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Old 01-31-2008, 09:38 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in Flyover country
531 posts, read 1,740,316 times
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I hope this question doesn't sound silly. Insurance is so expensive and so many people can't afford it today. To those old enough to remember,what did people do in the 1960's and 1970's to pay for their health care? Did more jobs have it available? Could more people afford to pay for health care out of their own pocket? Did people just automatically die if they had cancer and couldn't afford treatment?
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Old 01-31-2008, 09:45 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,143,074 times
Reputation: 7373
Most employers offered health care as part of the work contract. As international competition has ratcheted up competitive pressures, and advances in medical technology have significantly increased the cost of procedures, it becomes more difficult to offer this benefit. When offered, the cost is so expensive that even when employers pay a decent portion of the insurance, the remainder is still very expensive for those choosing to participate. This results in lower participation in insurance, and higher cost for medical procedures due to cost allocations for non-payment.

New Evidence of Worsening Problems: Falling Employer-Based Coverage

Last edited by NewToCA; 01-31-2008 at 11:19 PM..
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Old 01-31-2008, 10:12 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in Flyover country
531 posts, read 1,740,316 times
Reputation: 180
Thank you for the link and your answer. I suspected a major reason more businesses can't cover employees was the skyrocketing costs. It seems a sad trade off--advancing medical procedures=less ability to pay for them!
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Old 02-01-2008, 06:42 AM
 
Location: Black Hammock Island
4,620 posts, read 14,938,964 times
Reputation: 4620
The current issue of Consumer Reports (March 2008) has an interesting article about healthcare cost, "Six prescriptions for change: Our survey shows what Americans demand of health reform".

One sidebar chart (page 15) shows what Americans pay for drugs vs others in the world. Except for Canada, Americans pay more than twice as much. Lipitor, as example: US $68.37, Canada 48.45, UK 34.17, Japan 30.57, Germany 29.73, Australia 24.27, France 19.53.

However, Consumer Reports says that "drugs account for only one-tenth of total healthcare expenditures". (page 16) There's a great chart along with this statement that shows health expenses over the past 35 years. It's divided into four segments: hospitals, doctors, drugs, and insurance. In 1970, costs for each of the four were below $50 billion. Today, hospital expenses are $600 billion, doctors at $400 billion, drugs at $200 billion, and insurance at $150 billion. Over the past 35 years it has been "costs for hospitals and doctors [that] have increased the most rapidly". (page 17)

Interesting to read, but did it help figure out how to fix this mess? Not really for me - confused me more because if we're paying double the price for drugs and yet drugs aren't really the problem, then what is?
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Old 02-01-2008, 07:05 AM
 
Location: Atlanta, GA
2,290 posts, read 5,533,025 times
Reputation: 800
Quote:
Originally Posted by appalachiangirl View Post
I hope this question doesn't sound silly. Insurance is so expensive and so many people can't afford it today. To those old enough to remember,what did people do in the 1960's and 1970's to pay for their health care? Did more jobs have it available? Could more people afford to pay for health care out of their own pocket? Did people just automatically die if they had cancer and couldn't afford treatment?
In the '60s and '70s, health care wasn't the hot commodity that it became in the late '80s and '90s. As such, it was as "affordable" as gasoline; meaning, it was plentiful, accessible and most families didn't think twice about paying so much for it. If you had a full time job, you just went to the doctor and got your checkup; your heart medicine; or your surgery without worrying about being thousands of dollars in debt.
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Old 02-01-2008, 09:03 AM
 
3,555 posts, read 7,830,520 times
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In the '60s we were still (although approaching the end of) the "post-war ("WWII) boom". During the war there were restrictions on employers giving pay raises (wars almost always cause inflation) so those employers began offering other "benefits", particularly health care. It was a very tight labor market back then.

Of course in the60s and 70s a lot of things that we take for granted as being treatable (and generally curable) were KILLERS. Almost all cancers, particularly Leukemia, many, many heart ailments etc. While none of us "baby boomrs" consider any of these "minor" most of us consider them survivable.

