Democrats want everyone else to pay for the health care

Onekidneynurse · Nov 5, 2009

I just love the title of this thread...really thought that maybe Hannity or Limbaugh was the author.
I love this country and I am saddened by the animosity that the political parties are intent on creating, growing, and sustaining. I am sick to death of "talking heads" filling the minds, hearts, and souls of the public with the "us against them" attitute that is pervasive amongst out elected and seriously ineffective officials. Geez...the politicians are really polarized and it has not improved their performance...why would we think that we should follow suit as citizens?
The bottom line is this....everybody else is already paying for healthcare. I pay for it in taxes, in the cost of a bandaid in the ER, in the cost of my insurance premiums (oh wait, at least 20% of that money goes directly to "overhead" like bonuses for keeping claims down), and in the $300 prescription that is advertised on prime time tv and in full page glossies. And even tho I pay for it, I still have insurance companies decide which doctor I can see, what hospital I can use, what meds they will pay for, what surgery or treatment is best for me. They often get to decide what is a pre-existing condition and what is not. Trust me...an actual diagnosis or treatment plan written somewhere in the patient chart is not required for them to deny coverage based upon this "condition". So...I would say that "everyone else" paying for healthcare is our current state of affairs and is not working very well.

Actually, insurances negotiate a discount for you. So the 20% or 30% co-pay you are responsible for is less. People who are without insurance are charged more.

http://www.healthweb.maine.gov/claims/healthcost/ You can check what an insured patient pays and what an insured patient pays. The insurance companies have lessened the time people have to spend in the hospital. Lap choles etc. Thereby reducing the costs to patients.

allnurses Guide · Nov 5, 2009

Many surgeons and others contributed over hundreds of years to create innovative approaches to surgery.

http://www.mssm.edu/misc/history.shtml

Onekidneynurse · Nov 5, 2009

Many surgeons and others contributed over hundreds of years to create innovative approaches to surgery.
http://www.mssm.edu/misc/history.shtml

War has contributed many new innovations also. Should we keep having wars to continue to innovate. That's the issue... things aren't always what they seem. The issue here is not what the insurance companies are doing. It's the COST of healthcare. And every UHC country is seeing those costs increase and many to the extent that they can't keep up. It's a fact of economics.

Onekidneynurse · Nov 5, 2009

asked why it has taken medicare so long to figure out they were being scammed, holder told kroft, "i think lack of resources probably. and then i think people i don't think necessarily thought that something as well intentioned as medicare and medicaid would necessarily attract fraudsters. but i think we have to understand that it certainly has."
medicare fraud: a $60 billion crime - 60 minutes - cbs news
in fla and few other states, medicare is requiring durable medical equipment companies to reapply as providers.
june 27 2009:
medicare fraud scheme involving home health care agencies participants indicted
alerts & outbreaks - another strike against medicare fraud made in ...
attorney general holder and hhs secretary sebelius announce new interagency health care fraud prevention and enforcement action team
new fla state laws went into effect july 09 restricting home health agencies from sprouting up in certain areas and strenthening laws against kickbacks, renumeration etc in few fla counties, home health agency's have had to reapply for license - memo on 2009 law changes for home health agencies
all these efforts by government have been kicked up few nothes over past 2 years as scope of problem identified. getting everyone on emr will help pinpoint areas huge billing and fraud for review.

thank you for the research. the problem is it never should have happened.

allnurses Guide · Nov 6, 2009

Greedy dishonest people cheat when they can.

Yet I think doing good for people is still worthwhile.

The United Way had a scandal, but the good they do outweighs the harm cheaters did.

tewdles, RN · Nov 6, 2009

You are right...insurance companies do lessen the time you spend in the hospital....several years ago they told my husband that they wouldn't pay for his surgery or hospitalization for bowel obstruction...that certainly reduced the time he spent there. Some might want to portray insurance companies as altruistic health institutions, really they are just big money machines that have changed the way we carry out healthcare in america...not because the ways are better for people/patients..but because they are more profitable. The insurance companies have been in the business, for some time, of making choices about the health care that their customers receive, or do not receive, based upon profitability for the company. That is not good healthcare. Those who fear reform cry that the government will ration care...ok...but in the two government health systems...Medicare and VA...where is this rationing? Our insurance companies do that.

safiyarozz · Nov 7, 2009

Why not set up or extend Medicare to all?It is a public-option but it is reserved only to the elderly and disabled;taxes pay into it,the taxes of working men and women and they do not get to see the benefits of it until they are a certain age an more than likely not working;so why not extend it to everybody and make a public-asset of it?So the working people will see the benefit of their taxes and it can help those in need of services?

Onekidneynurse · Nov 7, 2009

You are right...insurance companies do lessen the time you spend in the hospital....several years ago they told my husband that they wouldn't pay for his surgery or hospitalization for bowel obstruction...that certainly reduced the time he spent there. Some might want to portray insurance companies as altruistic health institutions, really they are just big money machines that have changed the way we carry out healthcare in america...not because the ways are better for people/patients..but because they are more profitable. The insurance companies have been in the business, for some time, of making choices about the health care that their customers receive, or do not receive, based upon profitability for the company. That is not good healthcare. Those who fear reform cry that the government will ration care...ok...but in the two government health systems...Medicare and VA...where is this rationing? Our insurance companies do that.

Medicare does ration care or why would the AARP want more Americans to HAVE to purchase private healthcare insurance?

HM2VikingRN, RN · Nov 7, 2009

Sources?

Then again Health care reform will save us all 100 Billion over 10 years.....

sources embedded....

tewdles, RN · Nov 7, 2009

Medicare does ration care or why would the AARP want more Americans to HAVE to purchase private healthcare insurance?

I am not sure how advertisements of private health insurance, supported by AARP, translates into "Medicare does ration care".

Onekidneynurse · Nov 8, 2009

I am not sure how advertisements of private health insurance, supported by AARP, translates into "Medicare does ration care".

If Medicare paid for everything seniors wouldn't need to purchase private insurance.

tewdles, RN · Nov 8, 2009

Does the fact that insurance companies advertise to Medicare recipients mean that those people NEED to purchase private insurance?

Many seniors can afford to, and do, purchase additional insurance. Many others cannot afford this additional insurance and do not purchase it. I find more people who have additional pharmacy coverage since the introduction of the "donut hole" by legislators a few years back.