Just on the Fox News website.

Amid ‘Medicare-for-all’ debate in US, Britain sounds alarm over historic waiting lists

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/amid-medicare-for-all-debate-in-us-britain-sounds-alarm-over-historic-waitlist

Sorry to hear 'spec.

I am VERY ignorant of all this stuff.  I've had private medical insurance all my life.  And up until recently, I had never been in a hospital for more than an ER visit. 

I had THOUGHT Medicare was decent, but that is in the context of my dad's healthcare.  But he also had excellent coverage from working 30+ years in the city.  If I recall correctly, his dual coverage generally meant he didn't pay much, even for his many prescriptions.  Thankfully, his health was generally "ok" until maybe 3-4 years ago.  But when my sister and I started helping more, it opened our eyes to the "bunch of BS" that folks have to jump through.  Even for someone who is relatively well covered like my dad.  In his case, I believe Medicare was primary coverage and HMSA typically picked up everything else.  That said, there are some pretty stupid rules you come across like what is covered for in-patient and what isn't.  He's been admitted for surgery, so how can that NOT be in-patient?  Well, it can and it does happen otherwise.  Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

When my dad had a fall and was in the hospital and then rehab, we got the bills many weeks later.  Opened one of them and it was for rehab.  The list of services was long, totaling in the tens of thousands.  His payment required?  Around $3.  I was like    Looked at the detailed breakdown and it was for a box of Kleenex that he asked the nurse for one night.  I remember because I was there. 

Overall, my view of the "healthcare industry" is very jaded.  Another aspect of America that has gotten twisted and the focus is on folks making $$$ as opposed to caring for those who need it. 

Anyways, I digress. 

Hope things work out well for you! 

Sorry to hear 'spec.

I am VERY ignorant of all this stuff.  I've had private medical insurance all my life.  And up until recently, I had never been in a hospital for more than an ER visit. 

I had THOUGHT Medicare was decent, but that is in the context of my dad's healthcare.  But he also had excellent coverage from working 30+ years in the city.  If I recall correctly, his dual coverage generally meant he didn't pay much, even for his many prescriptions.  Thankfully, his health was generally "ok" until maybe 3-4 years ago.  But when my sister and I started helping more, it opened our eyes to the "bunch of BS" that folks have to jump through.  Even for someone who is relatively well covered like my dad.  In his case, I believe Medicare was primary coverage and HMSA typically picked up everything else.  That said, there are some pretty stupid rules you come across like what is covered for in-patient and what isn't.  He's been admitted for surgery, so how can that NOT be in-patient?  Well, it can and it does happen otherwise.  Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

When my dad had a fall and was in the hospital and then rehab, we got the bills many weeks later.  Opened one of them and it was for rehab.  The list of services was long, totaling in the tens of thousands.  His payment required?  Around $3.  I was like    Looked at the detailed breakdown and it was for a box of Kleenex that he asked the nurse for one night.  I remember because I was there. 

Overall, my view of the "healthcare industry" is very jaded.  Another aspect of America that has gotten twisted and the focus is on folks making $$$ as opposed to caring for those who need it. 

Anyways, I digress. 

Hope things work out well for you!

I appreciate your well wishes. I started this topic not for anyone to feel sorry for me but to expose another side to having Medicare for all. Just so the rest of you are not surprised when you transition from private insurance to Medicare. And to point out the unintended consequences of this stupid proposition.

I am sorry about your Dad. I have a similar story when my second wife was in the hospital for surgery. Her BFF came in one day and grabbed one of the rubber gloves from the box on the wall. She blew it up like a balloon and used a sharpie and drew a face on it. My wife loved it and brought it home with her. Guess what was on the bill when I finally received it? Of course the insurance company caught it and made me pay for it.

I appreciate your well wishes. I started this topic not for anyone to feel sorry for me but to expose another side to having Medicare for all. Just so the rest of you are not surprised when you transition from private insurance to Medicare. And to point out the unintended consequences of this stupid proposition.

