ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 13:49:31 GMT -5
I tyhought it was because they proved unpopular in the market place.My employer tried one for a while,and it was nothing but complaints.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 13:50:14 GMT -5
Maybe preventative care is the wrong word. I wasn't speaking about catching conditions early, rather managing conditions & symptoms to keep them in check, preventing serious conditions & many ER visits. That is why I was speaking about chronic conditions like asthma & diabetes. I am not suggesting that either can be prevented, but both can be maintained in such a way that a person can lead a relatively normal life without constant visits to the ER & serious long-term side effects like kidney failure.
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NoMoreLunacy
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Post by NoMoreLunacy on Jun 9, 2011 13:51:40 GMT -5
Citizens in the best country in the world should be able to provide for themselves without having to mooch off the rich. I would love to live in your fantasy world, it must be a pretty nice place. My world is indeed a pretty nice place and I don't want it to become like the one that poorer folks live in. So, lower my taxes already. If you like Socialism go to Cuba.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 13:51:54 GMT -5
I don't think most people go in and say gee,the cancer treatments look good,I'll have some of those and give me a gall bladder surgery, and maybe a colonascopy......
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NoMoreLunacy
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Post by NoMoreLunacy on Jun 9, 2011 13:54:00 GMT -5
I don't think most people go in and say gee,the cancer treatments look good,I'll have some of those and give me a gall bladder surgery, and maybe a colonascopy...... You never know about the colonoscopy though ... some may actually like it.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 13:55:15 GMT -5
I tyhought it was because they proved unpopular in the market place.My employer tried one for a while,and it was nothing but complaints. I thought that was the problem as well. The whole needing a primary care doc to give you permission everytime you need to see a different doc or anything is a huge PITA.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 13:55:22 GMT -5
It all boils down to numbers.I asked my doctor for a chest xray to screen for lung cancer.He told me insurance does not cover them as a screening tool,their bean counters feel it is more cost effective to treat the relativly smaller number of actual lung cancer cases than to cover xrays for screening.He said they have to write it up as a problem,such as chronic cough,or pain.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 13:57:58 GMT -5
I would love to live in your fantasy world, it must be a pretty nice place. My world is indeed a pretty nice place and I don't want it to become like the one that poorer folks live in. So, lower my taxes already. If you like Socialism go to Cuba. The healthcare reform is not socialism, but nice try.
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 14:09:15 GMT -5
I am not suggesting that either can be prevented, but both can be maintained in such a way that a person can lead a relatively normal life without constant visits to the ER & serious long-term side effects like kidney failure. Yes, and a lot of it can also be prevented or at least controlled with a change in lifestyle (first hand experience in this arena)...something the entitled class in this country will not do. BTW, for the diabetics out there...a lot of places are offering free metforman prescriptions. I was speaking to one diabetic about where to get their prescription free and they said "why bother, my insurance pays for it." - See, bend the supply / demand curve and this is the result. That was part of it. Considering how many people are unhappy with their medical plans of today (that don't seem to be going away), the problem wasn't as simple as just poor popularity. This is from a few years back. I'll warn you, it's a bit long...... findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5814/is_1_45/ai_n29387922/
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cme1201
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Post by cme1201 on Jun 9, 2011 14:14:20 GMT -5
There is that damnable personal responsibility arguement again. I'm all for personable responsibility, but I also understand the difficulty for lower wage folks. The entire health care system works against people trying for personal responsibility when you are broke & have no insurance or worse have a pre-existing condition. No it does not, I pay cash for my health care angel, and I have several pre-existing conditions (ra and a degeneritve nerve disease just to name a few) that make getting insurance financially impossible. I do not get any government benefits and I do not suffer needlessly, I shop for the lowest price for what I need.
