Positive conservative views on "single payer" health care

[Valjean]

There are hundreds of ancillary 'services' with fingers in the pie, as well, most of them unneeded. The system's a veritable Rube Goldburg. No-one can figure out all the various charges, so fraud, extra charges and gouging are rife.

 

[PureX]

I have posted this many times, but unfortunately, the people who need to watch it will probably refuse to do so. Nevertheless, I'll keep trying ...

 

[Nakosis]

...when the government bows to big corporations...

Bottom line is I believe congress could fix this whenever they wanted to. They don't want to because they don't want to slap the hand that feeds them.

 

[columbus]

You have to simply pay whatever the drug companies ask? Is there any reason for this other than blatant corruption?

I remember the lead up to ACA.
Obama specifically assured Big Pharma that the government would NOT use their buying power to negotiate prices. He had to, or Lilly and Pfizer and such would have launched an all out war against it. The government is no match for an obscenely profitable industry like the drug companies.
But, yeah, corruption is a good word. Except that corruption implies something hidden, at least mostly. This was right out in the open. It wasn't even surprising to the USA, or anybody familiar with US.
Tom

 

[Valjean]

Massive waste. Half the drugs and equipment are discarded, unused:
https://www.propublica.org/article/what-hospitals-waste

Healthcare executives rake in huge salaries:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/07/24/obscene-70-top-healthcare-ceos-raked-98-billion-2010

High prices on everything:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/13/us-healthcare-costs-causes-drug-prices-salaries

 

[Valjean]

The insurance industry actually does a lot of quality control work.
If they weren't around, the function would still be necessary.
As for the administrative work they do, that should be greatly
lessened. But looking at how the fed handles things, I don't
know that we can count on this. (Dealing with Obamacare
& Medicare has been a sequence of jumping thru hoops to
correct their many durable errors.)

Insurance companies often diminish quality of care, in their quest to refuse service or pay for the least expensive treatments.
A Dr can't just order the course of treatment s/he thinks best. He orders what he hopes the insurance company will go for, then braces for a lengthy negotiation -- often with clerks with no medical training, whose jobs depend on minimizing payments.
US Hospitals have whole departments devoted to billing and insurance negotiations. Canadian hospitals, on the other hand, have just an office with one or two billing clerks.

 

[Valjean]

I have posted this many times, but unfortunately, the people who need to watch it will probably refuse to do so. Nevertheless, I'll keep trying ...

An excellent documentary. I've posted it here in the past, but most people don't want to watch a long video.

Do watch it, people, It's both interesting and informative.

 

[columbus]

(Dealing with Obamacare
& Medicare has been a sequence of jumping thru hoops to
correct their many durable errors.)

You do realize that this is mostly a function of Republicans doing their level best to undercut and sabotage ACA, right? To do as much damage to the People as possible, in order to have Dem failures to point to during the election in 2016.
Tom

 

[Valjean]

You do realize that this is mostly a function of Republicans doing their level best to undercut and sabotage ACA, right? To do as much damage to the People as possible, in order to have Dem failures to point to during the election in 2016.
Tom

...and to keep on the good side of the rich insurance and medical industries, of course.

 

[johnsmithjohnsmith]

What's all the fuss about, guys?
Thin privilege!

 

[PureX]

I remember the lead up to ACA.
Obama specifically assured Big Pharma that the government would NOT use their buying power to negotiate prices. He had to, or Lilly and Pfizer and such would have launched an all out war against it. The government is no match for an obscenely profitable industry like the drug companies.
But, yeah, corruption is a good word. Except that corruption implies something hidden, at least mostly. This was right out in the open. It wasn't even surprising to the USA, or anybody familiar with US.
Tom

What is so puzzling is that Americans hate the politicians for taking the bribes and doing the bribe-payer's bidding, yet we worship the criminal oligarchs that are bribing them and demanding that they write the laws that allow them to rob and cheat the rest of us. And until we finally face the devastating criminality of greed run amok in our country, and in our culture, (and within ourselves,) we will never be able to put an end to the horrible corruption that it spawns.

