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What Would You Do?

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by saturneptune, Mar 12, 2010.

  1. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    It is obvious that most of the members of this board want nothing to do with the health care reform bill in its present state. The purpose of this thread is to ask, do you think there is a problem, and if so, what would you do different? Another question to address is, with the Republicans demanding their own ideas be included, why didn't they pass those ideas in the eight years they were in power?

    I just got out of the hospital on a three day stay for a 6 way CABG operation. Here is what the hospital charged.
    Three day stay $66,400
    Operation 10,000
    Anesthesia 5,000
    Heart Cath 3,500
    Nuclear Stress 1,500

    Now, as explained above, I have no use for Obama or his plan. It is a disaster. However, that does not excuse prices like this. I am lucky. I have insurance. This is one 3 day stay. The greed is out of control. Something must be done.

    So the question is, what would you do if you were king for a day?
     
  2. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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  3. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

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    After a motorcycle accident in October 2009, I spent thirteen days in the hospital. So far my bill is $103,000. This doesn't include doctors fees.
     
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    We have to get saw bones from practicing defensive medicine and we need to get liability costs to drop. Frivolous law suits drive up medical costs. This country has grown a sense of entitlement and as a result far to many are looking to get their own brand of justice at the detriment to of honest doctors who may have missed something not out of negligence but out of nothing more than difficulties with the complex human body. Settlements arise in order to avoid costly legal battles that should never be paid out and nobody deserves.

    To many minorities, who are brainwashed by those purporting to represent their best interests, allow their wills and emotions to be driven in the wrong direction by leaders of minority interest groups looking for power and fame preaching that they are owed something by everyone else. Such mentality, puts in the hearts and minds of minorities the idea that they need to "get theirs" whenever they see an opportunity. So they create these false law suits and win big settlements. This entitlement mentality is tearing our country apart creating unnecessary division and driving up costs on a great many things like health care.

    Instead of teaching people about their own ability to be independent and self sufficient they are drug down in the mire of dependency. The liberal mind set puts people in the ditch and then tries to label them victims in order to change the founding of this country and gain political power. Minorities have become nothing more than a tool for power. This is pure evil and should be defeated at every turn.
     
  5. targus

    targus New Member

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    A cost analysis would be a good place to start.

    Insurance companies make about a 4% profit. Not too high in my opinion.

    Drug companies make a profit between 10 and 20%. That's pretty healthy but then they do reinvest profits into the next generation of drugs.

    Hospitals make an average of 0% profit.

    So what causes the costs to be so high?

    Is it unnecessary services?

    I really don't know.
     
  6. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    I know, it's the best medical care anyone can get in the world. Unfortunately it's very expensive and one needs insurance to afford it or go into a lifetime of debt. Sadly the money Obama and the Dem's have already spent on advertising this bill could have paid for thousands of poor peoples health care. How much is it going to cost to give people who can't afford this health care?? I'll bet Obama has given enough away in stimulus money to have paid for it (insurance) all? It's not all about health care but it's a power grab. They see the opportunity to cease control and they are foaming at the mouth to see it done. Why else would politicians go against what the majority oppose?
     
  7. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    Six weeks ago, I had bypass surgery for a blocked artery in my leg. I saw one bill from the hospital for $27,000. That sounds like a lot, then I got to thinking about all the people who had a part in taking care of me. Doctors, nurses, orderlies, housekeepers, pharmacists, bookkeepers, security guards, plus the cost of the equipment, the heating system which kept me warm.

    My wife had lower back surgery almost a year ago. In looking at an itemized bill, I saw an item which blew me away. It was a small chest which held ice and water, with a motor which circulated it through a hose to what looks like a heating pad. It was to provide relief to the incision area.

    Cost: $1,200. My inquiry brought this answer. I was paying extra to cover the cost of all the free health care the hospital gave to those who couldn't pay. It runs into the tens of millions of dollars a year.

    That may not explain everything, but it explains some exorbitant charges.
     
  8. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    #8 carpro, Mar 12, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 12, 2010
  9. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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  10. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Same question.

    How much is your life worth?
     
  11. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    It's called cost shifting.

    Hospitals also charge regular patients more to make up for being underpaid for medicare patients. The inevitable result of arbitrary government price fixing.

    Government can't solve the problem. Government is the problem. To paraphrase a truly great president.
     
  12. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    Humm king for a day. I'd take a trip back where I was born just after I signed a bill to deport illegals, that would lower a lot of costs as has been mentioned, then at about the same time some reform to take care of Rev Ms point of high payout lawsuits and just in case I get sued medical care.

