Angry Health Care Rant

by ctrwtf 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  MeanMrMustard

  jgnat,

  You don't have to be as convinced as I am.

  You did respond to the video, but my intent was not to imply that you didn't repsond, or that even your response wasn't sufficient. I felt that a response in this thread was a good idea because, surprisingly, even from a free market perpective, the vlogbrothers video is not far off. The problems are there - but it's the "therefore we have to do XYZ" that troubles me.

  You wrote in the other thread (you have to go to page 16):

  The Vlog brothers always talk fast. They have a self-imposed limit of five minutes, and they cram in as much as they can. They are also factual.

  I fail to see how you have concluded from all this that too much government intervention has led to rising prices. Canada has loads more government intervention, and our costs are lower. As does Europe. As the brother says so well, it's the loaded gun to your head - inelastic demand - that leads to high prices.

  By the time you said that, the user DogGone was discussing inelastic demand with me. Our discussion then went on to patents.

  MMM
• 

  shadow

  Good look at inside of insurance bloodsuckers

  

  Book Description

  Publication Date: November 9, 2010 That's how Wendell Potter introduced himself to a Senate committee in June 2009. He proceed to explain how insurance companies make promises they have no intention of keeping, how they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and how they make it nearly impossible to understand information that the public needs. Potter quit his high-paid job as head of public relations at a major insurance corporation because he could no longer abide the routine practices of the insurance industry, policies that amounted to a death sentence for thousands of Americans every year.In Deadly Spin, Potter takes readers behind the scenes of the insurance industry to show how a huge chunk of our absurd healthcare expenditures actually bankrolls a propaganda campaign and lobbying effort focused on protecting one thing: profits. With the unique vantage of both a whistleblower and a high-powered former insider, Potter moves beyond the healthcare crisis to show how public relations works, and how it has come to play a massive, often insidious role in our political process-and our lives.This important and timely book tells Potter's remarkable personal story, but its larger goal is to explain how people like Potter, before his change of heart, can get the public to think and act in ways that benefit big corporations-and the Wall Street money managers who own them.
• 

  Mikado

  So, what happens if you get suddenly very ill? Can you just go to any hospital and dr and expect treatment? As a non US citizen your health care system is baffling... I can go to any hospital, see any dr, and its basicly free.. you pay about 30$ out of pocket for a doctor visit, but along stay in hospital is generally free...

  An yet I see people freaking out about socialist medicine. As someone using it its fantastic!
• 

  jgnat

  My dad is increasing frail health and in the past month he has had two hospital stays and three ambulance rides, and countless hospital tests including a biopsy. All covered. What would it be like in a private system like in the US, with his limited pension? I suspect this month would have bankrupted him and he would have lost his home.

  The downside of our "socialized" health care is that as a cost savings measure, Alberta Health has just lowered the thresshold for subsidized oxygen supply. So dad gasps.
• 

  redvip2000

  I find it ironic that the party that touts personal responsibility doesn't want to part with a nickel to be personally responsible about their own health needs. "I'm young and don't need health insurance." Really?

  Yes in reality this was one of the main problems in the previous system. It's usually called "Adverse selection" , where individuals who think they are too healthy to have insurance stay out of the market, thus leaving only sick and expensive individuals in the insurance pool, driving up premiums for those left in the market. Then once one of these "healthy" individuals has an emergency and has no insurance, they put an extra burden on the rest who already have insurance again. How could this ever be fair?

  The high deductables will keep people from running to the doctor to get antibiotics every time they get the sniffles and the insurance companies will still make money, you can be sure of that.

  Absolutely. case in point: My parents recently decided to move back to their country of birth, which has nationalized healthcare. In their system everybody contributes, but out of pockets costs are close to nothing. Result? They just told me that everytime they go to the doctor's office, there is a line out of the door. Why? Because since it's practically free, people go to the doctor for just about anything. Having a deductible, whether it is for auto insurance or health insurance ensures that people are not "trigger happy" when submitting claims.

  There are some things in a society that unfortunately big brother has to lead people by the hand, because people are $hit heads and have no idea how to plan their present and future - that's the sad reality. Unemployment insurance and retirement are two of them. Imagine if the goverment left it up to each person to get their own unemployment insurance! Pure disaster in the making. The time has come to add health insurance to that list, because people cannot be trusted to do the right thing on their own.