Posted on 01/28/2017 9:15:41 AM PST by Auntie Mame
Freepers, let’s put our heads together and figure out how to fix healthcare in the US.
I’ll never forget watching Bill Bradley give a speech many years ago where he spoke with great outrage, saying something like this:
“I was at the doctor’s office the other day and there was a woman who brought in her young child. And the child had to have a shot of penicillin. And I watched that poor mother as she was leaving have to pull out her checkbook and write the doctor a check for $60!” he said with trembling voice.
I believe that until we remove this mind set, that healthcare should be “free” (and we all know that nothing is free), the “health care” problem will only get bigger and bigger.
One day I was driving down the freeway and saw a billboard adorned with the faces of three adorable little boys and underneath it said: “If you’re not going to _______ (insert generic name of medical clinic), you don’t have a healthy family.”
Until we remove the brainwashing that we’re subjected to every day, that you’re not healthy unless you’re going to the doctor, the problem will get bigger and bigger.
And of course, we all know about the incessant commercials on TV advertising disgusting diseases and symptoms. I believe these should be banished from the face of the earth, just like they banished cigarette advertising. It’s revolting, disgusting, and definitely not healthy (another form of brainwashing by the medical complex in this country).
There are large swaths of people who will not or can not pay for their own health care. Let’s start by listing these people because until we consider all the relevant segments of society that use large amounts of medical care or cannot afford it or choose not to pay for it, we cannot come up with solutions. At this point, let’s not judge them, this is not the point of this post.
Please add to this list from your own life experiences. Here’s a start:
1. People who have serious health conditions that, unless they’re millionaires or dependents of millionaires, cannot pay the exorbitant prices charged by the medical complex for their serious debilitating conditions.
2. People who are basically bums, who, by whatever reason, choose not to work to earn money that could be used for their health care (I have a brother in this category).
3. People who work but do not make enough money to pay the exorbitant prices charged by the medical complex.
4. People, such as hypochondriacs, who use inordinate amounts of medical services, and, if given free access to all medical services available, would spend their entire lives doing nothing but going doctor to doctor.
5. People who want others to pay for medical procedures that rational people believe are not necessary for a healthy life, like sex change operations, etc. They believe the medical procedures are necessary but “normal” people do not.
6. The mentally ill.
7. The disabled.
I believe the best way to solve what we’re brainwashed to believe is America’s health care crisis is to let the free market take care of it. But here in America we can’t have people dying in the gutter. It offends our sensibilities. So we need to figure out what we’re going to do about the people listed above.
We all tend to sit back and believe the politicians are going to fix it, but if you were one of those politicians, what would you do?
What would you think about allowing “continuous-coverage” exemptions to preexisting condition wait periods? That is, if an individual has carried insurance for coverage of the condition continuously, then one insurance company dumping him or her does not mean the next insurance company can also exclude the individual’s condition.
The initial insurance company, of course, would need to provide SOME coverage - at least 6 months, in my estimate, of the preexisting coverage. Otherwise, the dumping should be considered malicious.
Since I began with a health share, 2 years ago, it helped change my brain around to treating health care as a service like all others. You pay cash, and after the deductible is met, you can turn the bills over for 100% payment. Last year was a healthy year for us all, and we never paid the deductible. Paying cash for everything makes us think twice before going to a doctor. We pay actual cost. Not a $30 co pay. And reasonable doctor’s visits, I have found, are $80-$120. You might have to call a few and ask. A specialist, reasonable is $180 - plus sometimes $15 parking!! So $200. With health shares you can go to the best specialists in the country. But you still,have to shop, price check, and deal.
Of course this is how normal, reasonably healthy people should treat their health care. Carefully. Price check and choose your tests and services. When a doctor scribbles out a list of blood tests for one of us, I call the lab and ask the prices of each. Then I cross out the ones that are more expensive and won’t help us with their info, that were put there for the doc’s CYA only.
Medicines? We pay cash for them so we choose carefully, and use an international pharmacy, make deals with the pharmaceutical company, etc.
If ever American had a health share style policy, doctor visits would be cheaper. There would be places to go for $50. And those docs would again be wealthy, like docs used to be.
Now for the trickier policies.
In order to avoid the very very sick being without the ability to pay for their care: when our policies change, our President should have a must see speech to the American people. He should tell everyone that they have a number of months to a year to join a plan. If they don’t, and they become very ill or injured, they may not be able to get the treatment they will wish. Let the consequences work.
Insurance is a bet for the company. They are betting you WONT have a catastrophe. You are paying and betting you will. Give the insurance co a chance to make their bet. And the very first year when we change to free market health care, give even the very ill or hurt a chance to get into a reasonable policy. Maybe a temporary law that insurance companies have to insure a % of their clients, for that year ONLY, who are already quite ill. ONE YEAR, the very sick get, to get in on a plan once sick.
From then on, people have the right to not buy insurance. However, from then on, insurance companies will not be forced to insure the very sick. So the consequences are natural. You think you’re so healthy and you don’t buy insurance? Fine, but no treatment will be forthcoming when you DO get hit by a bus, unless you can pay. Only emergency staunching of blood and helping to breathe will occur unless you have insurance of some kind. It’s up to you to buy insurance. And you will have that one year, where even the very ill would be given a chance to get good insurance.
You don’t care enough to get insurance? Then you die, or hope a charity will help you. Some will die. But none will die without a chance to buy a reasonable catastrophic policy.
