Word Power?

I see the trend here in Cleveland, all of the private doctors could not afford to do "business" and hired on with Cleveland Clinic, University hospitals, so now you basically you dont have any options except to be sucked into thier system...you guys cant sit here and badger me because i see the fckin bills i get to cure a simple Migraine head-ache, 2 cat scans, 2 mri's,3 day intervenus treatment 40 different prescriptions (that have yet to help) by the time this is over it will be 100k. now if anyone can look me in the face and say the system we have is great, I will call you a liar. If i didnt have insurance and had a family Doctor that new my wifes history and spent more than 12 minutes with her in the exam room, maybe just maybe he could figure the problem...this method would equate to financial savings.
Im not going to keep yacking how its should be, But i will keep yacking on how it is. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, Cleveland Clinic monopolized Cleveland, Alabama has 2 insurance companies, they name thier price and they discriminate coverage, Analogy of insurance fits very well and a corporation now that they will have to streamline thier paperwork WILL, and yes that will create SAVINGS, ISNT that what he keeps saying in those speeches you guy's ramble on about. I really dont get why anyone doesnt want this bill to pass, it baffles me, fears of a government take over...ridiculous, its is an unregulated industry and has got to the point of needing regulation by laws, If the laws are changed it will stop the monopoly's and streamline paperwork. everyone keeps thinking how bad its going to be if it passes...WTF, you been to the doctor lately?

Health insurance WAS really financial insurance, it's original purpose was to keep you from being financially wiped out if you got sick. Pretty much every one had a Major Medical policy provided by their employer. If you had a minor health problem the first few thousand dollars were your responsibility then the insurance kicked in. Employers could afford the relatively low premiums. As the system evolved, it became "health reimbursement", for the players involved this was a very good thing. The doctors and hospitals saw utilization go up, and since they were paid per procedure, they made lots of money. The insurance companies goal is to make a few percent profit on all the dollars that go through their hands, the pool of dollars got a lot larger, their profits got a lot larger. The economy was still in a generally strong growth trend through the 90's, the employers could afford it, all this kept working. Then the mathematics folks at the insurers started to take notice of the data at their hands.

Nearly all the major health insurers de-mutualized in the late 90's, they saw the writing on the wall... The boomers were aging. The insurers only had 10 or 15 more years of profits to be had before the utilization rates of the boomers were going to make it time to pay the piper.

That time is here. There is a reason that the Public Option is so talked about. The untold truth about "uninsured Americans" is that the insurance companies are basically insuring all the folks that they want to right now. The insurance companies want the public option, that's where all the unprofitable risks will wind up.

The only way to "fix" health care is to decrease utilization, make it less expensive for providers to operate (tort reform). Streamline the paperwork.

None of those things are going to make the players more money, so we will talk about racism, Joe Wilson, Jimmy Carter, ect... confuse and conquer.

Betcha President Obama makes a few more speeches over the next few days...

I don't think that the car insurance analogy is fair, most people never need their car insurance, everyone uses their "health reimbursement".


Just some thoughts....

eric lavine wrote: thats what makes him like me and you....beats poking at beehives with cultures that havnt changed in 10000 years and wont in the next 10000

I really struggle with this one, meaning the whole "War on Terror". I typically have agreed with the war effort, but I will not deny that at times I think to myself, "Why don't we get the #%&* out of there and worry about the issues here at home....etc." But I always come back to the thought of us minding our own business and witnessing another 9/11 or worse. As long as the great US of A is supporting people who are trying to modernize Islam, the extremist will probably be after us. So to me the best defense is a good offense.

Now that this topic has taken a detour....back to your regularly scheduled programming.

eric lavine wrote: TULL, it is being controlled right under your eyes and you just cant see it, what would happen if your company got its HC cut in half? and said lets meet in the middle and give you that extra 300.00

I'm not picking up what your laying down.
I would love my health care costs to be cut in half. But a wiser man that I said something along the lines that the government cannot give to one that it does not take from another. Tell me one thing that the gov does better than the private sector. And please don't say war.

And BTW, I don't think he likes me and you.

