ObamaCare...

[healthmyths]

I would be happy with a system like that in the UK. So would every American once they understood how it worked. The British system allows those who want to purchase private supplemental insurance, giving those individuals preferential treatment. For one, when they need to see a specialist, they move to the front of the line. That is actually fair since they are paying extra. For everyone else, it is their choice, but no matter what, everyone is covered. Nobody goes bankrupt from medical bills, and everyone gets good quality medical care. And the bottom line? The Brits only pay about 40% of what we pay per person.

Let me explain our current system in real dollars, so you have a better understanding of the true cost. We are currently paying over $9000 per year per person. That is $9000 per year for every single living person in the US, including all those illegals. This includes expenditures for everything including late term care and is paid both by private funds, insurance, and the government.

What you need to understand about the cost is that the cost for one person over a 78 year lifetime, which is the average, works out to $702,000 per person, or $1.4 million for a married couple. The average income in the US is around $40,000 per year. So lets run some numbers. If the average person earns $40,000 per year, and 15% goes to taxes, that leaves them with $34,000 per year. Over a 43 year career, they would earn a net of $1,462,000. Their lifetime medical expenses will be $702,000, or nearly half of their lifetime net earned income.

Can you see how we have a massive problem that is due to us paying too much for healthcare? If most fail to see the problem, then we are most certainly all doomed.

So then YOU agree with this:

• Physicians estimate the cost of defensive medicine in US at $650 to $850 billion per year. This is 26 to 34% of all US healthcare costs.
• Up to 92% of US physicians practice defensive medicine.
• 76% of physicians report that defensive medicine decreases patient access to healthcare.
• 53% of physicians report delaying new techniques, procedures, and treatments due to fear of lawsuits.
• Patients most affected by defensive medicine include those visiting emergency rooms and those requiring surgery.
• Women are most affected by defensive medicine.
• Emergency medicine, primary care, and OB/GYN physicians are most likely to practice defensive medicine.
• 79 to 83% of surgeons and OB/GYNs have been named in lawsuits.

Source:Health News Observer ? Physicians Estimate The Cost Of Defensive Medicine In Us At 650 To 850 Bill Articles

And you obviously agree under Obamacare with taxing tanning salons as the cause cancer right?
Then why is is so wrong to tax 10% of the $200 billion lawyers make that are a direct cause of the $850 billion a year in duplicate tests, specialist referrals the above doctors
say they do???
Then what would be so wrong with then registering the 4 million truly uninsured that need insurance and want it when they go to the hospital they are means tested and registered with the Uninsured Health Ins. Co.© that provides a $5,000 a year premium from the $20 billion in taxes on lawyers?
Hospitals then can't pad and pass as a few do (with markups of 6,000% !) to Medicare/insurance companies.
Thus in one solution we've reduced the $850 billion in defensive medicine AND reduced hospitals padding and passing on what they call "unreimbursed" services costs!
Simple!

Any type of tort reform would be more than welcome; however, that cannot include completely limiting a person's ability to sue when a doctor cuts off the wrong leg. Secondly, I don't buy into the $850 billion figure. I'm not going to deny that it most likely is very high, but pushing one third of all medical costs is a complete fallacy.

My wife had leukemia. She battled it for ten months before she died. They didn't have to do any extra tests on her. Her diagnosis and treatment was straight forward. The cost was over $1.3 million, and that was eleven years ago.

So you don't believe that hospitals like this markup their claims by 6,000%;
In 2009 University Community Hospital in Tampa sent Medicare 2,110 claims for performing CAT scan no contrast.
Each claim averaged: $2,635 again this is what the hospital billed Medicare...
The hospital's ACTUAL COSTS to perform the CAT SCAN was $43 a mark up 6,127.91%

Of course they didn't do a lot of tests on your wife because 11 years ago several factors were at play:
1) She had leukemia and survival rate wasn't as high and testing was not as sophisticated or treatments as effective.
Facts and Statistics *|*The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
2) BECAUSE 11 years ago "Defensive Medicine" wasn't as practiced as often.
3) YOU are stating an anecdotal single case. I really sympathize with your loss BUT when I have people share their ANECDOTAL single exception experience I have
to remind them... as sad as it is, your wife's death was just a singular example!

You are jumping to conclusions about that tort reform would "completely" limiting a person's ability to sue. Tort reform means more than that.

Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals contribute significantly to these rising costs, with estimates as high as 10 to 20% of added health care costs caused by the legal system. The great majority of injured patients do not sue their doctor, and only one in six of those who do sue receives compensation.
In 40% of medical malpractice cases there is no evidence of medical error or even that an injury has occurred.
Facts and Statistics *|*The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

NOTE :40% no evidence of wrong! But 100% of the cost to defend against this is charged against the defendants regardless of the evidence!
People's lost time, paperwork, all add up and that cost IS NOT calculated BUT you better believe the physicians don't hesitate to order duplicate tests..JUST because they FEAR having to defend their decisions!

