Posted on 07/20/2024 10:56:56 PM PDT by grundle
Americans spend more money on health care on a per capita basis than people in any other developed nation, yet almost half say they've struggled recently to pay for medical treatment or prescription drugs, according to a new study from Gallup and West Health.
About 45% of those polled by the organizations said they'd recently had to skip treatment or medicine either because of cost or lack of easy access. Of those, about 8% said they also wouldn't have access to affordable care if they required it today, a group that Gallup and West Health termed "cost desperate."
While 55% of Americans are "cost secure," meaning they can afford care and medicine, that's a decline from 61% who fell into that category in 2022, the study found.
More people are struggling with health care costs partly due to higher inflation as well as a long-term trend toward insurance plans with higher deductibles and less comprehensive coverage, Tim Lash, president of West Health, a nonprofit group focused promoting affordable medical care, told CBS MoneyWatch. About 94% of those surveyed believe they or Americans in general are paying too much for health care and not getting their money's worth.
"We see individuals and families making decisions that no one should have to make, from, 'Should I go on vacation or do I pay for health care and medication,' or at the worst, 'How do I ration my food to afford my prescriptions?'" Lash said. "As the wealthiest and most developed country, that's not where we should be."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Don’t forget the cost of malpractice insurance...
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And this cost is so high because the legal sysyem is biased against doctors. Sure, there’s medical malpractice; but plaintiffs’ lawyers are good at working-up hate against doctors and their insurers, which results in damages that far exceed economic losses.
, ‘Should I go on vacation or do I pay for health care and medication,’
When they get it for free, they tend to abuse it. Witness all the Medicaid folks who use the ER on a regular basis, for things that are by no stretch of the imagination an “emergency”.
I pay $100 cash to see a dr in my area. No insurance. All of my prescriptions are under $20 no insurance.
People are being robbed blind by health insurance.
I pay $177/mo for accident insurance for my husband and self that is similar to a savings plan. Pays out set amounts for injuries directly to me not providers.
The company invests the premiums and keeps the interest and the principle is paid to my beneficiary upon death.
Agreed 100%
When the price of a service has no connection to what it really costs the manipulation of fees is far too easy.
That is not all going to be gross profit. However convincing people that insurance is necessary for every health care need sure jacked the cost up. Health insurance for basic office visit and care was once optional. But now for most people has become necessary. I blame insurance companies.
There is also the issue of every aspect of medical care being specialized. Things that were done by your doctor are now done by other providers. Such as
Lab work
Setting bones and applying a cast for simple fractures
Stiches
Xrays
Eye exam/ Hearing tests.
Are just a few things that a GP would do in the office. I know because my mom worked for doctors when I was younger and this was all part of the doctor’s routine.
1. Medical insurance plans are required to cover more and more things -- many of which shouldn't even be considered necessary medical care at all.
2. Insurance plans are required to cover pre-existing conditions.
3. Insurance plans cannot have annual or lifetime caps on coverage.
THE END.
But what about the real cost of the medical treatments that are paid by insurance? Are these costs not increasing as well? And wouldn’t those costs increase the price of insurance.
Yes, the cost of many treatments would naturally increase over time due to inflation. But the increases wouldn’t be as dramatic as the spiraling costs of insurance premiums.
The illegals I see in my hospitals ER every night and day get the best.
Yes sir. They don’t have to worry about a thing.
Dressed to the nines, carrying the best SmartPhones, five kids in tow and one in the oven.
Yes sir, Uncle Sucker pays off.
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