Bear - 2017-02-22 10:33 AM Chew on this factoid. The real problem is not health insurance, per se'. Insurance companies by law must pay out at least 80% of their revenues from premiums to claims. This is called the "80:20 rule". Say 100 customers of a health insurance plan pay a total of $1 million in premiums per year (a modest premium by today's standards of less than $1000 per month). Let's say that particular population is very healthy, and the insurers end up paying out a relatively small amount in claims. Somehow they have to come up with a way to pay out $800,000 (80%) in order to avoid a mandated lowering of premiums. That's one explanation for John Doe being billed $25,000 for his episode of chest pain, while the self-paying Joe Schmo pays $3000 for the same thing, out of pocket. Price transparency and principles of free market capitalism are absent. The absolute best way to insure the best possible product at the lowest possible price is through robust, open competition and free market capitalism. In effect we have legalized "price gouging" throughout the system.....that includes medications, perhaps the most obscene example. There are laws on the books that make price gouging illegal and they effect things like water and gasoline. Well, those things are pocket change compared to what we pay for insurance and healthcare, yet they are in effect getting away with it at this very moment. Chew on that for a while.....then check your blood pressure.

COautumn - 2017-02-22 1:00 PM

I do not understand why people are so adament that socialized medicine is so terrible. I loved it when I lived in Germany riding reining horses. True capitalism isn't going to work with healthcare because the demand for healthcare is always high. Everyone is going to use it during their lifetime. Supply and demand economics won't work here. 

You know why the cost of healthcare and premiums is always increasing? Because of greed. You know why we Americans pay thousands of times more for medicine & pharmaceutical drugs compared to every other first world country? Greed. The health care companies do everything they can to make as high of a profit as possible.

I agree with the article- other countries I have lived in have price lists for every procedure and every surcharge. However, I seriously doubt that this will ever come to pass in this country as the health care lobby spends millions of dollars making sure our politicans only vote for their profit.

COautumn - 2017-02-22 1:00 PM

I do not understand why people are so adament that socialized medicine is so terrible. I loved it when I lived in Germany riding reining horses. True capitalism isn't going to work with healthcare because the demand for healthcare is always high. Everyone is going to use it during their lifetime. Supply and demand economics won't work here. 

You know why the cost of healthcare and premiums is always increasing? Because of greed. You know why we Americans pay thousands of times more for medicine & pharmaceutical drugs compared to every other first world country? Greed. The health care companies do everything they can to make as high of a profit as possible.

I agree with the article- other countries I have lived in have price lists for every procedure and every surcharge. However, I seriously doubt that this will ever come to pass in this country as the health care lobby spends millions of dollars making sure our politicans only vote for their profit.

Bear - 2017-02-22 10:25 AM This may not be related to barrel racing, but it sure effects our health and well being, including our financial well being. Read this article. It's short and easy to follow. This, in my opinion, goes to the heart of the problem and gives direction on the fix to our screwed up, dysfunctional system. I've been trying to say this for years. The plutocrats in DC want us to think that the problem is so very complex and nearly insurmountable. Don't buy that crap. There is so much corruption baked into the healthcare cake, we don't even know the half of it. We either fix this properly, or turn it over to the plutocrats, bend over, and take it up the ass by accepting a Canadian style socialized healthcare system. http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/10/hhs-secretary-tom-price-the-epic-...
We have never had a healthcare problem in this country. We have always had an insurance problem. People don't recognize that because the insurance companies spend billions on false advertising to shift the blame. 

rodeoveteran - 2017-02-22 1:22 PM The exact reason why socialized healthcare won't work well here can be shown in the $1800 fro two ashtrays, the $16 muffins mention in the article , the ridiculous prices our corrupt government has approved for in all their pork barrel spending on government contracts ( I remember and $800? hammer and something about toilet seats???). Take a good, hard look at the VA's medical care and I have heard nothing but horror stories on Tricare that covers the military and their families. Our government cannot be trusted to implement and approve our medical needs and decisions. You might trust Big Brother but I sure don't!

jd&ez - 2017-02-22 4:27 PM


Do you sell health insurance?

Bear - 2017-02-22 1:27 PM


So.....what did you pay for healthcare while you were riding horses in Germany? Was it free?

fatchance - 2017-02-22 6:58 PM Tricare...good? Holy crap are you kidding? 

