Monday, August 10, 2009

Healthcare Reform and a Scary Fact

We haven't broached the politics subject yet....but figured now is as good of a time as any.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission Filings reported that profits for the 10 largest insurance companies increased from 2.4 billion to 12.7 billion from 2000-2007, while the number of uninsured increased 19%. Kind of hard to explain that one. And we are supposed to believe the rhetoric that if a public option exists the private insurers wont survive. Come on. Not to mention that the average salary for the CEOs of these insurance companies is 11.4 million!

Here is a link from a fellow blogger that has lots of the most up to date information and videos on the health care debate. View if your interested.


-ER Doc

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

"And we are supposed to believe the rhetoric that if a public option exists the private insurers wont survive."

That's why they made it illegal to get private insurance or change once you drop your plan or your employer discontinues your plan? You are a bright guy, I'm sure yo've read the bill for yourself so you know what is rhetoric and what is fact. I can not afford what's being proposed: 12% of my income for premiums and on top of that a 25% deductible up to $10,000 every single year for my disease. The unions, federal employees, and congress will get to keep their insurance plans run by private insurance companies but I'll end up in the emergency room for my health care.

The biggest insurance companies such as BCBS, Humana, etc, generate their revenue off of federal plans, Tricare, medicare advantage (brought to you by Billy Tauzin same guy taking care of big pharm in this deal right now)...in other words federal taxpayer subsidies.

Karen

Adam Thompson, EMT-P said...

If you are a doc as your name implies. I can't imagine why you would want to see the demise of competitive medicine.

SerenityNow said...

B/C medicine isn't supposed to be competitive as far as coverage. yes we all love when a patient has insurance....but there is no worse feeling than discharging patients knowing they cant get follow up or the definitive care that they need. not even the uninsured, but also the underinsured. its my personal feeling that medicine shouldn't be a competitive business but a right....and yes i am willing to take a pay cut to make it happen. what we have now...this broken system...is b/c medicine is a huge BUSINESS and the business isn't about taking care of patients but about making $$$

RE: "That's why they made it illegal to get private insurance or change once you drop your plan or your employer discontinues your plan? "
---my response: completely untrue. that is not in the bill

-ER DOC

Liz said...

I agree that some sort of healthcare reform is necessary...I agree that many corporations place profit above people....no doubt.

But I don't like THIS healthcare plan, I don't like the idea of the government running it (US Postal Service is running, RUNNING towards bankruptcy), I don't like having this thing passed so fast, with so little time to consider/tweak the plan, I don't like having it shoved down my throat.

This proposal stinks. A proposal should be put together that more people can live with, it should be able to be changed over time. It shouldn't try to do everything in one fell swoop. It should allow citizens to opt in and/or out and to shop for their own plan.

Why do we citizens need to carry a National Health ID card when free healthcare will be provided to all aliens illegal or not?

Adam Thompson, EMT-P said...

I believe healthcare should be run by the hospital systems.

Without competitive medicine, you will have no progression in medicine.

Anonymous said...

That's why they made it illegal to get private insurance or change once you drop your plan or your employer discontinues your plan?

Except it doesn't do that. Go read the bill instead of email forwards.

Why do we citizens need to carry a National Health ID card when free healthcare will be provided to all aliens illegal or not?

Except that neither one of those is true, either.

Obviously our current healthcare system is broken, 'cause there seem to be a lot of people running around delusional and unmedicated, plus a boatload of pathological liars.

Anonymous said...

This is Doc Sensitive and disagree with ER Doc. You need to go to another country and practice where they have socialized medicine. In New Zealand, health care is rationed. It's next to impossible to get an MRI. CT scans are limited. It takes months to get a gallbladder removed. The government has proven over and over that they can't manage things efficently- more money will be wasted in red tape and paperwork. The reality is that government run health care is bad for doctors and patients. Plus, just b/c everyone will have health care, doesn't mean patients will have follow up! There happens to be a huge shortage of primary care doctors. How are 43 million new patients going to find a PCP when we already don't have enough? Then, who will go into medicine when they make 50 grand a year after 12 years of training? What will happen, is what is happening in New Zealand. All their MDs leave and they import them from India, China, and other countries!

