Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".
Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully,
STARNER JONES, MD
Food is a basic necessity. We all need it or we die. We are free to purchase whatever food we want. People who make more money have the opportunity to buy better and healthier food.
There are poor people that can not afford food. Is it fair that some people cannot afford food? Why do we not have a food crisis?
Should the government step in and say, all food purchases must go through us - and we will supply you a healthy allotment of food every month? What would that do to the cost of food - because not only are we now paying for the food, but also the bureaucracy that handles the money and distributes the food? And we could no longer choose our favorite food any more.
So I can legislate that everyone eat healthy - but at what cost? Freedom? Higher prices?
YOu can't compare Food to health care..
for one.. food is relatively cheap. Poor people who cannot afford food easily get it from the government when they apply for assistance. THere are also food pantries in many neighborhoods that can provide.. and it's not that difficult to do.
Yes, there are better choices one can make. For example, a distant relative of my husbands is very wealthy (they are not close). Everything in their house is all organic or free range. I couldn't afford all organic or free range.. HOWEVER.. the fact that I can't afford those "luxury" type foods doesn't cause me to die. I simply choose other foods that may not be "organic" but I still get food!
Hunger issues applies only to those poorest in our society. .and they do have assistance for it through government programs.
Health care, however, is extremely expensive. There is not enough "charity" to take care of those that are without money to pay for health care. Health care affordability issues are NOT within the poorest of our population, as a gain the government takes care of that with medicaid and medicare programs for the retired community.
What a lot of you have trouble wrapping your head around is that Universal Health care CAN be achieved while the "Richest" of the population could still enjoy the "privledge" their money purchases. All you need to do is look at the NHS system in the UK.
Simple: Government provides a MINIMUM standard that ALL citizens have access to. IN the UK, if you are someone of means you can purchase supplemental insurance ; ones that open you up to many more options not available at the NHS level. THink of government NHS level as the GENERIC brand and the purchase of health insurance supplementing NHS as the Name brand. They have choices of Doctors within the NHS, within their area or within the private sector. Really not much different than our way of choosing doctors; who's in network, who is closest to us and convenient to get to, etc.
NO, everyone does not deserve to drive a car or own a home. BUT everyone DOES have the right to have shelter from the cold, rain and the elements. That is why we have Section 8 housing.Section 8 is a sytem that supplements the cost of housing for those that do not make a living wage, but are working. Yes,, some do fall outside of even that; the homeless. However, most homeless are mentally ill, addicted etc. And for those that arent, that do have it to pull themselves from the bootstraps,they have resources available to do so to provide them with food , shelter and even clothing. It's called welfare. THey even have FREE health care! Medicaid. No system is 100% perfect.. nothing in life every is. But it doesn't stop us from trying to achieve that perfection. Shoot for the stars ; the higher you shoot for, the higher you will achieve.. in anything that you do. Is that not what you are taught as a child? Shoot for getting all citizens access to the system.. the higher you shoot for that, the closer you will get to achieving 100%.. even if you never achieve 100% trying will get you closer.
Everyone deserves access on at least a very basic level. No worries, the rich and "privledged" will ALWAYS be able to buy themselves more, move ahead of the line, get even better treatment etc.
Anyone who thinks they have choices now is so sorely mistaken. Government "regulations" aside, the choice doesn't really exist. The employer makes the choices for them. The insurance company makes the choices for them.
As I stated earlier.. if the insurance industry and private industry could fix the problem all on it's own there would be no government intervention. So why, with all this talk of reform going on, why isn't the insurance industry saying 'Hey wait, we'll do this and we'll do that?' .. We'll stop this poor practice that is hurting you and we'll do this?
They are not. Period. They have not, will not, nor do they want to. Again, there ONLY motivation is money. It doesn't pay for them to do it. So they won't, plain and simple. They need a hand to make sure that they DO do the right thing..
They could even lower cost by cutting the excessive 30% overhead within their system. How? Well, for one, why does one executive have to make 24M/year plus? Just an example!
