So my buddy Sue over at Beggars Shot Glass and I both have problems with the healthcare system right now be we disagree on what should be done about it. I haven't got a clue what should be done but I know what I don't want to happen. I don't want Gov in charge of it. I don't want it to be free for all. I think that there needs to be programs like Medicaid for people who truly can't afford it and have medical problems. I think that with the care existing- it should also be available for use. I haven't yet figured out how to do that though. Any ideas? Here are my issues- I am not a fan of taking money from the rich to pay for the poor. It doesn't work. People aren't going to give up a decade or more of their lives to make the same amount of money that any Joe makes. Why would he if he can make the same old salary without as much effort and time spent away from families or on call? People are rich for a reason- they worked hard, went to school longer, had better ideas, or are much better at something that people want than you or I. I'm okay with that. I know life isn't fair. People came to America long ago seeking fortune and still do and they should be able to if that's what they want to do.
Did you know that if a person comes in with Medicaid and a Dr sees them they have to open the office up to all Medicaid patients? My dad is a dentist and he does not accept medicaid, neither does our orthodontist- and I was told by them that they don't know why any dentist would. The fee they are paid by Medicaid doesn't even equal the fees that the Dr has to pay to labs or for materials. Every time he would see a medicaid patient he would lose money. If I can't afford to get my car fixed would a mechanic pay me to do it for me? No- how would he stay in business and pay his own bills? Does a Dr lose the right to make money because he is dealing in people instead of cars? I don't think so. Most Dr though do offer their services at free clinics on a regular basis though.
We were without healthcare for a while because we just couldn't fit it into our budget. I found it was cheaper NOT to have it because many Drs gave a cash discount. (Of course it's never cheaper in an emergency and I recommend having insurance or a big savings account if you can.) I could NOT buy maternity insurance in Texas (you had to get it through a workplace- I called every insurance company and no one sold maternity) so my choices were to pay cash and hope there weren't any complications or get on Medicaid which I knew we would qualify for. I did the latter because if there were some emergency I would be paying on that baby until I died. Sometihng is wrong there!! Why in the world has the cost gone up so much that people have to worry so much about paying to have a baby- something most women used to do in their homes for free? (That's another post) I can tell you one of the reason and it isn't Dr's greed. Insurance Companies. Drs have to pay a boatload for insurance- much more than your usual businessman.
So what is to be done people? There needs to be a safety net for those that are in need of care. Yes, they can go to emergency rooms, free clinics, free hospitals, but that is just too much trouble for some people I guess. I know I would rather pay and go into debt than spend a whole day at one of those places waiting to be seen or for my child to be seen. Anyone have any bright ideas?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Healthcare
Posted by Lena at 8:59 AM
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20 comments:
I really like the healthcare plan that Massachusetts came up with when Romney was governor there. (There's a Time magazine article about it that you can look up if you want to. The article explains things better than I could.)
I don't know what the solution is. But I will definitely agree that there is a MAJOR problem. I won't even get started on the problems we have had (obviously starting with our first million dollar baby - but definitely not ending there).
But something has to change.
There is a fun argument about this on that blog that Lena mentioned. Mr. Anonymous had some interesting ideas about removing government regs that restrict healthcare providers and companies. We are already seeing some market place changes to help with high deductible insurance, pre-tax medical savings and even cheap drugs at Wal-Mart and Target. Many of the Care-Now clinics are cheaper then going to the doctor. There are alternatives and I think that we will continue to see others. The government just needs to make it easier. I also heard that in Mass. they are having serious budget issues with healthcare costs and the state budget. I don't know how well that would work for the rest of the US.
But you DON'T need to join in on that discussion- Sue likes to stay away from political discussion and we should respect that.
I'll have to check out the Mass thing. Andrea- did you guys have insurance? I can't even imagine!!!
I'm not saying the Mass plan is perfect, but I really like the idea of govt helping to pay for healthcare but not running it. Instead run by a private company with govt oversight. And the logic of the government paying for preventative health car rather than visits to the ER seems like a good idea.
Of course if doctors could avoid malpractice and courts threw out ridiculous lawsuits then maybe insurance premiums for doctors would go down and then the cost of healthcare in general could go down.
It is a very interesting debate.
I think i would have chewed out the teacher for calling my kid stupid. Of course In a diplomatic and very sly way. :)
Bruno- had it been my child- I would have, and probably should have anyway.
(Everyone else-this is from a different discussion so don't worry if you are confused.)