Just wishing we had a president who could stay focussed long enough that he's not engrossed with local police matters, The Bowl Championsip Series, or the MTV video music awards.

But why wait to fix the agreed issues ?

If there is $400 billion in waste, put together a bill that fixes that.
Should pass easy...
The next bill can require all states open healthcare providers across
all State lines.
Again, should pass easily...

Then show the $400 billion plus competion saving in the healthcare cost
and come back to talk to me about addition reform. Should not be more
than maybe a year to show results. Obama will still be in office and
can take credit.

Get those 2 passed, which should be easy, and then you have a good start
to show me that you really want to reform healthcare.

Azeus
Well put.

C-bass
I like the way you think.

Eric
Are you kidding me?
The government throws out Kabillions of dollars, dollars that are just created with the scratch 0f a pen, and the economy "seems" to be picking up. The loans that the car companies have gotten made us all "owners", but now the government does not know how we will be paid back. Does anyone know when that stockholders meeting is, I have to put it on my calendar The government comes up with a program to give up to $4500 for old pieces of crap, and GM guys are going back to work. Surprise, surprise. Watch what car sales do for the next couple of months.
I'm not even going to comment on the freakin "public option" BS. All I know is my company pays around $1200/employee/month for health care. It would be easier to pay the 8% penalty, or is it 2.5% (and let's be real, it's a tax). But I don't want the govt controlling health care. And contrary to what you said, control is what he/they want.
Sorry about the poorly written rant, but my soap box is balancing on the pages of the health reform bill.
Steve

its nice to notice that the left is finally recognizing that the tire is flat, its been flat riding on the rim...I try and try to understand the Bill, read about it hear about it...its impossible, what i am certain of though right now though, its controlled by an outside source with many groups with invested interests, it shot the costs way up and turned it into a monopoly with no options, Insurance companies are non government held are dictating and discriminating coverage...the government does not qwant to control it, they want to put laws in place that will bring the costs down and break up the monopoly...the same exact thing happened a few years ago with other insurances, until you start bringing in competition they name thier price and you do not have control of that, you pay the premium, now all of a sudden a couple other insurance companies pop into the picture which allows you to shop around for a better price and then the big guy has to drop his prices to start to compete, sure we are use to what they call a great healthcare system, but the big guy picks and chooses who he wants to cover..it was fckin unbelievable when i heard this this morning that a woman got beat up by her old man and broke her arm, they informed her that she did not have coverage and she did because it was a pre-existing condition, spousel abuse...there is nothing OK about abuse and yes she shouldnt be with him BUT, wtf.In my eyes they are setting the rules not me and you and how much more really if the government did step could they fk it up?

There is no argument for change and reform and maybe the President has good ideas but when it goes through Congress and the Senate it all comes apart. Between the earmarks,and benefits the governmnet slides into bills that get signed without going through them line by line throwing out stuff it gets costly and outrageous which is where the "Tea Party" folks get wound up. Now if I disagree with Obama (and I only disagree with the white 1/2 of him and mostly because he dosen't acknowledge it)I am deemed a racist. My problem is more with Pelosi, Reid, frank, Dodd and those idiots. They are not interested in their constituents, just their cronies and how to win the next election. Obama, or whoever is in the big seat can't change Washington until we change the players.

Agreed on several points. Portabilty by itself would spark competition. Tort reform would lower costs across the board. It's already working in 2 states.

I don't like the 1100 page bill with all of it's vague language. Why can't they break health reform into 3 or 4 100 page bills the layman can read without a half bottle of aspirin?!!? And on that same line of thought, why isn't there a law requiring lawmakers to actually read what they're going to vote on?

I will say that I love how 'we the people' are getting involved!

there are 3 kinds of people on this earth, ones that say whats happening? ones that say what happened? and ones that make things happen...he clinched it for me when i heard him in a normal situation calling so called one of his own a ***************, if he had any racism in him those words never would of left his mouth

I heard something,I think yesterday,that he has given 2 more speeches than days in office

I am. he's now booked on every sunday talk show except fox. oh and david letterman too.
Heard anything about acorn lately?