Re: Obama takes on health care critics

In article <h61krv$1s5$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Michelle C." <michelle_of_the_desert@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

ray wrote:
On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:59:23 -0700, Michelle C. wrote:

ray wrote:


Most folks in the U.S. would admit there are problems with the health
care system. Most would probably also agree that it is not so bad that
the entire system has to be scrapped. I believe that some changes could
be made, far short of what the administration proposes, that would
certainly improve the system. IMHO - the biggest problem here is that
congress has not identified what the problem is - but they're going to
'fix' it anyway.
Hi Ray,

What changes do you think need to be made to preserve the current system
and make it workable?

Best regards,
Michelle C., T2, no meds

I'm not sure - so far no one has been able to tell me exactly what the
problem is. It's virtually impossible to solve a problem until you know
what it is!

Imo, it's more than one problem, but here are the issues as I see it:

1.) A significant portion of the middle class cannot afford the health
insurance premiums.

2.) Insurance companies deny coverage to anyone with a chronic condition
(like diabetes) or won't cover a "pre-existing" condition. So the only
people who get coverage are those who are in a group through a job, or
those who are completely healthy.

3.) Our economy is seeing a huge drain because much of the money
allocated for "health care" is actually going for administration and
that administration includes entire depts of people whose primary job is
to find a way to deny claims. (California has a class action lawsuit
against Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for denying claims for no valid
reasons.)

4.) Our economy is seeing a huge drain because since a large percentage
of people don't have adequate health coverage and don't seek services at
an early point in their illness where the treatment would cost less,
they are waiting until their condition becomes an emergency.

5.) Much health coverage is tied to a job. If a person loses that job,
then even though they are probably covered under Cobra laws as far as
still being entitled to their former employer's group health insurance,
they can't afford it. A relative of mine was laid off. She was paying
$375/mo for both she and her husband when employed. Under Cobra, they
are paying over $1200/mo.

6.) Under our current fee-for-service plan, doctors/clinics/hospitals
get paid by the number of tests they do. Studies have shown that
whether intentionally or unintentionally, doctors who have a vested
interest order more tests than doctors who do not have a vested interest.

7.) We don't know which treatments are most effective, and yet
insurance/Medicare pays for whatever the doctor orders. For example,
there are 4 basic treatments available for prostate cancer--1. watch and
wait (most older men will die of something else before the cancer gets
them) 2. surgical removal of the prostate, 3.) radiation implants, and
4.) a new radiation based treatment in which the machine is very high
tech, and huge (sorry, I remember the description but not the name).
The watch and wait method is cheapest, costing the doctors visits and
blood tests, and the new radiation based treatment starts at $100,000.
But we have no idea which treatment works the best. A researcher had a
cursory look at the available data, and no one treatment stood out as
being superior. Yet if the doctor orders the $100,000 treatment, (and
if he's associated with the facility that has it s/he will) then
insurance/Medicare pays.

8.) And yes, I agree with you about drug company advertising.

9.) Frivolous lawsuits.


If it's a matter of insuring everyone, that could easily have
been accomplished with the 'economic stimulus' money that has already
been wasted. In my particular case, I'm not terribly dissatisfied - I
have had some issues with the VA - for example they only allow 50 test
strips per three months because I'm "in control" - well, how do they
think I got in control? The VA still does not offer metformin ER, either
- I seem to do much better with ER - I've tried them both.

I'd like to see a little more emphasis on individual responsibility -
many of us are mature enough to manage most things ourselves - I,
personally, don't want the government to 'take care of' me - I'd rather
they get out of the way and let me take care of myself. It seems that
whenever the govenment is involved, things go over budget and behind
schedule - I can't think of any counter examples.

Ray in principle I agree with you. However, I think adherence to this
principle is driving our economy into the ground. I also think the
playing field is far from level. The middle class as a group is
traditionally hard-working and plays by the rules, yet where once they
were able to provide for their own healthcare expenses, this is no
longer true.

As for over budget, Medicare, has 3% administrative costs; where as
private insurers' administrative costs are averaging around 16%. In
this case, Medicare is less wasteful.

Best regards,
Michelle C., T2, no meds

Sure would be nice, if you could give citations for your points of view.

"In the individual insurance market, where people buy insurance directly
rather than getting it through their employers, so much money goes into
underwriting and other expenses that only around 70 cents of each
premium dollar actually goes to care."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/opinion/31krugman.html?_r=2

Anecdotally, I have heard as little as 50 cents on the dollar.
--
Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. 
~Channing E. Phillips

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I Will Garnish Your Wages
    ... refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans. ... better off with Federally run medical care rather than Corporate run ... We have a coverage problem that strikes 8% of our population. ... why you didn't see federal health care advanced by any major candidate. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: The New Uninsured
    ... If you want to be treated like an adult, don't dpend on someone else to take care of you, take care of yourself. ... Many People Who Have Lost Their Jobs In the Deepening Recession Find Getting Health Care Is Something of a Lottery ... and 45 county residents who lack health insurance and money to pay for medical care are competing for 30 openings on a cold afternoon in January. ... Neither rich nor poor, this group doesn't readily qualify for public programs such as Medicaid but often can't afford to buy insurance or pay hospital, doctor and drug bills. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Aetna: Corruption & Deception (correction)
    ... his battle against the Aetna Life Insurance Company. ... Aetna had originally sought such records as part of its $600,000 RICO ... News: Health Care ... MANAGED CARE HEALTH CORPORATIONS, SUCH AS UNITED HEALTH (YOU CAN INCLUDE ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Aetna : Corruption & Disception
    ... his battle against the Aetna Life Insurance Company. ... Aetna had originally sought such records as part of its $600,000 RICO ... News: Health Care ... MANAGED CARE HEALTH CORPORATIONS, SUCH AS UNITED HEALTH (YOU CAN INCLUDE ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Re: The Mad, Mad World of John McCain
    ... I will be pleased to watch McCain go down to defeat in November. ... McCain have to say about others who don't have health care insurance? ...
    (soc.retirement)
Loading