Posted on 03/26/2017 5:55:07 PM PDT by BellaMac
My mistake, I shouldn’t have mentioned Medicaid or Medicare at all.
My view is that the pre-existing conditions should be placed in a high risk pool funded by gov’t, charged a fraction of their income as premium, and their medical costs paid- end of story.
Ok, so you want to spend money on medical services plus insurance. No one ever heard of insurance for medical services before the 1950s and yet the world was populated with 4 billion people. I fight by taking care of myself. The money I have spent on insurance was wasted unless I take the view of an insurance company employee.
Im very happy on year 2 with my family at Liberty Health Share.
Do those clinics pay for brain surgery. Sorry but that is second or third class care - everyone should have access to quality care and not have to be in a position to ask for charity. Healthcare is a necessity and quality care must be available to all.
Oh my gosh, you did not say that.
Clothing is important too, but we can’t make other people pay for our clothing. Sheesh. A doctor doesn’t owe you his labor! Plumbing is also a necessity! You don’t demand your plumber fix it for free!
Yes, if someone is indigent, there should indeed by charities where they can apply to have their brain surgery for low or no cost. If doctors made what they SHOULD be making, more of them would GLADLY perform these pro bono surgeries. I know a few cosmetic surgeons, WHO WORK WITHIN FREE MARKET VALUE SYSTEMS, who do spend their vacations traveling to third world countries and repairing children’s deformities, etc.
Clothing is such a good example of the natural market. You can spend $5000 on a suit or dress. You can spend $100 to clothe yourself. At some places downtown or at great sales, a man or woman could clothe him or herself for $50. At secondhand places, thrift shops, etc you could do the same for even less. There are charities who donate clothing to the really destitute FOR FREE if needed.
Yes, medical care should be so.
Yes, I most certainly did.
So - second or third class care for others is fine by you. It is not fine by a majority of the citizens of this country.
Cloths - really. So, an appendectomy performed by a nurse practitioner is fine for those who can’t afford a real doctor - because after all you can buy your cloths at a thrift store.
Free market values as espoused by people like yourself state that mathematics no longer apply because you and others like you believe it is just fine to price people out of the market.
When it comes to trade deals - you most likely believe in free and “fair” trade - free market economics no longer care for the employees of that free market - why - because shareholder value is king and took the fair out of free markets in this country. Shareholder value has changed our economy such that those who participate in it are priced out of medical care and in many cases the American dream.
Medical care must be affordable to all. Charity is not the solution. Human dignity is. Shareholder value is not the golden calf I pray to - the economy is there to employ us all and ensure that we all are able to take care of ourselves.
Medicaid takes all of one’s assets away - why because not everyone who ends up having to use it is lazy - but because they already went through everything after they lost their jobs due to their illness and in turn their coverage and oddly enough these inconsiderate soul’s sill want to stay alive even though they can’t afford it and are a “burden to society”. And God forbid they have pride and don’t want to accept the charity you are offering that others provide because no one else is taking care of the segment of the population that has been priced out of the market.
But the main thing seems to be as long as “I” am okay - others can grovel - because if they can’t make it in a rigged system it is their own fault.
No one is buying that anymore - because this has hit a majority of the middle class in one form or another.
My brother’s buddy is dead - because free market and shareholder value - and those who believe that fairness need not be considered - has more value than a human life.
We must still be in the dark ages where believe systems, philosophies and “principles” rank higher than mathematics and science. People are dying because they cannot afford healthcare and meds because our system is broken and way too expensive and because they have been priced out of it.
The algorithm you espouse allows for an acceptable number of people who will not make it because they simply do not have access to affordable healthcare. Exactly what percentage of the population is acceptable?
But we can all sleep at night because free market values are alive and well and addressing the elephant in the room, namely that people are dying because of this, is simply not politically correct on the ultra-conservative side of the spectrum.
My brother’s buddy’s family is out a dad - but who cares - it’s his fault he could not afford to pay for un-affordable care. But I guess you don’t consider him to be a “necessity” to his family.
At present it does not look like we will get a free market solution for healthcare - fair or not - because of people like you - Obamacare will prevail - because a small minority on both ends of the spectrum refuse to do the math - in both cases people will die - because either people get priced out of the market - or the Government run system will be modeled after the VA. So, I can only conclude Obamacare and Universal Government Healthcare will prevail.
Thanks
What exactly is it you want?
You want poor people to have the same medical care as rich people? You want the best of everything, free?
It is better to have $ than not to. I’ve been poor and I’ve been rich, and of course rich is better.
In my world, there would be state taxpayer money for the truly disabled to live full, happy lives. Far more than exists today. And most medicine would be cash pay, because the wide variety of clinics and offices that would spring up would bring down costs for all. Everyone should purchase insurance to cover major illnesses and accidents, and there can be MSAs and concierge places, and all kinds of ways to maximize a person’s benefits and minimize their costs.
Just because someone needs something doesn’t mean they should have it for free. You must plan. Make do. If everyone pays x% of their wages toward health insurance or into a medical savings account, you’re on your way to being ready for cancer etc.
In fact I said that Medicaid patients should be placed in associations and until another model is found that these individuals are able to pay a percentage of their income for insurance coverage the government steps into to pay the premiums - which would be much cheaper than what the government is doing now - getting government out of the administration of healthcare altogether.
What I am saying is people should not be priced out of the market and no one should lose their home because they get sick.
Why is there rich people and poor people care - there should be medical care with insurance that everyone can afford - so you pay a percentage of your salary for care or something similar allowing access to the SAME QUALITY OF CARE.
This is possible - this is not a linear equation. And the linear thinking of rich and poor care should not be applied and does not apply. The equation needs to include the possibility that both rich and poor have access to the SAME QUALITY OF CARE - so that no one gets priced out of the market. Any equation that prices people out of the health care market must be rejected.
So an equation needs to be found that ensures that everyone gets access to the SAME QUALITY OF CARE. Switzerland and Germany have it - and both countries have free and fair market competition among health insurance companies. Only the German health insurance companies only have a 3% profit margin (that margin is not mandated by the government) - their goal and mission is to ensure that ALL have access to the SAME QUALITY OF CARE.
No doubt that there are many paths to getting there - but I reject the idea that QUALITY OF CARE should in any way be linked to one’s income level. In fact the equation must be based on providing the SAME QUALITY OF CARE to everyone.
Like I said - the consequence of doing it on a rich man poor man basis - or you can afford it or can't afford it basis - is that my brother's buddy is no longer with us BECAUSE he wasn't able to afford the ridiculously high premiums, deductibles, healthcare and drug prices - or because he was poor - but he wasn't he was just some sucker in a middle class job taking excellent care of his family until he got sick, lost his job, lost his insurance, lost his life.
We pay $17,000 per capita for healthcare etc. without covering everyone - the highest in the world and are unable to come up with a humane policy that ensures that all have access the the SAME LEVEL OF CARE - that is simply not acceptable.
As for planning - well the problem is that no one has been able to plan for 117% premium hikes - certainty - or at least a certain degree of certain is necessary. No one is able to plan for $5000 and $10000 deductibles and that does not even include the premiums if people's mean income in this country is somewhere between $45000 and $50000 a year.
So lets get real and find something that works for everyone - and I am not talking one plan fits all - each person, family picks out what is best for them - BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET.
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