Michael Moore was right: When discussing health care reform, the health-insurance companies are the enemy and should not have a place at the table

[Politruk]

Attention, Barack: If you do health care reform, and the health-insurance companies are still in business afterwards, that is how you know you did not do it right.

 

[Politruk]

Per capita health care costs in the U.S. are twice what they are in Canada -- and not because the doctors are twice as good here. That extra dollar on the dollar goes to the insurance companies. They add nothing to the process that government could not do better and cheaper.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well, the one thing we do know is that pretty juch every health system world wide is flawed and there is no easy solution.

Canada's system generally works if its minor or routine. There are long waitlists for some procedures tho, and a lot of that is driven by funding. Health makes up a huge % of Canadian provincial budgets and that is passe dthru into high taxes. One way or another, someone has to pay for that healthcare....some of these life-saving drugs are for statistically small # of patients are way expensive - so do you ay for those at the expense of long waits for routine stuff, or do you focus on what taes care of more patients at the cost of the lives of a few outliers. Tough decisions....

Healthcare companies do not help at all. Their focus is their own profit.

 

[Saint_Ann]

So the idea is to replace health insurance companies and make the federal govt the health insurance company? Because of their brilliant handling of Medicare?

 

[Rebel5soul]

Well, the one thing we do know is that pretty juch every health system world wide is flawed and there is no easy solution.

Canada's system generally works if its minor or routine. There are long waitlists for some procedures tho, and a lot of that is driven by funding. Health makes up a huge % of Canadian provincial budgets and that is passe dthru into high taxes. One way or another, someone has to pay for that healthcare....some of these life-saving drugs are for statistically small # of patients are way expensive - so do you ay for those at the expense of long waits for routine stuff, or do you focus on what taes care of more patients at the cost of the lives of a few outliers. Tough decisions....

Healthcare companies do not help at all. Their focus is their own profit.

It is in the governments best interest to make sure you die before you draw your first SS check. It's all about actuarial stats. If you think otherwise you're a fool.

 

[YDB95]

So the idea is to replace health insurance companies and make the federal govt the health insurance company? Because of their brilliant handling of Medicare?

In a word, yes.
Despite what I'm sure you've heard from some right-wing blowhard, Medicare works quite well. That's why the Republicans try so hard to convince you it doesn't.

 

[Saint_Ann]

In a word, yes.
Despite what I'm sure you've heard from some right-wing blowhard, Medicare works quite well. That's why the Republicans try so hard to convince you it doesn't.

It works as long as you carry a supplemental.

 

[John_von_Neumann]

It is in the governments best interest to make sure you die before you draw your first SS check. It's all about actuarial stats. If you think otherwise you're a fool.

Have you ever been asked to serve your country?

 

[Bray123]

At a stroke, get rid of 'pre-existing conditions'. Just rename it your 'medical history' like a civilized country would.
Quiz-question, how many UK citizens have gone bankrupt through medical debt in the last 50 years?
Answer, none.

But won't somebody think of the poor shareholders!

 

[MajorRewrite]

One way or another, someone has to pay for that healthcare.

What part of “50% lower per capita healthcare costs” do you not understand?

The stuff about long waitlists is mostly bluster, not factual.

 

[Rebel5soul]

What part of “50% lower per capita healthcare costs” do you not understand?

The stuff about long waitlists is mostly bluster, not factual.

There is NO SUCH THING as 'lower' health care costs. The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay (and watch them flee the country). If you think you're going to get a Cadillac at Yugo prices you're delusional.

 

[John_von_Neumann]

There is NO SUCH THING as 'lower' health care costs. The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay...

Holy shit.

 

[Bray123]

There is NO SUCH THING as 'lower' health care costs. The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay (and watch them flee the country). If you think you're going to get a Cadillac at Yugo prices you're delusional.

There are central contracts that control the cost of pharmaceuticals. There are structures that ensure that profits are not creamed off into the pockets of billionaires, where medical professionals determine treatments, where money is not wasted by sending relatives bills for making a telephone call to inform them that someone died already. Where an ambulance is despatched without bothering to collect credit card details and then available for the next call immediately.

Where are those medical professionals going to flee? A country with an already established socialized medical system?

 

[Politruk]

It is in the governments best interest to make sure you die before you draw your first SS check.

No member of Congress wants that.

 

[Politruk]

The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay (and watch them flee the country).

Doctors don't earn much in Cuba. Nevertheless, Cuba has an abundance of doctors, enough to often send them abroad, and they do not defect. It is the only place in Latin America where original medical research is done.

 

[Politruk]

There is NO SUCH THING as 'lower' health care costs. The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay (and watch them flee the country).

No, costs can also be lowered by cutting the insurance companies out of the loop. They contribute nothing to health care -- their role is purely parasitic.

 

[MajorRewrite]

There is NO SUCH THING as 'lower' health care costs. The only way to cut costs are to either reduce services or severely cut medical professionals pay (and watch them flee the country). If you think you're going to get a Cadillac at Yugo prices you're delusional.

Every developed nation has per capita healthcare costs that are about 50% of the US level or lower.

In the US we pay Rolls Royce prices for Yugo coverage. Our entire system is designed to extract the maximum amount of money from us.