I knew you couldn't hold out on us, Ross, took you 6 hours!!!!!!! I took my husband to his appt. with our GP and he said that, "almost without exception my elderly patients tell me that they lived to see the best of our country and are glad they are at the end of their life span, not starting out." Big brother is calling the shots now and we'll have to learn to live with his decisions from Washington DC, not what our doctor thinks we should have!
How new health care will affect you
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Ross
Well-known member
It's one of those threads that while it starts out well meaning, you can't help but watch it disolve into political and I think the consensus here was NO POLITICAL threads by many, when the HCR thread was running.
So with that being said, lets simply stick to the original intent of the poster and leave out our political sentiments on this one. Many are upset by it, many are happy. We agree to disagree and go on.
So with that being said, lets simply stick to the original intent of the poster and leave out our political sentiments on this one. Many are upset by it, many are happy. We agree to disagree and go on.
I can't say today how this will affect me. I doubt that Moses has finished coming down from Mount Sinai with the thousands of tablets the health reform bill is on, and because one might have to be recarved (edited), things could still change. There's always an opportunity or revisions to an existing law. After all, this is politics, not Miss Manners.
For the Insurance companies & Pharm companies, it's not smoke and mirrors... it's pure profit.
How to deal with it??? BUY STOCK IN THOSE COMPANIES. Might as well, they'll be the only ones making money - except for the oil companies. Might as well buy stock in oil companies while you're at it.
wcasey5
Well-known member
I think this is a great first step, compared to what I had in Canada before I moved to the U.S., including cost, the access to health care I have now is crap. Compared to my neighbor, I have a pretty good plan. I find the cadillac plan tax funny, and sad, because the rest of the industrialized world calls those plans basic health care. The only current effects on me and my family, is that my 17 year old son will be able to stay on my plan for another 8 years. That puts my mind at ease because both employment and benefits are hard to come by now. He is going to college, but this is a huge relief. Further down the road, I may be able to get into the health care exchanges, depending on my income, and it seems like it will be a relief avor the very restrictive choices I have now. Although, what type of plans are offered is still up in the air. I'm not expecting much. Other that that, my access to health care won't change much.
I had my daughter at the library about a month ago, I overheard 3 senior couples speaking to one another. The were in the 65-67 year old range. They all expressed so much relief to be on medicare rather than what they had before. They said it was like a weight was lifted off of them.
I had my daughter at the library about a month ago, I overheard 3 senior couples speaking to one another. The were in the 65-67 year old range. They all expressed so much relief to be on medicare rather than what they had before. They said it was like a weight was lifted off of them.
i think this health care bill is a good thing. i miss the days when i was in canada and if i had to go to doctor i just went. There were no co-pay's or anything like that. You didn't have to look forward to medical bills in your mailbox while your still sick and if you had a pre-existing condition it didn't stop you from getting treatment. And it isn't like the government stepped in and said what kind of care you could have. So i think the health care bill was a good first step. Atleast it makes it possible for us to get health insurance regardless of what condition we have and not only that but we can not be dropped by the insurance company when we get sick. I don't really think that it will affect me much right now but you never know what the future might bring. Those two things to me were the most important parts to the bill.
I'm hoping the lift in lifetime maximums will help me. I started working for a local a medical coop (both the provider and insurer) and had a lifetime max of 2 million. That sounded like alot when I got the insurance. My first surgery was around 100 K if I remember.
Due to complications and length of stay, my second surgery was 1.4 million. My insurance company/employer paid it all expect for a yearly maximum out of pocket of 2 thousand (still haven't got a bill). But burning through 2/3 of my lifetime max in 1 year was frightening. Hopefully I have many more years of working/living to go.
Due to complications and length of stay, my second surgery was 1.4 million. My insurance company/employer paid it all expect for a yearly maximum out of pocket of 2 thousand (still haven't got a bill). But burning through 2/3 of my lifetime max in 1 year was frightening. Hopefully I have many more years of working/living to go.
