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Yeah and you also don't NEED a mechanic to change your windshield wipers or oil. You shouldn't have to have a prescription for every drug under the sun that actually works nor should your have to have a doctor tell you whether or not you need or should get bloodwork done etc. I'm an RN and EVEN I have to fight my own damn doctor to get my Vitamin D levels checked on a regular basis or other labs I feel like I want to monitor on my own. God forbid I want to get a carotid ultrasound when I turn 60 to make sure I don't have 60% occlusion. Because it's always better to end up having a massive stroke and paying hundreds of thousands treating that instead of a simple preventative test or procedure. Doctors need to lose some of their paternalistic power they have over people and let people manage their own health a little more.
Agreed.
People also need to quit going to ER for a stubbed toe. Seriously. I'm an insurance biller, I've seen three stubbed toes, amongst other ailments easily treated at home. People have no common sense these days. They think they have to go to a doctor for everything.
A lot of the problem with health insurance is that people expect insurance to pay for every thing.
It's a dog chasing its tail. I wouldn't expect my health insurance to pay for everything if I didn't have to pay so much for it. Any decent car insurance that costs a tenth of what I pay for health insurance will pay for more than half of my loss.
It's a dog chasing its tail. I wouldn't expect my health insurance to pay for everything if I didn't have to pay so much for it. Any decent car insurance that costs a tenth of what I pay for health insurance will pay for more than half of my loss.
Don't know how it would go over but I would gladly sign up for what we used to call major medical. Lower cost policy that wouldn't pay for the small stuff but would keep me from going bankrupt if I got really sick.
Whatever happened to "Free clinics"? I'm not saying that's the answer to everything, but it did give people access to "free" healthcare.
We have to find something in the middle because government controlled healthcare isn't the answer.
Free clinics are funded by somebody. Could be private donations, doctors donate their time, etc. The entire health care industry can't be dependant on free clinics.
The premise behind insurance is hedging a bet against disaster. Homeowners insure against disaster. Car owners insure against disaster. We expect to pay for basic maintenance. Then we choose a deductible that balances how much damage we can afford to fund out of pocket vs how much we can afford to pay for the policy. Health insurance has been forced to evolve away from the basic priniciple of insurance. It is being used as pre-paid health care instead of a hedge against disaster.
I've been pricing insurance. I can save a bunch of money by going with a policy that has a $5000.00 deductible. I would pay everything out of my own pocket until I have spent $5000.00, then my care would be 100% covered. Wait, pay that much out of my own pocket? I'm paying more now. My current policy has a $2500 deductible with a $5000 coinsurance limit, I also have $40 office visit co-pay plus prescription drug costs. In 2011 my healthcare cost me over $13,000 not including my premiums.
This policy qualifies me for an HSA, which is something I feel everyone should have.
People really need to do their homework when shopping for insurance.
Don't know how it would go over but I would gladly sign up for what we used to call major medical. Lower cost policy that wouldn't pay for the small stuff but would keep me from going bankrupt if I got really sick.
I would too in a heart beat. I guess there's just no money in those sorts of policies. My guess is that there is no big money to be made in that system.
At this point, I am becoming less concerned about bankruptcy because of a major illness or accident. If I stay with my Lovelace healthcare provider at Albuquerque, the cost of increasing monthly premiums and the costs of minor care under their plan's highest option could drive me to bankruptcy. For sure it's a slower drive but the destination is the same.
I can't turn on the TV without seeing a commercial for car insurance, and I'm sure you have noticed the same. Geico, Allstate, eInsurance, StateFarm, Progressive, etc. Why is that??? Wouldn't you love for Flo to be saying she could save you 15% on your health insurance??
Can health insurance ever be at this point? If not, why?? Has government intervention prevented it? Is it really the insurance companies trying to make more profits?
I know it's a different market...I would say instead of comparing apples and oranges, it's more like comparing grapefruits and oranges.
Its because of what they are insruing and for now much. It not a one time payout but goes tot ehlimit of the polciy and most use it.Life insruance or car is for the value of the car bascially ;not beyond. I have used mine two times in 59 years of driving for example at much less than what I paid.
Free clinics are funded by somebody. Could be private donations, doctors donate their time, etc. The entire health care industry can't be dependant on free clinics.
The premise behind insurance is hedging a bet against disaster. Homeowners insure against disaster. Car owners insure against disaster. We expect to pay for basic maintenance. Then we choose a deductible that balances how much damage we can afford to fund out of pocket vs how much we can afford to pay for the policy. Health insurance has been forced to evolve away from the basic priniciple of insurance. It is being used as pre-paid health care instead of a hedge against disaster.
I've been pricing insurance. I can save a bunch of money by going with a policy that has a $5000.00 deductible. I would pay everything out of my own pocket until I have spent $5000.00, then my care would be 100% covered. Wait, pay that much out of my own pocket? I'm paying more now. My current policy has a $2500 deductible with a $5000 coinsurance limit, I also have $40 office visit co-pay plus prescription drug costs. In 2011 my healthcare cost me over $13,000 not including my premiums.
This policy qualifies me for an HSA, which is something I feel everyone should have.
People really need to do their homework when shopping for insurance.
Good point! What we call health insurance is not really insurance at all. It is a prepaid medical expense program. You take out an insurance policy to insure against unexpected risks. Going to the doctor is not an unexpected risk. Getting a prescription is not an unexpected expense. We won't have any type of competition in healthcare until health insurance premiums and what the insurance covers is reduced. People need to become conscious of the expenses they are incurring.
The next step is to get rid of the confusing system of hospital and physician charges. There is no connection between what a provider charges and what they get paid. Patients need to understand the true cost, not some inflated chargeof $10 for an aspirin that has nothing to do with reality.
The next fix is to create competition among insurance companies. They need to be able to compete nationally. We need to get employers out of the health insurance business so that insurance companies are creating and marketing insurance products to individuals. Emplyoyer provided health insurance eliminates competition and hurts individual byers and people who work for small firms.
This is only a start on the low hanging fruit. Our healthcare system needs to make tough decisions on where and how money should be allocated. This will require tough decisions on more preventative care and ways to track it; and reducing what is spent to keep people alive at the end of their life.
Don't know how it would go over but I would gladly sign up for what we used to call major medical. Lower cost policy that wouldn't pay for the small stuff but would keep me from going bankrupt if I got really sick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired
I would too in a heart beat. I guess there's just no money in those sorts of policies. My guess is that there is no big money to be made in that system.
Those plans do exist. They are called High Deductible health plans and you pair it with a health savings account. Honestly, it's the absolute best plan I've ever had and I hope to never have to go back to traditional insurance plans!! Check them out!
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