The Health Care Reform Thread

[vherub]

One of the flaws, certainly in new york city, is that doctors and specialists overbill the healthcare provider for services that may or may not have been performed upon the patient. As a patient, you get a statement saying this is not a bill, with, at times, what looks to be hundreds or a couple thousands of dollars of services.
As the patient, there is no incentive to call a flag to what could be overbilling, because (1) there is a fear that maybe you will get charged more, (2) the patient rarely has any idea of what the fee schedule is, and (3) raising such flags is both a burden and has no immediate benefit.
To me, there doesn't seem to be many checks in place to discover or prevent such fraud.

 

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

[quote name='Kayden']Oh snap. You just handed him a prescription for shut the hell up![/quote]

Like that's ever stopped me from talking back again before?:lol:

 

[BigT]

[quote name='Snake2715']Possibly true, but when I have the best insurance available in my State, BCBS 100% plan $0 deductible, and I went to a local hospital due to a appendix and ended up with an appendectomy. Next thing I know I am sick with 105 fever and packed literally in a bed of ice for 15 hours.

Over the course of two weeks they cannot tell me why I am sick, just to deal with it and take another shot of Morphine or delotin(sp?). "It must be a side effect of the surgery", not that they left infection inside me and stiched me back up... it took me to find the lump of infection in my gut, and to tell them that it shouldnt be there.

I went in at 189 lbs and eventually got transfered out at 160 lbs after a 3 week period, there were issues with that first hospital. Had a family member not had a contact (doctor) in the new hospital I would have sat in the original hospital and may be dead.

I was in severe status, but since I was at a hospital they didn't give two shits. So that is why I say watch and see what happens to care when we all get the same "factory" treatment. patient in, back out, and lets get the next one in here to hit our quota for the government check at the end of the month.....[/quote]

Dude, that sucks!

I blame it on the surgeons ... but seriously, being on a surgical service in a hospital is not a good experience... they spend most of their time in the OR and are very skilled at what they do, but outside the OR, their patient management skills and clinical acumen is often limited... basically 90% of their salary comes from the OR; patient management out of the OR pays peanuts.

Sounds like you developed a post surgical abscess or you perforated your appendix? What did they end up doing... did they open you up? BTW, morphine and dilaudid prn (pro re nata; as needed for) pain are a good way to keep patients quiet (less pages sent by nursing...)

 

[JolietJake]

Just woke up sick, finally caught what the rest of my family has. I have no health insurance, so i guess i'll be paying for this out of my own pocket.

 

[BigT]

[quote name='JolietJake']Just woke up sick, finally caught what the rest of my family has. I have no health insurance, so i guess i'll be paying for this out of my own pocket.[/quote]

It's probably a viral URI vs. the flu... only symptomatic therapy indicated... see a doctor if it doesn't improve in 1 week.

 

[hostyl1]

[quote name='lilboo']What kind of Health Care is Obama trying to come up with? Would we still pay co-pays for Doctor's visits? Co-Pays for prescriptions?[/quote]

Who knows what it will look like after going through the meat grinder that is Congress, but during the campaign, Obama advocated allowing people to buy into the system that is currently available to Congress and Federal Employees (of which I am one). We have a fairly wide range of options from managed HMOs like Kaiser to Fee For Service plans like BCBS.

At no point has candidate/President Obama suggested transisitoning the country to 'single payer' system such as in Canada. More accurately, he has suggested some sort of public-private hybrid more akin to France or Germany. As best I understood his campaign promises, he wants to continued the employer based insurance model but for those with no access to such a group program or are unhappy with the options offered, they will be allowed to choose from the choices given to the Feds, with the government picking up part of the tab.

What I find interesting though is the backlash from regular American people and big businesses outside of the Insurance industry and so called Big Pharma. Of course those two groups would resist as this is pretty much an attack on their core business. But the American public has accepted that education should be publicly financed as that is essential to our standing in the world. How much more important is it that our people be healthy? Healthy workers/students are more productive and in the end cost less in health care than those who do not recieve regular care.

Additionally, I find it disgusting that we have mandated (in the vast majority of states) that anyone who drives a car *must* purchase insurance. Even if no private insurance company will take you b/c of a bad history of accidents, you can join the state's "high risk" pool (a terrible burden on the taxpayers BTW). However, there is no mandate for health coverage here. Moreover, even if someone wished to get insurance but is denied by the private sector for pre-exisiting conditions there is no analogous "high-risk" pool run by the state. Why Medicaid is not an option is beyond me.

As to another point, it is shameful that many men, particularly young men, refuse to see a doctor. I've even seen some "brag" on here that they havent had a check up in years. That's just pathetic! Just because you *feel* healthy means nothing. Especially with the diets and routines that many Americans keep, cholestorol tests and prostate exams are a must. These can cause serious problems that you'd never know without the proper screenings. The funny thing is, I bet these same men take their cars in for routine maintenance: oil change, tire rotation, fluid flush n fill, but couldnt be bothered to find out what's in their own bodies.

We men need to stop being cowards and go to the doctor for routine check ups!

 

[thrustbucket]

[quote name='hostyl1']

As to another point, it is shameful that many men, particularly young men, refuse to see a doctor. I've even seen some "brag" on here that they havent had a check up in years. That's just pathetic! Just because you *feel* healthy means nothing. Especially with the diets and routines that many Americans keep, cholestorol tests and prostate exams are a must. These can cause serious problems that you'd never know without the proper screenings. The funny thing is, I bet these same men take their cars in for routine maintenance: oil change, tire rotation, fluid flush n fill, but couldnt be bothered to find out what's in their own bodies.

We men need to stop being cowards and go to the doctor for routine check ups![/QUOTE]

You almost make a good point here if it weren't for the fact that most of us have seen that doctors will often find reasons to sell you something given the chance.

Better to burn out than fade away? Perhaps.