SerenityNow said...

BC in America we can do it better. And yes the primary care thing will be a big problem. A part of the bill focuses on increasing primary care and increasing residency. But that could take awhile


Plus, New Zealand is Socialized Medicine. Despite the rumors here...our current plan is not socialized medicine but a two tiered system that has private and govt components that can compete. Kind of like Germany

I crack up when people say the govt system will put the private system out of business. If the govt system will be so bad, why would the private system go out of business? We complain that government cant do anything right but then we think they are going to take over healthcare and put the private sector out of business?? This is America....the private sector isn't going anywhere.

-ER Doc
-ER Doc

Anonymous said...

In New Zealand, health care is rationed.

It's rationed in the U.S., too. We ration by ability to pay, rather than ability to benefit. The uninsured and the underinsured also face waits for procedures - till they can get the money somehow, till they can get a new job, until they're disabled and/or get disability, or until it kills them.

I waited 5 years for an MRI and a diagnosis for my MS, what with being an uninsured student when it hit.

Adam Thompson, EMT-P said...

Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, The VA, Social Security.

Which one of those is run efficiently?

Each one of those costs more money than the year before, EVERY YEAR.

If "the US can do it better", than why aren't we doing the things we already do--well?

The federal government should have one job, to protect americans. While you may think this is protection, it will be the demise of our democracy. There is more hidden in this bill than you know. Mr. Obama has proved himself socialist, and you cannot have capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down... it is lunacy.

How is spending more money going to fix the economy? Healthcare = our biggest economic problem? No, real estate and job market = our biggest problem. Lower business taxes to create jobs, and stop irresponsible mortgaging. Healthcare is the same as it was for Clinton, it can wait.

Adam Thompson, EMT-P said...

I crack up when people say the govt system will put the private system out of business. If the govt system will be so bad, why would the private system go out of business?

I'm glad you laugh at that, but unfortunately that is exactly what the bill is designed to do. Health insurance companies rely on billing for revenue. The government has a constant revenue, doesn't matter how good it is.... it will always make the money.

SerenityNow said...

Rationing:

When we have to submit a claim to an insurance company to get a test like a CT, MRI, etc and get denied....isn't that rationing health care??

When you get dropped from your insurance b/c you are sick...isn't that rationing healthcare??

When you have cancer and the insurance companies decline treatments...isn't that rationing??

-ER Doc

Anonymous said...

Doc sensitive again. The reason private insurance companies will go out of business is b/c it won't be profitable to be in business. What will happen, from an economics standpoint, is that the government health insurance will dictate prices. With such an economy of scales, the government can now start putting price controls on everything. For example, the government could say "Doctors will only get paid 5 dollars for an office visit." As a result, private insurance companies will be forced to lower prices based upon the government re-embursement rate to compete. The government will force such low prices that private insurance companies will exit, resulting in true government run health care.

Anonymous said...

Doc sensitive again. It's interesting you use Germany as an example. I spend 1 month in Czech republic and had a German roomate. Do you know how much physicians make in Germany? He told me that most MDs make around 50-75 USD. If you are willing to go through 12 years and 200 grand of debt to make 50 grand, then all the more power to you. We all went into medicine to help others but we wouldn't be able to live off 50 grand with 200K of debt.

Anonymous said...

they alrady do that with medicare. insurers base rates off medicare. what do you suppose we do Doc Sensitive? the current system isnt working. i truly believe they arent trying to shut down private insurers....just having a 2 tier system.

-ER DOc

Anonymous said...

Health care needs reformed but government shouldn't run the system. We need to create an independant body that gives people x amount for health related costs (2 grand) each year and then anything over that amount is funded by private insurance or Medicare. Each year, if not spent, you get the 2 grand back in tax refunds or you can carry it over until the next year. People would think twice before going to the doc for dumb, little things. Then, we need to change the way MDs are paid to reduce costs- paid less by the procedures and tests we perform and more based on the disease. This would discourage excess tests.