Time for universal health care ? (Representatives, lawyers, soldiers, Alabama)
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Just so people will know, even Medicare isn't that great. I'm on it. I paid into it all my life, as we all do. I have the monthly premiums automatically deducted but I think they're about $200/month. But then you need to buy an extra plan to go with it.
We opted out of Medicare. But we did do something that most won't do - we joined a concierge medical practice. For one fee per year, we can see our physician within 48 hours, or less in an emergency. We got to interview the doctor and the practice, first. This introduces a novel concept into medicine - competition. It's high time that medics have to compete for our $$$!
Another thing that makes medicine so costly, is that people refuse to pay for office visits any longer. I can't fathom this. Don't they pay their auto mechanic or plumber every time they use their services? Damn right! And those services aren't cheap, either.
But I guess if it's covered by insurance, everything should be "free".
I have a long list of things I'd love to buy, if only I had the money.
The US is broke and in debt over paying what we currently have: Medicaid, Medicare, (and now adding ACA subsidies). We don't have the money for Universal Health Care.
Strange that we have enough money to fight endless wars, enough money to subsidize oil companies, enough money that dozens of major corporations don't have to pay any taxes at all, enough money to subsidize the cost of Walmart employees, enough money to....
How is it that all these other countries have enough money to make sure all their citizens have access to medical care, but we don't?
We opted out of Medicare. But we did do something that most won't do - we joined a concierge medical practice. For one fee per year, we can see our physician within 48 hours, or less in an emergency. We got to interview the doctor and the practice, first. This introduces a novel concept into medicine - competition. It's high time that medics have to compete for our $$$!
Another thing that makes medicine so costly, is that people refuse to pay for office visits any longer. I can't fathom this. Don't they pay their auto mechanic or plumber every time they use their services? Damn right! And those services aren't cheap, either.
But I guess if it's covered by insurance, everything should be "free".
Friend pays for concierge medical care. She pays a fee every year, but still has insurance to covers his fees. The fee is so he limits his practice to a certain number of patients, guaranteeing she won't get rushed in and out.
A government operated health care system could save the society billions of dollars if it eliminated private insurance companies, overpaid hospital administration cost and the drug company monopolies. Eliminating these expenses would make Health Care affordable.
I have always had expensive, top tier insurance in the US, but I've never been able to get a pap smear appointment for the next day. I've never had a same day sick visit, and even one for the next day usually involves seeing an NP or the doc that everyone hates so he can't get his own patients. In my country's single payer system I never waited more than 24 hours for a primary care person, and sick visits were always same day with my real doctor. For specialists, in the US the is usually six months or more, in single payer it's about three, unless you're really sick, when they call and get you in. In America everyone sees my diagnosis codes, from the receptionist to the billing people to the insurance company drones. In single payer all anyone who is not my doctor sees is that I had a five or ten or fifty minute appointment. And in single payer everyone can tell me what the cost to me will be, for everything.
The US certainly seems to find the money to maintain a defense budget bigger than the next 8 countries combined, and incarcerate more people than any other nation on earth, though.
But those people already get free health care. Military people and incarcerated people. If we slash our military budget and incarceration rate, isn't it going to impact the amount of free health care?
The chart that you posted shows that Germany started universal health care in 1941, which might refer to a system other than one that offered health care for all. Considering that at that same point in time, certain members of the population of Germany were not only, not receiving health care but were being sent to concentration camps to die.
A government operated health care system could save the society billions of dollars if it eliminated private insurance companies, overpaid hospital administration cost and the drug company monopolies. Eliminating these expenses would make Health Care affordable.
Unfortunately, these are the very "industries" that pay big bucks to politicians, ensuring that what they want in terms of laws, subsidies, etc will be maintained. The big winners from the ACA, as you know, were the insurance companies. This kind of cronyism is so entrenched in our political system, that it would be quite the feat to dislodge it. These companies want the laws, and the politicians want the money. We pay for it all.
My background is that I am the spouse of someone currently in medical residency.
1. The liability problem is a big issue. My husband sees imaging all the time that is probably inappropriate and unecessary, but should the doc ordering it be sued, you can bet they will be asked why they didn't order it. If you want Universal Health Care, you aren't going to be able to sue if things go south.
2. Docs like my husband will be paid less. For some specialties, that is probably appropriate, though primary care really gets the shaft now. I think most would be okay with that if they were given the benefits doctors abroad get--mainly, limited liability, free medical school (and usually on a faster track), pension retirements, and other allowances. Right now that is all being funded by the income doctors make now. Consider that the average doctor leaves medical school with $250k of debt (not including any undergrad) and spends 4 years in medical school and then 3-10 in residency training depending on specialty.
3. In the US we are used to a standard of care that is going to be really hard to get away from. Private hospital rooms, low wait times, nice buildings. There are all sorts of crazy rules that end up with tons of money being spent that we could avoid, but people are going to scream if it goes away. For example, my husband had a French medical student rotating with him during his intern year. They had a guy in the hospital on medicare that needed to be discharged to an assisted care facility, but he was being a pain in the ass and didn't like any of his options. Legally, they could not discharge him until they worked something out and every day in the hospital was on medicare's dime. The French student asked why they didn't just discharge him and let him figure it out--that's what they would do in France.
4. Private health care still exists in many of these countries--you just have to pay for it. And that is probably what many would do here. But we are such an egalitarian society--you don't think people are going to cry foul when those who can pay for it enjoy much nicer facilities and have access to treatments (potentially life saving) that someone on a national plan does not? In the US we want the best, but everyone has to have it. That's not how it works abroad. You have to lower the standard of care for everyone to have access--and that may be a great thing overall. But people here are going to flip their lids if and when that system come to be.
Unfortunately, these are the very "industries" that pay big bucks to politicians, ensuring that what they want in terms of laws, subsidies, etc will be maintained. The big winners from the ACA, as you know, were the insurance companies. This kind of cronyism is so entrenched in our political system, that it would be quite the feat to dislodge it. These companies want the laws, and the politicians want the money. We pay for it all.
OTOH, given the current econo-political climate, there was no other way for Obama to make medical coverage available for a young friend of mine who has a brain tumor that must be operated on every couple of years. Previously, no health insurance would touch her; now she can get the periodic brain surgery that she needs and has been able for the past few years to pursue her calling as a Christian missionary in South America.
God made Obamacare happen. That's how she sees it.
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