I am sorry about your Dad. I have a similar story when my second wife was in the hospital for surgery. Her BFF came in one day and grabbed one of the rubber gloves from the box on the wall. She blew it up like a balloon and used a sharpie and drew a face on it. My wife loved it and brought it home with her. Guess what was on the bill when I finally received it? Of course the insurance company caught it and made me pay for it.

Oh believe me, I'm not. . . 

 

You're about to retire!  Definitely not feeling sorry for ya.  Haha.  But seriously, I hear ya and that sort of experience is what I generally expected.  Maybe I'll be moving to Japan or elsewhere by the time that comes.  Maybe a nice paradise like Russia 

So the lesson is don't get caught using stuff inside the room (tissue, 1 glove, etc...)

So the lesson is don't get caught using stuff inside the room (tissue, 1 glove, etc...)

No glove, no love. . .

So the lesson is don't get caught using stuff inside the room (tissue, 1 glove, etc...)

The lesson is:  nothing is "free".  Don't take it unless you can pay for it.  Expecting others to pay for it is childish and ignorant.

Everything costs somebody something.  The entitled crowd believe they are the ones who deserve everything, and everything must be paid for by someone else.

That slap you felt on your cheek when you realized you owed for the stuff you (or your visitor) took is reality giving you a "Wake the fuck up!".

I'd rather have multiple providers and pick from competing plans than to have taxpayers subsidize my ass.

All insurance in general is subsidizing those that actually need to use the services.  You've paid for Medicare through taxes in the past, and likely paid more than your share for other people.

The problem with Medicare is that you are forced to pay the taxes for it instead of it being voluntary like private insurance.  And for many, you've paid all the taxes for it, and for other people if you're higher income, but may never use the services if you have private insurance for all of your life

No glove, no love. . .

heads

All insurance in general is subsidizing those that actually need to use the services.  You've paid for Medicare through taxes in the past, and likely paid more than your share for other people.

The problem with Medicare is that you are forced to pay the taxes for it instead of it being voluntary like private insurance.  And for many, you've paid all the taxes for it, and for other people if you're higher income, but may never use the services if you have private insurance for all of your life

The difference is, private insurers use revenue collected to INVEST.  They invest in safe instruments like bonds as well as riskier things like medical and drug R&D programs.  Their goal is to take the premiums and generate multiples of that in order to have the resources needed to pay for benefits when needed by the insured.

If the insurance companies have a good year, that excess is rolled over to make even more.  They make big money for themselves by making big money for stockholders and beneficiaries.

My car insurance company gives back some of the excess they have each year if they had more revenue/return on investment than they had to pay out.  I usually get a direct deposit into my checking account of around $400-$900 at the end of each year.  It's basically a refund of being overcharged for premiums they didn't need to use.

I doubt any health insurance company will adopt that model, but it goes to show how the premiums they take in are not the only thing they depend on to pay claims and to operate the business.

Anyone think the gov't will be using anything other than HIGHER TAXES along with HIGHER PREMIUMS, CO-PAYS & DEDUCTIBLES to offset a shortfall in premiums?

Medicare is a perfect example.  People paying into the system TODAY are subsidizing care for beneficiaries TODAY.  There is no guarantee it'll be there for you later if too many are taking & not enough are paying.  It's one way politicians can see shoring up the system -- force us all into it.

The difference is, private insurers use revenue collected to INVEST.  They invest in safe instruments like bonds as well as riskier things like medical and drug R&D programs.  Their goal is to take the premiums and generate multiples of that in order to have the resources needed to pay for benefits when needed by the insured.

If the insurance companies have a good year, that excess is rolled over to make even more.  They make big money for themselves by making big money for stockholders and beneficiaries.

My car insurance company gives back some of the excess they have each year if they had more revenue/return on investment than they had to pay out.  I usually get a direct deposit into my checking account of around $400-$900 at the end of each year.  It's basically a refund of being overcharged for premiums they didn't need to use.

