Should "Pre-Existing" conditions be covered under regular health insurance? (ethics, companies)
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Ok, just for an example.
Medication costs $200,000 a year, misc testing and whatnot costs another $50,000 a year. There are only around 6000 peoe who have this disorder. How much do you feelthey should pay?
Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions. Why does your medication cost $200,000/year and why are your tests so expensive? Look at the lengthy process, licensing, fees, etc... the USDA charges companies to bring medical technologies and new medications to market. It costs $billions for each new medical technology and each new drug just to get it approved through the USDA. Cut the bureaucracy and the costs of the above would be dramatically less.
Yes, it stinks that people with poorer health should not be able to make others pay for their costs. Seriously?
Absolutely. Unlike car or home insurance, health care is a basic human necessity.
Setting aside my disagreement with your position for a moment, I have to point out that the question was about health INSURANCE, not health CARE.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
Why is it that people (almost exclusively on the left of the political spectrum) can't seem to grasp the idea that health insurance does not equal health care? What is it about that concept that's so difficult for the left-wing thinkers to understand???
Yes. This is from a physician who is uninsureable outside of a larger group practice due to pre-existing conditions. For me, it is not a big deal, as I can work through a larger organization. For others who cannot, it is an extreme hardship as result of an illness that they incurred through no fault of their own.
Insurance is supposed to be a pooled, shared risk. There will be "winners" and "losers" in that system, but the system survives paying for the higher cost patients by insuring lower cost patients as well.
Setting aside my disagreement with your position for a moment, I have to point out that the question was about health INSURANCE, not health CARE.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
Why is it that people (almost exclusively on the left of the political spectrum) can't seem to grasp the idea that health insurance does not equal health care? What is it about that concept that's so difficult for the left-wing thinkers to understand???
For the same reason that some people think that paying an insurance premium should resolve them of all personal responsiblity for anything not covered or exceeding the parameters of their insurance. It is called an entitlement mentality.
Insurance is simply a safety net. It is not a bottomless bank account.
Absolutely. Unlike car or home insurance, health care is a basic human necessity.
This is why we have such a problem. People like this gentleman think heath care and heath insurance are the same thing. BS on the attitude you cant get good heath care by paying cash as you go. I have done it with 5000K deductible for years, family of 4.
Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions. Why does your medication cost $200,000/year and why are your tests so expensive? Look at the lengthy process, licensing, fees, etc... the USDA charges companies to bring medical technologies and new medications to market. It costs $billions for each new medical technology and each new drug just to get it approved through the USDA. Cut the bureaucracy and the costs of the above would be dramatically less.
Yes, it stinks that people with poorer health should not be able to make others pay for their costs. Seriously?
It costs that much because there is only one manufacturer. There is only one manufacturer because it's a lengthy and expensive process to make the drug and most companies simply don't want to deal with it. not enough profit to be made. My drug is manufactured here and finished in Ireland and since it's for a rare and life threatening disorder there was almost no red tape to go through. I was shocked at how quickly it was rushed through the testig phases before being distributed.
Although, I don't really understand what the dept of agriculture has to do with it, perhaps you meant the FDA?
As for your last little snippet, what do you think people in my situation should do? I have no alternative for the medicine, no other companies are interested in making it, and it's far too expensive for me to purchase out of pocket. Should I simply accept my fate? What would you do of one of your children (real or hypothetical) were to get diagnosed with something similar?
This is why we have such a problem. People like this gentleman think heath care and heath insurance are the same thing. BS on the attitude you cant get good heath care by paying cash as you go. I have done it with 5000K deductible for years, family of 4.
Not everyone can pay for costs out of pocket. You've obviously been pretty lucky so far... some aren't and require extra care.
If you don't have health insurance, you can't get adequate health care. That's why it matters.
I'm not a liberal.
not true at all
open up the yellow pages..look up physician..then go
you can get the greatest care...its a service...just PAY for the service YOU GOT
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