and you want THESE guys handling HEALTHCARE?

[rbell]

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/05/tracking-taxes-medicare-waste/?test=health

According to their own auditors, Medicare knowingly overpays for almost everything it buys. Examples include:

• $7,215 to rent an oxygen concentrator, when the purchase price is $600.
• $4,018 for a standard wheelchair, while the private sector pays $1,048.
• $1,825 for a hospital bed, compared to an Internet price of $1,071.
• $3,335 for a respiratory pump, versus an advertised price of $1,987.
• $82 for a diabetic supply kit, instead of a $47 price on the Web.

Last year, the Health and Human Services Department tried to replace its archaic fixed-price fee schedule for 10 commonly purchased products with a competitive bidding program in 10 cities. The department said the program could save Medicare $125 million in a single year, or $1 billion if adopted nationwide. But Congress stepped in to stop it.

And you think THESE guys are capable of handling your HEALTHCARE?

Riiiiiight.....

 

[Johnv]

The OP affirms what I've been saying all along. Whether one agrees or disagrees with a public form of healthcare, work should be done to fix the current system. The answer to a broken system is not creating a new system. The answer to a broken system is to fix the breaks.

 

[Salty]

and don't forget how much Medicaid pays for taxi rides to doctors!

Here are two situations:

1. I pick up a girl at one hospital and take here to another one - she is unsatisfied with the first doctor. On the way, her friend say "we will sue that doctor!" Taxi ride - about $15.

2. I pick up a man who need to get a prescription. The pharmacy is about 20 miles away from the Salt City ( which abounds with drug stores) The client tells me this (small) drug store is the only one that carries the medication he needs. (yea, right) taxi ride = $50 - one way - I have to wait about 15 minutes and I bring him back - thats right another $50. Lets see that ride would have bought 2 diabetic supply kits

These examples aren't even the tip of the iceberg - watch out, Medicaid is going to cause the USS Taxpayer to sink

Salty

 

[donnA]

here it's only 35 cents a mile

 

[Salty]

here it's only 35 cents a mile

If you are talking about a taxi ride - here it is $2.80 sit down - and then 30 cents per 1/10 of a mile

 

[rbell]

Still waiting for our "progressive" friends to refute the numbers mentioned above...and explain to the class why we should let these bozos run our healthcare system.

And keep in mind...we're not talking about a system that would be voluntary, either. If you couldn't get insurance another way (and thinking folks know that millions will lose theirs)...you MUST get this.

 

[rbell]

And yet another reason to oppose government healthcare:

You might have a private plan...one that you like, you can afford, and you want to keep. And, at one point, the government "approves" of your plan. All is well.

But then, on a whim, the government decides your plan isn't "good enough." So...you must upgrade, or pay a steep fine, or go on the government plan.

Fairy tale? It's already happening. See "the People's Republic of Massachusetts."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574459101022338232.html

From the article:

For the first two years of the mandate, our IBM health insurance was seen as acceptable in the eyes of the state. This year the rules changed. The state requires that health plans cap out-of-pocket expenses for individuals (not including monthly premiums) at $2,000 a year. Our plan's cap is $2,500.

Ten years ago, we had excellent coverage through a more gold-plated plan. But we found that it was no longer worth paying the premiums and scaled back to a more modest policy. Today, we pay about $300 a month for catastrophic care. If we went with the next step up in plans offered to us by IBM, our monthly premium would increase to $800. We simply don't need to pay that kind of money for the amount of health care we actually consume.

Nonetheless, we now owe the state an extra $1,000. Ironically, that's about the extra amount we would pay out-of-pocket under our current plan if both of us actually fell ill in the same year.

And:

IBM seems like a rock of stability compared to the state of Massachusetts. It's apparent that state health-care policies can change at the whim of politicians in Boston, and we might not be able to adjust to the new rules. The way we figure it, if we sign up for a state-subsidized plan we will be at the mercy of the state.

I cannot see for the life of me why people who believe in a free society would agree to such a monumentally stupid and anti-freedom plan.

 

[Revmitchell]

I cannot see for the life of me why people who believe in a free society would agree to such a monumentally stupid and anti-freedom plan.

That question kind of answers itself doesn't it.