It would behoove everyone to get a policy for at least catastrophic.
Everyone should learn that seeing a doctor is as much of a “right” as seeing a plumber. Or a piano tuner. It’s not a right. Pay for it like you pay for a video game or a sandwich or a house.
For Our Disabled
How a country treats the most helpless determines its goodness. Anyone unable to care for themselves should be covered by tax dollars for a comfortable life. They should be helped to live with their families whenever possible. There are so many services and departments in our local, state, and federal governments that we should abolish, but we should pay decent middle class stipends to help all who are unable to work or function well in life have the best lives they can.
Yes, there should be a whole cottage industry of social workers and inspectors to continually check status and for fraud, and for abuse. Our disabled need us. And we love them. From cradle (special needs babies and kids) to grave (seniors with Alzheimer’s, etc) we should really be kind to those who are truly unable to care for themselves.
Homelessness should be illegal, and there should be institutions more like closed villages where people who can’t care for themselves can be placed, even against their will, if they won’t or can’t stay with family. These places should be as wonderful and free and homey as possible, with tax and charity dollars.
Insurance is the main force driving up cost.
HSAs so the resonsible self-employed can get their money’s worth. I’m shopping right now on the cash market for a minor operation, prices range from $2,500 to $7,500 and more.
Yes, exactly, make it transactional again.
Right idea but under the insurance modal if the $250 test down the road isn't done by a provider the people won't switch.
I was just to a hospital ER for a broken foot. Hospital is under my plan, not one doctor there accepts my plan. Phhhttt...how does this work? If you have ever been to a hospital and admitted, not everyone seeing you for treatment is under your insurance coverage. And if you are really ill...you don't even get to have a say who treats you!
So ...all that blather said, your idea is sound. I agree with you on it. But it does little good if they don't take your insurance.
4. No preconditions, if you want to sell insurance, you must take everyone.
After that year, forget it. People who choose to not purchase catastrophic insurance will be turned away for cancer treatment or reconstructive surgery or whatever they need. Tough. They had their chance.
Back to a free market. Back then, the only insurance needed was catastrophic care.
You do you have insurance to pay for groceries or gas or entertainment? Of course not, because those items are affordable and readily available.
But what about when the doc operates to remove a leg or a lung, only to find out that either (1) you were not the correct patient or (2) they took the wrong one. Or (3) they kill your family member, think of the Hawaii dentist that gave a young kid too much pain med and killed them when they were filling a cavity.
bttt
“Free market capitalism. Interstate health insurance. Gut regulations (which cost billions). Waiting period for preexisting conditions.”
Add tort reform. The cost of legal suits and malpractice insurance is incredible, and too many of the suits are frivolous. Not all; we still need to be able to punish the guilty, but it has become a scam.
My solution is drastic. Eliminate all health insurance companies. Pass a law requiring all caregivers to provide service and then seek payment. The only job of goveremnet will be in the courts to help procure payment from all who can afford it. Establish community boards who can address grievances. Let the market set prices where average person can afford it.
I don’t disagree with your examples. I just remember some of the jury awards of ridiculous amounts for what seemed to me too much. I can’t think of a good example right now but will look.
Something like that. And, more importantly, no non-citizens ever. As a condition of non-citizen getting care, they agree to deportation afterward because they are not able to support themselves. No exceptions. That would save billons every year. And get rid of unwanted non-citizens, illegal or otherwise.
First, 0- care needs to be destroyed.
1. Trump should repeat that the mandate won’t be enforced. Young and healthy won’t buy and insurance companies will pull out.
2. Bypass the weasels in congress and convene a health care summit with governors/ state legislators willing to come up with state solutions. Trump can grant all sorts of waivers for insurance companies to scuttle mandates and offer real catastrophic instance. They should also bring back the high risk pools. Menu pricing and “any willing provider” clauses (insurance companies can’t close networks to doctors as long as doctors are licensed) will allow for more transparency and competition. Pushing for Health Savings Accounts combined with catastrophic plans, portability, and tax deductible status will improve choice and competition. If middle class people have several thousand in an HSA, they can negotiate directly with doctor and facility for routine expenses such as labs, office visits, minor procedures. That where you will get price transparency and competition.
3. I agree with Trump that Medicaid and Medicare should negotiate with pharma as to prices. If pharma won’t come down wth price in US allow these Federal, Federal/state programs to find better prices elsewhere, i.e. Canada. I’m not too concerned that pharma will be less profitable. Remember, they are funding a lot of the enemedia via advertising.
Appeals courts can and do get review and revise these. I don’t think it is broken so long has medical boards and hospitals get rid of bad docs.
Lose regulations that waste extreme amounts
Allow competition across state lines
Allow for free checkups yearly
Don’t preclude from existing conditions
All this, free from excessive government regulation will reduce the cost of healthcare
Was it ten or so years ago that the cost of insurance was fairly reasonable and the cost of an office visit was reasonable too. What happened?
15 million illegals all getting free care at emergency rooms?
Insurance expanded to cover everything even well-visits, allowing hospitals to charge $1500 a night for a room and $25 for two Tylenol...prices that the average person could not afford and would be necessarily lowered by the free market.
On many insurance plans, not all, but many, the co-pay (which before Obamacare used to be about $7.00) for an office visit is around $50. I consider $50 to be approximately what the free market cost of an office visit should be without the insurance company’s extra payment on top (probably another $17 or so).
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