 

[ClosedCaption]

How much more efficient and cost effective would medicine be if people took more control and let the market work for them?

They cant the costs are hidden

Not really. Mostly, they're just ignored. People either have insurance coverage, and don't care what the costs are because they're not paying them. Or they can't hope to afford the overpriced services and don't care what the costs are because they're not paying them.

If this national 'bad habit' were remedied, and people had a direct financial stake in most of their health care decisions - the costs wouldn't be hidden at all. We'd all be regularly reminded when we paid our medical bills.

They are hidden right there in the article it says the only way to access them in most cases is to pay to access the records. I do post the links for a reason you know

 

[auditor0007]

So then YOU agree with this:

• Physicians estimate the cost of defensive medicine in US at $650 to $850 billion per year. This is 26 to 34% of all US healthcare costs.
• Up to 92% of US physicians practice defensive medicine.
• 76% of physicians report that defensive medicine decreases patient access to healthcare.
• 53% of physicians report delaying new techniques, procedures, and treatments due to fear of lawsuits.
• Patients most affected by defensive medicine include those visiting emergency rooms and those requiring surgery.
• Women are most affected by defensive medicine.
• Emergency medicine, primary care, and OB/GYN physicians are most likely to practice defensive medicine.
• 79 to 83% of surgeons and OB/GYNs have been named in lawsuits.

Source:Health News Observer ? Physicians Estimate The Cost Of Defensive Medicine In Us At 650 To 850 Bill Articles

And you obviously agree under Obamacare with taxing tanning salons as the cause cancer right?
Then why is is so wrong to tax 10% of the $200 billion lawyers make that are a direct cause of the $850 billion a year in duplicate tests, specialist referrals the above doctors
say they do???
Then what would be so wrong with then registering the 4 million truly uninsured that need insurance and want it when they go to the hospital they are means tested and registered with the Uninsured Health Ins. Co.© that provides a $5,000 a year premium from the $20 billion in taxes on lawyers?
Hospitals then can't pad and pass as a few do (with markups of 6,000% !) to Medicare/insurance companies.
Thus in one solution we've reduced the $850 billion in defensive medicine AND reduced hospitals padding and passing on what they call "unreimbursed" services costs!
Simple!

Any type of tort reform would be more than welcome; however, that cannot include completely limiting a person's ability to sue when a doctor cuts off the wrong leg. Secondly, I don't buy into the $850 billion figure. I'm not going to deny that it most likely is very high, but pushing one third of all medical costs is a complete fallacy.

My wife had leukemia. She battled it for ten months before she died. They didn't have to do any extra tests on her. Her diagnosis and treatment was straight forward. The cost was over $1.3 million, and that was eleven years ago.

So you don't believe that hospitals like this markup their claims by 6,000%;
In 2009 University Community Hospital in Tampa sent Medicare 2,110 claims for performing CAT scan no contrast.
Each claim averaged: $2,635 again this is what the hospital billed Medicare...
The hospital's ACTUAL COSTS to perform the CAT SCAN was $43 a mark up 6,127.91%

Of course they didn't do a lot of tests on your wife because 11 years ago several factors were at play:
1) She had leukemia and survival rate wasn't as high and testing was not as sophisticated or treatments as effective.
Facts and Statistics *|*The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
2) BECAUSE 11 years ago "Defensive Medicine" wasn't as practiced as often.
3) YOU are stating an anecdotal single case. I really sympathize with your loss BUT when I have people share their ANECDOTAL single exception experience I have
to remind them... as sad as it is, your wife's death was just a singular example!

You are jumping to conclusions about that tort reform would "completely" limiting a person's ability to sue. Tort reform means more than that.

Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals contribute significantly to these rising costs, with estimates as high as 10 to 20% of added health care costs caused by the legal system. The great majority of injured patients do not sue their doctor, and only one in six of those who do sue receives compensation.
In 40% of medical malpractice cases there is no evidence of medical error or even that an injury has occurred.
Facts and Statistics *|*The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

NOTE :40% no evidence of wrong! But 100% of the cost to defend against this is charged against the defendants regardless of the evidence!
People's lost time, paperwork, all add up and that cost IS NOT calculated BUT you better believe the physicians don't hesitate to order duplicate tests..JUST because they FEAR having to defend their decisions!

See, the problem with so many things that you say is that they just don't make any sense. $43 for a CAT Scan is absurdly low. That is not their actual cost. How do you determine that cost? Just the cost of labor for the person or persons performing a CAT Scan would be more than $43. Then there is the cost of the room and equipment. No when they charge over $2000, that is also absurd.