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**Old Whatshisname**

It's not rocket science, people.

Consumers (that's us) expect the very best of care as some sort of God-given right (even though we don't want to pay for it).

And when Uncle Jim dies as a result of a doctor's honest mistake (or a dishonest one, for that matter), we tend to look on it as winning the Malpractice Lottery, and the scum-sucking bottom-feeding malpractice lawyers are only too happy to help us collect (after they take their 33% plus expenses).

So two things happen: (1) The doctors' malpractice insurance goes up to where the premiums are over a hundred thousand bux a year, which they, of course, pass on to us as the cost of doing business.

(2) Then, since the doctors don't want to have to pay a million dollars to Uncle Jim's family, they will prescribe just about every test imaginable so they can't be accused of being lax in their evaluation and treatment. This excessive treatment means the hospitals have to invest bazillions of bux on proton-beam machines, lithotripters, MR machines, and every diagnostic whizzbang you ever heard of and a lot you haven't. And, of course, they pass it on to us as a cost of doing business.

But wait, there's more!

Since the Fedz have these unfunded mandates that require every hospital provide emergency room service to indigent patients, these same people use the ER as their family doctor, which means two more things:

(3) The indigents don't go to the hospital until they're really sick, which raises the cost of the treatment...

(4) ... and since the hospitals get stiffed by these people, they have to charge the rest of us higher fees to make up for the losses.

All of these fees have to be paid by someone. If you don't have insurance, that means you get the bill. If you do have insurance, that means your insurance company gets the bill. Since their costs goes up, the pass those costs along to you as the cost of doing business so that you (or your employer, if you have an employer-funded medical plan) ends up getting stuck with the bill.

Did I mention the cost of drugs? the Pharmas are always coming up with new drugs, since they're not allowed to keep the patent on their new drugs ad infinitum, and the cost to develop a new drug what with jumping through all the government safety loops, including exhaustive testing can run those same Pharmas (yes, yes, I know, the same companies everyone loves to hate) over a hundred million bux for each drug that reaches the market. And so the Pharmas pass those costs along to the hospitals and the doctors and the local pharmacies and the insurance plans which in turn pass them along to us (you guessed it) as the cost of doing business.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 116910 09-24-2012 05:03 AM

Yeah, health care isn't getting cheaper because it isn't designed to be efficient. There are many reasons for high costs, but medical care should be a basic necessity. If we want it to be that basic necessity then many things have to change because right now it is for the privileged.

**Old Whatshisname**

LoP Guest Wrote:

Yeah, health care isn't getting cheaper because it isn't designed to be efficient. There are many reasons for high costs, but medical care should be a basic necessity. If we want it to be that basic necessity then many things have to change because right now it is for the privileged.

It may be a "basic necessity" but that doesn't make it a basic right, just like a six-pack of beer on Saturday night is not a basic right.

The problems with many Americans is that they want German-level healthcare, but aren't willing to pay German-level (~50%) tax to get it.

You can't have it both ways.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 116444 09-24-2012 08:41 AM

I don't believe these threads BTW I know you are just Romney shills.

But for the sake of argument I will continue.

My insurance will go up 2.82% starting January 1st. It's the lowest increase on my insurance since I've had insurance.

For example 2001-2008 every single year my insurance went up more than 7%.

To have an increase of less than 3% will be a godsend because this will be the first year in 15 years that my increase in insurance is less than my pay increase meaning I will have more money in my bank.

For this I am truly grateful.

YAY.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 116444 09-24-2012 08:51 AM

Old Whatshisname Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Yeah, health care isn't getting cheaper because it isn't designed to be efficient. There are many reasons for high costs, but medical care should be a basic necessity. If we want it to be that basic necessity then many things have to change because right now it is for the privileged.

It may be a "basic necessity" but that doesn't make it a basic right, just like a six-pack of beer on Saturday night is not a basic right.

The problems with many Americans is that they want German-level healthcare, but aren't willing to pay German-level (~50%) tax to get it.

You can't have it both ways.

Germans spend less on health care than we do in the US. So you're wrong there. The United States spends more on health care per person than any country in the world yet we don't live the longest and have less doctors/capita than almost all other countries.

You're also wrong in that they spend about 37-40% (NOT 50%) of their GDP in taxes which is the same as the US when state and local taxes are included.

Their infrastructure is also immaculately maintained. The reason why fuel is so expensive is that it pays for local roads as well as Autobahn. If you drive on it then it is paid for by the fuel taxes.
In the US fuel taxes only pay for freeways but local roads are paid for by property taxes.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. The United States is a land where almost everyone is on anti-depressants to stay sane. Germany is a country that has a healthy population that is happy and flourishing.

They don't have a huge war machine eating up their resources either.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 67754 09-24-2012 09:49 AM

I have Healthy NY--insurance for people with limited income...the cost for that has been going up steadily every year...it's going to be a big jump this year (for me) because I am switching from no prescription coverage to having prescription coverage...

LoP Guest Wrote:

Hoverounds cost a lot more these days. But I'm confused, at the top of their web site it says they are at no cost or little at all.

