Most people do NOT understand that the 'cost' of health care is not that they are 'using' lots but that the providers are charging at 'what the market can tolerate'.
People are made to feel guilty rather than realize that the 'cost' is what health care expects to receive. This has to change and be EXPLAINED!
For example, I had an ultrasound on my knee done in the US ... $1,500! I had the same ultrasound done in New Zealand and it was free. But if I had chosen to pay it would have cost $150.
The Government does dictate the 'cost'. This also causes problems and long waiting lists however, it keeps the cost of health care reasonable.
Comments (6)
Equal Opportunity for the mentally ill.
Insurance companies are still controlling our health care system and the ability to change the system through our elected officials that receive their money. We should get what we were promised. The ability to go with a private insurance or opt for a government sponsored program.
Hospitals only get 40% of the actual cost reimburst by insurance companies. If they only paid 40% of the actual cost than hospitals would go out of business. Why not mandate them to pay the actual cost instead.
A dermatologist in Mexico prescribed a chemotherapy cream for actinic keratosis. It cost about $20.00 A couple of years later I was prescribed the very same medication under medicare - I was told the Mexican cream had lost its effectiveness. Medicare was billed $277 for the same stuff. The only difference was the Mexican cream's label was in Spanish but Pfizer was spelled the same.
I would like to share my ideas regarding national health care with you.
I believe that someone such as the Surgeon General or someone else should determine what a basic health plan (driven by public health care policies) should be. Once such a basic plan is determined all health insurance companies will be required to provide the provisions of such plan to any United States citizen. Insurance companies would be allowed to charge whatever price they determined is equitable but they would have to charge all of their customers the same price, though each company would differ in price. Everyone would get a tax credit that would cover most of the cost for buying the basic plan and be required to buy the basic plan before buying any optional health insurance. Along with this basic policy for everyone, the paperwork would be standardized across all insurance companies, hospitals and health care providers.
Since the insurance company has to charge each one of its customers the same price they can advertise the price on radio, television, print advertising creating a competitive market. Since the basic plan is the same, consumers will be able to compare the base rate and optional coverage easier. This would eliminate insurance companies from refusing people for insurance for the basic plan. However, insurance companies could charge accordingly and set their own guidelines for optional insurance. Also government can help the poor with their premiums. The government also should set up an insurance plan for the insurance companies that thay all pay into, so that smaller insurance companies could offer health insurance, so if a insurance company has a person with health cost of over a million dollars thay could collect from the government plan. Also make medicare and mediaid cradle to grave plans so to make insurance companies to keep you healthy for your whole life and not just keeping you healthy till you get on medicare. And to make every one get health insurance give a tax credit to everyone that buys health insurance that will pay for most if not all of the cost of the health insurance, the tax credit would be base on the number of people insured for the household and not the cost of the health insurance, but it still should cover most if not all of the cost of the health insurance. For people doing unhealthy acts, I say tax them, tax smoking, tax unsafe cars, tax unhealthy food, and use those taxes to help fund health care.
my email is debdaveandpets@gmail.com
if you want to contact me, I think my plan would be easier to do than most others health plans. Tell me how to make it better.
David McDonell
E5273 Airport Road
Ironwood, MI 49938
Make basic health insurance like milk, you do not see huge difference in milk prices because milk is milk someone charges to much and people will buy it elsewhere, but for the free market to work well people have to be able to compare the different plans, and by making the basic plans the same across all health insurance companies people will only have to compare price and service for the basic plans and what optional insurance is offer by the health insurance companies. If the Clintons past single payer health care what would Bush have done with it by cutting coverage it offered. That is why I do not want single payer. By having sick people pay the same as healthy people, employers would not have to pay more for workers with medical problems and those people can change jobs and find work easier. Unhealthy items and acts would be taxed. Insurance companies can not use paper work to denied coverage and would get rid of most of it. Freemarket would keep costs down. people and retirement plans owning stock in health insurance companies would not lose a lot of value. Putting health insurance companies out of business would have costs.
In fact "long waiting list" is a myth. It is a promotion strategy by corporates to nullify the benefits of subsidized medicine.
I believe it is better to have "government subsidized medical" than a "free medical". The word "free" is dangerous. But highly subsidized medical system wont increase the wait list even by a small about. And you will realize that the real cost of medicine is extremely low compared to what we pay now.
Also it is extremely important to remove the "medical insurance" layer. it is this layer, which keeps the cost of medicine 60 times higher than most other countries.