Melissa wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2009 at 12:45pm:


I don't think you could FIX the healthcare system by paying doctors less. You could have a minor impact on its costs.

I think there needs to be a balance struck between what is a reasonable income for a doctor, given the cost of their training etc, and what is a reasonable cost to the patient. Right now, on balance it seems that patients are paying through their noses whilst doctors are rolling in cash.

I think the bigger issue is all the organisations that crowd around the health delivery system all suckling away at its lifeblood in pursuit of profit rather than in pursuit of the interests of the patient.

You have a huge, complicated health delivery status quo that I think needs someone brave enough to do a clean sheet proposal for a new more equitable deal where patients (the "customers") come first. 

Under HIPAA regulations it is currently illegal for an insurance co, to refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions, if the person is currently covered by another policy.

If the former policy has expired at the time of application for a new one then yes they can refuse.
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Charlie wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 2:15am:


It is just too easy to take advantage of a "captive" market. We aren't doctors so we cannot make a judgement call on what is a valid/worthwhile treatment and what is an unnecessary or over-the-top treatment. We are also told again and again how much machines such as MRI scanners etc cost as a way of justifying the huge costs of scans. I smell a rat and would guess that most MRI scanners have paid for themselves in a matter of months judging by what people claim to have been paying.

Buzz, in your 'getting to know you' post, you talk about how useless your NHS doctor was and that you had to 'go private' in order to get proper treatment, and still had to do battle with them to get approval for O2.

How is your system better?

Quote:


It looks as though we have to sit back then when "reasonable" means greed, trickery, incompetence and outright criminality then?

It's immoral and disgusting. Other people are aghast when they learn of our twisted system.

If Wall Street needs money, fine. I'm all for making a buck but stop killing people to get it.

Charlie

A truly 'free' system is an extreme that has never existed in the US.  We have always depended on the enforcement of a moral order, codified into law by a system of representative government.  This is what keeps the free market in check so that it does not become what Charlie paints it out to be.  When it gets out of balance, our system allows for new laws to deal with it.  Charlie's argument is flawed because it presupposes that the entire system is broken and anybody who is in the business of making their living in the medical field is a greedy leech.

There are hundreds of millions of people who are happy with their insurance and the way the medical system works.  There are (and always will be, under any system) some people who are not happy with the system.  This does not warrant wholesale destruction of a system that literally has over 250 million happy customers, and which employs millions of people (all who make money).

The idea that the system is sooooo broken that it needs the have the government running it is just not justified.

Didn't a 5 year old boy related to someone on this board just get word they are getting a life-saving transplant?  How does that happen in a socialized system?

I say we need to fix what is broken, not allow our theoretically 'limited' government to take over yet another critical part of our lives.  Tort reform would drastically change the way in which doctors provide care.  As it is, they order far more tests than necessary just to cover their ass, and this raises costs for everybody.

Marc wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 6:25pm:


Marc wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 5:20pm:


Kind of some extreme example in itself.


Quote:


Still may be that rising costs could make it affordable to fewer, or be content with very cheap policies having pages and pages of exclusions that make you wonder what it does cover.

Marc wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 7:13pm:


Something I was pointing out.


Quote:


I just wasn't so compatable with the determining.

I can see that I have successfully converted everyone to my way of thinking. This has been a valuable exercise and a good use of my valuable time.

Well, I suppose my work here is done now, so I must move on to covert the next group ........

Marc

Loopy wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 2:40pm:


Loopy, with hindsight, I believe that the particular NHS doctor I had at the time was more personally obstructive than the NHS itself; he had a giant ego and was not the most popular doctor at his practice. When I moved to London I wasn't registered at a London NHS surgery, so I decided, since I was earning a good daily rate, to go to a private doctor. She got me the appointment with the City of London Migraine clinic. Mr Blau  the neurologist) confirmed what I knew all along and prescribed Verapamil.

I then registered with my local NHS centre and have been nothing but impressed. They are conscientious, allowing me to automatically renew prescriptions but insisting on a brief check-up every few renewals. They have a daily walk-in service where no appointment is needed and they happily signed off on my O2; I have 6 big tanks and two small portable tanks, renewable as often as i need. They only give me 2 Imigran Jabs at a time, but I can ask for replacements on an as needed basis - there is no cost-derived limit.

The NHS does have its downsides. It is a long way from perfect. I am fortunate that I can choose to 'go private' if I want, thanks to my other half's private healthcare cover, on which I am now included. When I foolishly decided I'd start running in order to get fit and lose weight, I injured my knee. My NHS doc ordered scans. I had the choice of going to an NHS centre in several days' time or going to a private facility on the same day. I went private. It was nice, the place was like a hotel and the specialist was very charming but frankly the only real benefit was I got my knee scanned earlier.

Hope that explains!

Loopy wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 6:38pm:


The UK's NHS undertakes many, many transplants every year. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or The main problem they face is lack of donor organs.

Loopy wrote on Sep 24^th, 2009 at 2:35pm:


Oh, maybe Maggie was just a fan like I was from '70 -'73 of English rocker Alvin Lee.  He visited Detroit about twice a year at the time, also introducing new kicker bands like J. Geils, Cactus, even Poco that I can remember.  I got Ric Lee's drumstick one night in a stagefront melee after missing the first band that night throwing up in an unlocked janitor's closet.  Everything was there to clean it up!   


"I'd Love to Change the World"

...

Tax the rich, feed the poor
Till there are no rich no more

I'd love to change the world
But I dont know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you

Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money, monopoly

I'd love to change the world
But I dont know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you
 
...