You may not like what the bill says because you feel it's someone telling you what to do , but it needs to be done if we are to solve the problems of health care;
1. Limit excessive overhead to help lower costs - making for a certain % of premiums paid actually go to MEDICINE and caring for the insured.. which I believe one or both of these bills accomplised. I believe that it was 20% maximum allowed for administrative costs (still 15% higher than what government operates on). A savings of 10% off the premium price.
2. Get rid of pre-existing condition clauses BUT ..
3. in order to do that you must make sure that ALL CITIZENS have insruance coverage at the acceptable MINIMUM standard of coverage (solves the problem of underinsurance)
4. Yes, allow insurance to sell across state/county lines. Set NATIONAL rules for insruance across all states
5. converto to Electronic records for a more efficient less paper heavy system. Eliminates having to do things 2 or 3x's, mistakes etc.
6. Make the American consumer more personally repsonsible for their medical decisions; Cadillac plans allow for overtesting with no consequence to the insured and leads to abuses of the system. The patient doen'st question the tests or care because it is not costing them any money immediately , as they are not paying for it. Put some of the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY back onto the consumer .
There is more, like tort reform. Ultimately insurance should not be tied to jobs AT ALL and everyone who purchases insurance from any company should all be in ONE BIG POOL.. not all these separate pools via this company or that company.
As I stated earlier, you can't REVERSE the current costs of premiums but you can SLOW down the rise. If you give subsidies to those that would not be able to afford it you are then eliminating having someone uninsured.. and taxing the system wtih uncompensated care.
All those things combined would slow the rise in premium costs and give salary increases the chance to catch up with the costs.. and subsidies would start to melt away as the cost of premiums would start taking up less and less of a families overall income.
There may be short term "pain" for long term gains.. and that is what people can not wrap their head around. American's are too short sighted.
Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".
Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully,
STARNER JONES, MD
Um.. newsflash..
Nothing about health care reform has anything to do with medicaid.. or those that already collect medicaid and get their health care for FREE!!!!
Those people don't really care two hoots about health care reform.. they gain nor lose NOTHING in this fight
This is about working class families.. WORKING families that have been PRICED OUT of being able to afford insurance.. premiums that have risen to the tune of over 10% a year and has exceeded the pace of salary increases by 4x's..
To the point where a families premium to cover themselves is equivelent to a second mortgage or RENT payment
And for every gold tooth moron on welfare there are many more that are legitamately the working poor.
.6. Make the American consumer more personally repsonsible for their medical decisions; Cadillac plans allow for overtesting with no consequence to the insured and leads to abuses of the system. The patient doen'st question the tests or care because it is not costing them any money immediately , as they are not paying for it. Put some of the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY back onto the consumer .
.
that would be medicaid
medicaid....get 12 x rays before you have to beg them to give you a MRI
government is not the answer...government is the problem
Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".
Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully,
STARNER JONES, MD
I almost pasted this very story. checked out on Snopes. This sums it up. Why should the rest of America make sure that people are all on equal footing in this country? I see this syndrom too often in the younger members of our community that purchased homes and BMW's that they could not afford when things got tough and again, this story sums it up. Heath care is not a basic right. Pretty soon tatoos will become "rights" as well.
Food, is a basic neccesity.
I would guess that in order to have food one would trade cars,cell phones single family residences and most other extras in order to obtain it.....yes?
If you want to put health care on the same basic level as food, would you not expect that one would give up as much for it?
Since you have stated you have these other things and more, I would have to maintain you yourself do not treat it as a basic need.
Yes, they would.. because TRADING those things would actually BUY Them food..LOL
Health care premiums are basically on par with what it costs to rent or own a home (monthly payment wise). Lets do some simple math:
According to the Census Bureau, median household income in the United States fell to $50,303 in 2008, a drop of 3.6.
THAT makes it approx 26% of a families income.
Let's look at cutting cell phones, internet and cable.
