The American Health Care Act
May 23rd 2017, 4:26 pm
#316
Often not so civil...
Joined: Apr 2010
Location: The Boonies, GA
Posts: 9,561
Re: The American Health Care Act
My hospital is a non-profit, I haven't heard it put much better than 'insurer of last resort' to be honest.
May 23rd 2017, 4:34 pm
#317
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: The American Health Care Act
That's how I assumed it worked as well, but reading this gives a different perspective:
https://insight.kellogg.northwestern...ofit-hospitals
https://insight.kellogg.northwestern...ofit-hospitals
Providing healthcare in an emergency room setting is extraordinarily expensive, so it makes no sense to have millions of uninsured using emergency services like this.
Last edited by Giantaxe; May 23rd 2017 at 4:36 pm.
May 23rd 2017, 4:37 pm
#318
Often not so civil...
Joined: Apr 2010
Location: The Boonies, GA
Posts: 9,561
Re: The American Health Care Act
Most are in deep shit right now. That's the facts. You can't force someone to pay other than to damage their credit, and the working poor generally have poor credit anyway so don't care - it's a death spiral.
May 23rd 2017, 4:39 pm
#319
WTF?
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Homeostasis
Posts: 79,367
Re: The American Health Care Act
Please put away your RNC talking points. While I'm not happy with everything Obama did, 4 months of Trump has shown us that not only do the Republicans not care about the working class, they don't care about anything or anybody outside of helping their already rich billionaire donors.
May 23rd 2017, 4:55 pm
#320
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Re: The American Health Care Act
Emergency rooms legally have to "medically stablilize" you regardless of ability to pay. Go to any emergency room and it's not hard to deduce that many use it as their access to the health system as opposed to using it purely for emergencies.
If 100% of a bill is written off (which is what happened with a $27k bill for one of my children, btw) then the hospital (and doctors) make a loss. Those losses are made up by charging others (or the taxpayer) more.
If 100% of a bill is written off (which is what happened with a $27k bill for one of my children, btw) then the hospital (and doctors) make a loss. Those losses are made up by charging others (or the taxpayer) more.
I agree some people use emergency rooms for non emergencies- but mainly because such people cannot afford regular medical care. Emergency room as you say are required to stabilize the patient, but anything more the person can be out of luck with no insurance.
The main problem is out of control medical costs from doctors and hospitals.
May 23rd 2017, 6:10 pm
#321
Often not so civil...
Joined: Apr 2010
Location: The Boonies, GA
Posts: 9,561
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.
May 23rd 2017, 6:34 pm
#323
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 227
Re: The American Health Care Act
One policy I know about excluded pre existing conditions for 18 months but as you say having NHS no big deal.
Those are good questions. My answer would be a global solution needs to be in place rather than just tinker here or there.
As far as emergency room visits, at least in states I am familiar with, they have to attend to people, but that doesn't stop them billing! My daughter had to go to an emergency room in NYC in December, saw a doctor for grand total of 15 minutes, dealing with receptionist ( who barely spoke English or any other language we know), and for 30 minutes labor time and bill was $900. So really unless costs are controlled, how does one determine a reasonable percentage of income ?
I do know it is a perverse regressive evil to penalize people just for being poor. Or for companies over a certain number of employees to be required to OFFER medical insurance - but then company charges so much for premiums employees cant afford the insurance,
Those are good questions. My answer would be a global solution needs to be in place rather than just tinker here or there.
As far as emergency room visits, at least in states I am familiar with, they have to attend to people, but that doesn't stop them billing! My daughter had to go to an emergency room in NYC in December, saw a doctor for grand total of 15 minutes, dealing with receptionist ( who barely spoke English or any other language we know), and for 30 minutes labor time and bill was $900. So really unless costs are controlled, how does one determine a reasonable percentage of income ?
