How do we bring our healthcare costs down? (illegal, cost, compare)
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My insurance company negotiates much better prices than I can
I paid $150 for a doctor visit out of pocket, no insurance, when there was a mixup with my insurance card.
The next time I went back, the doctor's office billed my insurance company $450 for the same exact visit, of which I had to pay more than the $150 without insurance.
We could start by offering limited services and products to those who need them like countries with single-payer do.
Have a stroke? You'll get 6-10 visits with a therapist. Not the months of treatment people in the US get. Even people without insurance.
Lose a limb and want a prosthesis? Oh, come now... Do you really need one, or do you just want one? How far do you have to walk on your job? There's no one around to lend you a hand on the rare times you might need extra help?
And repetitive tests? Pshaw. You already had one or two.
Its outrageous that on a per person basis the US spends double what UK or other developed nations. Despite this we still have 30 million uninsured americans. I know americans are afraid of socialism, but I'm looking for honest suggestions or are we doomed? https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/...-amount-health
The fact is, socialized medicine isn't the answer either. The British NHS is said to be "in crisis."
Quote:
The UK has one of the worst healthcare systems in the developed world according to a damning new report which said the nation has an “outstandingly poor” record of preventing ill health.
Hospitals are now so short-staffed and underequipped that people are also dying needlessly because of a chronic lack of investment.
It’s remarkable that the healthcare season is being dubbed a “winter crisis” before it’s even begun. But I suppose this only reinforces the point that the NHS exists in a perpetual state of crisis.
In January this year, 50,000 appointments were cancelled to provide more support to emergency services – hip replacements, cataract and knee surgeries all denied to patients.
The disturbing report also revealed that in 2016/17 2.5 million patients spent longer than four hours in A&E, an increase of more than 685,000 on the year before. At least 362,000 waited longer than 18 weeks for hospital *treatment in March, that’s up almost 64,000 on March 2016. And 26,283 patients waited longer than 62 days for cancer treatment having been urgently referred by their GP, an increase of 8% on 2016.
Canada's healthcare system suffers from long wait times, average wait time to see a specialist is over 21 weeks, 128% longer than in 1993, and almost 42 weeks for an orthopedic surgeon.
Wait times for diagnostics also, 4 weeks for a CT scan, 11 weeks for an MRI, and 4 weeks for an ultrasound. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stud...in-canada-2017
A single payer healthcare system is impossibly expensive at over three trillion dollars a year, while the government brings in about 3.5 trillion. Even as things are now, the medicare trust fund only has 6-8 years before it goes broke, not to mention social security, so a single payer system will never happen.
Canada's healthcare system suffers from long wait times
FALSE. FALSE. FALSE..
Unsolicited responses. I ask real human being Canadians that I meet what they think of the Canadian health care.
EVERY ONE that I ask states that they like it. All have a positive response. Meeting Canadians visiting North Caroline to Arizona. To Canadian bikers attending Sturgess. ALL like and approve of the Canadian health care.
They like and appreciate that they can see a medical professional right away if needed. Yes, right away.
Now lets move on to specialists. Yes, there is a waiting time for specialists in Canada. There IS a waiting time to see a specialist in the United States.
As for quoting statistics from the Frazer Institute:
"It is important to note that these surveys do not report the actual wait time, but reflect estimates by patients (CCHS) or specialist physicians (Fraser Institute). Both are subject to recall bias, and the Fraser Institute's survey has a response rate of only 16%, raising questions about its bias." LINK
Statistically Canadians live longer then those who live in the United States. Must be the air, eh?
I paid $150 for a doctor visit out of pocket, no insurance, when there was a mixup with my insurance card.
The next time I went back, the doctor's office billed my insurance company $450 for the same exact visit, of which I had to pay more than the $150 without insurance.
So, no. Insurance doesn't "negotiate" better.
One instance. Try having a family member run up damn near a half million dollars worth of bills.
Its outrageous that on a per person basis the US spends double what UK or other developed nations. Despite this we still have 30 million uninsured americans. I know americans are afraid of socialism, but I'm looking for honest suggestions or are we doomed? https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/...-amount-health
It is outrageous and the costs will never be brought down unless there is some free market medicine applied here (excuse the pun). Until people refuse to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars so they can live an extra 3 weeks -- costs will keep going up. And it all starts with the high cost of medical school. Until the government stops guaranteeing loans -- the schools will keep charging every last dollar they can get away with. This of course, puts the young doctor in massive debt upon finishing up school, causing him to charge as much as he can charge to live a doctor's lifestyle and pay back his debts. Until people stop using doctors for everything - and instead start doing some of their own research, looking for alternative medicines (read: cheap)….. you can expect costs to keep spiraling out of control.
Get rid of insurance companies. Pay the doctors and hospitals directly.
Watch all prices take a nosedove.
Exactly. The reason LASIK is so affordable is because insurance companies won't cover it. Otherwise, doctors would charge $20,000 and do it in a hospital for an additional $10,000.
I paid $150 for a doctor visit out of pocket, no insurance, when there was a mixup with my insurance card.
The next time I went back, the doctor's office billed my insurance company $450 for the same exact visit, of which I had to pay more than the $150 without insurance.
So, no. Insurance doesn't "negotiate" better.
Similar story. I had a bill for $2100 for a simple culture because the doctor sent it to a lab out of network. I called them, and they lowered the out-of-pocket price to $150.
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