View Single Post
Old 03-17-2010, 06:29 PM  
kane
Too lazy to set a custom title
 
kane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: portland, OR
Posts: 20,684
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie View Post
You missed my point. When I was younger you didn't really NEED to have health insurance. Even 20 years ago you could just go to the fucking doctor. I never had health insurance until the last few years.

When I went to the doctor I paid for it out of pocket. When my son had to have his appendix removed in 1985 I paid for the operation out of my pocket (and I was NOT well off financially...I played in a band for a living).

Point is...doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies charge us here in the U.S. 10 times more than in any other country in the world.

These days in the United States you HAVE to have insurance...because nobody is rich enough to go to the goddamn doctor.

And you better believe that IF doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies had a pact with YOUR govt. and all the other govt. that have universal health care like the devils bargain they have here in the U.S., your govt. would be bankrupted and that entire system would crumble.

The problem we have here is that our healthcare is overpriced to the point that it can not be paid for by anyone.

Our govt. is so tied up with insurance companies that it has screwed us all.

Hell, I'm looking at my auto insurance premiums. I have 5 cars. I'm paying over THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS every 6 months for fucking car insurance!!! That is so outrageous.

I remember in the 1980's living in Fla. and I paid $29.99 a month for liability insurance for my vehicle.

And the state govt. works hand in hand with the insurance companies on auto insurance. The traffic cops are little more than money collectors for them. They pull you over...oh, you did 42 in a 35 zone...and guess what? They instantly send the info to your insurance agency which now raises your premium even fucking more.

This whole thing is stealing. Plain and simple.

Govt paid healthcare works for your country. But it isn't going to work in the U.S. with all this corruption and money grabbing.

What is needed is to put an end to the price gouging by pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and the hospital industry and bring prices down to the levels of every other industrialized nation. When that is done...we won't NEED health insurance.

We will do what everybody did since the beginning of time...pay for it ourselves.
Yep, not only is it expensive, but if you have insurance they dictate the type of care you get. Here are two examples: earlier today I took my mom to the doctors. Nothing special, just a regular check up. I was in the room with her because she was having some medicine switched around and wanted me to help her understand it. So the doctor does her thing then ends up saying, "I will type this up, then I have to go, I've been in here more than 30 minutes and if we try to bill for longer than 30 minutes the insurance won't pay." I ask why and she says, "The insurance companies don't think a regular visit should take longer than 30 minutes. If we bill for more than that they pass the extra cost on to you."

Example 2: A friend of mine has a hip problem. she goes to see a specialist who tells her she needs surgery, but the insurance won't pay for it unless she first gets a cortisone shot then does some physical therapy. The insurance dictated the treatment, even though the doctor knew it wouldn't work. They just had to jump through the hoops in order to get them to pay.
kane is offline   Share thread on Digg Share thread on Twitter Share thread on Reddit Share thread on Facebook Reply With Quote