patrick.net

ah, you're forgetting that terminally ill people are sick and usually unable to muster the gumption to blow up hospitals.

The thing is, we provide care to terminally ill people now. They enter the hospital thru the ER and are admitted to the medical floor. They have no payment source for hospice so they cost hospitals millions of dollars each year in actual costs that they'll never recoup. Often the care that is provided is Everything - vents, g-tube feedings, everything imaginable because if the patient doesn't require treatment, they'll be discharged. The full ICU treatment.

But the hospitals write off the billed charges - 3 to 4 times the amount of actual costs. It's a handy little accounting thing that they do. They also receive subsidies from CMS for the services that they provide. So, while they're not making money on the patients, they're writing off more than they would have made if the patients had been covered by insurance.

The biggest difference between our system now and socialized medicine is that hospitals make more money from the way things are run now - and their lobbyists are bigger than the american people's.

elliemae says

But the hospitals write off the billed charges - 3 to 4 times the amount of actual costs. It’s a handy little accounting thing that they do.

In non-emergency situations, this is an example of why you quite often need health insurance more as a "discount card" than as real "insurance".

Hell ya! the system is screwed up, that's for sure.

One more reason that American health system sucks is that it keeps people in jobs they would leave except for the health insurance it provides. In other words, it keeps people miserable! In Canada, there is much more job mobility.

And health care costs that are not covered are driving people into bankruptcy every day. It's another Ponzi scheme. In other words, people with health insurance still go broke!

I had a wisdom tooth pulled in Mexico for $50. The US dentist gave me an estimate of $1,200! How can that cost disparity be justified?

I have a sister-in-law in Mexico who just completed treatment for breast cancer. There the public hospitals are state run, her out-of-pocket costs were minimal. HELLO! Mexico?

I hope you're wrong about where all this is headed but I can see where the anger is boiling up.

There's a dentist on every corner yet there's no competition between them. This does not compute.

mikey says

There’s a dentist on every corner yet there’s no competition between them. This does not compute.

That's because like medical insurance everyone bills at the insurance company set rates no matter what.

Mexican dentist pay $2000 per semester for medical and dental school in Mexico, don't have to pay malpractice insurance, don't have to pay a whole office full of people to do insurance billing. That might have something to do with lower costs.

bob2356 says

Mexican dentist pay $2000 per semester for medical and dental school in Mexico, don’t have to pay malpractice insurance, don’t have to pay a whole office full of people to do insurance billing. That might have something to do with lower costs.

There something to be said about that. I remember when I was in Columbia, South America in many spots thieves stole teleco covers in front of stores on the sidewalk and even manhole covers in the street. You be walking along and you have to watch out for these 2 foot deep holes on the sidewalk, not to mention the huge hole in the street. I would have thought it be a major liablity issues, but I was told the Judge throw any lawsuit out the window, he would have said, "You should have watched where you were going." The Entitlement lawsuits that happen in this country do not occur in other Countries, certainly not as often.

Malpractice insurance is over 100k per doctor in some areas of this country. When you have many doctors in a practice, just the insurance alone could be staggering. 90% of the lawsuits against doctors are found not negligent, but it costs more than $110,000 dollars to defend them per case, even 60% of cases not brought to trial, that are dismissed, dropped or withdrawn can run over 20k per case. It's no wonder the system broken, insurance alone can run as high as 30% of a doctors income. By just passing laws that makes it more difficult to sue, we can reduce the cost of medical care by 25%. Most lawyers take cases on "a you don't pay if we don't win" situation. So people are more than happy to sue for just about anything, it costs them nothing and they could get BIG money. If people were required to put something up, perhaps a 10k bond, so if the case is dismissed or thrown out, there would be a lot less lawsuits, since they have skin in the game.

HMOG!... let's hope you mean the terminally ill will bomb INSURANCE COMPANY HEADQUARTERS, and K-STREET LOBBYIST OFFICES, and *not* the hospitals, where many good and innocent nurses are doing ALL THEY CAN (and then some) to actually help sick folks.

If a few so-called "MDs" who used all their medical training to become plastic-titty-installers happen to be at the Insurance HQ, picking up a check, when the "device" goes off, oh well, so sad... ;')

The bomber should go to the insurance company who is denying/delaying them treatment to save money lol & a plastic surgeon is fee for service, they rarely deal with insurance.

I tell everyone "insurance is the business of probabilities that favors the business."
You can insure anything as long as the probabilities favor you the insurer.

The $1200 extraction was probably from an oral surgeon who was including IV sedation. The extraction for $50 is a great deal, but take into account the cleanliness of the facility, costs of living, wages, rent, and most important the standard of care. There are dentists abroad that may be up to par or better, but the risk you take may cost you more. Will you fly back to address the dry socket, possible infection or cyst? Most doctors don't like cleaning up others messes. There are now many medical/dental vacations. After surgery you are leaving that country and the deal/transaction is done. Remember they are fully aware of it. A patient that never returns with concerns is deemed 'geographical success.' That bridge or porcelain crown may look great, but then on the plane trip home after the anesthetic wears off you notice your bite is off and awake with headaches. You go to get it adjusted and the teeth cemented are bulky, not embracing the tooth entirely and/or with open edges covered by gums. Losing your new white teeth to future decay will not seem worthwhile in retrospect. Redoing anything will cost more in the long run. If you are abroad, don't settle for anything less than the best.