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 14:14:55 GMT -5
It all boils down to numbers.I asked my doctor for a chest xray to screen for lung cancer.He told me insurance does not cover them as a screening tool,their bean counters feel it is more cost effective to treat the relatively smaller number of actual lung cancer cases than to cover xrays for screening.He said they have to write it up as a problem,such as chronic cough,or pain. And cost is the huge problem with preventative care. A government run single payer system would be no different. Whether it's my insurance company, my government or my piggy bank, it always boils down to numbers no matter who is doing paying.
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 14:19:58 GMT -5
I don't think most people go in and say gee,the cancer treatments look good,I'll have some of those and give me a gall bladder surgery, and maybe a colonascopy...... Did you deliberately ignored the fact that I was talking about preventative care and decided to blow this way out of context to add a little shock and awe into the conversation? Nice try (actually, no, it really wasn't) but I'm not taking the bait.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:23:41 GMT -5
The hospital we use has a waiting room full of white surburban folk. Many young people with babies, many obvious fever,cough, etc cases that should not be clogging up the ER. One time my wife could not breathe,and I wheeled her in in a wheel chair ,put oxygen on her and let us sit for almost 2 hrs..By the time we got in her o2 level was in the danger zone.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:25:52 GMT -5
Not at all.You make it sound like people go to doctors and hospitals for fun and grins.Medical care is a necessity. Notice I did not say a right,but a necessity.
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NoMoreLunacy
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Post by NoMoreLunacy on Jun 9, 2011 14:27:47 GMT -5
My world is indeed a pretty nice place and I don't want it to become like the one that poorer folks live in. So, lower my taxes already. If you like Socialism go to Cuba. The healthcare reform is not socialism, but nice try. I am all for healthcare reform as long as my services are not disrupted and I don't have to pay for it.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 14:29:59 GMT -5
What happens if you break a leg & need surgery or any other much higher expense procedure? Wouldn't having access to health insurance be better than pay as you go & praying nothing catastrophic happens?
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:32:01 GMT -5
Everyone seems to inject their own scenario onto others situation. My wife has run up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical bills. No way could I pay cash.....
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:36:33 GMT -5
I know a few people that have been in this boat.Mostly young adults. Many providers chop their fees to a fraction of what is the norm for what they call charity cases,accepting a certain number of them, and make up for it in their price structure.
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cme1201
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Post by cme1201 on Jun 9, 2011 14:40:45 GMT -5
What happens if you break a leg & need surgery or any other much higher expense procedure? Wouldn't having access to health insurance be better than pay as you go & praying nothing catastrophic happens? I have been in the catastrophic situation, I paid cash, and made payments, having insurance would be nice, I can't afford over 3k per month for a insurance, and even with the new health care plan I still will not be able to afford a plan, make too much for governmental benefits.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 14:42:32 GMT -5
What happens if you break a leg & need surgery or any other much higher expense procedure? Wouldn't having access to health insurance be better than pay as you go & praying nothing catastrophic happens? I have been in the catastrophic situation, I paid cash, and made payments, having insurance would be nice, I can't afford over 3k per month for a insurance, and even with the new health care plan I still will not be able to afford a plan, make too much for governmental benefits. The healthcare reform would give you access to affordable insurance, which you say would be nice. So why would you not want that?
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:43:22 GMT -5
Who could? That seems pretty steep,imo... Isn't there some sort of insurance co-op pool in Obamacare?
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 14:44:38 GMT -5
Not at all.You make it sound like people go to doctors and hospitals for fun and grins.Medical care is a necessity. Notice I did not say a right,but a necessity. Where the h did I suggest it was fun...good lord. I'm merely saying that when it's "free", (as in - I paid my premium...might as well use it....as in - I paid for the all you can eat buffet, I might as well eat it all....as in - Why should I go slightly out of my way to get my prescription for free when my insurance company pays for it.) people will use more. Really ugo...it's really sad that I even have to explain supply and demand scenarios to you.
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 14:50:01 GMT -5
The healthcare reform would give you access to affordable insurance, which you say would be nice. So why would you not want that? The whole "affordable insurance" is a serious misnomer IMHO. The insurance is not affordable simply because everybody else is being forced to pay for it instead of you personally. This simply hides the true cost by spreading the bill.
