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Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:43 pm
by Billdit
My two cents...
I have Mantel Cell Lymphoma, which is incurable. I have been treated by the worlds foremost experts, and have had insurance companies spend over a million bucks on me. I have had RHCVD, one of the toughest chemos. I have had a stem cell transplant. I know too much about the medical system.
I would be dead if I didn't have this top notch care. We have the best medical system in the world. At M D Anderson hospital , the worlds top Cancer hospital, there are always many, many people from all over the world that come to get this quality of health care. Does any one know anyone from the USA that went to , say, Canada, or Great Britain, or Germany cause they could get better care than here?
I was the moderator of the ACOR MCL forum, which is international. A lot of the rest of the world has health care that costs less than in the USA. But people that have MCL and live other than in the USA, all try to come to the USA for treatment if they can swing it.
To those of you that bash our health care system and want to change it to be like these other countries I say... I hope you never need quality care, because it might not be available much longer.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:39 am
by skou
Billdit wrote:My two cents...
I have Mantel Cell Lymphoma, which is incurable. I have been treated by the worlds foremost experts, and have had insurance companies spend over a million bucks on me. I have had RHCVD, one of the toughest chemos. I have had a stem cell transplant. I know too much about the medical system.
I would be dead if I didn't have this top notch care. We have the best medical system in the world. At M D Anderson hospital , the worlds top Cancer hospital, there are always many, many people from all over the world that come to get this quality of health care. Does any one know anyone from the USA that went to , say, Canada, or Great Britain, or Germany cause they could get better care than here?
I was the moderator of the ACOR MCL forum, which is international. A lot of the rest of the world has health care that costs less than in the USA. But people that have MCL and live other than in the USA, all try to come to the USA for treatment if they can swing it.
To those of you that bash our health care system and want to change it to be like these other countries I say... I hope you never need quality care, because it might not be available much longer.
Bill, I've only one (very minor) complaint. You need to use
LARGER font, and smaller words.
Those of us, that already understand this, understand it. Those of us that don't, well they must have reading lapses, or concentration losses.
Seriously, your story is kinda similar to my older brother, except his colon cancer was cured, but at GREAT expense. (All of which, his employer covered.)
You know, you don't see too many rich oil sheikhs lining up to go to England or Canada, do you? They all made a beeline to the good old USA. Expect that to be past history.
On a side note, is there ANYTHING we can do for you, outside of Prayer, which is a given.
steve
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 7:30 am
by Billdit
Sorry for the small font...
I was told 10 years ago that I had less than 2 years to live, so I've long completed my Bucket List. We all know we are going to die... Just don't know when...
Bill
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:23 am
by davebodner
skou wrote:Bill, I've only one (very minor) complaint. You need to use LARGER font, and smaller words.
Those of us, that already understand this, understand it. Those of us that don't, well they must have reading lapses, or concentration losses.
...
You know, you don't see too many rich oil sheikhs lining up to go to England or Canada, do you? They all made a beeline to the good old USA. Expect that to be past history.
...
steve
Don't bet on the, Skou. It happens all the time. Remember that brave girl in Pakistan who spoke out against the Taliban until they nearly killed her? She was flown for care to London to save her life, not here. Medical "tourism" happens in all directions.
Besides, having the best of the best in any particular field is not a good overall measure of a health-care system. Averages are a much better measure.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:28 am
by davebodner
skou wrote:Hundreds of plans? How 'bout 2. Male and female.
Or, 3. The 3rd being with dependents.
I don't need pap smears, and she "don't" need prostate exams.
steve
Tell you what. I'll insure you for maternity care. If you get pregnant, I promise to pay for your medical care for free. Of course, it's an empty promise. You won't get pregnant, and I'll never have to pay. It won't cost me one cent. That's how the insurance companies see it, too. So, coverage for things you can't possibly use doesn't cost you anything extra.
Focusing on coverage for events that can't happen to you is a red herring.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:32 am
by dusty
Will you insure me at a similar low rate and then pay all of my bills when I need to go into the hospital via an ambulance and emergency room for a coronary bypass.
That should be low risk since I am only 74 and have never had any heart problems.
Before you answer, maybe you need to know that I have already had a dual total knee replacement in both legs. As an insurance provider you would want to know that because during recovery I developed a staph infection that took nearly 6 months to cure.
No I did not mis-speak. I had a dual knee replacement. While in the nursing home, recovering from that infection, it was determined that the knee implants needed to be removed in order to over come the infection.
After dealing with no knees for months, I finally got my third set of knees. That was many thousands of dollars and seven years ago. Thankfully I am doing well but I am now all too well aware of how costly unexpected medical treatments can be.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:48 am
by davebodner
I don't take low-risk bets, only no-risk bets.
If you have only a 5% risk of getting a heart attack, which would rack up $100,000 in charges, then I'd have to charge you $5,000 insurance just to break even.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:46 pm
by joshh
It wouldn't be that much. They invest the premiums and make lots of money that way. Obamacare limits the profit margin that insurance companies can make. Well, not exactly...it sets a minimum % they must directly pay out for actual healthcare.
I have received two refund checks. One from Aetna and one from BCBS for about $400.
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:46 pm
by fredsheldon
heathicus wrote:Healthcare is not a right. Saying ERs can't refuse treament doesn't make it a right. It's still a service. It's something we want everybody to have, at high quality and low cost. We want everybody to have warm clothes in the winter, but that doesn't mean we have a right to a free coat from Burlington Coat Factory. We want people to have food, but that doesn't mean everyone has a right to a free Big Mac every day. We want everybody to have a home, but that doesn't mean we have a right to go to a local contractor and have him build us a house for free. These things aren't rights. They're goods and services, even if the government says they can't refuse you service.
A right does not infringe on someone else's rights. I don't have a right to your time and property. You don't have a right to mine. Healthcare is not a right because it requires other people's time and property.
The reason I oppose socialized healthcare is because it is an infringement upon my rights. It requires my time and money to pay for someone else's healthcare. Private insurance also requires that, but I have a choice to join that system or not. I'm not being compelled to "contribute" against my will. It's voluntary, which is how it should be. There are indeed drawbacks to that, but as my personal hero Thomas Jefferson said, I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
Heath, so maybe I used the wrong word. Maybe I should have said we should have the 'expectation' of having available health care just like you might have an expectation of the State repairing that washout on the road to your house or the Fire Department coming to put out a fire at your house. These are not rights, but services provided to you even if you don't want them. You pay taxes so that these services are available to you and everybody else in your State even if you don't need them. Can't the same logic be applied to Universal Health Care for everybody? Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?
Fred
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 4:51 pm
by skou
davebodner wrote:Tell you what. I'll insure you for maternity care. If you get pregnant, I promise to pay for your medical care for free. Of course, it's an empty promise. You won't get pregnant, and I'll never have to pay. It won't cost me one cent. That's how the insurance companies see it, too. So, coverage for things you can't possibly use doesn't cost you anything extra.
Focusing on coverage for events that can't happen to you is a red herring.
Dave, the reason most people are being told that they can't keep their existing policies, and have to PAY MORE for a different policy, is because their old policy doesn't have the REQUIRED benefits.
Like having pap smears for men, or prostate exams for women.
Yes, I won't EVER need a pap smear, but I HAVE to pay for that coverage, according to Obamacare.
Words too big? Print too small?
steve