The way you worded your post implied things about me that simply aren't true, Lena.
I did not say what I think should be done about the healthcare. I myself am not clear on that. I asked questions; I played Devil's Advocate, but I did not spell out my personal viewpoints. What I did was respond to your remarks that the reason we shouldn't have that sort of health care is because the professionals would not get paid well for it. It should not be about the money, but unfortunately that is in the crux of the problem right there, money.
There are doctors who care about the people in the world, too.
If you want to say you disagree with me that is fine, but please make sure you know exactly where I stand before you do. ;-) As it turns out, we actually agree on many things.
Also, I do not consider this particular issue a political one. It affects 46 million people. It's not about politics, it's about taking care of each other.
Voice for the Uninsured
Thanks for the clarification Sue (you know in my head I say Sueby Sueby Doo! like Scooby doo? Wierd, lol.) That is why I put the link- so they could read the problem you had and what was said about it by everyone there. I suppose I figured you didn't think along the same lines since you played devil's advocate but didn't say that's what you were doing.
My ideal society would be everyone getting what they need and giving the rest to the general "pot." Unfortunately that won't work without perfect leaders and people and well, that just isn't human nature is it? I have read about communities like this (thank you Stacy) and think it how WONDERFUL that would be. Absolutely fantastic- but I don't see it happening in this lifetime so in the meantime I guess we need to decide how best to take care of each other. Thank heavens for charities and churches that help take the burden off the government at least a little bit.
Lena, I could HUG you! Amen, sister!
My husband is a family doctor. And while "it's not about the money," we have a mortgage worth of student loan debt just for the PRIVILEGE of being a doctor. Then there's residency. Waiters make more money than residents. So, a little bit, yeah, it is about the money. Is that why we went into it? No. But we do have to pay down our debts that got us here.
I disagree with BOTH candidates on their healthcare ideas. The answer is NOT to insure everyone. The answer is to GET AWAY from stupid insurance companies. What did people do long ago? Pay out of pocket! But it wasn't ridiculously expensive. Why not? Because they weren't padding the bank accounts of insurance people and HMOs! Band-aids don't cost $5 each like it says on your hospital bill. That's ludicrous. It's inflated to cover the bureaucratic red-tape costs of paperwork and hoops set up by . . . who was that again? Oh yeah, insurance companies! The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT to insure all people. It's to find a way to make it affordable to all. No more insurance companies. Down with insurance companies and that whole mentality. Everyone should have health care and everyone should be able to afford it. Bah.
Now, it can be foolishly dangerous to not have ANY insurance. So what to do? There is a movement out there that encourages relatively healthy people to carry catastrophic insurance (so that you have SOMEthing) with a high deductible and then pay out of pocket for routine stuff. That's what we do. It actually SAVES us money because our monthly premiums aren't so ridiculously high. Doctors who support this offer reduced cash rates.
Here are examples of doctors putting this into action:
Doctor Has Plan to Cut Care Costs
Our clinic is also cash based. We offer affordable rates and don't deal with insurance companies--win-win for all, truthfully. Most of our clients thank us for not accepting insurance because they prefer this!
I once talked to a woman who excitedly told me that her copay was only 10 instead of 20 dollars and that it "only" cost her 800 dollars a month! WHAT?! She was excited about her TEN dollar savings for her ONCE a year visit and for that, she paid hundreds more a month?? This is how confused people are about this topic!
We don't have "car repair insurance." Something breaks, we pay to fix it. If we were to do similarly with our own health, it would be more affordable. It's ridiculous the power we give insurance companies. And everyone should be able to have access and treatment. And preventative medicine ought to be pushed much more.
One of my colleagues (who is against the principle of insurance) once explained that when she divorced and raised her two young sons, the ex paid hundreds of dollars a month to keep the boys insured. By the time they turned 18, he had spend close to 100,000 in premiums. By contrast, the boys, in that time, dealt with 2 broken bones between them and one hospitalization for appendicitis. She contends that if they'd simply paid out of pocked for those and NOT paid those premiums, they would have saved over 90,000 dollars. She's right. Their college would have been paid, then some.
I know the argument already forming in people's heads--but what if they had needed much more medical attention? That's what catastrophic insurance is for (if we're going to stick with this flawed system). And again, if EVERYTHING were cheaper (because we'd get rid of stupid insruance companies), even the "big stuff" wouldn't cost so much. It'd be akin to, using the car analogy, replacing a transmission. Not cheap, but at least you haven't been paying 600 bucks a month in "car repair insurance" to save you the 1-2 grand it'll cost to replace the transmission. You know?