Nevertooold - 2017-02-22 6:13 PM My sister now has Tri Care and they won't cover her under her RA doctor and she can't afford to pay out of pocket. This insurance is great if it's not you that has it..Right FC?

fatchance - 2017-02-22 8:56 PM


We have very little choice on who we get to see due to doctors not willing to accept the insurance/coverage. IF you choose to pay out of pocket, you do just that, TriCare will do NOTHING to help. Case and point. I am trying to find a Cardiologist because I have WPWS. As of this writing I do not have a cardiologist, guess we don't have one in Spokane that takes TriCare.  There is a reason that military retire around VA hospitals, it so they have a place to go when knowone will take them. Truth.
 

brlracerchick - 2017-02-22 11:49 PM

 I had Tricare for a few years and believe it or not, they covered my medications that Blue Cross Blue Shield did not. My birth control, however, was another story. I was lucky that when I was on TriCare I was still covered under my parents' insurance (which I had no idea could happen after I was married). Between the 2, I didn't pay a dime for my surgery. I am lucky that I live near an AFB so I never had an issue finding a provider that took Tricare. My ex had a hell of a time with doctors, though. 

Bear - 2017-02-23 9:27 AM I don't mean to pick on you personally, but this post illustrates my point. Just like most people in this country, the focus is entirely on whether or not you are "covered". No mention of the actual charges for that surgery....only whether or not you are "covered". This mindset crosses the entire socio-economic spectrum in America. As long as people are covered, they don't give a rat's ass how much they are being charged. We're all guilty, to some extent, of this kind of flawed thinking. As long as your ox isn't being gored, you couldn't care less. A while back, I saw a fairly well-to-do banker in the ER around 9 pm. He was feeling fine.....no fever or sore throat, etc... He just "wanted to get checked for a strep throat" because he and his son were going on a fishing trip to Canada and his son had been treated for strep throat a week earlier. I checked him out and his throat looked normal. His strep screen was negative, not surprisingly. It took about 5 minutes. We chatted about fishing for a while before he left. I mentioned that next time he probably should just stop by the clinic where a nurse could have gotten his throat swabbed, and if negative he wouldn't have to be seen. I said, you can save about $1200 by doing that. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right.....but I have insurance and I'm covered." The thing is that people don't realize that we ALL pay for this. That's why insurance premiums are ridiculously high. I'm no big fan of insurance companies, but the dirty little secret is they are in business to make money just like most of us. Insurance companies are NOT in business of providing compassionate care, stamp out disease, and rid the world of pestilence. That's just a fact. Unless and until we all realize we have skin in the game, the healthcare mess will continue to worsen. That banker was not a consumer...he was taking advantage of what he considered to be an entitlement that was contractually guaranteed by a binding contract. The insurance company had no say in the matter. They are stuck with the $1300 bill........and that outrageous cost is being passed on to us. They simply take these things into account in their premium pricing. The hospital does fine. The insurance companies do fine. WE get screwed. Like a frog in a pot of water that's placed on the stove, we are slowly being boiled and we don't even realize it. The solution is one of two options: 1.) Socialized medicine and the concomitant mediocrity with rationing, long wait times, etc... 2.) Free market capitalism.

fatchance - 2017-02-22 8:56 PM We have very little choice on who we get to see due to doctors not willing to accept the insurance/coverage. IF you choose to pay out of pocket, you do just that, TriCare will do NOTHING to help. Case and point. I am trying to find a Cardiologist because I have WPWS. As of this writing I do not have a cardiologist, guess we don't have one in Spokane that takes TriCare.  There is a reason that military retire around VA hospitals, it so they have a place to go when knowone will take them. Truth.

 

NJJ - 2017-02-23 10:18 AM


I see it as a vicious cycle......the patient pays for that insurance so they want to use it....then the insurance company has to pay back to the hospital some of the money made from the premium....so then they raise the rates to make a profit ....so if the patient is paying higher rates, they want to use it more...and on and on.....
 
When we retired, I went for 3 years with no insurance....scary but I was in relatively good health. However, when I did make visits to the Dr for my back, I paid far less since I paid them in cash rather than through insurance.

My husband is covered through the VA and Tri Care. We have not had a problem with getting him treatment through either. I think we are lucky because most Drs. in this area accept Tri Care. 
 

Bear - 2017-02-23 9:27 AM I don't mean to pick on you personally, but this post illustrates my point. Just like most people in this country, the focus is entirely on whether or not you are "covered". No mention of the actual charges for that surgery....only whether or not you are "covered". This mindset crosses the entire socio-economic spectrum in America. As long as people are covered, they don't give a rat's ass how much they are being charged. We're all guilty, to some extent, of this kind of flawed thinking. As long as your ox isn't being gored, you couldn't care less. A while back, I saw a fairly well-to-do banker in the ER around 9 pm. He was feeling fine.....no fever or sore throat, etc... He just "wanted to get checked for a strep throat" because he and his son were going on a fishing trip to Canada and his son had been treated for strep throat a week earlier. I checked him out and his throat looked normal. His strep screen was negative, not surprisingly. It took about 5 minutes. We chatted about fishing for a while before he left. I mentioned that next time he probably should just stop by the clinic where a nurse could have gotten his throat swabbed, and if negative he wouldn't have to be seen. I said, you can save about $1200 by doing that. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right.....but I have insurance and I'm covered." The thing is that people don't realize that we ALL pay for this. That's why insurance premiums are ridiculously high. I'm no big fan of insurance companies, but the dirty little secret is they are in business to make money just like most of us. Insurance companies are NOT in business of providing compassionate care, stamp out disease, and rid the world of pestilence. That's just a fact. Unless and until we all realize we have skin in the game, the healthcare mess will continue to worsen. That banker was not a consumer...he was taking advantage of what he considered to be an entitlement that was contractually guaranteed by a binding contract. The insurance company had no say in the matter. They are stuck with the $1300 bill........and that outrageous cost is being passed on to us. They simply take these things into account in their premium pricing. The hospital does fine. The insurance companies do fine. WE get screwed. Like a frog in a pot of water that's placed on the stove, we are slowly being boiled and we don't even realize it. The solution is one of two options: 1.) Socialized medicine and the concomitant mediocrity with rationing, long wait times, etc... 2.) Free market capitalism.

