which had spread to his brain and spine last fall (during the hurricane) at Ben Taub at the age of 38. I stood by his bed for seven of his last eight hours.

Cary was an incredibly hard worker and one of the sweetest, most generous men who ever lived. He was also a tremendous actor who had thousands of fans in Houston. These aren't just a bunch of bums. They're real people with real families and friends. And the system that counts them as numbers on a spreadsheet is evil bull****.

EDIT:

To Space Ghost:

Please google my friend Cary and tell me if you believe he deserved to die at 38.

 

Good lord. You sound like what I went through the first few days after my back surgery. The sad thing is that there will be people here who won't believe that the meds you were given, very powerful ones, had no real effect. They simply haven't been there, or they are some of the lucky ones who are knocked on their butts by a Tylenol #3. Some pain is so extreme that only the most powerful meds have a good result, and not everyone reacts to meds the same way. At least you should see some relief after a few days with the meds you described (IMO, of course) The trauma from the surgery should subside, along with a lot of the swelling, which should help. In the meantime, you should be given the pain medication that allows you to cope until that happens. Good luck!

 

Thanks again, Deckard. When they told me they were bringing morphine I thought I was in for a jolly ride. Instead, I was in for nothing but the same old pain. I went through several different departments: pre-op, anesthesia, post-op, ER and ortho trauma. In every single one, they wound up giving me delaudid because it was the only thing that worked. Give me a Norco on a normal day it would knock me on my ass. In this pain, I don't even feel it. Wish me luck tomorrow.

 

Cancer doesn't care but statistically some lifestyles are better than others. I think if we're going to nationalize health care, we should spread the resources among 10 deciles of the country where you'll be annually tested into one of the deciles. Though I think the less preventable diseases like cancer needs to have it's own category of health supplement.

 

crap I have had lumps under there forever. Am I going to die?

 

no matter who pays for it, there are only so many doctors, machines, and medicines to go around.

increase supply or reduce demand. Since people aren't going to stop getting sick we should make it cheaper to make medical supplies. The Doctor part is harder because the quality of doctors might go down if you let too many people into medical school.

and get rid of patents on the medical equipment and medicine. In other words make it cheaper to produce new medical inventions. There is no point in benefiting one government supported monopoly owner at the expense of everyone else.

 

-Are you that satisfied with your insurance company?
My insurance company is my government, and I’d give them about an 85% approval rating.

-Do you just think the government can't do better?
If this is a general question about whether governments or the private sector can do a better job of providing health care, then the answer is clearly that governments do it better. This has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/2/38980580.pdf

-Do you not want to help provide for the uninsured?
Every citizen of my country is covered by our health care system while inside the borders of our country.

-Are you afraid you will lose your choices of doctors?
You can go to any doctor you want here as long as he or she has room for you.

-Do you think it will cost too much?
Switching to almost any other country’s system would save the US a HUGE amount of money (see the chart in the above link). The real question is, at what point will it cost too much to hang on to your current system? How long can you continue to waste $1 out of every $3 you spend on healthcare?

 

Since you can jump to conclusions, allow me to jump to my own. I have few observable health issues, and I don't expect anyone to take care of me. You, a multitude of health issues, expect someone to take care of you. Which is more selfish?
I never stated I fell in the 1/4 nor did I say I was healthy. I can't afford health insurance and I make too much to go on gov subsides. I have chronic pains that if I could get them checked out now, it will give me relief as I get older. I always supersize my fast food meals. But in 10 - 20 years, if I start having health issues mainly due to my lifestyle, I do not for believe for a moment you or anyone else should subsidize for my poor choices.

Crap happens. I could fall off a ladder tomorrow and any multitude of things could happen. I could come down with cancer or any other unpreventable disease. But I do not believe that everyone else should give up their liberties for a little bit of security. The more you give to the government, the more inefficient it becomes and the more abuse arises.

 

if you are getting robbed, do you expect the government to help you out? what if your house is on fire? do you expect the government to help you out?

 

The trauma team at Ben Taub is widely regarded as the best in the entire region.

 

See my answers above in red..

 

One of the unintended consequences of the drug war in recent years has been the war on pain management providers. They aren't refusing to prescribe because they don't want you addicted, they are trying to avoid DEA oversight.

 

If there is not enough doctors, creat more medical schools. Let more doctors from other countries come.

Everyone in the medical field (doctors, hospitals, drug companies, insurance companies) want their share of the pie, you cannot blame them really. However, if the country continue down this path eventually the other industries in this country will be destroyed.

 

I agree with you, but one of the big advantages of getting an individual policy is that you get one that fits your needs and often at a lower price than your employer's coverage costs them and you combined. My employer covers all employees. I'm the only one that doesn't really use it. I never go to the doctor. I'm the only male here, so I'm not going to get pregnant(though ironically I'm the only one having a child). I only need coverage for major medical in case I'm involved in an accident.

Can anyone explain why people who have employer provided coverage should receive their benefits tax-free or premiums they pay be non-taxable, but those who have to get individual coverage will be subject to FICA taxes and are only deductible to the extent your medical costs exceed 7.5% of your AGI and you itemize? This seems to punish the poor who are less likely to have employer provided coverage, and even the self-employed who will still be subject to self-employment taxes. I honestly liked McCain's health plan because it made the sytem equal, and provided more choices, but its fatal flaw initially would have been cost, and inflation adjustments would have been required.

Cutting cost would be why you would offer a government option. Insurance companies would be forced to compete against the government through better efficiency or higher quality. I would also make all health insurance premiums tax free, and deregulate them between the states. The only downside will be there still won't be coverage for everyone, but they should all be able to afford coverage or receive coverage through medicare/SCHIP programs.