In the olden days, there were interest-free payment plans (which we offer) and people bartered (which we offer) and paid with eggs and tomoatoes from their gardens. We long for those days. Something needs to change. And it's not insuring everyone. It's ditching insurance companies and having a whole, new paradigm.
I would LOVE to put my premium in the bank to use in emergencies. Right now we are insured through Peter's work (finally) and it's a high deductible plan which means we pay through the nose for the Dr and for the insurance. Stinks. One of our problems is that Peter is virtually uninsurable because of some health issues beyond his control and my kids have asthma so when I had them insured (not through work) they wouldn't cover anything respiratory- that's what we need the insurance for! Drove me crazy. But we still felt we needed insurance in case of those big emergencies. I think that catastrophic coverage sounds great. I wonder if there are companies that will give you that when you are uninsurable for anything else?
Wow Lena, I'd have to agree with you on most of what you said. Gotta think more on how to change it though. If you need a dentist that takes Chips or Medicaid contact Bailey/Hyde and Miller - thats who we used for nicole and they are fantastic:) ttyl
Actually Marcy- I am very lucky. My dad is a dentist and a great friend of the family and Ortho that my dad recommends to everyone does our kids braces free too. We are so blessed.
hi lena beana .. "scooby doo" made me smile. your dad rocks. yes, you are blessed there. we would be in big time trouble if we had picked jobs that didn't have insurance benefits. i will never let my family go without coverage, not even for one day, because one day could be the day of a huge impossible accident/emergency that you would be stuck paying for until the day you die. no thanks.
but i don't think the answer is having govt socialize medicine like in canada. but i hate political discussion, too, can't believe i even commented here ((smiles)). i meant to just say scooby doo and LOL.
night lena, beany
If you ever want to get a rise out of me, just discuss healthcare and insurance companies!
My personal problem with the Care Now facilities, and I've only been there twice, is that the doctors there are better suited for bagging groceries at the local grocery store. The two times I did visit, my kids were totally diagnosed. Carson was diagnosed with an ear infection and within a day she layed in my arms limp from dehydration while I rushed her to the ER and turned out she had rotovirus. So, if I had more confidence in the feel-good quick places like Care Now, I would visit them again. However, there is an awesome facility down the street that I love- the doctor does not take insurance, the fee is a little high, but you get quality care. And he's open on Saturday for no extra charge.
Oops, I meant to say my kids were MISdiagnosed...
Speaking of the governmnent, I need a personal financial bailout, too. I've got a home mortgage, 2 car loans, 3 college tuitions to pay for, plus I'd really like to go on a cruise to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'd say 1million out to cover it. Tell me again why that's fair?
I like Meredith.
Oh- tell me who the Dr is! We have been to the CareNow a few times and I actually loved them! But- it was for asthma and all I needed was some steroids and I knew that and she gave it to me ;) Peter actually went there and ended up needing an x-ray and it was still all under $200! It's good to hear other experiences though so I can be extra careful. I usually try to get them into their regular Dr but they don't have extended hours at all. We tried a different place this last weekend (the one in the Target parking lot) and I thought they did a good job with both Grandma and Joseph too. I'm always looking- obviously I haven't found someone I LOVE yet. Meridith- can you put me on your list to see your blog?
Stacy- she is awesome- she's a great visiting teacher too!
Lena, I LOVE IT!
Your so right. Being in the military you have no clue as to how bad the insurance is. TWICE the military hospital HERE in SD has screwed up Monkey #4 stuff, Once on Monkey #3 and they actually had the gall to tell Monkey #1 and me that even though her toe was broken badly (and she has had problems repeatedly since) that she was a girl it would mend on its own, but if she were a boy they would have set it with a pin but girls can deal with the pain better. GRRRR!
In a different facility they did a spinal tap on me for NO REASON! I told them EXACTLY what was wrong and they said no it wasnt that it had to be this and to be honest I was too sick to argue and let them do the ST. Which required 2 blood patches to close up. GRRRR!
So yes this is the type of program that BO wants. I agree if I go to school I should get the pay for it.
Also all you have to do is talk to someone in Canada who already has this and find out how they feel about their program. I have several friends who live there. While in some instances it proved very beneficial they were extenuating circumstances and most would never encounter that.
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