The American Health Care Act
#331
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Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
Seems the discussion is about who is crappier, I give the Donald the edge. But serious competition.
#332
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Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: The American Health Care Act
I realise that, I read that the average payout was 62% of what is billed, or was it a 62% discount.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
If you try to make sense of it you wont. My co-payment for having a filling replaced and crack in the tooth sealed was 400 dollars. The insurance paid 300 dollars. The dentist originally billed the insurer for over a thousand bucks but settled for the seven hundred. You never see a poor dentist do you?
No one tells a dentist to "stuff it i'll fix the tooth myself"
PPO dental insurance is a pile of crap with a sizeable premium to pay but at least it spares the pain of having to pay the full whack
I have known people who found it more expedient to have all their teeth pulled out and replaced with dentures. The savings literally run into the thousands
Last edited by dc koop; May 24th 2017 at 4:47 am.
#333
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
Somebody I know is in Mexico at the moment, goes there for Dentistry.
#335
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 10,009
Re: The American Health Care Act
The issue is not so much with out of control hospital costs as it is with out of control supplier cots - slap medical or hospital in front of anything and you can triple the cost, Blood pressure cuff (only the cuff)? $60, Thermometer? $250. Cardiac monitor? $4k at least.
I used to work for McKesson years ago which is a supplier of pharmacies and hospitals, I don't recall mark-ups very high. If hospitals paying so much to suppliers in this era of globalization, it is probably because they can get away with charging so much.
#336
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 10,009
Re: The American Health Care Act
I realise that, I read that the average payout was 62% of what is billed, or was it a 62% discount.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
The only real difference between non profit hospitals and for profit hospitals is who gets to profit- shareholders, or top employees.
#337
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 10,009
Re: The American Health Care Act
Collection agencies can get a judgement, attach wages, car or whatever. I agree if someone has poor credit anyway, hurting their credit not a big deal.
#338
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,900
Re: The American Health Care Act
You also added "and perhaps care even less". Please explain how that fits with the ACA having attempted to expand Medicaid to many of the working poor (some Republican states refused the expansion) and how the AHCA and Trump's proposed budget cuts to Medicaid indicate anything other than he cares rather less about the poor.
Here are the percentages by state of Medicaid recipients where someone in the family unit is working:
Distribution of the Nonelderly with Medicaid by Family Work Status | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Here are the percentages by state of Medicaid recipients where someone in the family unit is working:
Distribution of the Nonelderly with Medicaid by Family Work Status | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Happily. ACA raised expenses on the working poor - in some cases dramatically - while at the same time reducing benefits and penalizing them if they didn't buy these lower quality policies at inflated prices. As other posters have indicated - if you can "wrap your head around that" you can understand why blue-collar working class citizens hate this law. It's not because they are too stupid to know what's good for them and need you to explain it. Many of them are materially worse off, substantially so.
I agree with Boiler. In a contest of who is crappier Trump is still ahead. But the Obama beatification makes me nauseous. He doesn't deserve it.
#339
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
Single-payer healthcare could cost $400 billion to implement in California - LA Times
Do not think this has been mentioned, California is looking at a Single Payer scheme, costs look challenging.
Do not think this has been mentioned, California is looking at a Single Payer scheme, costs look challenging.
#340
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: The American Health Care Act
One would need the resources to fight the hospital in court.
When I ended up with 30k bill for a weeks stay about 13 years ago in the US the cost to fight the bill would have been far higher then the cost to file bankruptcy which is what happened in the end as the hospital refused to negotiate a reduced amount.
Yes it dinged my credit but I was only making 13k or so a year so I had no need for good credit since income was too low to get credit.
When I ended up with 30k bill for a weeks stay about 13 years ago in the US the cost to fight the bill would have been far higher then the cost to file bankruptcy which is what happened in the end as the hospital refused to negotiate a reduced amount.
Yes it dinged my credit but I was only making 13k or so a year so I had no need for good credit since income was too low to get credit.
