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Obviously this country will never support a completely national healthcare system. But what if we just got rid of health insurance and paid for our healthcare out of pocket? I truly believe the reason healthcare is so expensive is because of the health insurance companies. If we got rid of health insurance, costs would probably drop by like 50 percent.
What about back in the olden days when the doctor would come to your house and then send a bill? Healthcare has just gotten way too complicated since health insurance companies go in the way.
If you think the normal person could afford cash upfront for modern medicine your quite wrong.China for example saves at about 40% rate for mostly that reason;cash up front for treatment. Check with a hospital administrator on now they makeup for all those who can't pay or don't pay their share even of out of pocket cost. Its spread to those with insurance in way of higher cost.
If you think the normal person could afford cash upfront for modern medicine your quite wrong.
For 100% of EVERYthing that MIGHT happen in EVERYone's life?
Of course not.
Why is it taking 80 posts to make this distinction to sink in?
Why are so many so eager to engage in the initial and absurd OP's proposition?
Quote:
But what if we just got rid of health insurance and paid for our healthcare out of pocket?
Most people could manage for most of their needs through most of their lives...
because most of the care that most will ever need isn't very expensive or frequent if it is.
Not all, not in every instance... but most and most of the time.
This is why that notion holds so much appeal to the shallow thinkers.
But it isn't enough to manage the rest of the needs that some have and all might have.
The question is whether we design and finance a system based around the half who will consume less
than they'll contribute (ie: overcharge most), or the half who will consume more than they contribute...
or a system based around the far smaller portion at the far end which consumes almost everything.
According to that theory we should have declining tuition rates since we subsidize education less now than we did 40 years ago.
It's still subsidized and by a larger % of the population; this allows people to go on other peoples dime so they have no incentive to succeed or pick a realistic major; hence the large number of unemployed grads. I'll bet many have degrees like art history, fashion, literature, etc.
All fine things for a hobby or interest...not so fine to spend $40,000 of someone elses money on.
You can make payments. I believe hospitals are willing to work with you if you at least make an effort to pay something. They might even be willing to cut some of the costs.
In 2004 I broke my ankle. My brother took me to the E/R. I was stabilized. After they took x-rays, they told me that I had to get a metal plate and pins put in. Hurray for me.
My E/R bill was over $1700. After extensive begging, I got a whopping $75 taken off my bill from the orthopedic surgeon who charged me $275 to examine my ankle.
He wanted $8000 for the surgery. When I asked about payments, (I was two weeks shy of insurance at my job at the time...so no insurance), I was told I could make two payments.
I could pay half in one month, and I could pay the other half a month after that. Nevermind that I would be recovering for six weeks, not allowed to work, I was forced to stay home, and for most of that time, lie in my bed, bored to spit, so there would be no income coming in.
If I had insurance, most of that cost would have been covered. Please explain to me again how hospitals allow you to make payments and "work" with you? Cut costs? No. If I had insurance, they would have charged the insurance company much lower. But because it was out of pocket, it was full price for me.
Thankfully I had options, and some really giving people around me at the time who really helped out.
So, when is the last time you have been in a hospital and had anything major done? Because what you think is true, is not true.
^^Exactly! Who has received these huge discounts they all talk about? None of us, that's for sure. One poster here is a disabled vet, who likely gets his health care from the VA. Another is still on his/her parents' insurance!
A local hospital said we owed them $50 (that is not a typo) which we said we did not owe. While we were straightening this out (they actually owed US $75!), they sent us several bills, turned us over to a collections agency, sent letters threatening to ruin our credit rating, and so on. My husband had to go down to their main offices south of Denver and have it out with someone before it was all straightened out. All for 50 lousy bucks. Not once did they offer to work out any sort of payment plan.
As far as a restriction of ins co profit, as I recall this was less than voluntary. It was passed in a fight and more waste of ad dollars only a few years ago. Did you get a refund check? What can be legally absorbed as expenses and with high salary execs, I'm not expecting many future refunds.
You can make payments. I believe hospitals are willing to work with you if you at least make an effort to pay something. They might even be willing to cut some of the costs.
But again, making payments on a hundred thousand dollar medical bill is pretty useless- you're talking about a loan the size of your home mortgage. Most would not be able to afford that. How about paying $1000 per month for 30 years to try to pay it off, and hoping nothing else major ever comes up.
Insurance companies are a part of the problem, but a bigger part is greed by the hospitals, clinics, and providers- they charge as much as possible for the highest possible profit.
Even if you had health insurance that covered 80 percent, you would still have to pay some of the costs. For example, let's say you had a major surgery for $150,000. You would still have to pay $30,000 after insurance paid their part. Many people still don't have that kind of money laying around and would have to make monthly payments until everything is paid off.
Not entirely true. Most insurance coverage is indeed 80% as you mentioned, but then there is an out of pocket maximum amount per year- in my case that out of pocket maximum is $5,000. So if the 20% remaining that I have to pay on a bill exceeds $5,000, I pay that amount and then insurance pays 100% of the rest. That type of setup is pretty standard on most medical insurance, with the specific amount, of course varying depending on the plan. (At my previous job the out of pocket maximum was $8,000)
Obviously this country will never support a completely national healthcare system. But what if we just got rid of health insurance and paid for our healthcare out of pocket? I truly believe the reason healthcare is so expensive is because of the health insurance companies. If we got rid of health insurance, costs would probably drop by like 50 percent.
What about back in the olden days when the doctor would come to your house and then send a bill? Healthcare has just gotten way too complicated since health insurance companies go in the way.
50% less out of pocket is still way, way too high, and we would never be able to afford that. Japan has a national health plan and has had one for years. the average Japanese citizen goes to the doctor 14x yearly (!). In Japan, an MRI costs $100. Here in the USA, it costs between one and two THOUSAND dollars.
I agree totally that our fee-for-service system has made costs skyrocket, but now the challenge is to get that toothpaste back in the tube. We need more doctors and they have to learn to live on less money. Period.
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