Washington State to offer public healthcare insurance

[Ava]

theusposts.com/washington-to-become-first-state-to-offer-public-health-insurance/

[djAdvocate]

heard about this on the radio yesterday. thanks for posting!

[NoNamePerson]

Maybe it's just on my end but this is what I got - tried 4 times and gave up??

This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address theusposts.com is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.

Off to google!!

[Ava]

May 14, 2019 20:41:24 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Maybe it's just on my end but this is what I got - tried 4 times and gave up??

This page can’t be displayed

•Make sure the web address theusposts.com is correct.
•Look for the page with your search engine.
•Refresh the page in a few minutes.

Off to google!!

Oh, sorry about that. It's working fine for me, I just tried again.

[Ava]

There are several articles about it. I'm sure you'll find the information using Google

[NoNamePerson]

I googled it and found stuff. Interesting.

[Ava]

I think it's very interesting and I really, really hope it works. I also hope other states follow the lead.

[weltschmerz]

The state will decide the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them. This will allow insurance companies to still maintain a role in the insurance industry while also reducing their control by placing a cap on payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, The Associated Press previously reported.

Why? Why would you still hire insurance companies?

[djAdvocate]

May 14, 2019 21:24:03 GMT -5 Ava said:

I think it's very interesting and I really, really hope it works. I also hope other states follow the lead.

California has been discussing this, as well.

[haapai]

May 15, 2019 0:24:50 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

The state will decide the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them. This will allow insurance companies to still maintain a role in the insurance industry while also reducing their control by placing a cap on payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, The Associated Press previously reported.

Why? Why would you still hire insurance companies?

I'd love to think that the answer to that question was the expertise of such companies or the difficulties that the state would have ramping up to the necessary scale but I can't seem to make myself believe that.  My gut tells me that this is an attempt to give insurance companies a cut in hopes that they won't oppose the plan. 

[Miss Tequila]

May 15, 2019 15:08:47 GMT -5 haapai said:

May 15, 2019 0:24:50 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

The state will decide the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them. This will allow insurance companies to still maintain a role in the insurance industry while also reducing their control by placing a cap on payments to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, The Associated Press previously reported.

Why? Why would you still hire insurance companies?

I'd love to think that the answer to that question was the expertise of such companies or the difficulties that the state would have ramping up to the necessary scale but I can't seem to make myself believe that.  My gut tells me that this is an attempt to give insurance companies a cut in hopes that they won't oppose the plan. 

And that is the problem. No government official should give a shit if a private company opposes anything.

I truly hope this works. I’m against public insurance because I don’t think it will work on such a large scale, with so many illegals and with only half the population actually paying taxes. Medicare and Medicaid only work because private insurance picks up the cost that the government plans don’t cover

I still say until we do something to rein in the costs it won’t matter what we do. But I would be happy to be wrong

[djAdvocate]

May 21, 2019 18:35:34 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 15, 2019 15:08:47 GMT -5 haapai said:

I'd love to think that the answer to that question was the expertise of such companies or the difficulties that the state would have ramping up to the necessary scale but I can't seem to make myself believe that.  My gut tells me that this is an attempt to give insurance companies a cut in hopes that they won't oppose the plan. 

And that is the problem. No government official should give a shit if a private company opposes anything.

I truly hope this works. I’m against public insurance because I don’t think it will work on such a large scale, with so many illegals and with only half the population actually paying taxes. Medicare and Medicaid only work because private insurance picks up the cost that the government plans don’t cover

I still say until we do something to rein in the costs it won’t matter what we do. But I would be happy to be wrong

presumably everyone entering the public system would pay for it. so, that should make you a wild cheerleader of the program.

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 2:35:25 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

May 21, 2019 18:35:34 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

And that is the problem. No government official should give a shit if a private company opposes anything.

