Brianwarnock
Retired
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- Today, 17:33
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 12,701
Then it's a quick visit to the Intercity express line to London for a walk along the track.
I hear the Shinkansen line is fairly painless
Far too aerodynamic, Col will slide off.
I would go for a large packet of pills and a bottle of fine Malt whisky.
Brian
Far too aerodynamic, Col will slide off.
We have the free NHS in the UK (except for dental treatment) there are many anomolies with it, but basically if you need treatment you get it for free.
That is very kind of the doctors, nurses, medical technicians and all other staff associated with the health industry to work for no salary. Of course there generosity would not amount to much if the drug companies did not supply all the drugs for free and along with all medical instruments, beds, hospitals.
If you want to know about it by the way, watch the film 'Sicko' by Michael Moore
Yes what Col should have said is that it is free at the point of delivery.
Can I ask the Americans if people are refused health insurance? what do they do then?
One of my wife's drugs costs £42 per day, 365 days per year, she has other drugs regular clinic visits and blood transfusions every 6/7 weeks, would she be refused continuation of insurance. I should add all her drugs and treatment are free to her.
Brian
Ok, the beast has been awakened.....
Well, I am one of the American posters, and I just happen to work for a health insurance company. A Blue Cross and Blue Shield, as a matter of fact. Much of what other Americans have posted is correct about how health insurance in America works. You get your health insurance coverage offered to you through your employer, and they deduct your portion of the premiums from your paycheck. At the time of service, you are charged either a copayment or a deductible, and the remainder of the service is covered by your insurance. Depending on what kind of insurance company you have.
Most of the Blue Cross organizations are non-profit (although for the life of me, even working here, I can't figure out what that means, because there are definitely profits), others are for profit, and I think that could be the major difference between health care in this country. The for-profit insurance companies are interested in the bottom line only, not in the lives of their customers, and so there are more likely to be pre-existing condition clauses (which are the ones where they may refuse you if you have chronic illnesses), and more likelihood if you actually get the insurance, that some things will not be covered. I read ShaneMan's rant, and it is a valid one - those companies exist, and they scare me. I have to admit that we don't do things like that where I work. I will say, however, that at least for my company, they do NOT pay less for medical care than they did 10 years ago. I know what we pay for a lot of services, and it has only be increasing over the long haul, mainly because we also contract with the providers, and if we didn't give them what they wanted, they would walk.
Our community was the one that Bill Clinton was all over when he was president, and used us as an example of good health insurance in America. That was based on a long-standing tradition of community rating in our area. Unfortunately, almost the minute after he said that about our area, Aetna, MVP, and all the giants started banging down doors, and we basically have the same crap going on here as pretty much everywhere else. Our BCBS, however, has tried to stay true to the original tradition - it is just harder with for-profit companies in the area, because they can drive premiums down with their huge revenues.
Ok, I think that is enough. Let me know if you have more questions about health insurance in general, without pointing fingers, please.
And I purposely did not respond to any of the sexist comments by Colin. It is obvious that he doesn't have children. Whoops. I responded.
Lisa
Yes, the healthcare is a clusterfuck, and I certainly do not believe that it will be fixed by socializing it. To contrary, I believe the problems we face are *caused* by socializing (if only partially in US). The real issue is the economics.
Next, it is important to remember that everyone *will* game the system. It's human nature to want to get the most out of something. Therefore, doctors has no incentives to rein in the costs since he just presents the insurance a bill and call it "reasonable." Insurance has less incentives to control premiums because employers will still buy plans through them for tax deductibles (which is a wrong reason to save.) Employers has no incentives to provide a comprehensive healthcare; they just need to get one that behooves their bottom line. Who gets screwed? The consumers, that's who.
I think much of our problem was brought about by Medicare. It created a paperwork nightmare, and caused prices to rise.
I don't think the evidence bears that out. The problem we have in the U.S. is not that medical care is too expensive, it is that a third of the money we spend on medical care, doesn't go towards medical care. It goes towards claims review, billing, advertising, and other administrative costs, not to mention the astronomical profit margins of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
I agree that having the insurance co as the middle man muddies the waters, but going to a cash only system for everything won't work - what happens when you get in an accident and the bill is suddenly 50 or 100k? It is sort of like your house - you don't call your insurance company when you need a new light bulb, right? You just buy a new light bulb. But when a tree comes crashing through your roof, or the sewer backs up and floods your house, you call them right up. Likewise, I think going back to a cash system could work for basic medical care - things like check ups, immunizations, minor urgent care, etc. But the real issue here is how do you pay for those major medical expenses? You can't put the burden of major medical expenses on an individual's shoulders - the burden is already partially there now, and it causes half of all bankruptcies.
I don't think that is true at all. I for one don't want to visit the doctor even when I need to, much less just because I can get something for nothing. Medical care is something that when you need it, you need it. It is not like candy where you want more just because you can have more. I do agree that insurance companies have no incentive to reign in premiums though - the greater the divide between the premium and the cost of the care provided, the fatter the profit margin. That is why the profit motive should be taken out of health care.