No insurance and against the mandate? Explain why I should pay for you. (Rush Limbaugh, suspected)

[workingclasshero]

Originally Posted by GregW

I would prefer having the government pay for my access to healthcare than some profit driven corporation. I am skeptical of government but I am certain that private sector health care would just as soon I die before costing them any profit. I do not consider the government to be my enemy but I also believe corporate America has not and never will be my friend.

I would perfer that I pay for MY access to MY healthcare...not the government, not insurance

if I want to see a doctor..any doctor, I will make an appointment, see them and pay the bill


why EXPECT the government or insurance to pay YOUR bill?????

[SourD]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Where do you get the idea that ER care is free? You will get a bill if you use the ER. They will threaten your credit rating if you don't pay it.

If you can't afford it, you have 2 options. Setup a payment plan or Charity Care (Free).

[noexcuseforignorance]

Thanks to those with insurance who piped in. To the guy on Medicare who can't find a doctor, it's sort of odd that there is this massive chunk of the budget that goes to Medicare patients. It's odd that we pay this given that you can't find a doctor anywhere. It's almost as if you're lying.

Of course, were you to have taken personal responsibility, you'd have the money to go find private insurance. Oh wait, they won't insure someone of your age.

Back when my kids were little, I was struggling financially and had no healath insurance. If I had a dr. or hospital bill I went to the financial office and worked out monthly payments.

Why did you have kids if you couldn't afford it? Where's the personal responsibility? I take it you had no disability insurance and no college savings either. Had you gotten seriously sick or had one of your kids gotten seriously sick, you would have gotten bills that you'd likely never be able to pay. Payment plans don't matter much if you can't afford the monthly payment.

I pay MY bills MYSELF...no need for insurance

there are many choices out there

1. payment plans
2. savings plans
3. catastrophic plans

You say that, but are you without insurance? If so, you pay them now because you're healthy. Find a heart defect that requires surgery and rehab and you'd never pay it back. Catastrophic plans are insurance by the way. When you talk about the uninsured in this country that means those without even catastrophic insurance.

insurance and government is the main reason that health care costs so much

Other countries have insurance companies and government involved in healthcare. Many have more of each. Why is it that their costs are lower? Since you seem to know how much, give some data to explain why.

I think costs would go down dramaticly if we brought back hospitalization, and got rid of the standard insurance

Yes, keeping people in a hospital bed that costs thousands a day is much cheaper than sending them home where they get better outcomes for free.

I'm still waiting on all of the other people without insurance to post. I'm guessing that they're being cowards.

[GregW]

I am approching the point where my credit rating will be irrelevant. As soon as the mortgage is paid I will be on a cash and carry household budget. So long as my health insurance continues to pay the exorbitant cost charged by the industry I will remain financially sound.

[roysoldboy]

Originally Posted by Boompa

Well Ryans Path to poverty will take care of that, the voucher system will destroy Medicare Suppliment Plans raining their liability 500%, which will cause a corresponding rate increase. Medicaid cuts will remove all of those elderly who have spent down from the nursing homes and send them to the knacker. The scariest thing is that it has already passed the house

Is this part of the Ryan budget bill all of the bill that we need to worry about? I think that the government needs a budget to operate under and all you of the left can talk about is the Medicare voucher system. When will it become apparent to you folks that this is just a part of a budget bill? Is never the proper time. Harry Reid said some time ago that we don't need a budget. Well now he is trying his best to keep it from happening as he has done for nearly a full two years now.

[noexcuseforignorance]

I would perfer that I pay for MY access to MY healthcare...not the government, not insurance

if I want to see a doctor..any doctor, I will make an appointment, see them and pay the bill

why EXPECT the government or insurance to pay YOUR bill?????

What's your income? How much can you afford to pay for healthcare? If you're actually working class, your ability to pay for things is not much. It's for you to say that you will pay for it. What if you need open heart surgery? What if you needed something simple like shoulder surgery. That's $40k easily. Not to mention that as a working class person, you'd be off work for several weeks.

I expect health insurance to pay for whatever bill they're supposed to pay. I pay for the insurance. I'm not sure if YOU notice but most people in this country AREN'T sitting on piles of money. Most people like YOU WHO WHINE ABOUT EVERYTHING can only pay your healthcare bills while YOU ARE HEALTHY. That's why the ER is full of people who go there as they can't pay.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by workingclasshero

there are many choices out there

1. payment plans
2. savings plans
3. catastrophic plans

the problem is general insurance , where everyone WANTS to have EVERY sniffle visit paid for

I think costs would go down dramaticly if we brought back hospitalization, and got rid of the standard insurance

why should you have insurance pay for a once a year check up that costs less than a hundred bucks...pay for it out of your pocket, and let the insurance cover the BIG STUFF (a hospitaliztion plan)

insurance and government is the main reason that health care costs so much

You do realize that health care has changed tremendously since most people had only hospitalization? And that's not even accurate, most people had hospitaliziation and "major medical" which covered the dr's bills for the illness as well, essentially, they had illness care. I've said this before, but apparently the message has not sunk in-people are not admitted to the hospital any more for "tests" like they were back when I was a young nurse. The insurance companies and the "community health" movement found it was cheaper to pay for the tests on an out-patient basis. Immunizaton rates have improved since isurance pays for them. There is a lot more drug therapy, and more PT/OT than there was back in "the good old days".

Originally Posted by workingclasshero

uhm

nope

medicare is expensive because it covers(only partially) the most expensive demographic

so you would prefer government employee doctors, who are not up to date on their training???

you would prefer, that doctors and nurses make minimum wage???

Please provide some documentation for that statement. Many VA hospitals are in fact teaching hospitals, e.g. hospitals that have medical residents in training.

[workingclasshero]

Originally Posted by noexcuseforignorance

Other countries have insurance companies and government involved in healthcare. Many have more of each. Why is it that their costs are lower? Since you seem to know how much, give some data to explain why.

general cost of living is one of the problems

a nurse in the EU makes about 18,000-25,000 a year...in the states a nurse makes between 40k-75k ........that's just RNs

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

We are all required to get car insurance. This really should be no different.

The difference here is that no one must buy a car. But we all are required to breathe.

Originally Posted by SourD

Setup a PAYMENT PLAN with the hospital. Why do you ignore this option? You buy a house on a payment plan that costs way more than most medical procedures right?

Are you serious? Do you know how much cancer treatments cost, especially if surgery, hospital and ICU stays, and extended chemotherapy are involved?

Originally Posted by GregW

I would prefer having the government pay for my access to healthcare than some profit driven corporation. I am skeptical of government but I am certain that private sector health care would just as soon I die before costing them any profit. I do not consider the government to be my enemy but I also believe corporate America has not and never will be my friend.

Wish I could rep you for this. The single-payer system is the way to go, and as much as it pains me to say this, federal government is the only entity trustworthy enough to provide it.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I have an EOB sitting right here at my desk. Office visit for strep throat. Cost of visit = $80.00. Rapid strep test - $38.00, Throat Culture = $30.00.

So, $148 for a sore throat.

A check up has run me over $400 with the EKG, bloodwork and extended visit charge.

So, yeah, hundreds of dollars.

I work in a doctor's office, and those charges sound accurate to me. A "simple checkup" does so involve the above. That's the point of an annual exam.