Health Care, Part 2
From comments: "JustThinking said...
Donna - just curious. I agree that everyone has a right to high quality healthcare and I believe it is our responsibility as a society to see that care is provided on an equal basis to all. Now the sticky part - how do we pay for it? What is "low income"? Can everyone be low income? How long? Forever? Should we have a sliding scale fee based on income? How much should a doctor earn? A hospital? A insurance company? How much should an "average income" pay to support the care of all? A "high income"? A "low income"? Should some not pay at all? What solutions do you envision? ""
I believe that everyone should have a possibility of equal access to health care. I don't know that "high quality" is possible, but I know at least some quality is.
The start to that should be that ALL doctors and hospitals should be required to accept all insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. Whether you have Blue Cross or Medicaid you should be able to see the same quality doctors. This would also spread out the burden of the low reimbursement rates to all practitioners - rather than have the "low income, crappy doctor" clinics that we see now.
I VERY, VERY, VERY strongly believe that your access to health care/insurance should have ZERO to do with your employer. Who ever started that should be shot. :) By law my employer can't have any access to my health records, so why are they footing the bill for my access to that same healthcare? Will/Are people discriminated against in the workplace because they may utilize a lot of health care dollars and make the company's premiums rise? I believe they are and will be more and more as costs rise.
If my company knew my husband was going to rack up well over $100K in bills per year, would they have hired me?
I think people should work for an income. From that income should be taken federal taxes, state taxes and Social Security. Our "benefits" of insurance should not exist. However, salaries should rise for those who currently have insurance as part of their package. (Which would be an issue...) Say for example I make $20K a year and my employer pays $5K towards insurance. I should then see a salary of $25K.
From our incomes, where ever they come from, we should be able to buy in to health care at an affordable rate. Or, we should be able to pay a reasonable amount for a reasonable service. It shouldn't cost $350 for a 3 minute MD appointment for the doc to tell you that you have a rash.... It shouldn't cost $16,000 for a 20 minute ultrasound... KWIM? Also, cash payers and people with insurance shouldn't be expected to cover for every Tom, Dick and Harry that doesn't have coverage or pay...
Likewise, just because I have an HMO and a $5 co-pay I shouldn't be bothering that MD to tell me I have a rash. I should be trying cortizone cream or something and using the skills of the MD when I HAVE to - not WANT to. When people have to pay for that service, I think they will think twice about it!
How many of us get new glasses when we "can" through our plans? Whether or not we need them? I know I am guilty of that. Wanting a new look and all. But, when it costs me $100+ for them I start to decide if I "need" them.
I read with interest the article posted on Frugal Living about the MD who says that most medical treatments are not based on science and many, while expensive, don't do much for the patient. I think there is merrit to that. I think people are WAY to attached to finding a pill to solve every problem they have. Why not use the wisky for a cough like they did in the olden days?
And, why make you see an MD for every pill you might truly need? Why not a system like in Europe where you can ask your pharmacist and make more drugs available over the counter for the people who need them? I can't really see people abusing cholestorol medication, KWIM?
As for income of a physician or hospital, I think those should be realtive to their training and the work they do. I have no qualms about a physician who makes a lot of money - because they are highly skilled. However, I have a problem with some people paying, via insurance or privately, for all of the people. My appointment shouldn't cost tons of cash to make up for those who don't pay.
Low income versus high income is a good point. We don't want people with a high income getting great service and those with low income getting shitty service. Some plan where it balances based on your income would be nice.
Donna - just curious. I agree that everyone has a right to high quality healthcare and I believe it is our responsibility as a society to see that care is provided on an equal basis to all. Now the sticky part - how do we pay for it? What is "low income"? Can everyone be low income? How long? Forever? Should we have a sliding scale fee based on income? How much should a doctor earn? A hospital? A insurance company? How much should an "average income" pay to support the care of all? A "high income"? A "low income"? Should some not pay at all? What solutions do you envision? ""
I believe that everyone should have a possibility of equal access to health care. I don't know that "high quality" is possible, but I know at least some quality is.
The start to that should be that ALL doctors and hospitals should be required to accept all insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. Whether you have Blue Cross or Medicaid you should be able to see the same quality doctors. This would also spread out the burden of the low reimbursement rates to all practitioners - rather than have the "low income, crappy doctor" clinics that we see now.
I VERY, VERY, VERY strongly believe that your access to health care/insurance should have ZERO to do with your employer. Who ever started that should be shot. :) By law my employer can't have any access to my health records, so why are they footing the bill for my access to that same healthcare? Will/Are people discriminated against in the workplace because they may utilize a lot of health care dollars and make the company's premiums rise? I believe they are and will be more and more as costs rise.
If my company knew my husband was going to rack up well over $100K in bills per year, would they have hired me?
I think people should work for an income. From that income should be taken federal taxes, state taxes and Social Security. Our "benefits" of insurance should not exist. However, salaries should rise for those who currently have insurance as part of their package. (Which would be an issue...) Say for example I make $20K a year and my employer pays $5K towards insurance. I should then see a salary of $25K.
From our incomes, where ever they come from, we should be able to buy in to health care at an affordable rate. Or, we should be able to pay a reasonable amount for a reasonable service. It shouldn't cost $350 for a 3 minute MD appointment for the doc to tell you that you have a rash.... It shouldn't cost $16,000 for a 20 minute ultrasound... KWIM? Also, cash payers and people with insurance shouldn't be expected to cover for every Tom, Dick and Harry that doesn't have coverage or pay...
Likewise, just because I have an HMO and a $5 co-pay I shouldn't be bothering that MD to tell me I have a rash. I should be trying cortizone cream or something and using the skills of the MD when I HAVE to - not WANT to. When people have to pay for that service, I think they will think twice about it!
How many of us get new glasses when we "can" through our plans? Whether or not we need them? I know I am guilty of that. Wanting a new look and all. But, when it costs me $100+ for them I start to decide if I "need" them.
I read with interest the article posted on Frugal Living about the MD who says that most medical treatments are not based on science and many, while expensive, don't do much for the patient. I think there is merrit to that. I think people are WAY to attached to finding a pill to solve every problem they have. Why not use the wisky for a cough like they did in the olden days?
And, why make you see an MD for every pill you might truly need? Why not a system like in Europe where you can ask your pharmacist and make more drugs available over the counter for the people who need them? I can't really see people abusing cholestorol medication, KWIM?
As for income of a physician or hospital, I think those should be realtive to their training and the work they do. I have no qualms about a physician who makes a lot of money - because they are highly skilled. However, I have a problem with some people paying, via insurance or privately, for all of the people. My appointment shouldn't cost tons of cash to make up for those who don't pay.
Low income versus high income is a good point. We don't want people with a high income getting great service and those with low income getting shitty service. Some plan where it balances based on your income would be nice.
posted by The Frugal Place at 11:44 AM
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