[pageonetoo]

IMHO, Health insurance is the biggest single contributing cause to the cost of our health care. You go to the doc, and don't have to pay. Then, when someone questions why they gave you an MRI for your head cold, they can say "it isn't costing you anything!"

[Graybeard58]

I recently had out patient surgery (Hernia repair) In and out in less than 4 hours and most of that time was spent waiting. The bill just from the hospital was $11,289. That did not include the docs fees or radiology and other tests.

I am fully insured but realize that one way or another I pay in the long run.

I have a B/P prescription filled every month, my wife has B/P, hormone and allergy prescription. Insurance pays more than $300 per month for those.

I don't have any answers but something has to give.

[megatherium]

When I had an MRI (for migraine), the test cost $3000. But I paid a 10% co-pay, $300. So I don't think what's driving medical costs is the notion that the one who decides what proceedures to purchase is not the one paying for it. The health insurance companies ride herd on doctors nowadays anyway: there are long schedules for proceedures and when they are allowed, and how much the insurance company will pay for them.

I'm sure the real problem with health care in this country will be revealed by Michael Moore when his new movie comes out. <laughing>

[Atlas Sneezed]

IMHO, Health insurance is the biggest single contributing cause to the cost of our health care.

---

And it could be addressed simply by making health benefits taxable as income. Employees (even the fat union ones) would generally prefer a slim catastrophic plan to a fat Cadillac that costs them hundreds of dollars a month out of pocket in taxes.

[Trust but Verify]

This is the way people think where I work. We pay nothing towards our premium, and very modest co-pays for office visits or hospital admissions. We pay nothing for diagnostic tests as long as you see a network doctor or use a network facility. The women I work with are always having MRI's and other expensive and unnecessary things done just because 'it doesn't cost anything'!

When my husband refused the suggestion of our physician to undergo a battery of tests to see if his neuropathy is indeed due to diabetes (it is) or if he is showing early signs of MS (he's not)the people in the office were apoplectic. They wanted to know why he wouldn't get it checked out since, 'it's all covered, it won't cost anything'. He told them if everyone had that attitude it won't be long until we were all without health insurance, and that he is not going to spend the company's money without good reason to.

[ConservativeMind]

We need to be taking better care of ourselves so we don't need to worry about visiting the doctor.

In my opinion, HSAs are one of the better motivating factors for people to protect their health. When being fat and sick doesn't motivate people enough to change, perhaps money can help.