brlracerchick - 2017-02-23 12:30 PM


I know your comments weren't directed at me, but I know exactly what they billed insurance. In my case, my surgery is how I found out I was still "covered" under my mom's insurance because I received a bill from them. I have called and negotiated my bills before so just because I say I'm covered, I'm not clueless. I think it is ridiculous that they bill $85 for a UA that probably costs maybe $10. I do think that people should have to pay out of pocket for unneeded ER visits. Those waste everyone's time and resources. I think some hospitals are actually starting to do that. 

Mighty Broke - 2017-02-23 11:57 AM

I read somewhere, heck---you may have posted it about the hospital in Oklahoma that is CASH only. Companies are telling their employees to go there and they will pay the bill because it is so much cheaper than insurance premiums.

vjls - 2017-02-23 3:54 PM i just moved to fl  and the town i live yes the take medicare  but not accepting new patients  i have to dr to tallahasse they say



?luckly i found in next town over a dr but shees  its takenme 2 month to get a letter of neccessity  its crazy



?my old doc i would maybe going 8 month tp get test for warfin  this dr wants me evey month retarded  thinking of just quiting taking it



i hate dr 

COautumn - 2017-02-22 1:00 PM

I do not understand why people are so adament that socialized medicine is so terrible. I loved it when I lived in Germany riding reining horses. True capitalism isn't going to work with healthcare because the demand for healthcare is always high. Everyone is going to use it during their lifetime. Supply and demand economics won't work here. 

You know why the cost of healthcare and premiums is always increasing? Because of greed. You know why we Americans pay thousands of times more for medicine & pharmaceutical drugs compared to every other first world country? Greed. The health care companies do everything they can to make as high of a profit as possible.

I agree with the article- other countries I have lived in have price lists for every procedure and every surcharge. However, I seriously doubt that this will ever come to pass in this country as the health care lobby spends millions of dollars making sure our politicans only vote for their profit.

Bear - 2017-02-23 9:27 AM I don't mean to pick on you personally, but this post illustrates my point. Just like most people in this country, the focus is entirely on whether or not you are "covered". No mention of the actual charges for that surgery....only whether or not you are "covered". This mindset crosses the entire socio-economic spectrum in America. As long as people are covered, they don't give a rat's ass how much they are being charged. We're all guilty, to some extent, of this kind of flawed thinking. As long as your ox isn't being gored, you couldn't care less. A while back, I saw a fairly well-to-do banker in the ER around 9 pm. He was feeling fine.....no fever or sore throat, etc... He just "wanted to get checked for a strep throat" because he and his son were going on a fishing trip to Canada and his son had been treated for strep throat a week earlier. I checked him out and his throat looked normal. His strep screen was negative, not surprisingly. It took about 5 minutes. We chatted about fishing for a while before he left. I mentioned that next time he probably should just stop by the clinic where a nurse could have gotten his throat swabbed, and if negative he wouldn't have to be seen. I said, you can save about $1200 by doing that. He smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right.....but I have insurance and I'm covered." The thing is that people don't realize that we ALL pay for this. That's why insurance premiums are ridiculously high. I'm no big fan of insurance companies, but the dirty little secret is they are in business to make money just like most of us. Insurance companies are NOT in business of providing compassionate care, stamp out disease, and rid the world of pestilence. That's just a fact. Unless and until we all realize we have skin in the game, the healthcare mess will continue to worsen. That banker was not a consumer...he was taking advantage of what he considered to be an entitlement that was contractually guaranteed by a binding contract. The insurance company had no say in the matter. They are stuck with the $1300 bill........and that outrageous cost is being passed on to us. They simply take these things into account in their premium pricing. The hospital does fine. The insurance companies do fine. WE get screwed. Like a frog in a pot of water that's placed on the stove, we are slowly being boiled and we don't even realize it. The solution is one of two options: 1.) Socialized medicine and the concomitant mediocrity with rationing, long wait times, etc... 2.) Free market capitalism.