Lisa Benson for February 29, 2012

What is this “Obama Care” stuff anyway – could you mean the AFFORDABLE care act? Which has REDUCED the actual cost of health care.

Too bad the poor insurance companies are loosing so much revenue – sob sob.

Oh, you can apply for tax reductions too! If your annual income exceeds 10 million! The more you earn, the higher your reduction! Big G is calling it the “Affordable Tax Act”. Cool, huh?

The affordable care act helps provide coverage to those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get it including children and those with prior conditions. It does not prevent insurance premiums from rising since the private market still controls what they charge individuals and businesses.

You want to pay less for health insurance? You want business’s not to be crippled by the cost of employee insurance? You want better over care? Simple, universal healthcare. We all start paying into the system from the day we have income. Call it a premium or call it a tax the net result is that we are all better off. Anyone who wants to nay say this approach demonstrates he has not had to deal with the realities of using our current system, with or without insurance.

A quick report from another system — the Canadian single payer system works pretty well. Not quite a month ago (on a Friday), I slipped on ice, at 9:30 in the morning. I saw my family doctor at noon, and I got an X-ray at 12:30. Broken arm. She then sent me to the hospital. I had lunch first, got to the hospital about 1:45. I saw the emergency room doctor about 4:30, and I was out before 5:00. A long day, but no problem. I had an appointment at the fracture clinic the next Monday, and I had a follow-up this Monday. Everything is going well. And through all of this I never had to deal with an insurance company or pay any money out of pocket, since the system is paid for out of taxes. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than the US system, in my experience.

Just think, we in the U.S. get all of our healthcare for only 30+% of what we pay into insurance, etc. The remainder goes into profits, advertising and kickbacks.

Too bad for benson, it’s her candidate on the IV

Because the insurance companies want to milk you for all they can before the laws go into effect… ain’t they wonderful?

Finally, Ms. Benson, a funny one. I knew you could do it if I was patient!

Some laws have gone into effect. 1) Insurance company’s must pay claims to 80% of income, that leaves 20% for all operating expenses. 2) Children get insured to age 26, some company’s were already doing that. 3) All children will get insurance regardless of condition. The company’s can set their own pricing so that really has no effect on private company’s but will effect medicaid.

Yes their profits surged in 2011. They are running scared with Obama in office and his socialistic attitude toward health care reform. Imagine running a company with modest profits and the government steps in and orders you to provide this and that to anyone who needs it. Do you think you would restructure and make changes to prepare for the financial drought?

Company’s are in business to make a profit. They pay salaries to employees (taxpayers) and provide a service. It’s a very simple process. Who is suffering through the regulatory process? The employees of course, as commissions have been cut as well as reduced labor force. So when you complaine about health insurance company’s, consider the source, the democratic Health Care Reform Act!

Insurance companies started jacking up rates BEFORE the bill passed, in “fear” of losing their ability to raise rates. Guess what they didn’t lose, and rates continue to rise because their “good friends” in Congress, on the RIGHT side of the aisle, again put in the “goodies” for them.

Friends in New Zealand (including daughter who’s an RN) complain about “taxes”, but find the health care system works very, very well. Same for friends in Canada.

I pay taxes, and insurance premiums, primarily so my wife is still covered. Interesting that when I need to see a doctor, it took six days wait for VA doc to come to town. (We only have a once weekly VA “clinic” here) To see my “regular system” doctor, took SIX WEEKS before I could get in to see him. The VA recommended I keep that appointment with the “regular” doc, just to follow up and see how things were progressing.

“Single payer” option makes sense, like VA, without “socializing” as in making docs the employees of the state. We CAN have a much cheaper and better system, and the REAL KEY, is cutting out the excess profits the INSURANCE COMPANIES use to build those giant, high-rise, high rent office buildings to further their profits.

YAY FOR VA!!!!!

I have friends and family that work with or for health insurance companies. I learned that Bluecross-Blueshield is a non profit so were their profits. The main reason the reason that insurance cost raise is service costs raise. The reasons costs raise is the equipment costs more. Example C.A.T. and MRI machines and their operationally cost increase. The cost of lab equipment and testing supplies goes up. The cost of getting those supplies goes up. The cost to employ trained staff to work in labs and operate the equipment goes up. People that don’t pay for services or abuse the system. An example of abusing the system is using an ER for non emergencies. ER care is one of the highest costs of care. I understand when someone is in pain for whatever reason. They don’t want to be pain any longer then they have to. Our household income is yearly $42000 our insurance costs is $4550 yearly which is about 11% plus 25% income tax and social security tax. Come 2014 with Obama care in place our estimated insurance cost will be $18000 to $22000 or 45% to 50% of our income on top of the 25% income tax and social security tax . It will be cheaper to pay the non-insurance tax penalty of $10000 ($250 per person, per household not to exceed $2500 per person, per household) and hope nothing health wise happens. Oh by the way, that is someone who works for an insurance company.

^Ken, also have a friend working for Blue Cross, administering Medicare under contract, and sub contracts, a “leftover” from Bush changes to “privatization”.

Many “tests” are required by insurance companies, and drive medical costs up. Contracting, then sub-contracting ADDITIONALLY drives “costs” up. The wonderful thing about “non-profits” is, amazingly, everything they pay THEMSELVES to do a job, increases costs, AND what would be “profits”. Any idea how much the staffing, CEOs and “management” costs are that keep them “non-profit”?

Blue Cross and AMA are also closely linked, though not as totally as when the company was originally formed.

“Single payer” would definitely drive down costs, and premiums, and is being fought tooth and nail by the “privates”, like the ones who run my group plan, and have raised rates and deductibles EVERY YEAR faster and higher than “inflation”. It’s why the “trade” needs MORE regulation, not less.

I can’t believe the hoops, gymnastics, bureaucracy, co-pays, premiums, and stuff ordinary Americans have to go through to get health care. I have a card I carry in my wallet that opens the door to health care anywhere in Canada with about a 15 minute procedure at Admitting. .Canadians travelling in the U.S. take out private health care insurance to cover the unforeseen. If something happens, the goal is for either the patient or the insurance company to get the patient back to Canada ASAP – for two reasons, lower cost and better care..I have a close friend who suffered a heart attack on the golf course near Phoenix. The hospital in Phoenix over-did the blood thinner, causing bleeding in the brain, from which he still suffers. The insurance company flew him back to Canada by medi-jet as soon as he was able to travel. His words were that Canadian hospital care was head and shoulders above American – the care was better and the staff more compassionate..Wake up America – the profit motive model is not the only way to do it.

Single Payer NOW.