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I worked in IT in NYC from 85 to 2000. I had the usual Blue Cross/GHI health insurance that 10's of thousands of public sector employees get. Never touched it. Was never sick once. Had four wisdom teeth out and had to pay for it myself, because there wasn't any dental provision in those days. Anyway for the last 15 years I have lived without any health coverage whatsoever. I'm not 30 anymore. I've had serious chronic ailments arise for which treatment was impossible. Until recently. My wife got a job in our new state with health insurance.
Long story short they have been working on saving what is left of my eyesight and fixing some other problems. What the various health providers have charged our insurance company to do all this in the last six months has more than cost what my wife (not poorly paid) will make in the next six years. I'm not kidding. One eye operation (I will need two) was more than a year of her salary, for two hours spent under General Anesthesia. The hospital charged as much as the surgeon and anesthesiologist combined, just for providing a clean (hopefully) room for them to work in.
A tiny little bottle of eye drops (30 day supply) costs $500, thank you. My co-pay is $30. How is this sustainable? There aren't enough Millenials working to pay health premiums for nothing in return, so that other (older) people can allow hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to charge extortionate amounts of money for their services. IMO the only flaw in ACA was that it did not address the costs of healthcare. How in the world can Trump and other Republicans guarantee tax cuts for ALL Americans when everything Americans need to keep a First World level of civilization going is costing more and more every year?
So... lets discuss whether or not medical costs in this country are too high, just about right or rather low, compared to other places, for what you get. Since ACA is bound to get hammered in the debate, lets have opinions on what would be a better idea. If you don't have a better idea, then I don't think its fair to criticize ACA.
For bonus points can anyone tell me why dental care in America is completely outside of the standard health care system? Anything more than one cleaning and one extraction a year. And you have to pay out of pocket? As I understand it, almost half of Americans did not see a dentist last year. Fully one third 33% of Americans have never seen a dentist. Middle Class Americans are doing their own tooth extractions with string, Jack Daniels, and the front door... ... even while the television ads for tooth implants is playing in the background.
My wife had an annual checkup/mammogram last month. The insurance co was billed $4000 but got a $3000 in network discount and only paid $1000. IMHO still too high for what was provided
My wife had an annual checkup/mammogram last month. The insurance co was billed $4000 but got a $3000 in network discount and only paid $1000. IMHO still too high for what was provided
Holy jimmeny...did you shop around ?
I have a high deductible policy and I always shop around.
Paid $450 for an annual physical (cash). No mammogram though.
I worked in IT in NYC from 85 to 2000. I had the usual Blue Cross/GHI health insurance that 10's of thousands of public sector employees get. Never touched it. Was never sick once. Had four wisdom teeth out and had to pay for it myself, because there wasn't any dental provision in those days. Anyway for the last 15 years I have lived without any health coverage whatsoever. I'm not 30 anymore. I've had serious chronic ailments arise for which treatment was impossible. Until recently. My wife got a job in our new state with health insurance.
Long story short they have been working on saving what is left of my eyesight and fixing some other problems. What the various health providers have charged our insurance company to do all this in the last six months has more than cost what my wife (not poorly paid) will make in the next six years. I'm not kidding. One eye operation (I will need two) was more than a year of her salary, for two hours spent under General Anesthesia. The hospital charged as much as the surgeon and anesthesiologist combined, just for providing a clean (hopefully) room for them to work in.
A tiny little bottle of eye drops (30 day supply) costs $500, thank you. My co-pay is $30. How is this sustainable? There aren't enough Millenials working to pay health premiums for nothing in return, so that other (older) people can allow hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to charge extortionate amounts of money for their services. IMO the only flaw in ACA was that it did not address the costs of healthcare. How in the world can Trump and other Republicans guarantee tax cuts for ALL Americans when everything Americans need to keep a First World level of civilization going is costing more and more every year?
So... lets discuss whether or not medical costs in this country are too high, just about right or rather low, compared to other places, for what you get. Since ACA is bound to get hammered in the debate, lets have opinions on what would be a better idea. If you don't have a better idea, then I don't think its fair to criticize ACA.
For bonus points can anyone tell me why dental care in America is completely outside of the standard health care system? Anything more than one cleaning and one extraction a year. And you have to pay out of pocket? As I understand it, almost half of Americans did not see a dentist last year. Fully one third 33% of Americans have never seen a dentist. Middle Class Americans are doing their own tooth extractions with string, Jack Daniels, and the front door... ... even while the television ads for tooth implants is playing in the background.
You lost me at IMO the only flaw with the ACA......"
I hear you Leisesturm. I too had been used to my employer paying half, if not all my premiums most of my life and never used it. The last time was in 2012 when I paid $325 per month for both of us with $2500 family deductibles. Covered everything including life and dismemberment.
Well, below is approximately what my wife and I paid this year in healthcare expenses. We are age 59 and now self-employed grossing around $90k per year. We have the "Bronze Plan" with a $10,500 deductible each.
That's 1/3 our gross income, almost half of our take home. More than our mortgage. Next year the premium goes to $13,200.
Last year we received no subsidies because we made too much. Don't know about this year.
A few months back I had posted how dissatisfied I was with the ACA and the forum libs attacked me like I was Trump. This is the future apparently. Can't wait until I qualify for Medicare, just hope it's still around or we'll be broke just from premiums.
So... lets discuss whether or not medical costs in this country are too high, just about right or rather low, compared to other places, for what you get.
A. Visitors to a hospital are a captive audience. If the hospital wants to charge you $500,000 for a 2-hour use of a hospital bed, they can, and there's nothing you can do about it.
B. The highest-paid government employee in my county is a hospital administrator. His job is essentially to make sure the hospital doesn't go broke. He sets prices, but has no obligation to inform anyone of the prices they charge, nor is he obligated to charge everyone the same amount. However, his hospital is required to provide care to anyone who shows up, regardless of cost or ability to pay.
C. My brother is a neurosurgeon. One of his mentors is a Neurosurgeon and an engineer. My brother makes about $500k/year performing complex surgeries. His mentor makes about $22 million / year on royalties from screws he designed. If you have your neck vertebrae bolted to your brain stem, the screws alone are many thousands of dollars apiece.
D. Q: How do you make $22 million/yr designing screws? A: Intellectual property law. Same reason you have to pay $20 for a Muddy Waters album even though he's been dead for 30 years.
E. Why does the screw-man charge so much? Possibly to pay his liability insurance, which costs many, many millions of dollars per year from people suing him. Or, I reckon, just because he can.
----
This is not meant to provide an 'answer', but rather to illustrate a few of the forces at work behind the scenes on the "cost" side, that result in $300,000 appendectomies or $5000/night for a hospital bed.
There is a list of reasons why healthcare is expensive and I see no easy fix. You've all heard the reasons previously but a recap of several:
Drug companies charging more for drugs in USA than elsewhere.
Insurance Companies getting their piece of the profit pie.
Cost of malpractice.
Cost of government oversight and regulations.
Cost of covering the care of people with no insurance and no ability(or intention) of paying who are seen in ER's (hospitals have to see them by law).
Multiple layers of administration/executives in hospitals and health care systems.
Over reliance on specialists and sub-specialists to the detriment of general practice physicians.
Expensive testing (MRI, CT, PET).
Expensive cost of supplies (I once saw a pair of forceps in a medical catalogue that was identical to the forceps they sell at Academy Sports for fishermen. The 'medical' one cost 5 times as much).
Very high costs of 'end of life' care.
Unnecessary(?)questionable procedures.
That's maybe half the list and just from one person's perspective. I'll bet attorneys and hospital administrators would have a different list.
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