What the hell happened to insurance?

Yes, I have covered CA and loving it. But, I could be lying and you will never know. :-k I am not doubting you've had some bad experiences with Covered CA. It's so new, the doctor network is incomplete. I wish you best of luck with your injury and get back on the bike as soon as possible.

My job is done here pushing this topic to 5 pages. People don't change minds by reading an internet forum. My participation here is just to provide a different point of view. I don't expect anyone to agree with me. By the no thanks I got, clearly my views are in the minority here. That's ok too. I've enjoyed the debate and appreciated that you keep the personal attacks to the minimum.

 

Cheers!

 

Lawyers. They wrote and write the laws. Let's cap malpractice payouts, limit legal compensation in medical matters.
That's a excellent place to start to cut costs.

 

SICKO its a movie on how health insurance companies (most f them) work against us... this is just a trailer..
http://youtu.be/8BJyyyRYbSk

 

Not credible since it's made by Michael Moore.

 

Here is another good place to start.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014...lls-are-the-talk-of-the-town-in-la-crosse-wis

Apparently, given the choice to decide beforehand, most people would make choices that would reduce their end of life health care costs.

 

This will be my last comment on the subject. Government mandates that we have insurance. Government mandates what will be in that insurance. Government creates a system whereby individuals cannot buy insurance except through the exchanges. Government dictates what insurance will pay doctors. Government dictates what will be covered and what will not.

There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING free market in such a system. If a person has no choice but to buy through the exchange, how is that "shopping around"?

 

Don't forget that government dictates that you cannot buy insurance unless you have a qualifying life event, or unless it's open enrollment.

 

Agreed, or even better, put that argument to your own line of work. Are you suddenly "greedy" if your employer cuts your pay by 20% and you start looking for work elsewhere?

Medical care isn't free. Obamacare was/is a political program with no thought given to cost or implementation.

Availability of Insurance shouldn't be tied to employment, of course, but that doesn't justify this idiotic program, or other more absurd approaches.

Nothing is free or unlimited in life, including medical insurance or housing, or food. There is a real cost to everything and a more rational and cost effective approach to insurance would focus on the demand-side reforms for basic coverage, e.g., instead of extreme service rationing you make the program more HSA like.

Doctors are not being greedy at all, but since the end of WW2 in this country health insurance has been provided in a way that consumers don't see the cost of service. Now it's moving to an even more absurd program whereby consumers are promised something unobtainable at the government imposed ration prices.

For those concerned about the truly poor, this country provides "free" health care to them and even to those who are not citizens. It aint free of course and the logical way to manage your costs is to ration the services--no brainer, done everywhere else in the world with similar approaches.

 

Come on, this is needed to prevent people like BigTex who talked about going without insurance to all of sudden sign up for insurance when they know they are sick.

 

I just thought this was funny......carry on.

 

You made it sound like Obama just came up with this idea from thin air and recklessly implemented this program without thinking it through. Mind you, this is the same program signed into law by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney when he was a governor. This is the same program successfully implemented in Switzerland.

Sure, the website sucked. Sure the network doctors may not be as plenty as you like. 3 out of 10 docs is not bad considering only about 25% of the population uses Obamacare, the rest are in company sponsored plans. 30% of doctors to serve 25% of the pupulation is not bad at all.

 

8 million had signed up for Obamacare as of 5/1. The population is 314 million. That's 2.5% of the population. Your decimal is in the wrong spot.

 

that's exactly right! the superficial thinking behind this and the other plans that you cite is appalling, but it is no wonder that you somehow think that pointing to a host of piss-poor examples is somehow justification for Obama's completely ill-informed and hap-hazard plan.

Troll all you want, but your "arguments" are pathetic.

 

This only makes my argument stronger. Somebody said only 3 out of 10 docs accept obamacare. Now you have 2.5% of the population using obamacare. So how can anyone argue that the network doc selection is poor? You have 30% of doctors serving 2.5% of the population. I am basing my analysis with figures you nay sayers provided. These are your figures not mine.

 

Nice spin. But when you lose your previous plan and are forced into the exchange, the 30% really isn't that great especially if you have had the same doctor for years.

 

You go to work tomorrow morning, your boss tells you; "John, down the hall will do your job for 20% less. So I need you to reduce your salary or we're going to have John do your job". This is the most common thing we hear in our business (contractor) - everyone is looking for a break. This is OUR job, I'm just applying the same aspect to your job as my customers ALWAYS ask of us. Our billable rates have not been able to increase for over 5 years - yet EVERY cost I have --home and work-- has nearly doubled in those same 5 years.