Right now, nearly every decision we make in this country both in government and commerce is being made from the motive of greed. And that's why we are making such terrible, anti-social decisions, in this country. And it's why even in the wealthiest nation on Earth, the quality of life just keeps getting worse and worse, every year.

Greed poisons everything it touches.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

No-one can figure out all the various charges, so fraud, extra charges and gouging are rife.

Pressure for health care providers to make productivity rates related to billable hours also pushes and encourages fraud.

 

[columbus]

The bottom line problem is pretty simple.
In a Capitalist system, the primary goal of the health care system is NOT healthy people. It's corporate profits. Healthy people is a secondary and dispensable side effect. If some government or business policy will result in more profits and less health, that's what our system will provide.
Tom

 

[Revoltingest]

Insurance companies often diminish quality of care, in their quest to refuse service or pay for the least expensive treatments.

The seek to increase the overall care per dollar paid.
(I only know this because Mrs Revolt spent many decades providing health
care consulting to insurance companies & large "self insured" companies.)

A Dr can't just order the course of treatment s/he thinks best. He orders what he hopes the insurance company will go for, then braces for a lengthy negotiation -- often with clerks with no medical training, whose jobs depend on minimizing payments.
US Hospitals have whole departments devoted to billing and insurance negotiations. Canadian hospitals, on the other hand, have just an office with one or two billing clerks.

I agree though that insurance companies have major problems
dealing with their customers, with neither fully understanding
what their obligations & rights are.

 

[Revoltingest]

You do realize that this is mostly a function of Republicans doing their level best to undercut and sabotage ACA, right? To do as much damage to the People as possible, in order to have Dem failures to point to during the election in 2016.
Tom

To blame Republicans is to miss the larger point, ie,
the fed gov (to use a recently popular metaphor) is
a monkey ****ing a football. And Obama managed
to sabotage his own program on his own too.

 

[SomeRandom]

Insurance companies often diminish quality of care, in their quest to refuse service or pay for the least expensive treatments.
A Dr can't just order the course of treatment s/he thinks best. He orders what he hopes the insurance company will go for, then braces for a lengthy negotiation -- often with clerks with no medical training, whose jobs depend on minimizing payments.
US Hospitals have whole departments devoted to billing and insurance negotiations. Canadian hospitals, on the other hand, have just an office with one or two billing clerks.

Wait wait wait. An American doctor can't prescribe whatever the best approach to combatting an illness they think? They have to in effect ask permission and negotiate?
Okay I'm officially never ever complaining about public health care in my country ever again.
I think I'd rather politely wait my turn.

 

[Revoltingest]

Wait wait wait. An American doctor can't prescribe whatever the best approach to combatting an illness they think? They have to in effect ask permission and negotiate?
Okay I'm officially never ever complaining about public health care in my country ever again.
I think I'd rather politely wait my turn.

We need a practicing doctor to weigh in on this.
Don't believe everything you hear from critics of the current system.
I've never experienced what he claims.
Does it happen?
I suppose that depends upon circumstances.

 

[SomeRandom]

We need a practicing doctor to weigh in on this.
Don't believe everything you hear from critics of the current system.
I've never experienced what he claims.
Does it happen?
I suppose that depends upon circumstances.

I don't care what circumstances there is. There is no reason an insurance company should have any say over medical treatment as prescribed by a medically qualified professional. That is insane.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't care what circumstances there is. There is no reason an insurance company should have any say over medical treatment as prescribed by a medically qualified professional. That is insane.

Doctors don't always prescribe what is best.
Some oversight with an epidemiological approach is worthwhile.
There are quacks out there....I've had some as commercial tenants.

 

[SomeRandom]

Doctors don't always prescribe what is best.
Some oversight with an epidemiological approach is worthwhile.
There are quacks out there....I've had some as commercial tenants.

Of course there's quacks. I stil fail to see how an insurance company is a better choice. Another doctor sure. But a company intent on making profit? No thank you.