Health Insurance is the problem not the solution

[thetonka]

And here is an example of just one of the problems created by Health Insurance.

My Brother in Law is sick, and since May has had several heart attacks and has spent quite a bit of time in intensive care and in ambulances. Now his lack of good insurance is his own fault, he could afford it and had a job that gave his really good insurance but he did not WANT to work. So he opted for cheaper insurance and a part time job since he had inheritance to live on. ALL his choices.

Anyway, how he got here is a different story, but now he is on disability and has no insurance and is not eligible for state help(which is actually really good in California) because he has too much money, did not have continuous insurance, and several other reasons.

So he set about looking to pay for the pacemaker he NEEDS by himself. This brings us to the real problem I have with Health Insurance, the Health Insurance reform our government is so proud of, and why I think forcing insurance on everyone is more of a problem than a solution.

My BIL shopped around for his pacemaker and found a very good surgeon at a really good hospital to do the operation. During his shopping around he got a lot of prices, the most telling is the difference between cost to the insurance companies and the cost to him.

If insurance were to pay for the operation it would have cost $160,000 at ALL the hospitals he talked to.

Paying cash he was able to get the operation for $23,000.

How can ANYONE think that Health Insurance is ANY solution to the real problem of Health Care costs such a significant difference in cost?

We did not get Health Care reform, we got Health Insurance Reform that was a hand out to the Insurance Companies and Medical corporations to extend their ability to scam the people out of massive amounts of money. We really needed Health Care Reform that addressed cost, and our government failed us.

Just my $.02

[fascisthunter]

1. screw insurance... it's a racket

we need a publicly funded system. THAT will bring prices down.

[chimpymustgo]

2. Horrific illustration of the shit we're in for with this "reform".

There will be more...and worse.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend - it's just wrong to chain people to corporations

Like this. It's just wrong.

That it will help people is true - still doesn't make it right.

[Barack_America]

4. PRIVATE, for profit health insurance is the problem.

The concept of pooling money to assist in the paying of medical bills is not a bad idea. It's the skimming off the top for executive salaries and shareholder profits that is the problem.

[dkf]

5. Wow that isn't what I was expecting...

I thought the price he was quoted would be higher than the insurance quote. Isn't that their purpose? To negotiate better costs?

[uncommon]

7. Hell no - hospitals and doctors bill insurance companies more because they CAN.

[Fumesucker]

8. If you negotiate before the fact with doctors and hospitals you can get a great rate..

Comparatively speaking of course..

It's those people who don't have either the position of wealth to negotiate from or who are overcome by a health emergency for which they do not have time or opportunity to negotiate that are most screwed over by our health care system (for lack of a better term).

[thetonka]

10. What most people have for Health Care is NOT a system!

Health Insurance is NOT Health Care, and using Health Insurance to pay for your Health Care is NOT a system.


We have Kaiser. Kaiser IS a Health Care System! If I had my choice the Kaiser model would be accessible to everyone in this country, and for those that can not afford it there would be help.

This would be an acceptable compromise allowing private practice to continue for those who want to pay for it, but giving access to a true Health Care System to everyone run by DOCTORS, not lawyers accountants or politicians.

[thetonka]

9. Yes and No.

The insurance companies negotiate prices, but the medical institutions understand the insurance companies are going to do everything they can to get the lowest possible price and compensate during negotiations.

This was the problem I had with the argument of access back before the "reform" was passed. EVERYONE has access, insurance does NOT determine this. The problem is cost, and this last year watching my BIL go through all this has driven home that CASH cost for service is cheaper than Insurance costs, at ALL levels.

Having insurance pay for everything only hides the costs, which WILL be passed on to someone else. This is NOT what insurance is supposed to be, we have perverted it and the government is now supporting the scam with legislation.

[uncommon]

6. PRECISELY - health insurance is a scam.