Financial Planning News

[guthooked]

Mudducker wrote

You simply can not add more than 10 million people to a system and save money, unless you transform how the system delivers services. The affordable care act only transforms the payment system.

Simply put and you are right on target.

[ugadawg]

Perhaps it is the the model on how the system delivers services that needs to be changed. I personally think that a single payer system would be the most beneficial, as a single payer could negotiate lower costs on treatments. Its just my opinion though.

If your interested in different types of delivery models, this is an interesting read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/healt ... d=all&_r=0

[MudDucker]

If you keep just a portion of those 10 million people from using the emergency room for care instead of a primary physician, the savings are appreciable. And those of us lucky enough to have health insurance wouldn't have to pay $14 for a Tylenol at the hospital.

That is what I meant by changing the delivery of services. We could save substantial monies if we forced people on the public dole to utilize public health clinics rather than emergency rooms. The health clinics would need beefing up, but it would be a savings. However, these days our government does not want their potential voters to be made to feel any less than the producers paying the bills.

Also as another incidence of something I've personally seen. My mother recently suffered a stroke and I went out to investigate what was available to help her with living at home with assistance. The medical equipment company showed me a $6k gizmo that would be awesome. It lifts the person, allows them to put their arms over to supports and then helps them to walk. Guess what, it was ONLY available as a benefit to MEDICAID patients and not MEDICARE patients. To explain the difference, most MEDICAID patients are the poor, many of whom haven't paid squat into the tax system, while the MEDICARE system is a part of Social Security System where most of the folks paid in FICA taxes for years and years. I am here to tell you that this concept is azzbackwards.

[Gumbo]

Oh my word, alert the media, I am in complete agreement with Mr. Ducker.

I had to bring my wife to the emergency room last year when her appendix decided it was time to come out. I was shocked at what I witnessed. A few of the folks there, like my wife and this poor fellow who works for a tree company and took a nasty fall, obviously needed emergency care. The remainder obviously did not. One of the doctors on duty actually refused to admit one lady. Again, it was shocking and I could feel our premium (and my blood pressure) rising by the minute.

My Mother fell into ill health last year as a result of a stroke and passed away in November. My brother and I had the same experience as MD. Luckily we had the resources to buy what she needed but it made me spitting mad that after all her years working and paying into the system we still had to reach into our pockets for something that others who did not pay would get basically for free.

I wish I was smart enough to have all the answers but I am not. However, I am smart enough to know that this system is broken and the solutions on the table will not cure the problems.

[ggoodman]

I would like to see personal accountability for person health decision such as tobacco use or alcohol abuse. As it stands there are so many people riding the system for free it's a money pit. I also do not understand how the birth of our child can cost 24k with ought insurance or 10k with. while our out of pocket was much less I hardly see how some one who can not afford insurance to start with could ever afford the contract rates for services. The physicians and staff are paid the same regardless of whether they help some one who is insured or not in a hospital setting.