Every Other Country Has Universal Health Care - And It Works
2009 Aug 30, 12:19pm 23,048 views 94 comments
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MisdemeanorRebel
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2012 Sep 23, 12:16pm
We used to have BC/BS in this country, until a free market fanatic in the 70s got a law passed forcing companies with more than 50 employees to offer HMOs to employees. The young took the HMO (Babyboomers at the time); the older and those with children or problems stayed with BC/BS. Those were the seeds of destruction.
I remember as a kid going to the doctor. At first, he had just one F/T office gal. By the time I was 12, he had three F/T and two P/T office workers to keep up with all the "Wonderful Choices" of the various for-profit health care plans.
@bgamall4
I really wish somebody would look into the Hospital/Lab-Insurance Company relationship. I don't have the time (or aptitude or understanding) to delve into it, but I wouldn't be surprised to see interconnecting relationships between for profit Labs and Hospitals and Insurance Companies to keep prices high.
curious2
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2012 Sep 23, 1:42pm
I wouldn't be surprised to see interconnecting relationships between for profit Labs and Hospitals and Insurance Companies to keep prices high.
It's happening in plain sight: insurance companies are buying hospitals, corporate practice groups, everything:
It's accelerating now because of the impending MLR requirements, i.e. at least 80%/85% of premiums need to be shifted from the insurance side of the business to the medical side. Easy to do when the same corporation owns both sides. Result: higher prices.
zzyzzx
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2012 Sep 24, 12:38am
Does China, India, Mexico, and Brazil have socialized medicine? Aren't those the countries that we primarily lose jobs to and shouldn't we be comparing ourselves to them instead of other industrialized countries that are really more like economic has beens?
MisdemeanorRebel
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2012 Sep 24, 12:59am
It's accelerating now because of the impending MLR requirements, i.e. at least 80%/85% of premiums need to be shifted from the insurance side of the business to the medical side. Easy to do when the same corporation owns both sides. Result: higher prices.
Interesting. I always felt there was more than just "we negotiated with these guys" reasons for having enrollees use particular providers.
Know what else is F**ked up? My CPAP machine was $400 new from China. It cost "my insurance" $900 to rent it, probably from themselves (ie a DME store they themselves own). I ended up having it for 6 months. You can't buy CPAP machines without a perscription. Huh? Somebody is going to die from forcing air in their lungs? Seriously?
Everyone should know that if all health care is left to the private sector, prices will fall & quality will improve.lol
freak80
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2012 Sep 25, 11:44pm
This is America, dammit. I have the right to make insurance monopolies rich at my expense!
« First « Previous Comments 89 - 94 of 94 Search these comments
Every other industrialized country has universal health care. It works for them:
Summary: You have no financial security unless we get health care reform.
Something needs to be done about health care in the US. It is badly broken: it wastes money, it bankrupts families, and fails to provide the the quality of health care that all other developed countries get for far lower cost.
The Republican plan is... what? It's to do nothing except deliberately stoke fear of "socialism" and "death panels" while raking in insurance company lobbyist money. There are there are six insurance company lobbyists for every member of Congress.
Insurance industry lobbying money is killing the public-plan health insurance option. And you know that they are funding Fox News, Glen Beck, O'Reilly and others like them. "Fair and balanced" my ass. Turn that crap off and read the actual proposals.
Democrats are guilty of taking their money too, but at least they are talking about real solutions.
The Republicans won't even propose one.
#politics