I truly hope this works. I’m against public insurance because I don’t think it will work on such a large scale, with so many illegals and with only half the population actually paying taxes. Medicare and Medicaid only work because private insurance picks up the cost that the government plans don’t cover

I still say until we do something to rein in the costs it won’t matter what we do. But I would be happy to be wrong

presumably everyone entering the public system would pay for it. so, that should make you a wild cheerleader of the program.

Not if we do nothing to address the underlying cost.  Why is our healthcare so much more expensive than other countries?  

Right now I am very happy with my healthcare.  I am annoyed that it is so expensive and cost-prohibitive for me to get outside of an employer but happy with the healthcare itself.  

[djAdvocate]

May 22, 2019 9:22:02 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 2:35:25 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

presumably everyone entering the public system would pay for it. so, that should make you a wild cheerleader of the program.

Not if we do nothing to address the underlying cost.  Why is our healthcare so much more expensive than other countries?  

Right now I am very happy with my healthcare.  I am annoyed that it is so expensive and cost-prohibitive for me to get outside of an employer but happy with the healthcare itself.  

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

[billisonboard]

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

May 22, 2019 9:22:02 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Not if we do nothing to address the underlying cost.  Why is our healthcare so much more expensive than other countries?  

Right now I am very happy with my healthcare.  I am annoyed that it is so expensive and cost-prohibitive for me to get outside of an employer but happy with the healthcare itself.  

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

Don't wish to speak for what Miss Tequila may have meant, but for myself I am happy with the care I am able to access in regards to my health (i.e. I am happy with my healthcare).

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

May 22, 2019 9:22:02 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Not if we do nothing to address the underlying cost.  Why is our healthcare so much more expensive than other countries?  

Right now I am very happy with my healthcare.  I am annoyed that it is so expensive and cost-prohibitive for me to get outside of an employer but happy with the healthcare itself.  

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

My family and I have had some significant health issues.  I have always had immediate access to very good healthcare (it was less than two weeks from when I found a suspicious looking freckle to my treatment at FoxChase for early stage melanoma).  I know we have posters on here touting the Canadian healthcare system but I have friends in Canada and they tell me of awful long wait times.  Maybe not once something is diagnosed, but I was seen by a dermatologist within 3 hours of calling and when it was only a suspicion.  When you are dealing with Melanoma, time is of the extreme essense!  My life means more to me than money.  My one daughter was born with kidney disease (only impacted on kidney, thank God!) and the other has a host of other issues.  We have always had easy access to excellent care.  

I do not like how expensive healthcare is in the US (and I do not see how ACA did anything to work on that underlying issue) but if I have to choose between excellent healthcare or cheap healthcare, I'm going for excellent.  

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 12:14:31 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

My family and I have had some significant health issues.  I have always had immediate access to very good healthcare (it was less than two weeks from when I found a suspicious looking freckle to my treatment at FoxChase for early stage melanoma).  I know we have posters on here touting the Canadian healthcare system but I have friends in Canada and they tell me of awful long wait times.  Maybe not once something is diagnosed, but I was seen by a dermatologist within 3 hours of calling and when it was only a suspicion.  When you are dealing with Melanoma, time is of the extreme essense!  My life means more to me than money.  My one daughter was born with kidney disease (only impacted on kidney, thank God!) and the other has a host of other issues.  We have always had easy access to excellent care.  

I do not like how expensive healthcare is in the US (and I do not see how ACA did anything to work on that underlying issue) but if I have to choose between excellent healthcare or cheap healthcare, I'm going for excellent.  

Despite your anecdotes, we have excellent cancer care at half the price.

Same cancer, worse results and twice the cost in the US


www.cnn.com/2018/06/01/health/us-canada-health-care-spending-study/index.html

[NastyWoman]

May 22, 2019 10:51:50 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

Don't wish to speak for what Miss Tequila may have meant, but for myself I am happy with the care I am able to access in regards to my health (i.e. I am happy with my healthcare).