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cme1201
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Post by cme1201 on Jun 9, 2011 14:51:42 GMT -5
I have been in the catastrophic situation, I paid cash, and made payments, having insurance would be nice, I can't afford over 3k per month for a insurance, and even with the new health care plan I still will not be able to afford a plan, make too much for governmental benefits. The healthcare reform would give you access to affordable insurance, which you say would be nice. So why would you not want that? Because nothing I have seen in the 2k+ page bill says I will get affordable insurance, what it says is I must buy insurance (whether I can afford it or not) or face a fine. Show me where it says it's going to make it affordable, looking at MA and Romneycare, insurance rates are going to continue increasing.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 14:52:26 GMT -5
I guess, what can I say. There are very few" free" scripts. I guess I am a bit touchy because I depend on my insurance a lot and would not dream of limiting my wifes treatments,meds, or doctors visits to save a few bucks. I will continue to do as the doctors say.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jun 9, 2011 15:06:38 GMT -5
The healthcare reform would give you access to affordable insurance, which you say would be nice. So why would you not want that? Because nothing I have seen in the 2k+ page bill says I will get affordable insurance, what it says is I must buy insurance (whether I can afford it or not) or face a fine. Show me where it says it's going to make it affordable, looking at MA and Romneycare, insurance rates are going to continue increasing. A couple reasons your insurance will be more affordable - they can't adjust your premiums based on your pre-existing conditions. Anyone making under 400% poverty will have a cap on the % of income that they have to spend on medical care - I think it is around 12%, but I would have to double check. It will also be more affordable because they are expanding the risk pool. MA insurance is not that expensive - I priced a policy at $240/month for myself - cheaper than what I have now with better coverage. You can price one for yourself - www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/site/connector/You have to use a MA zip code, I randomly picked 02108. Another point - they are going to set up similar websites for each state so that it is very easy to price & compare individual insurance - seems like a good idea to me.
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floridayankee
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Post by floridayankee on Jun 9, 2011 15:11:11 GMT -5
I guess, what can I say. There are very few" free" scripts. I guess I am a bit touchy because I depend on my insurance a lot and would not dream of limiting my wifes treatments,meds, or doctors visits to save a few bucks. I will continue to do as the doctors say. I understand. I am diabetic (mild) and DW is asthmatic (rather severe) so I know where you're coming from. I depend on mine as well. I still see don't believe that this bill will relieve all my worries. In fact, if this monstrous reform package f's it all up, it'll be to late to turn back and that will help neither of us.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 15:20:20 GMT -5
I am arthritic and my wife is batteling lung cancer.My Humira injections cost 1800 a month.{Yes,18 hundred,not a typo,as I am prone to}There is a third party co pay assitance plan run by the manufacturer that is not even means tested that I take advantage of,but that does not help my insurance company . . My wifes bills have been terrible as she has been in and out of the hosipital from complications a lot. I am not really into the rationing thing right now, but can see how maybe some could.In the meantime,I will do whatever the doctors order and pay for whatever the insurance company doesn't.
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cme1201
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Post by cme1201 on Jun 9, 2011 15:21:48 GMT -5
Find Insurance: Affordability Tool
You are considered unable to afford the health insurance that is available to you.
Based on the information you have provided, you may not be subject to tax penalties. You will be asked questions like the ones you just answered when you file your Massachusetts tax return for 2010. If the information is the same, you are unlikely to face tax penalties.
You have the option to apply now for an exemption from the tax penalties. For more information, please see the Certificate of Exemption section of our website.
If your income changes, contact Commonwealth Care, Commonwealth Choice, or the insurer of your choice.
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ugonow
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Post by ugonow on Jun 9, 2011 15:24:24 GMT -5
Wouldn't that be nice if there was such a thing......... naw, then we would be bored ...no challanges......
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