They Weren't Kidding About Those Wait Times

mak2 said:

You know, I can see docs making some bucks, but, do you really think the industry should be designed for profit? In med school they used to teach doctors to be efficient, which when translated means spend 5 min in the room with you each visit or at your bedside. Is that really what you want? I work at the VA and understand the lack of motivation, sometimes it is difficult to get someone to do something your pt needs that doctors would be lined up for if the pt had insurance in the private sector. But as a rule, almost all the doctors and all the nurses and other professionals do the best they can all the time. When there is a problem where I work it is becasue someone screwed up or is too lazy. It is not the greed like it almost always is in the profit centers.

PB I do see this stuff all the time. I think most doctors are good guys, but it is natuarl to err on the side of making more money. Making good money and basing practice on evidence instead of profit will someday be better for each and every one of us.

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If you can propose a system where the people that work in the system can still get paid well and the quality of care is at least close to the US then I would be interested in hearing about it. It should also be sustainable over the long haul (i.e. 100 + years).

Lets not forget that most of these other countries don't have the legal systems that the US has. We can't reform the healthcare system without capping the astronomical malpractice settlements and lawsuits that continue to go on. In Canada you can't sue for pain and suffering - subsequently the liability costs are less and the burden of performing unnecessary tests on patients is not so high on the doctors.

This isn't a problem that can be resolved by big government alone. If anything we need to change people's expectations about what they deserve from a healthcare system.

Cityboy said:

Here are some of our problems with our healthcare system as I see it:

1. An entitlement mentality of insurance policy holders. Americans tend to figure if they are insured, they can just go to the doctor anytime for anything, including justifying sick days at work for non-illnesses. People figure they are insured and go to the doctor for every sniffle.

2. An entitlement mentality by the uninsured, and those who understand the American welfare system. It is common knowledge that it is illegal to turn anyone away from an emergency room. So, people without insurance, and in many cases, no intention of paying for the services they recieve, head to the local emergency room for treatment. This creates major staffing and safety issues in large, metropolitan hospitals because of the increased triage workload. The fact is we already have free healthcare here and it is being taken advantage of daily.

3. Overcharging insurance policy holders by doctors and health care facilities. Fact: Uninsured individuals get 40% and better discounts when paying cash. I know this because I have done it. We are paying up to 60% more for our healthcare because of the costs involved with the insurance campany and government bureaucracy.

4. The government. Our laws prevent freedom of choice when consumers purchase insurance policies. Insurance companies are required to provide maternity and mental health coverage for all policies, for example. Consumers are not allowed to taylor and purchase their own coverage; they have to buy what is legally mandated, which drives the cost up for everyone.

The most economical health insurance model for most families would be to hold a major medical policy for catostrophic illness and injury, and to pay cash for routine doctor visits. This would force doctors to compete for the cash, which would drive costs down. It would also eliminate much of the insurance company and government bureaucracy, which would reduce costs by as much as 60%. However, this healthcare model is not in the best interest of government politicians, so they make laws preventing it from happening.

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Now that it's "the law of the land", a trip down memory lane exposes just who was right and who was wrong back in aught eight. An interesting read, starting with "Obama gets elected on the backs of the ignorant youth ..."

having been self insured for the last 20 years, I am amazed at the difference under medical insurance.

My doctor and I discussed the cost benefit of every procedure and medication. I paid cash and can attest to the 40% costing...if not more.. For instance, a full annual medical checkup with lab work was $1,850.00. I paid $620 cash on the barrel head.

Now that I am on insurance, my co-pays add up to about $180.00 but,.....My monthly payment is $210. Somehow not a bargain.

Last Friday I had surgery. Prior to that, my ENT saw me four times at $45 each, plus two $3900 CT scans and a course of medications with $10 and $45 Co-Pays. Despite my January full scale Physical. I had to do another one with Co-pays. While that may seem a bargain for me, why all the CT scans, repetitive procedures, and visits?

Even more of a question would be the virtually every day load of mail from Humana and the SSM hospital system telling me what I just had done and how much it would have cost without insurance. It is ridiculous.

Perhaps had I been an insurance junkie before, I would not notice, much less care, but this deceptive approach to the cost of medicine just infuriates me.
Almost as much as the 7 to 10 documents I signed every time I had anything done.

Here how I see ways to cut costs. More doctors with less paperwork. More insurance companies allowed to provide more different kinds of insurance. And insurance allowed to be sold across state lines. But only if insurance companies aren't allowed to lobby Congress.

More private health clinics competing for business. And a system of government operated clinics competing against them to get patients by providing lower costs, shorter waiting room times, and better care than the private sector for the indigent.

Lasix started out selling eye surgeries at $ 6,000 each eye. No insurance companies were paying for this elective surgery. So, only the well heeled could have the work done. Small market of limited consumers. Enter free market innovation and competition. Now one can get both eyes done under $900.00. With better results. Why?

I would think the logic is self explanatory.