But that doesn't seem to be the question in DJ's post does it now? The question is are you happy to pay double (or more) the price that others do for the same level of care?

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

May 22, 2019 9:22:02 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Not if we do nothing to address the underlying cost.  Why is our healthcare so much more expensive than other countries?  

Right now I am very happy with my healthcare.  I am annoyed that it is so expensive and cost-prohibitive for me to get outside of an employer but happy with the healthcare itself.  

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

Sometimes, it's TEN times more, like with MRIs. It costs 10 times more in the USA than it does in France.

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 12:52:38 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

May 22, 2019 12:14:31 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

My family and I have had some significant health issues.  I have always had immediate access to very good healthcare (it was less than two weeks from when I found a suspicious looking freckle to my treatment at FoxChase for early stage melanoma).  I know we have posters on here touting the Canadian healthcare system but I have friends in Canada and they tell me of awful long wait times.  Maybe not once something is diagnosed, but I was seen by a dermatologist within 3 hours of calling and when it was only a suspicion.  When you are dealing with Melanoma, time is of the extreme essense!  My life means more to me than money.  My one daughter was born with kidney disease (only impacted on kidney, thank God!) and the other has a host of other issues.  We have always had easy access to excellent care.  

I do not like how expensive healthcare is in the US (and I do not see how ACA did anything to work on that underlying issue) but if I have to choose between excellent healthcare or cheap healthcare, I'm going for excellent.  

Despite your anecdotes, we have excellent cancer care at half the price.

Same cancer, worse results and twice the cost in the US


www.cnn.com/2018/06/01/health/us-canada-health-care-spending-study/index.html

That article focused on one type of cancer.  

Why The US Has Better Cancer Survival Rates Than The Rest Of The World

www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/06/13/why-the-us-has-better-cancer-survival-rates-than-the-rest-of-the-world/#350db98c4b67

A missed cancer diagnosis is a common lawsuit in America. The defendants typically settle for unlimited economic loss and also pain and suffering. That is a huge incentive for American doctors to overtest for cancer. Of course that leads to earlier diagnosis and a significant time bias in studies comparing healthcare systems.

So with all of that said, yes, America has among the best cancer survival statistics because of an incredible abundance of high technology equipment and drugs, more extensive screening, and more aggressive treatment.


There is a huge cost to what we get and the author is debating whether it is worth it or not.  I have a 23 year old second cousin who, just today, posted that she has finished her 15th and final round of chemo and is officially in remission.  I'm pretty sure that to her, her husband and her baby girl that the cost of that remission, even if it only buys her a few years (she has a particularly aggressive cancer) is worth the cost.  

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 13:02:46 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

May 22, 2019 10:26:43 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

for a dozen reasons, a few of which no American wants to face.

you say you are happy with your healthcare. really? you are happy paying 2x what a comparable list of countries pay?

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-healthcare-prices-and-use-in-the-u-s-compare-to-other-countries/#item-on-average-other-wealthy-countries-spend-half-as-much-per-person-on-healthcare-than-the-u-s

and yes, the level of care is the same or better in those countries.

you are happy with that?  over the course of a lifetime, that will cost you almost $400,000.  does that not seem absurd to you?

I will tell you, it not only seems absurd to me, but I feel like I am being taken.  being had.  and it pisses me off.

Sometimes, it's TEN times more, like with MRIs. It costs 10 times more in the USA than it does in France.

and if you google, Canada's cost for an MRI is significantly higher than France's...why aren't you up in arms about that?

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 13:58:17 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 13:02:46 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Sometimes, it's TEN times more, like with MRIs. It costs 10 times more in the USA than it does in France.

and if you google, Canada's cost for an MRI is significantly higher than France's...why aren't you up in arms about that?

Because our medical costs are still reasonable. 

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 13:57:31 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 12:52:38 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Despite your anecdotes, we have excellent cancer care at half the price.

Same cancer, worse results and twice the cost in the US


www.cnn.com/2018/06/01/health/us-canada-health-care-spending-study/index.html

That article focused on one type of cancer.  