Now let's play you're a DR. You go to med school for years, work insane hours as an intern for years - get out, 6 figures in debt. You work and claw your way up, but in the healing or helping of your patients the insurance is a necessary evil, and now you have to hire staff just to handle the paperwork nightmare. Not to mention the crazy cost of malpractice insurance in the crazy sue-happy country with the frivolous cases and sky rocketing jury awards. Now the GOVERNMENT wants to come in and tell you how much you can make. Well maybe the GOVERNMENT should have decided that you only had to pay $xx to go to school.

We've had health care through the good and BAD, very bad-tight times (Sept 11 - NOBODY was spending $$, can't believe we survived and didn't loose it all). Through it all we have provided a job for several employees (many times my husband stayed home to keep his guys working). And with the ACA our premium costs just tripled for very high deductible and very little preventative coverage. You'll say I make too much money - nope, even pretended I was only making 45k and lived in AZ to step out of the covered CA...same insane rate.

You are pushing your 'political' perspective with no room for empathic dialogue that provides and understanding from anothers perspective. Basically, your attitude is what is wrong with our country - BOTH sides of the isle. Walk in another's shoes, 'we' are a community that needs to work together.

 

nm

 

True, it is not 'Obama' care and I correct people every opportunity I can. It is the Affordable Care Act, and it is NOT the same program Romney implemented-- same idea. This started 3-4 administrations ago, and just was just now pushed through.

Have you ever received emergency or standard medical care in Switerland? I have...just last summer in Lausanne. NOT EVEN the same thing...

 

Interesting to read all the insurance company bashing and doctor bashing here. Methinks it's a bit misguided.

Medical insurance companies make minimal profit compared to other companies, like Coca-Cola for example. Yes nobody bashes them or blames them for being greedy while downing a cold 12 ouncer from the fridge on a hot day.

http://marginalrevolution.com/margi...rofitable-are-health-insurance-companies.html

Not to be political, but this whole ACA is political and was crammed down to us citizens through crazy politics. "we'll have to pass the plan so we can see what's in it" (Nancy Pelosi). Then the President exempts unions and others, changes the law over 27 times (didn't I learn in Civics class in 10th grade that only Congress can change the law?), and deems it a success. Seriously?

Bottom line: You can't have 35 million uninsured that choose to be uninsured or are uninsured since they are illegal aliens, have 5 million lose their plans last fall ("If you like your plan, you can keep it, period!" That was THE LIE that even liberals will still refute, ironically), and 7 million get new coverage under the ACA/OBAMACare (I give credit where credit is due), and assume the medical world and insurance companies can absorb it. Basic supply and demand. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

So those that can pay (The "Rich") have to pay more, have higher deductibles, and get their doctors and hospitals all jacked around. I just got bumped to a new doctor and I really liked my doctor. I wonder why I got dropped by my regular doctor? Hmmmmm....

I've live in Europe and it boils down to one thing: Rationing of care. That's where we are headed. With medical student count down, many doctors retiring early, and they need to hire all the staff one needs to fight and code for reimbursement (as the insurance company is looking to save a buck anywhere they can), our access and cost for medical care will get harder and more expensive, respectively.

My son-in-law is in med school - I hope he becomes a specialist as it's the only way he'll make an upper income salary. Which he deserves, by the way, with 4 years of medical school, huge loans, and 4 years suffering in residency working 80 - 90 hour weeks.

I quit debating this whole issue with the libs in my circle of friends and fellow workers as they all think this is "wonderful" that everyone has access to medical insurance. Ironically, EVERYONE had access to medical care. Even poor people and illegal aliens. Now, we've ceded control to the government and they will eventually have the single payer system since it'll sink due to the cost.

My employer plan went up 24% and I dropped to the cheapest, poor-boy HMO plan possible with higher deductibles, co-pays and fewer doctors. That ain't driven just by inflation or CPI folks. It's due to the "Affordable" Care Act.

Just wait till 2015 premiums are published in a few months. I know the Democrats will try to hold out till after the November mid-terms, but regardless, hold on to your wallets, everyone!

Welcome to socialized medicine folks. Too many posts were way off base, and I had to say my piece. Rant over.

Sorry.

Congo Kid