    Maybe clean out some of the welfare roles that are also on medical roles, maybe take some of the other welfare perks away and spend some of that on those that really need some help.

    Like that limited time for welfare payments (tends to help people find work faster).

    Might also look to the public for public input on how to shrink government.

    By the way my wife had one of those motorized ice machines - doctor said it was covered by the insurance (We ask about everything :) and it was. That is till two years later when the insurance company that had paid for it and okayed it decided that they were not going to cover it and told us if the company didn't pay them back we would have to pay for it.

    Now that sort of thing might need some fixin as well.

    Well, then again when I got my kingship back there to Washington my palm might be so greasy that I might pass a bill that will give those dirty filthy crooks of medical insurance companies hundreds of billions from the government to cover all those that aren't covered.
     
  13. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    I just got out of the hospital on a three day stay for a 6 way CABG operation. Here is what the hospital charged.
    Three day stay $66,400
    Operation 10,000
    Anesthesia 5,000
    Heart Cath 3,500
    Nuclear Stress 1,500


    ====
    Yikes way too much money I think as king I would make them lower that figure by cutting out that pesky $5000 item - unnecessary - a little pain won't hurt you. :tongue3:
     
  14. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    I'm having a deviated septum repaired on March 24 because my breathing is greatly impaired.

    The hospital is already hassling me about paying my bill (I haven't even set foot in the place yet). I've had two phone calls this week, one of them at 7:30 a.m. when I was trying to leave for work.

    The estimated hospital charges for an outpatient operation the surgeon says will take about 30 minutes is $16,357. That doesn't include the surgeon's fee (relatively inexpensive for one of he finest specialists in the region) and the cost of anesthesia services. Unless something goes horribly wrong, I will go home a few hours after the operation.

    About two years ago I nearly died when my appendix ruptured. I had to have emergency surgery on Super Bowl Sunday (during the game) and then had to remain in the hospital for another five days getting massive doses of antibiotics through IVs in each arm. The cost before insurance kicked in was nearly $70,000.
     
  15. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Life is a gift of God and is priceless. The purpose of medical care is not to enhance the greed of the medical community and lawyers. There is a big difference between everyone carrying their load on medical costs and sheer greed. Just because the Obama health care proposal is rotten to the core, will bankrupt us, and make health care much worse does not excuse the greed and present problems.

    It is not a choice of either A (do nothing) or B (pass Obamacare). We can do better than that. Again, you are putting this issue in a Democrat-Republican framework. It is the same issue as changing Congress back to a Constitutional government. As long as you keep swapping Democrats and Republicans, nothing will change.

    As far as quoting a former President about being part of the problem, that has nothing to do with today. Back in that era, there was still some conservatism in the Republican party. From Bush the First to McCain in 2008, liberalism in the Republican party is rampant.
     
  16. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    That gives me the creeps just thinking about it. I really do not think this would have been a good old Western scene where they cut you open and drowned you with whiskey.
     
  17. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Those are some really good points, and believe it or not, a bill written in the framework of your post would probably go a long way towards solving the problem. The example you cited about the ice box was a good focal point. Instead of the government running the insurance, the penalties for such nonsense would have been quite severe on the insurance company, and they would wish they paid your claim. Good post.
     
  18. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Are you back to full speed? This is a great example of what I am talking about.
     
  19. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    I believe you hit the nail on the head. The core of the problem is the liberal mindset.
     
  20. blackbird

    blackbird Active Member

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    I had outpatient op 2 1/2 yrs ago----after receiving the hosp bill----I don't remember much about the surgery---I think the final hosp bill was in the neighborhood of $18,500.(and a few cents)--------I was in the hospital less than 10 hours-------1 of those hours was spent in registration---1 in some nuclear lab---45 minutes in surgery itself---45 in recovery---30 minutes in preop---the other time was spent laying on the bed in a "Holding" room watchin' TV before surgery-----------that works out to be $1850/hour-----------not a bad haul for the day!!!!!! The surgery itself took less than an hour and the surgeon charged $2000.00 for his part---that ain't bad "Doughnuts" neither

    I remember watchin' Gunsmoke years ago----"Doc" Bryant did a Appendectomy on board a moving train with a pistol pointed to his head---anyhow--the surgery was successful---"Doc" didn't charge anything for the inconvience!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:
     
    #20 blackbird, Mar 13, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 13, 2010
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