Why The US Has Better Cancer Survival Rates Than The Rest Of The World

www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/06/13/why-the-us-has-better-cancer-survival-rates-than-the-rest-of-the-world/#350db98c4b67

A missed cancer diagnosis is a common lawsuit in America. The defendants typically settle for unlimited economic loss and also pain and suffering. That is a huge incentive for American doctors to overtest for cancer. Of course that leads to earlier diagnosis and a significant time bias in studies comparing healthcare systems.

So with all of that said, yes, America has among the best cancer survival statistics because of an incredible abundance of high technology equipment and drugs, more extensive screening, and more aggressive treatment.


There is a huge cost to what we get and the author is debating whether it is worth it or not.  I have a 23 year old second cousin who, just today, posted that she has finished her 15th and final round of chemo and is officially in remission.  I'm pretty sure that to her, her husband and her baby girl that the cost of that remission, even if it only buys her a few years (she has a particularly aggressive cancer) is worth the cost.  

That's nice. I have friends in remission, too. What does that have to do with anything?

[weltschmerz]

That article focused on one type of cancer.

Childhood leukemia patients do better in Canada, as do colorectal cancer patients and organ transplant patients, etc. This isn't a pissing contest about who does cancer better...it's about why it costs so much more in the USA. 

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 14:26:01 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

That article focused on one type of cancer.

Childhood leukemia patients do better in Canada, as do colorectal cancer patients and organ transplant patients, etc. This isn't a pissing contest about who does cancer better...it's about why it costs so much more in the USA. 

And yet you started with "we are better at cancer" when it turns out it was one type of cancer.

And I posted an article that explained some reasons why heathcare is so much  more expensive.  The US is a very litigious country.  There are ambulance chasing attorneys advertising all day long.  So not only are our malpractice insurance costs sky high, but doctors practice defensive medicine...overtesting and aggressively treating.  Our doctors also get paid a lot more (I can't remember if it was in that article or another).  And we have zero controls on the cost of medicine.  I would love a law that said that no pharmaceutical company could charge a US citizen more than it charges a citizen of a foreign country.  

There are plenty of reasons why the US healthcare costs so much more.  

In addition, our life expectancy is now 2 years less than Canada...but we are also fatter than Canadians, which could be part of the reason.  People like to claim that  you can be obese and healthy but obesity causes a host of medical issues that if they were a healthy weight they wouldn't have.  

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 14:33:17 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 14:26:01 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

That article focused on one type of cancer.

Childhood leukemia patients do better in Canada, as do colorectal cancer patients and organ transplant patients, etc. This isn't a pissing contest about who does cancer better...it's about why it costs so much more in the USA. 

And yet you started with "we are better at cancer" when it turns out it was one type of cancer.

And I posted an article that explained some reasons why heathcare is so much  more expensive.  The US is a very litigious country.  There are ambulance chasing attorneys advertising all day long.  So not only are our malpractice insurance costs sky high, but doctors practice defensive medicine...overtesting and aggressively treating.  Our doctors also get paid a lot more (I can't remember if it was in that article or another).  And we have zero controls on the cost of medicine.  I would love a law that said that no pharmaceutical company could charge a US citizen more than it charges a citizen of a foreign country.  

There are plenty of reasons why the US healthcare costs so much more.  

In addition, our life expectancy is now 2 years less than Canada...but we are also fatter than Canadians, which could be part of the reason.  People like to claim that  you can be obese and healthy but obesity causes a host of medical issues that if they were a healthy weight they wouldn't have.  

I never said that. I posted an article on colorectal cancer. We're better at some cancers, your're better at others.

Maybe if your doctors practiced preventative medicine, instead of defensive medicine, you'd be better off, but there's no money in that.
They wouldn't be able to use their bright and shiny CT scanners and MRI machines that they bought with their own money, and now have to recoup the costs, by insisting you need aggressive testing.

