patrick.net

curious2 says

CL says

Insurance is access....

No, insurance is a contract. Read yours.

Semantics. If you are not in a life-threatening position, hospitals can refuse you if you don't have insurance, right?

curious2 says

Medicare exists, as does Medicaid, but whether they are insurance depends on what definition you use. Some people refer to Medicare as insurance, but does Medicare describe itself that way?

Yes. http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/MedicareGenInfo/index.html

"Medicare is a health insurance program for:

people age 65 or older,
people under age 65 with certain disabilities, and
people of all ages with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant)."

curious2 says

surprisingly little in the Medicare population, less than 10 years in the 50 year history of the program, and most of that is due to other factors like fewer smokers

Is that comparing Seniors to Seniors in the same time frame? What was the rate of increase prior to Medicare? 10 years out of 70 or so is an awful lot in any case.

curious2 says

Oh please, spare us. First of all, you're ignoring Medicaid. Second, most people who go bankrupt with medical bills they can't afford actually had insurance at the time of their last injury or illness.

Don't most of the elderly who have assets hide them so as to benefit even more from Medicare? Did people die in poverty prior to Medicare?

curious2 says

How on earth do you know that without even seeing one?

What kind of risk premium would YOU or anyone have to get in order to take the other side of that insurance bet? Old people cost a lot of money, if they want medicine and doctor attention.

curious2 says

Do you ever consider that?

Considered, but you are conflating Social safety nets and our unbridled greed. The safety nets were created due to the failure of the free-market to provide for the old, sick and dying. That's like saying the EPA caused dirty air and water, or food wasn't tainted prior to FDA. The people were revolting at the turn of the century, even voting for Socialists. What was their motivation, and was the market less free then?
curious2 says

LOL - sarcasm really helps.

I was serious. You may hate the whole system, but insofar as there are good, life saving measures out there, the people are entitled to them. What is your answer? Get sick and don't avail yourselves to the system we DO have? It makes no sense.

curious2 says

in fact many suffered serious cardiovascular events including strokes, but the revenue recipients made a killing - literally.

Okay. So......? Big Pharma sucks? We need more FDA regs and trials?

curious2 says

You can argue we deserve better, or cheaper but it doesn't change a thing.

And you can argue that we don't, and that doesn't change a thing either.

I'm not arguing we don't. I'm saying it's the system we have and there are good things and bad things. If you are ill, in pain, or dying, good luck with finding care in the libertopia that does not exist. So what is a patient to do?

curious2 says

i.e. to 39% (still within the margin of error, which they didn't mention), while opposition remains near 60%. It takes real devotion to sum up 60-40 opposition with a headline saying "support edges up."

You'll never go broke if you bet on Americans being fickle or stupid.