I doubt any health insurance company will adopt that model, but it goes to show how the premiums they take in are not the only thing they depend on to pay claims and to operate the business.

Anyone think the gov't will be using anything other than HIGHER TAXES along with HIGHER PREMIUMS, CO-PAYS & DEDUCTIBLES to offset a shortfall in premiums?

Medicare is a perfect example.  People paying into the system TODAY are subsidizing care for beneficiaries TODAY.  There is no guarantee it'll be there for you later if too many are taking & not enough are paying.  It's one way politicians can see shoring up the system -- force us all into it.

"My car insurance company gives back some of the excess they have each year if they had more revenue/return on investment than they had to pay out.  I usually get a direct deposit into my checking account of around $400-$900 at the end of each year.  It's basically a refund of being overcharged for premiums they didn't need to use."
I'd sure like the name of your car insurance company!
ThankX!

USAA does this, although I’ve never gotten near that much back.

USAA does this, although I’ve never gotten near that much back.

USAA is who I was talking about.

I had 5 @ 4-wheel vehicles and a motorcycle insured with them at one point, with more than the bare minimum coverage plus a $500 deductible.

Also, I've been with USAA since 1984.   

I'm down to one vehicle now.  Last year's distribution was $289.86 (Dec 6, 2018).

My expectation of what's "usual" needs adjusting now that I'm not paying for 4 drivers. 

Switzerland bars anyone who has lived off of welfare in the last 3 years to pay it back before they can be approved for citizenship.

Brilliant!

Tell'um your a homeless illegal alien and you get it all for free ! 

Switzerland bars anyone who has lived off of welfare in the last 3 years to pay it back before they can be approved for citizenship.

Brilliant!

Austria has fallen to illegals. Switz are smarter.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Tell'um your a homeless illegal alien and you get it all for free paid for by hard working, tax-paying citizens and legal residents! 

More accurately ....

Some points about some reasons why insurance and healthcare costs so much.

Any step towards fixing the health care crisis is going to have to include both expanding coverage for more people as well as reducing the actual cost of health care, not just the cost of health insurance.

Personally health care has become one of the areas that I started to lean left on after considering many of the factors. I think we should have a form of subsidized health care for all but the cost of the health care absolutely has to be addressed. Procedures at one hospital can cost $2,000 and at another cost $10,000. Drugs such as insulin in Canada cost $10 a month at or so but people here without insurance pay hundreds despite no real reason to justify the expensive price tag. The free market is great but the profit incentive is also doing crazy things to our health care costs. I don't think the profit incentive is completely to blame but I wonder how much it increase the price tag and how to balance the fact that a profit incentive also spurs advancements.

Medicare part A you don't have to pay for though. So the price quoted is for part B or C I am assuming?

Ben Shapiro philosophy says you can only get 2 out of 3:
1.  Availability
2.  Affordability
3.  Quality

Right now we have the best quality medical care in the world, for those that have insurance or can afford it.  People in other countries come to the US for treatment.  If you have cancer, you want to be in the US.  We have pretty good availability with private coverage and Medicare/Medicaid.  We don't have affordability.

Medicare for all has availability and affordability (for the poor), but quality will go down due to more people getting treatments and low reimbursement rates.  We have a doctor shortage now, and this would make it even worse with doctors getting paid less.  Also reduces r&d for drug and medical equipment businesses to create better treatments

I was talking with a doctor recently about some of this and it seems that insurance is partly to blame for lower doctor pay. He used to have his own practice but the increased requirements from insurance companies kept getting so great that he ended up closing and working for someone else's practice and cramming in so many patients per day. Insurance companies want to make a profit and they will do it from patients, from providers, or from both.

The insurance companies bring their own set of problems just as do medical product companies (including drug companies) and socialized medicine. There really are so many double edged swords here being swung around.