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For the Wall Street Journal online, Peter Pronovost (http://www.safetyresearch.jhu.edu/QSR/Who/Team_Members/team_pronovost.asp - broken link), a critical care doctor and prominent patient safety researcher, writes about a man hospitalized for more than six months with an antibiotic-resistant infection that seems certain to kill him. The tab: $1.5 million and counting.
The ICU docs think there's no chance the man will leave the hospital alive, but his surgeon, who's in control, has hope. So the expensive care and probably futile care continues.
Pronovost acknowledges how rare it is for doctors to talk with families about the extraordinary costs and long odds that are the reality for many patients. For medical professionals in this country, death still represents failure.
By some estimates half of all money spent on health care occurs during the last six months of life. So, Pronovost writes, "If we are ever to control rising health costs, we will have to do a better job confronting the realities for patients" like the man with the incurable infection.
Honestly if you look at this doctors can drive this and still make the money they need and remove the middle man (insurance companies)
I want doctors plans.
I work with my doctor at a doctors rates and even co pays and payment plans.
"insurance price is now removed from the problem"
Tort reform for doctors and the medical field is in place and capped with regulation law with lawsuit caps.
I go to the doctor now for a visit and it is 60 dollars without insurance and with insurance its 150 does that make sense.
Costs are cut in half.
The option of national healthcare should still be medicare like it is now and with new costs and tort reform prices will drop as well.
To fund any healthcare government program (medicare)
I would like a national lottery, 1 dollar from every person who WANTS to play will be taken from their paycheck. 50cents of the dollar goes to medical care. Remember it is volutary and a chance to win 300 million a week. Based on your SS number the lottery runs once a week. If you win its tax free for life! That is incentive and the best part its a choice not a new tax. All medical costs, co pays, drugs are tax deductable no limits no caps etc and are complete write offs for your income taxes STATE and Federal. Drugs can be purchased from any country. Help the people and take the burden off the people and not into the hands of never ending spending in government. Dollar for dollar you medical expensives can be written off and the federal government and state will understand where the real burden of healthcare is. Its the people who pay let them have their income back from their paycheck to pay for the costs.
Also if we want insurance we should be able to get it from any state anywhere remove these state laws that protect the insurance companies and restore choice to the individual restore cross state insurance. Issue solved. Next.
I'm liking some of your ideas.
I like that you brought up if you pay your doctor in cash, it's $60 versus with insurance it's $150.
Any insurance company can set up shop in any state, provided they go along with the regulations that go with setting up shop in that state.
An honest discussion was asked for. I gave my opinion. I don't care if it irks you.
While I'm off topic with this - I must say that when you disagree with TM - be it with your opinion, or information / facts that differ from her, she gets "irked". Its unfortunate
While I'm off topic with this - I must say that when you disagree with TM - be it with your opinion, or information / facts that differ from her, she gets "irked". Its unfortunate
NO GD.. I get irked when someone post complete Bull****.. like the poster I was responding did.. having an opinion based on complete fabrications... without a true understanding of what the hell they are talking about THAT is what irks me!
Secondly.. where is your proof that $23M of the people uninsured CHOOSE to be uninsured. I've looked at all the stats, all the studies and NOT ONE of them has a definitive number of people that are uninsured by "choice" . Do they exist.. sure they do.. I'm sure there are some that do not have insurance "by choice".
I had a convo with a persno that said when he was younger he didn't have it by choice.. but when I broke it down with him his "choice" was not really a "choice".. it was COST ..because his premium was the same as his RENT!!! So for ECONOMIC reasons he didn't have insurance.. because if he did he woudn't have had enough to cover his expenses. That is not much of a choice.
So again.. you have NO substantial proof that 23M of the uninsured are uninsured by choice.
This entire rhetoric makes no sense to me...
First you argue that the OP cannot prove that 23 million are uninsured by "choice" - to then clarify that this choice seem mainly to be because they are actually forced to not be covered since they can't afford it.
So what's your point?
There's over 45 million uninsured people in this country, who simply can't get coverage for one reason or the other. They're still uninsured whether the had to chose not to be because they can't afford it, or whether they have been denied insurance. It still leaves 45 million people victimized by the current bad healthcare system.
I hardly think all these or even some of these people have 'chosen' to be uninsured because they are against medical treatments or the concept of medicine in general...
First you argue that the OP cannot prove that 23 million are uninsured by "choice" - to then clarify that this choice seem mainly to be because they are actually forced to not be covered since they can't afford it.
So what's your point?
There's over 45 million uninsured people in this country, who simply can't get coverage for one reason or the other. They're still uninsured whether the had to chose not to be because they can't afford it, or whether they have been denied insurance. It still leaves 45 million people victimized by the current bad healthcare system.
I hardly think all these or even some of these people have 'chosen' to be uninsured because they are against medical treatments or the concept of medicine in general...
My point is that people like to dismiss the numbers claiming that so many are that way because the CHOOSE to be uninsured.I hear that same lame argument on just about EVERY thread.. how the young don't purchase insurance because they feel "vincible". While I do believe there are some that may fit that category, to put such a large # 23M, or about 50% of the number of uninsured in that category is just plain ridiculous. Especially since they have NO ACTUAL DATA to back up their claim.
The second point I was trying to make confronts the "I talked to several young people" argument... as if talking to a handfull of young people and asking them why don't you have insurance is not achieving anything. I was demonstrating that upon further examination the TRUE reasons.. cost prohibitive reasons, would come to light. Not only that, there are just as many "young and invincible" people I can and have spoken to who say just the opposite of what the poster claims, the young people choose not to have insurance but can otherwise afford it.
Are there people who just outright refuse to have insurane even though they have the means.. I'm sure there are. There are all types that exist. But to quantify that with a number with no actual factual data to back up the claim is just a person against health care reform making an excuse as to why we shouldn't bother. And that is just plain ridiculous
And I believe we are on the same side of the argument..
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