I was in the group of kids who, in the early 50s got the Salk Polio vaccine, but I did know several guys oder, born in the early '40s, who had contracted polio while young. Of the 4 I knew, the last one died about 5 years ago.

I think the first time I ever heard of laser eye surgery was '75, heart bypass-76, replacement knee and hip, much later. I'm almost 60 now and I would bet that no one my age can say they don't know MANY PEOPLE who have not had more than one of these.

It's funny that the politicians that yell so much about "small business" never want to consider that MANY MORE "employees" (particularly of larger-Fortune 100) companies might be more willing to "jump ship" and start a new business. The rising cost of health insurance was a definite consideration for me when I left my last "employee" post in '95 to start my last company.

golfgod
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Old 02-01-2008, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
5,224 posts, read 4,993,247 times
Reputation: 908
Quote:
Originally Posted by appalachiangirl View Post
I hope this question doesn't sound silly. Insurance is so expensive and so many people can't afford it today. To those old enough to remember,what did people do in the 1960's and 1970's to pay for their health care? Did more jobs have it available? Could more people afford to pay for health care out of their own pocket? Did people just automatically die if they had cancer and couldn't afford treatment?
In my opinion, one place to start is to make Health Insurance a not for profit entity. As costs have risen, so has the profit that someone else is making. As it is a profit driven business, their decisions made within the insurance companies regarding approving a procedure are profit driven.. NOT "is this good for the patient driven". If you run insurance enough to cover salaries and costs and eliminate profit.. ie:money taht goes in the investors pockets.. you could cut some of the costs..

But .. it's so complex and there's so many other areas that need to be fixed..

For example.. with new drugs.. there's such a long period of time before generics can be made and the new drugs are super expensive.. but when the generic comes out it's much more affordable. Maybe they should shorten that time.. stuff like that.
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Old 02-01-2008, 01:06 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,765,650 times
Reputation: 414
Quote:
Originally Posted by appalachiangirl View Post
I hope this question doesn't sound silly. Insurance is so expensive and so many people can't afford it today. To those old enough to remember,what did people do in the 1960's and 1970's to pay for their health care? Did more jobs have it available? Could more people afford to pay for health care out of their own pocket? Did people just automatically die if they had cancer and couldn't afford treatment?
In the early 70's my employer paid for my health insurance but I had to pay around 10 to 15 dollars a week fom my dependents..You could go to any Doctor or hospital that you wanted to go to...You did not have to be preapproved for anything...You and your Doctor decided what was best for you, NOT the Insurance company..

Last edited by texanborn; 02-01-2008 at 01:20 PM..
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Old 02-01-2008, 01:25 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,765,650 times
Reputation: 414
Quote:
Originally Posted by TristansMommy View Post
In my opinion, one place to start is to make Health Insurance a not for profit entity. As costs have risen, so has the profit that someone else is making. As it is a profit driven business, their decisions made within the insurance companies regarding approving a procedure are profit driven.. NOT "is this good for the patient driven". If you run insurance enough to cover salaries and costs and eliminate profit.. ie:money taht goes in the investors pockets.. you could cut some of the costs..

But .. it's so complex and there's so many other areas that need to be fixed..

For example.. with new drugs.. there's such a long period of time before generics can be made and the new drugs are super expensive.. but when the generic comes out it's much more affordable. Maybe they should shorten that time.. stuff like that.
If all of becomes not for profit, I need to know who will build the hospitals in smaller towns? Don't wish to hard or might just get what you want.
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Old 02-01-2008, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Pinal County, Arizona
25,100 posts, read 39,168,834 times
Reputation: 4937
Quote:
Originally Posted by appalachiangirl View Post
I hope this question doesn't sound silly. Insurance is so expensive and so many people can't afford it today. To those old enough to remember,what did people do in the 1960's and 1970's to pay for their health care? Did more jobs have it available? Could more people afford to pay for health care out of their own pocket? Did people just automatically die if they had cancer and couldn't afford treatment?
Paid for it primarily out of our own pocket
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