Help me out here folks, this isn't making any sense to me either. I don't know whether we should hang the greedy Hoveround employees .. or the old worthless burdensome elderly. ???

Help me out here, huh? Any accountants here that can explain all this and point out the problem here in all of this? If we can find and fix that we might be able to reduce costs instead.

Currently, insurance pays for them...

**Old Whatshisname**

LoP Guest Wrote:

Old Whatshisname Wrote:
The problems with many Americans is that they want German-level healthcare, but aren't willing to pay German-level (~50%) tax to get it.

You can't have it both ways.[/b]

Germans spend less on health care than we do in the US. So you're wrong there. The United States spends more on health care per person than any country in the world yet we don't live the longest and have less doctors/capita than almost all other countries.

The individuals spend less, that's for sure; because the government picks up so much of the costs.

LoP Guest Wrote:

You're also wrong in that they spend about 37-40% (NOT 50%) of their GDP in taxes which is the same as the US when state and local taxes are included.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. The United States is a land where almost everyone is on anti-depressants to stay sane. Germany is a country that has a healthy population that is happy and flourishing.

They don't have a huge war machine eating up their resources either.

Not since 1945, anyway.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 122865 09-24-2012 03:46 PM

Doom Wrote:

Because of obamacare our insurance company knows we have to keep insurance so they are raising our rates. I'm really pissed off over this, and really can't afford all these price increases. Didn't Obama promise it would keep costs down. Well that's only true for people who aren't paying in. What a bunch of bull.

No problem, just get the mark and number of the beast. A government pay number. They dont have to worry about all this shiat, hell you can be a teacher that cant teach and get $80,000 a year, a lifegaurd that dont work and make $250,000 a year.
No big deal, its all ghost stories anyway....
isnt it.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 117848 09-24-2012 04:12 PM

All of you libtard, koolaide drinking, obama worshipers can all thank your socialist regime. No problem though, healthcare for everyone right!

Quit bitchin and start payin!

**Old Whatshisname**

LoP Guest Wrote:

No problem, just get the mark and number of the beast. A government pay number. They dont have to worry about all this shiat, hell you can be a teacher that cant teach and get $80,000 a year, a lifegaurd that dont work and make $250,000 a year.

Well, I've been retired three months now and I'm going stir-crazy. If you know of any teaching jobs paying $80k a year, let me know. Hell, I'll even pay for the RFID chip implant myself for that kind of money!

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 84193 09-24-2012 08:05 PM

Pi Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Neocons are full of shit

Yup... Just a bunch of desperate old fools. The conservatives have left that bunch of crazy a long time ago.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 116444 09-24-2012 08:13 PM

Old Whatshisname Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
Old Whatshisname Wrote:
The problems with many Americans is that they want German-level healthcare, but aren't willing to pay German-level (~50%) tax to get it.

You can't have it both ways.[/b]

Germans spend less on health care than we do in the US. So you're wrong there. The United States spends more on health care per person than any country in the world yet we don't live the longest and have less doctors/capita than almost all other countries.

The individuals spend less, that's for sure; because the government picks up so much of the costs.

LoP Guest Wrote:
You're also wrong in that they spend about 37-40% (NOT 50%) of their GDP in taxes which is the same as the US when state and local taxes are included.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. The United States is a land where almost everyone is on anti-depressants to stay sane. Germany is a country that has a healthy population that is happy and flourishing.

They don't have a huge war machine eating up their resources either.

Not since 1945, anyway.

No. They spend (including government health care expenditures) Less than 10% of GDP on health coverage. The United States spend 18%. You know nothing. You are ignorant to facts. This makes you a stupid person.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 116444 09-24-2012 08:15 PM

Old Whatshisname Wrote:

LoP Guest Wrote:
No problem, just get the mark and number of the beast. A government pay number. They dont have to worry about all this shiat, hell you can be a teacher that cant teach and get $80,000 a year, a lifegaurd that dont work and make $250,000 a year.

Well, I've been retired three months now and I'm going stir-crazy. If you know of any teaching jobs paying $80k a year, let me know. Hell, I'll even pay for the RFID chip implant myself for that kind of money!

I know right. Average pay for a teacher is 45k/yr.

Republicans are so full of f*cking shit.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 117848 09-24-2012 08:51 PM

LoP Guest Wrote:

Old Whatshisname Wrote:
LoP Guest Wrote:
No problem, just get the mark and number of the beast. A government pay number. They dont have to worry about all this shiat, hell you can be a teacher that cant teach and get $80,000 a year, a lifegaurd that dont work and make $250,000 a year.

Well, I've been retired three months now and I'm going stir-crazy. If you know of any teaching jobs paying $80k a year, let me know. Hell, I'll even pay for the RFID chip implant myself for that kind of money!

I know right. Average pay for a teacher is 45k/yr.

Republicans are so full of f*cking shit.

Not in Chicago libtard.

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 120699 10-23-2012 02:14 AM

Our insurance is going up $150-$200 per month and they want us to participate in an online questionaire (Healthyroads, American Specialty Health, Inc ASH) with questions like:

Do you practice safe sex?

101 funny answers for that question. LOL

We're over 50 and no longer need to practice. I think we have it down now.