Republicans serve their corporate cronies, the 1% and nobody else. Everything else is just BS to fool their ignorant supporters.
Noam Chomsky explains it in 10 minutes
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Green New Deal
- Thread starter mspohr
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Noam Chomsky explains it in 10 minutes
juliusa
Active Member
Wouldn't it be nice to know the details of the proposals so the achievements could be understood?
We just got the ACA 8 years ago without having a clue, and it achieved almost nothing.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
It gave coverage to millions of people who previously did not have it.
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
The ACA decreased the number of uninsured by ~20M. That's not 'almost nothing'.
I lived in Switzerland for a few years. Prices are strictly regulated and negotiated. No "out of network" BS. Reasonable prices and high quality care.
Why Europeans Don’t Get Huge Medical Bills
There is, however, a way to eliminate those bank-busting surprise medical bills without eliminating health insurance. Just ask Europe. Several European countries have health insurance just like America does. The difference is that their governments regulate what insurance must cover and what hospitals and doctors are allowed to charge much more aggressively than the United States does.
Why Europeans Don’t Get Huge Medical Bills
There is, however, a way to eliminate those bank-busting surprise medical bills without eliminating health insurance. Just ask Europe. Several European countries have health insurance just like America does. The difference is that their governments regulate what insurance must cover and what hospitals and doctors are allowed to charge much more aggressively than the United States does.
One example. My wife went to the local doctor for a flu shot. He billed $246.00. The pharmacy across the street charges $25.00.
One of those was another one of my cousins. She got cancer. When she moved to another state, suddenly that cancer became a pre-existing condition when she tried to renew insurance from the same company she was with, for the same plan. She was without insurance until Obamacare came along.
As for those left uninsured, that's because the GOP refused to increase coverage of Medicaid, as was provided for in the bill. They won their case before the Supreme Court.
Merrill
Merrill
Yes, part of the problem with our system is the doctors bill ridiculous amounts because they know the insurance will only pay a portion of what they charge.
That may be, but when your doctor sends advertising emails about tummy tucking, Emculpting, and Dermaplaning, it's questionable that they are really concerned about anything but money.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
That is not the reason. Billing in the USA is completely foo-bar'd but part of the underlying problem is the large fraction of unpaid and under compensated services. Others make up the difference. E.g., Medicare pays ~ $10 for a doctor visit.
As an aside, while it is certainly true that Americans pay a world leading fraction of their GDP for healthcare and are not healthier overall, the reasons are complicated and varied. Part of the story is that Americans are a fat, substance abusing, hypertensive, diabetic society. Another part of the story is last year of life costs. And another part of the story is a demand for the latest and greatest, all the time, now. And not to be forgotten is the direct and insidious costs that come with living in a hyper-litigious society.
A single payer system does not solve any of these cost drivers.
A few things:
- Medicare doesn't pay the obscenely high doctor charges but they do pay "reasonable" amounts.
A few examples... Medical Service (20 min exam) charged $384, Medicare paid $207
Advance Care Planning (one question, "Do you have a living will?", Answer, "Yes") billed $95, Medicare paid $87.
Physical Therapy Evaluation charged $100, Medicare paid $79.
Also, the question of US people are sicker and use more services has been intensively studied and repeatedly found to be false. US people do not have more doctor visits. They are charged many times more for the same services.
(Also, malpractice insurance and malpractice litigation fear has also been studied extensively and it is NOT a factor in the costs.)
It's the prices, stupid!
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
juliusa
Active Member
Then why is EVERYONE looking to get rid of it?
The promise of the ACA was you keep your doctor, keep you plan, provide coverage for the uninsured, and lower premiums.
Excuse me if I am skeptical of the next fix to come out of Washington.
juliusa
Active Member
If that is the case, how is it addressed by single-payer?
It is just another incarnation of the ACA. Changing who is paying the high costs without addressing the high costs.
As best I can tell the single-payer proposals are simply income redistribution schemes. Will not have significant change in the % of GDP spent on healthcare. Just like the ACA did not. Healthcare expenditures as a % of GDP have risen with the ACA.
It's not "belief", its facts and science.
Do you have "alternative facts"?
I have a very thorough knowledge of medical billing since I used to run a company that made medical billing software. Facts.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
Proposed CMS Physician Fee Schedule could cut paperwork and payments - The DO
I have not owned a software company, but I am a physician and have worked in for many years in both private and government settings. Unlike you, I am also very familiar with American morbidity and the costs of malpractice. And perhaps unlike you, I have a lifelong interest in Epidemiology and public health.
juliusa
Active Member
Yes, a boon for the insurance companies that now have more customers and get a cut of their healthcare payments. The insurance companies played it very well.
Wasn't having everyone insured going to lower our healthcare costs because people would get regular healthcare? Costs went up as a % of GDP.
Costs are higher, and outcomes are unchanged.
You really shouldn't make assumptions and accusations without having all the facts.
In addition to developing medical billing software, I am also a physician who has worked domestically in public and private settings. I spent the last 20 years of my career in international public health working for international aid agencies (World Bank, USAID, Asian Development Bank, AusAID and the World Health Organization). I spent years working in Geneva for the World Health Organization. I would say that I have a good grounding in epidemiology, public health and international public health information systems in addition to having far too much familiarity with the corrupt US domestic health care system and billing.
I do speak from direct experience, facts and science.
Do you have any "alternative facts"?
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