Quote:
Originally Posted by cobra bill
WHO ACCEPTS WHATEVER statistics a country reports to them. [along with the funding check!] Have every country report their health stats the EXACT same way that our NON-Government AMA does and we would be far and away the EASY winner. Just one phase of the WHO's report should explain all. They HEAVILY weigh their rankings on "FAIRNESS" of health care. Well ours isn't the fairest, the rich do get better care. AND ALWAYS WILL, everywhere, but in other, socialized medicine, countries it "officially" doesn't happen.
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The statistics out there are provided by the AMA and even our own CIA and we are ranked 37th and the infant mortality rate is 50th, we are not the best! Now don't get me wrong or get your panties in a wad, we have the best in the world if you can afford it, so there is a great inequity in our country, I'm not saying that everyone should get what the wealthiest people can buy, of course not, but they should get basic care. Actually the highest rated system in the world is ours, it's the Tri care system for our military, and the VA is ranked 2nd, guess what folks it's government run! you know socialized medicine.
And by the way it's not free for those that can't afford it, those that have insurance pay it, it's costing us about $1,100 a year in our premiums to pay for them, there is no free lunch.[/quote]
Lobotomized liberals take note. I did not say care was free, I said care was free to poor people. USE all my words, not just the ones you can twist. Insurance companies do not pay for the poor. Taxes do, and spiraling costs do. Insurance companies CONTRACT with hospitals and set the price they will pay for their insureds treatments. The hospitals fees charged on their bills to patients are absolutely meaningless to insurance companies. They pay according to the contracted agreement.
Example: a hospital bill of $100,000.00 for X treatment. The patient has 80/20 coverage with a stop loss of $10,000. The patient pays $10,000.00. The insurance company pays NO attention to the $90,000.00 balance. Their pre-negotiated contract with the hospital says they will pay $18,569.45 for X treatment and that is what they pay. The hospital "adjusts" away the balance.
Medicare is somewhat similar. Example using actual rounded off numbers. My wife was recently hospitalized for 18 days, needing surgery for an illness. The bill was $80,000.00. the Medicare Part A deductible is $1000. So we paid $1000. The Medicare reimbursement for her illness was $8000.
Medicare TELLS the hospital what they will pay by geographic region. So the hospital "adjusted" away $71,000.00
In each of the examples, if a person had means but no insurance, they would owe the FULL amount of the bill. $100,000.00 or $80,000.00
The person of means has choices.
Pay the bill.
File for bankruptcy.
Or negotiate a settlement amount. The hospital will be happy to do this. They could settle for 25 cents on the dollar and still realize more than Medicare or insurance would pay them.
None of this would mean anything to a poor person. The hospital would just write it off.
Note that is the overly cumbersome and complicated financial system. None of that has to do with care.
Does the situation cry out for simplification? YES!!!
Does it require one once more of Government Control? NO!!
As I have said before, if your Cobra needs a tune up, you DO NOT turn it over to the Government for a total rebuild by a committee that never saw a car before. You install plugs and adjust what needs adjusted. You don't replace the 427 side oiler with a Hoover Hybrid.