Thread Article: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us

Well at least the wars offer employment opportunities for the less fortunate. And even some medical coverage when wounded. I guess war is one solution.

Yeah, except the fact that the VA medical care is shit. It's disgusting how many of these guys coming back from abroad broken are treated.
 
If socialized medicine could improve efficiencies here, it would be a no brainer. Only what we're offered is the same system with another layer of bureaucracy (and added expense of that) layered on top. I'm not saying that good social health care can't be done, but our socialized health care plan certainly isn't doing that. And that's why myself, and plenty of other people, don't support it.

Is that because you'd have a half arsed system of the government paying private hospitals for healthcare rather than having government hospitals as we do? We have budgets which hospitals ahve to adhere to so sometimes we don't get treated as fats as we'd like, but we can always pay for faster treatment if we want. France seems to have a more efficient system in terms of speed of treatment.
 
years ago, when spange and i were married and lived in georgia, we went skiing in tahoe. i fell and tore my ACL (i knew instantly, seeing as how i had previously torn my left knee's ACL.) i NEEDED care, and of COURSE, i was OUT OF TOWN. while spange drove and parked in the hospital ER parking lot, i called the hospital to VERIFY that they accepted my insurance. yes. then i called my INSURANCE company to DOUBLE-CHECK that the hospital accepted my insurance. YES. THEN as soon as i was WHEELED in, I STOPPED TO ASK THE ADMISSIONS if they accepted my insurance (not telling them i had called previously.) YES.

ok. i've done my part. i put my world and my body on PAUSE so i could TRIPLE-CHECK that i was covered...and covered under a hospital that was not out-of-network. only THEN did i go on with seeing docs and taking x-rays and what-not.

WELL GUESS WHAT.

the HOSPITAL -- meaning the BUILDING i visited accepted my insurance, but THE DOCTOR ON-CALL WHO WAS WORKING AT THAT HOSPITAL THAT DAY DID NOT ACCEPT MY INSURANCE. nor did the x-ray technician. but the nurses were covered! whew!

I. WAS. LIVID. i spent HOURS on the phone DEMANDING explanations and fighting charges. guess what i found out?

first of all, the hospital CANNOT TELL ME IF THEY DO NOT ACCEPT MY INSURANCE -- it's a LIABILITY RISK. if i refused treatment and died on their waiting room floor, they could be sued. so they can LIE TO YOU, even if you're TRYING to do the best YOU can.

additionally? well, just because the hospital accepts my insurance doesn't mean anyone who is contracted in from the outside will. WHAT'S THE FUCKING POINT OF OFFERING SERVICES IF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OVER MY CARE WON'T ACCEPT MY METHOD OF PAYMENT?????


omg this was YEARS ago and i'm getting mad now. THIS SYSTEM IS NOT ONLY BROKEN, IT'S FRAUDULENT, AND IT'S OK.

bottom of every freaking line that interacts with the health care system??? IT ALL GOES BACK TO LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY AND GREED.
 
Is that because you'd have a half arsed system of the government paying private hospitals for healthcare rather than having government hospitals as we do? We have budgets which hospitals ahve to adhere to so sometimes we don't get treated as fats as we'd like, but we can always pay for faster treatment if we want. France seems to have a more efficient system in terms of speed of treatment.

IMHO, it's because this place is really run by big business and businesses don't get any bigger than healthcare. From my understanding, even the VA (government) hospitals for the military are generally piss poor. Everything in between the patient and the doctor is broken here.

edit: And by broken I mean expensive and crappy. We spend more money on healthcare than like the next five developed nations combined, and fall somewhere in the middle of the pack on infant mortality and longevity. It's cray cray
 
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. Personally I believe you can judge a country by how it treats it's less fortunate inhabitants.

Problem is about 90% of our "less fortunate" are were they are by choice and expect their entitlements, and if they fill out the paperwork their ARE options for them to get free healthcare. We spend all our money on unproductive citizens who will always be unproductive, but those who have fallen on bad times (laid off, broke a leg and can't work, main provider dies in a car accident, whatever) we let slip through the cracks.

IMO if you have a job you and your family should have an option for affordable healthcare that actually covers all of your expenses. None of this 80% or out of network bullshit with thirty doctors visits at $20 or $50 a pop in copay fees. We need serious reform with our healthcare system to stop the profiteering. How is this accomplished? Not sure. Obamacare did nothing to fix any of this though... it just basically made the rest of America pay the insurance premiums for 35 million people who didn't already have insurance.

The rest of our "less fortunate" need some tough love, cut them off and they'll work or starve, give everyone the option to work 4 hours a day cleaning ditches or something for a check instead of just handing them money.
 
Problem is about 90% of our "less fortunate" are were they are by choice and expect their entitlements, and if they fill out the paperwork their ARE options for them to get free healthcare. We spend all our money on unproductive citizens who will always be unproductive, but those who have fallen on bad times (laid off, broke a leg and can't work, main provider dies in a car accident, whatever) we let slip through the cracks.

IMO if you have a job you and your family should have an option for affordable healthcare that actually covers all of your expenses. None of this 80% or out of network bullshit with thirty doctors visits at $20 or $50 a pop in copay fees. We need serious reform with our healthcare system to stop the profiteering. How is this accomplished? Not sure. Obamacare did nothing to fix any of this though... it just basically made the rest of America pay the insurance premiums for 35 million people who didn't already have insurance.

The rest of our "less fortunate" need some tough love, cut them off and they'll work or starve, give everyone the option to work 4 hours a day cleaning ditches or something for a check instead of just handing them money.
:lol:
 
Problem is about 90% of our "less fortunate" are were they are by choice and expect their entitlements, and if they fill out the paperwork their ARE options for them to get free healthcare.
I really dislike having to read this sentence this early in the morning. :mad: