People don’t want their health care cut because of fear of their lives or major problems. I wonder how much health care money goes to “less important” items such as Viagra or vastly overpriced comfort items and medications.
How about legislation that carefully avoids the scary cuts and focuses on the comfort items.
Then there’s the problem of way-overpriced items such as a $18,000 pacemaker (a friend got one of those but of course didn’t pay for it with their own money), or a $5,000 knee replacement (the mechanical part) that a hospital buys at that price (seems mighty high) and sells to the patient for $10,000. I know this example is true because a friend works for a company that makes joint replacements.
What, you expect prisoners on death row to pay for their OWN sex change operations? You are so cold-hearted!
My mom is scheduled for a knee replacement. I went with her to talk to her Ortho about it.
He spent 4 years in college and worked hard to get good grades to get into med school. Then he spent 4 years in med school. Then 2 more years in med school for specialty and surgery. Then 6 years in residency. 16 years of schooling. Not to mention the continuing education he does.
What about the Anesthesiologist?
The nurses?
The cost of the medical facilities?
The list goes on.
Have a repair done on your car. I bet the repair costs twice as much as the part.
Same with home repairs or remodeling. The labor will be at least the price of the material.
Or $30,000 for an angiogram with no other procedure such as a stint? Just a one morning out patient procedure.
Complex equipment, yes, requiring skills, yes and so forth but $30,000? I wonder.
Retirement, not bloody likely. I don’t see it as a realistic thing even if a person were 60 with $4 or 5 million. I know that sounds absurd but who wants to live an existence of more perpetual uncertainty?