Broadcast basic : $19.95 and digital basic is 56.23 (broadcast plus)
Digital phone. $39.94
Internet through cable approx $49.95
Usually they are bundled together for a savigns.. but that comes out to : around $150/month.
IF you have a family plan for cell phone with data use, if you have a smart phone, it runs approx $150/month
That's $300/month.. so by eliminating those things the family of 4 has only saved $300. Doesn't even come close to the over $1100/month needed for health care.
And mind you the numbers quoted are for Employer based coverage.. private coverage is more.
Now, how do you expect a self employed person to compete in the modern world in business without a) a cell phone and b) interent access at home?
Cutting all those things sounds good on paper and would make sense.. but it's not applicable to the real world.
How about transportation; need that to get to work, to get to clients.. etc. That includes two cars when you have the average family with two working parents.
It's not just applicable in the real world.
Problem is.. health care costs FAR EXCEED affordability for hte AVERAGE American family.. period.
In my case, I need over $1,000/month extra for a) my sons premium and b) my premium for myself c) additional costs to cover what insurance won't cover due to pre-existing condition clause.
IF I DID TRADE ALL THOSE THINGS I WOULDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY AT THE END OF THE MONTH ANYWAY FOR THE PREMIUMS.. PERIOD
Cutting those things will do nothing to help me afford insurance. Instead it would hinder my ability to earn money (no internet, transporation, phone) and then where would I be? I hardly live an extravagant lifestlye. I live in a house I rent that is as old as dirt, I have two cars that are both well over 100K miles . . I do not take vacations or trips. I do not go to the movies or out to eat. I shop at the supermarket frugally and carefully. I do not buy any clothes for myself only my son and I do get some from him from friends that have children that have grown out of them. I'm not complaining about having to live that way.. because I am fine.. bUt I do have a problem with the fact that despite all that I still can not get access to AFFORDABLE medical care. not FREE.. but affordable. As iti s, I now have to make an apointment for my endocronologist that will cost me over $250 adn soon as I'm about to run out of prescirptions for insulin (i pay now over $200'/month for insulin) and am wondering where I'm going to get that money from to go.
medicaid....get 12 x rays before you have to beg them to give you a MRI
government is not the answer...government is the problem
As I said.. you think PRIVATE is the answer..LOL
yeah.. then why aren't they doing the things they could do to fix the problems? There are LOT of things they can do .. they are not. they care ONLY about making money.
Let's put it this way.. you may have to wait for an MRI with the government.. but the private insurance doesn't want you to have an MRI anyway. They may turn you down for "pre approval" of said MRI a few times before they finally "approve" you hoping that you'll give up. I know. .I've fought insurance companies MANY times to get the tests I need or something the Doctor prescribed me..
TM.....you have not 'needed' a second car for the past year.
You do not 'need' to live in a one family house.
I believe it was established some time ago that all you needed to come up with was about $300 a month over and above what you currently have to shell out.
If you had sold the car, moved into a small apartment...done who knows what things...whatever you needed to do....you would have paid the premiums for tthe last year and now been over the waiting period.
If you will not make your health care a priority for you please stop asking the American public to .
yeah.. then why aren't they doing the things they could do to fix the problems? There are LOT of things they can do .. they are not. they care ONLY about making money.
Let's put it this way.. you may have to wait for an MRI with the government.. but the private insurance doesn't want you to have an MRI anyway. They may turn you down for "pre approval" of said MRI a few times before they finally "approve" you hoping that you'll give up. I know. .I've fought insurance companies MANY times to get the tests I need or something the Doctor prescribed me..
Private industry needs to be policed.. PERIOD.
My daughter developed epilepsy when she was 19 and had numerous MRI's as well as CAT scans. We never had a problem with her doctor or the hospital doing everything they could do to find out the why of it. She also has this pre existing condition on top of high blood pressure and she managed to land a very good job with health insurance. Cant figure it out.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And for every gold tooth moron on welfare there are many more that are legitamately the working poor.