I realise that, I read that the average payout was 62% of what is billed, or was it a 62% discount.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
You know that, I assume a Judge knows that, so makes me wonder if you have had treatment, you are disputing the amount, do they not have to justify the cost before a Judge to get an order, not just go with their made up number?
Even if you have a regular issue, non emergency, seems impossible to find out a cost before treatment.
I see all these horror stories, Channel 9 locally spend a week running with them, but seemed to keep on coming down to tough that is what we charge.
#341
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: The American Health Care Act
Happily. ACA raised expenses on the working poor - in some cases dramatically - while at the same time reducing benefits and penalizing them if they didn't buy these lower quality policies at inflated prices. As other posters have indicated - if you can "wrap your head around that" you can understand why blue-collar working class citizens hate this law. It's not because they are too stupid to know what's good for them and need you to explain it. Many of them are materially worse off, substantially so.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...macare/512159/
Some interesting polling. Half don't even know cost-sharing for poorer recipients even exists. Also interesting that support for the ACA is slowly growing:
http://kff.org/health-reform/report/...re-the-budget/
Last edited by Giantaxe; May 24th 2017 at 4:32 pm.
#342
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
One would need the resources to fight the hospital in court.
When I ended up with 30k bill for a weeks stay about 13 years ago in the US the cost to fight the bill would have been far higher then the cost to file bankruptcy which is what happened in the end as the hospital refused to negotiate a reduced amount.
Yes it dinged my credit but I was only making 13k or so a year so I had no need for good credit since income was too low to get credit.
When I ended up with 30k bill for a weeks stay about 13 years ago in the US the cost to fight the bill would have been far higher then the cost to file bankruptcy which is what happened in the end as the hospital refused to negotiate a reduced amount.
Yes it dinged my credit but I was only making 13k or so a year so I had no need for good credit since income was too low to get credit.
Just wondered if you represented yourself and stood there and said that these costs which were not agree and have been billed to me are obviously crazy.
#343
Re: The American Health Care Act
Why healthcare in Iowa shouldn't be seen as a sign for other states:
Is Iowa Obamacare’s canary in the coal mine? Not really. | PolitiFact
Makes me curious about this $12 million man.
Is Iowa Obamacare’s canary in the coal mine? Not really. | PolitiFact
Makes me curious about this $12 million man.
#344
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: The American Health Care Act
Why healthcare in Iowa shouldn't be seen as a sign for other states:
Is Iowa Obamacare’s canary in the coal mine? Not really. | PolitiFact
Makes me curious about this $12 million man.
Is Iowa Obamacare’s canary in the coal mine? Not really. | PolitiFact
Makes me curious about this $12 million man.
Last edited by Giantaxe; May 24th 2017 at 6:33 pm.
#345
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 10,009
Re: The American Health Care Act
The "working poor" either have become eligible for Medicaid - as per the chart I linked to 60% of Medicaid recipients have a working member in their household unit - or receive the largest subsidies to buy insurance and cost sharing with deductibles/copayments. I disagree that that segment has overall been disadvantaged by the ACA. Many (most?) previously had either no insurance or insurance that was so minimal that it was essentially worthless if they got sick. Additionally, pre-ACA, only seven states covered adults without minor age children for Medicaid regardless of income level. There is a better argument that those with a higher income, i.e. near or above the threshold for subsidies, have been disadvantaged.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...macare/512159/
Some interesting polling. Half don't even know cost-sharing for poorer recipients even exists. Also interesting that support for the ACA is slowly growing:
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – Late April 2017: The Future of the ACA and Health Care & the Budget | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...macare/512159/
Some interesting polling. Half don't even know cost-sharing for poorer recipients even exists. Also interesting that support for the ACA is slowly growing:
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – Late April 2017: The Future of the ACA and Health Care & the Budget | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Those who had pre-existing conditions were of course well-served by Obamacare. And the local private company that administered the Obamacare certainly much more efficient than Anthem.