[Miss Tequila]

May 22, 2019 14:49:52 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

May 22, 2019 14:33:17 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

And yet you started with "we are better at cancer" when it turns out it was one type of cancer.

And I posted an article that explained some reasons why heathcare is so much  more expensive.  The US is a very litigious country.  There are ambulance chasing attorneys advertising all day long.  So not only are our malpractice insurance costs sky high, but doctors practice defensive medicine...overtesting and aggressively treating.  Our doctors also get paid a lot more (I can't remember if it was in that article or another).  And we have zero controls on the cost of medicine.  I would love a law that said that no pharmaceutical company could charge a US citizen more than it charges a citizen of a foreign country.  

There are plenty of reasons why the US healthcare costs so much more.  

In addition, our life expectancy is now 2 years less than Canada...but we are also fatter than Canadians, which could be part of the reason.  People like to claim that  you can be obese and healthy but obesity causes a host of medical issues that if they were a healthy weight they wouldn't have.  

I never said that. I posted an article on colorectal cancer. We're better at some cancers, your're better at others.

Maybe if your doctors practiced preventative medicine, instead of defensive medicine, you'd be better off, but there's no money in that.
They wouldn't be able to use their bright and shiny CT scanners and MRI machines that they bought with their own money, and now have to recoup the costs, by insisting you need aggressive testing.

Despite your anecdotes, we have excellent cancer care at half the price.



Same cancer, worse results and twice the cost in the US


Your words.  My post was about melanoma and how it is super important to get in for that initial biopsy ASAP and this is what you came back with.  "excellent cancer care at half the price"...then you post an article completely unrelated to the cancer to which I was referring.

I am not going to sit and debate with you all day about what you posted.  I have never received anything but excellent care in the US and I do have concerns about the Canadian wait times.  You can act like they are nothing but that is just not true.  People suffer waiting for non-emergency but life-altering surgeries.  People that can afford it cross the border to get it quicker.  and that is from swamp who is not a conservative but does sit on the board of a hospital on the Canadian border.  Both systems have issues but you gloss over yours, which weakens your argument. 

I'm done wasting my time with someone who has all day to bash the American way of life.  I wish I had nothing better to do than waste my day telling people from other countries how much their way of life sucks...talk about arrogance

[weltschmerz]

May 22, 2019 15:15:12 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

May 22, 2019 14:49:52 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I never said that. I posted an article on colorectal cancer. We're better at some cancers, your're better at others.

Maybe if your doctors practiced preventative medicine, instead of defensive medicine, you'd be better off, but there's no money in that.
They wouldn't be able to use their bright and shiny CT scanners and MRI machines that they bought with their own money, and now have to recoup the costs, by insisting you need aggressive testing.

Despite your anecdotes, we have excellent cancer care at half the price.



Same cancer, worse results and twice the cost in the US


Your words.  My post was about melanoma and how it is super important to get in for that initial biopsy ASAP and this is what you came back with.  "excellent cancer care at half the price"...then you post an article completely unrelated to the cancer to which I was referring.

I am not going to sit and debate with you all day about what you posted.  I have never received anything but excellent care in the US and I do have concerns about the Canadian wait times.  You can act like they are nothing but that is just not true.  People suffer waiting for non-emergency but life-altering surgeries.  People that can afford it cross the border to get it quicker.  and that is from swamp who is not a conservative but does sit on the board of a hospital on the Canadian border.  Both systems have issues but you gloss over yours, which weakens your argument. 

I'm done wasting my time with someone who has all day to bash the American way of life.  I wish I had nothing better to do than waste my day telling people from other countries how much their way of life sucks...talk about arrogance

......and I have never received anything but excellent care here.
The difference here is that you're paying far, far more for it.
You said you have great care, but it's expensive. You're lucky in that you could afford it. Many cannot...what about them? Does your pro-life stance only apply to the unborn?