Deregulate charitable healthcare and place them under a Samaritan Clause where services provided are solely at the patients risk as long as a qualified staff does treatment.
The next one you won't like but changing technology and medical advances has created a situation where persons with severe disabilities are surviving what even two decades ago was usually certain death. Insurers won't touch them with a 1000 foot pole. Nor do they belong in a Hey Moe. The Medicaid cost cut be cut to likely a fourth of current cost simply by returning to it's actual intended use which was for workers who suffered disability and the workers kids till age of majority.
I am a strong believer in family doing it yourself health care including caring for family members. I practice what I post. That said in the past 30 years as a caregiver several times I've had to call on medical professionals to visit the home for skills above my own. Usually they train me.
Very few persons in this nation can cover a catastrophic illness cost past the initial hospitalization and discharge where all coverage is lost usually along with income. I've been a caregiver plus while my own health held out put in a 40-60 hour work week. When I had to quit work on doctors orders thankfully my condition wasn't one that raked up a major stack of medical bills.
All reasonable measures should be taken to privatize Social Security and SSDI. Reasonable means it will take a generation to accomplish this. Unreasonable means it is all ended at the stroke of a pen and anarchy and suffering of the most vulnerable prevails.
Our health care system needs to return back to charity based and having private insurance for workers. Than can happen by Tax Cuts to employers for buying into group coverage. My last employer covered me with no monthly premium. I had good insurance actually better than what most private insurers offered. That was in 1994 the employer a nursing home actually self insured with a catastrophic policy the company carried to cover the company from a major hit like a worker with a $100K plus hospital bill.
Like it or not some persons are not suited to be caregivers. If not then abuse often occurs. As well some conditions can not safely be treated at home such as Dementia or Alzheimer where the patient for their own and others safety needs to be in a secured environment. That has came a real long ways in the past 20 years with assisted living facilities which have Memory Care units.
Now how do we pay for it? Allow me to use your argument about the parent in question and the kids care. If you parent became ill and you could not provide care at home due to skills, disposition to handle it mentally, etc should government just reach into your bank account then as a son and say Mine? You Star Traveler will pay for their entire care. You will be responsible or off to jail you go. But your parents are grown and not your responsibility? Oh No we play by new rules now Star Traveler rules. How do you like them so far?
IN our nations history some major events happened that brought government into the equation because the demand on the private sector was overwhelming. One such case was the Asian Flu epidemic of the early 1900's. Many died. Many more lived but died several years later because their blood had boiled from fever and they were left with severe brain damage. They ended up in state ran institutions which was the only way the care could be provided. My grandmothers first husband was among them. My Great Grand father was a doctor but he could not help his son in law. On his medical opinion he was committed because he could not be cared for at home. He died a couple years after that from brain damage. Though Great Grand Father was a doctor he had no money. Much of his pay was barter.
Next came a more devastating and much longer epidemic called Polio. Again Many died, some survived, some were left with severe disabilities. The technology of the day The Iron Lung kept many alive for years. The cost of the machine was astronomical. Others were left with permanent paralyses because the Polio did the damage lower in the spine. These were often kids.
Again the government had to step in due to the overwhelming need. That was the beginning of Special Education in the USA really. Schools equipped as rehab facilities where both education and therapy could be done were a success. I went to such a school for two years for eye coordination issues related to Inner ear Damage I was born with. Thanks to the help I got I was able to do an Honorable Enlistment in the Navy and later an enlistment in the Army National Guards. I was able to work until age 36 when my condition made it impossible to continue. You aren't going to find these type of schools even in charity ran institutes in general. The states have been running these type of schools and facilities since the early 1800's. Say what? Yea that's right the early to mid 1800's.
BTW a Freeper we all know well receives his medical care in a VA hospital. His income if he has any now would not begin to cover the cost of his neurological condition. Word of advice I wouldn't go flaming the man either. But hey no one is immune to you right? LOL
Technology has changed the entire equation in health care mental heath and physical. Yes a person can be a staunch Conservative and still see legitimate needs that need to for the general welfare be addressed. Does that mean rampant abuses should be accepted? No. Does it mean they are against charitable orgs doing as much as possible? No. Do they support new programs which offer zero accountability? No. Every government program should face close scrutiny by Inspector Generals Office and all findings publicized.
What most persons don't realize and understand that when traditional Medicaid/Medicare existed there was a way to address fraud, negligence, waste, abuses, and reporting services not received but billed for. All care providers accepting these patients were under Inspector General scrutiny. Services got done, doctors and hospitals got paid, those in true need received care. So what happened? One thing was allowing it to become a healthcare system for welfare mothers and play around absent dads. Next was bringing HMO's in on it. Of all the stupid ideas ever conceived in congress and state lawmakers that one has to top them all.
The implementation of Tenncare in Tennessee is a prime example of what not to do. It was almost Universal Health Care and nearly bankrupted the state. Fraud was rampant as well. That program should be closed and Medicaid in a traditional limited program brought back to cover those it was indented to cover to start with. Believe it or not the previous DEM governor almost did just that. The reason I say this is again there is now no means to effectively address fraud, waste, and abuses. Before that one phone call was all it took. I know because I was a whistle blower and had reported abuses. I also had to deal with the Inspector Generals Office where I worked. They inspected our facility.
So far all I've seen you post is comments saying this can't be allowed, that can't be allowed, but you have yet to put forth a workable idea & solution to the problems. It can't be accomplished at the stroke of a pen. It will take time. Believe it of not many Freepers are long term disabled and/or have needs conventional insurers won't cover, they see the problems, they know the abuses, they post the abuses. They worked until disability made it not medically possible. They call elected officials and they vote. One is the web site owner.
I can tell you of another whopper of a waste of taxpayer money. Back to work programs for the severely disabled. Just hear me out. Joe Public is a quadriplegic who can somewhat use his hands but still must have a full time caregiver. So government puts Joe in an expensive training program to retrain him. Joe gets a job as often as not a government one and needs required modifications to his work place plus a full time caregiver to assist him at work which guess who will pay for? No, if Joe is disabled them pay Joe the disability it's cheaper. Besides in all reality Joe will miss many days of work due to health complications anyway.
It seems like every time Medicaid budget cuts are brought up it is the disabled they target first and not the welfare cheats or welfare Moms having kids for checks while dad parties on. That they can stop real fast. Fathers names or no checks and DNA must match.
Post 135 Ping.
ARGHHH I mean Post 185 Ping.
Thank you, cva - that was a real education, and excellent analysis.
Post 185 Ping as per ping I promised