I do know it is a perverse regressive evil to penalize people just for being poor. Or for companies over a certain number of employees to be required to OFFER medical insurance - but then company charges so much for premiums employees cant afford the insurance,
May 23rd 2017, 7:31 pm
#324
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
Always wondered but never asked anyone who might know.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
May 23rd 2017, 8:51 pm
#325
Banned
Joined: Dec 2015
Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: The American Health Care Act
Always wondered but never asked anyone who might know.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
My wife spent several days in hospital two years ago. She didn't have to pay anything. Her health plan covered it. The hospital billed the health plan 16 K dollars. The health plan paid the hospital 9K dollars and the hospital agreed and accepted the payment.
This is very often normal procedure between hospitals, dentists and insurers
Last edited by dc koop; May 23rd 2017 at 8:54 pm.
May 23rd 2017, 9:58 pm
#326
Often not so civil...
Joined: Apr 2010
Location: The Boonies, GA
Posts: 9,561
Re: The American Health Care Act
Health insurance companies here don't always pay the amount the hospital bills them for treatment of a member.
My wife spent several days in hospital two years ago. She didn't have to pay anything. Her health plan covered it. The hospital billed the health plan 16 K dollars. The health plan paid the hospital 9K dollars and the hospital agreed and accepted the payment.
This is very often normal procedure between hospitals, dentists and insurers
My wife spent several days in hospital two years ago. She didn't have to pay anything. Her health plan covered it. The hospital billed the health plan 16 K dollars. The health plan paid the hospital 9K dollars and the hospital agreed and accepted the payment.
This is very often normal procedure between hospitals, dentists and insurers
May 23rd 2017, 10:19 pm
#327
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,900
Re: The American Health Care Act
Please put away your RNC talking points. While I'm not happy with everything Obama did, 4 months of Trump has shown us that not only do the Republicans not care about the working class, they don't care about anything or anybody outside of helping their already rich billionaire donors.
You must not have read my earlier posts. I said that Obama does not care about the working poor "either." I am a Democrat and have voted for only one Republican in my entire life, and that was one time only in a municipal election. That I am a Democrat doesn't change just because you don't like that I am not falling in line with the Obama hagiography.
I must have missed the part of Obama's presidency where he didn't prioritise helping the rich billionaire donors. He did spearhead the prosecutions of all those bank criminals who caused the GFC right? Oh wait no he didn't.
The ACA has huge, huge problems - many of which were foreseeable and have directly impacted the working poor the bill was politically spun to be intended to help - and will have to be reconstituted somehow.
May 23rd 2017, 10:29 pm
#328
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Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,648
Re: The American Health Care Act
Always wondered but never asked anyone who might know.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
So if you incur costs in the UK, lets say you go to a Private Hospital to keep it on topic and you are sent a bill then they can not just make up numbers and multiply by 10. If it goes to Court and you seek a judgement then you have to show the costs you are seeking to recover are reasonable.
Now obviously the US system is different, but always wondered how. Find it hard to believe a Court would support such outrageous fees.
Your Private Medical insurance company will determine which hospital you go to and that hospital would have negotiated costs with the insurance company.
If you go to a Private Hospital without Private Medical insurance, you would, surely have negotiated/asked what the cost would be.
May 24th 2017, 12:24 am
#329
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: The American Health Care Act
Health insurance companies here don't always pay the amount the hospital bills them for treatment of a member.
My wife spent several days in hospital two years ago. She didn't have to pay anything. Her health plan covered it. The hospital billed the health plan 16 K dollars. The health plan paid the hospital 9K dollars and the hospital agreed and accepted the payment.
This is very often normal procedure between hospitals, dentists and insurers
My wife spent several days in hospital two years ago. She didn't have to pay anything. Her health plan covered it. The hospital billed the health plan 16 K dollars. The health plan paid the hospital 9K dollars and the hospital agreed and accepted the payment.
This is very often normal procedure between hospitals, dentists and insurers
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.
May 24th 2017, 12:36 am
#330
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: The American Health Care Act
Here are the percentages by state of Medicaid recipients where someone in the family unit is working:
http://kff.org/medicaid/state-indica...2:%22asc%22%7D
Last edited by Giantaxe; May 24th 2017 at 12:55 am.
