The first thing Congress has to do is PULL THE NUMBERS.
What are we spending on 'health care' and who gets the bulk of the money for what services.
Much of the money spent on 'the poor' is a scam that feeds the wealthy and does nothing for the poor. It's why people are scared.
One doctor walks into a nursing home - spends 9 minutes in the facility - looks at 4 charts and does NOT see one patient and is PAID FOR EVERY MEDICAID PATIENT IN THE FACILITY.
Poor person goes to an ER BECAUSE NO DOCTORS TAKE MEDICAID PATIENTS and the ER charges $4,000 to 'cure' a case of the sniffles. Then, knowing they won't be paid squat, they write the puffed up 'bill' off their taxes.
Money down the drain everywhere and almost NO MEDICAL CARE FOR AMERICAN'S POOR - BUT WE THE TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING BILLIONS FOR NOTHING... Well, yacht's for millionaire doctors and hospital administrators... that's where our hard earned money is going.
So yeah, the poor are scared... we're not doing right by them or ourselves. Paying champagne prices for polluted water.
I have worked in hospitals for decades.. premise one is false.. poor people go to the ER for congestion after an ambulance ride because they can’t wait for an appointment. Won’t go to an urgent care because it isn’t free. Trust me, it’s not just poor people coming in for congestion.
Premise two.. doesn’t matter what your charged, it only matters what you get reimbursed..Because employees don’t get paid by your taxes, they get paid by your cash flow. You can charge someone 100 dollars, but you will get ten.
Now, you aren’t paid for services provided to a patient, you are paid based on their diagnosis code. So you are not allowed to, or you eat the costs of individualized care.
Every hospital provides and itemizes care they have provided to the very poorest and uninsured. That is good stewardship to your employees who go without raises.. So they can see the dollars and time they provided their community in good faith.
The only people who come to the ER with congestion are those who have never gotten a bill.. They are often young and just loooking for free meds, remember why your cough and cold medicines are locked away in the pharmacy.