Re: small shop health care increase

On Thu, 17 May 2007 16:02:12 GMT, Why <my@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
<snip>
Forgot to add the free health care for the illegal's & people that
don't have ins also add to that increase. I'm paying $20,000 a year
for me & Cookie, me 62 Cookie 60. I haven't been to a DR in 5 years &
Cookie just goes every 6 months.
===========
Don't fall for the all too typical "boy scout con job." When
something is not working, no matter how many times you repair or
replace the parts that are good, or how much you upgrade these
parts, it still won' t work.

The entire process is perverted in that as the volume of medical
care increases, the costs increase even faster, directly
contradicting the expected benefits lower costs due to the
"economy of scale."

Your costs are typical at about 10K/year/person.

The first problem is that a great deal of this money, at least
1/3 (and I feel closer to one-half and quite possibly more), is
spent on things that have nothing whatsoever to do with medical
care such as multi million dollar salary and bonus packages for
the executives, the employment of thousands of people whose job
it is to deny, not provide medical care, the
construction/maintenance of monumental buildings located on some
of the most expensive real estate in some of the highest cost of
living cities in the United States, and last, but not least,
profits for the investors in the health insurance companies.

The second problem is that you are not paying for healthcare
just yourself and your wife, but for all the other people whose
employers are too cheap to provide medical benefits such as
Wal-Mart and Circuit City, the massive numbers of people without
employment, and the illegal aliens, who in many cases have come
to the United States specifically for the free medical care and
to have their children born as American citizens.

It should be noted that your local hospitals are forced to
provide this "free" medical care and pharmaceuticals as a matter
of federal law. Because of the enormous financial drain this is
causing, primarily due to un reimbursed "emergency rooms" visits,
many hospitals are now closing their emergency rooms. Thus even
if you can and do pay your bills, in the event of accident or
emergency you may be unable to obtain timely emergency medical
services, either because the emergency room facilities are
clogged with routine medical problems, or because these
facilities have been converted to more profitable [or at least
less loss producing] uses such as "sports medicine." As local
tax payers you will also be expected to absorb part of the losses
incurred in your real estate and sales taxes.

The idea that the exorbitant medical costs are due to medical
malpractice awards is another urban myth, along with the Cadillac
driving welfare queen, and alligators in the sewers. Medical
malpractice suits and awards are simply the invisible hand of the
free market at work, albeit outfitted with brass knuckles.

Very occasionally a questionable malpractice award is made, but
in the main, the doctors and insurance companies are getting by
cheap in that they are not completely covering even the projected
out-of-pocket costs of the damage they create.

Consider that in many of the high profile cases, the victim of
the malpractice or oversight either died or will required around
the clock nursing care for the rest of their life, quite possibly
in severe pain. Even without the awarding of damages against the
responsible doctors and/or their insurance companies, these
expenses and losses still accrue, and someone must pay for them.
If it's not the doctors, then it is the taxpayers, because the
victims don't have any money, and in this society we don't let
people lie in the street and die.

In almost all cases where a large medical mis/mal/non practice
award is made, a little research will show that the doctor has
had several "bites" at the apple, and that the medical community
and professional licensure bodies failed to act on their previous
shortcomings. From a practical/operational perspective, the only
way (short of murder) to remove an incompetent physician is by a
damage award large enough that they can no longer get the
insurance required to practice (in most states).

And last, you and everyone else are being gouged on the cost of
your meds, both because of artificially high prices in the US
compared to other countries, and the continuous effort to prevent
the distribution/production of proven generic drugs while
introducing novel and unproven replacements such as Viox.

Yes, the current medical [payment] system is broken, and no,
eliminating the right to sue the incompetent, irresponsible or
careless doctor will not correct the problem.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]
============
Merchants have no country.
The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment
as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826),
U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Weekly Health News 6/11 How doctors see your costs
    ... Survey examines how doctors see your costs ... Doctors are pretty good at minding your wallet when they prescribe drugs, ... of physicians usually consider patient costs when prescribing a generic drug ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Re: WOT: Healthcare! Healthcare! More! More!
    ... the insurance company's profit margin. ... I've often wondered what our costs would be if they were based on what ... Not to mention what happens when Bill Frist's management ... remaining doctors with more patients to fit into the same ...
    (rec.arts.mystery)
  • Re: Socialized medicine doesnt work
    ... it costs X dollars if it's spread over few or many people. ... That's the concept of universal health care through tax levy policy. ... We're talking hospitals and doctors. ... being facetious, here) by certifying a medical school, you don't just build ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: "Invest in America, Not in War"
    ... US face longer waits to see a doctor and more trouble getting care on ... Total out of pocket costs were around 30% of what I was quoted here in the US and the care was as good... ... My wife needed sinus surgery and here in the US, we were quoted up to $18K for a procedure that took less than an hour and did not require overnight hospitalization. ... I think that the US has some of the best doctors in the world and some outstanding facilities and technology, but that is all for nothing if people can't afford access to them. ...
    (alt.vacation.las-vegas)
  • Re: OT-: Hillarys horns
    ... Your comment was that costs would be reduced by negotiating directly ... Get rid of ALL third party payers, so that the consumer negotiates with the provider directly. ... Medical care costs would drop like a rock. ... Of course, that would force a couple million people to get REAL jobs, instead of spending their life in the way of good medical care. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)