BDMc
Well-known member
This is the sad state we are in. I think access to healthcare is a right, and that ALL should be able to get it regardless of finances, or pre-existing conditions. Before the bill, many decisions were made by people with no medical knowledge, and guided strictly by finances. I don't see this changing much. A far cry from the system of care in my youth. You went to the ER, and you were treated period. Doctors charged reasonable rates, and mine really cared! I don't think I will live to see it get much better. I think the entire system, and economy need to be reassessed, and modified.
Ross
Well-known member
Mainframe don't sweat it. They may have billed 1.4 million, but that is not what they paid. I'll bet they paid closer to $500,000
Unfortunately Ross, it's what they paid. Here are the biggies.
11/07/09 PROVIDER VISIT STANFORD HEALTH CARE $475125.22 paid $356343.92
11/13/09 SURGERY STANFORD HEALTH CARE $895068.93 paid $671301.70
11/13/09 DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES STANFORD HEALTH CARE $122917.84 paid 92188.38
12/14/09 ROOM AND BOARD CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MED CENTER $181090.59 paid 135817.94
12/04/09 ROOM AND BOARD STANFORD HEALTH CARE $218372.02 paid 163779.02
Seems kind of high but out of network providers the rates are contracted through a secondary insurance provider (Beechstreet). Other than the lifetime max implications the out of pocket expense was minimal.
Chris (programmer on the claims system for the coop)
11/07/09 PROVIDER VISIT STANFORD HEALTH CARE $475125.22 paid $356343.92
11/13/09 SURGERY STANFORD HEALTH CARE $895068.93 paid $671301.70
11/13/09 DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES STANFORD HEALTH CARE $122917.84 paid 92188.38
12/14/09 ROOM AND BOARD CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MED CENTER $181090.59 paid 135817.94
12/04/09 ROOM AND BOARD STANFORD HEALTH CARE $218372.02 paid 163779.02
Seems kind of high but out of network providers the rates are contracted through a secondary insurance provider (Beechstreet). Other than the lifetime max implications the out of pocket expense was minimal.
Chris (programmer on the claims system for the coop)
Ross
Well-known member
Sorry man, I should have known you'd be smart enough to check it out. Well I'm just happy your on this side of the dirt.
hensylee
Well-known member
the drug bill has become a disaster. I pay more for drugs every year than I pay for the insurance. Last month my bp med was $80.00 and this month it was $90.68! Go figure. This was before the passage of the health bill. The drug companies have been raking it in since that bill was passed. hopefully this one will help to put a kabosh on some of the increases in all of it.
Ross
Well-known member
My drugs came to a little over $5000 last year. My out of pocket was almost $400. Advair is $206 all by itself.
debster913
Well-known member
I can empathize with you, Ross. Now that I'm on Multaq, and there is no generic (yet), my out of pocket monthly will be about $70 once I run out of samples. Good thing my cardio gave me a whole bunch of samples to start with! Even my pharmacist suggested that my cardio and/or GP give me samples for a while so I don't have to pay. We had a very interesting discussion about HCR.
Health insurance for the Hubster and me through my work (Blue Cross PPO) is about a $1300 monthly deduction from my paycheck. The HMO isn't much better, and Kaiser is free. Hmmm. I'm glad that for now, we are on my husband's health insurance (even though I'm a little ticked off at them right now).
Health insurance for the Hubster and me through my work (Blue Cross PPO) is about a $1300 monthly deduction from my paycheck. The HMO isn't much better, and Kaiser is free. Hmmm. I'm glad that for now, we are on my husband's health insurance (even though I'm a little ticked off at them right now).
FYI,
This is what I was talking about ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502406_2.html
I am not sure about the logic for his VAT, since it would tax consumption which would impact the low and middle income folks hard while impacting the wealthy only modestly. Sales taxes like this are regressive taxes. I also believe this author needs to get his facts correct. Reagon was the first president to put us on the deficit spending path. It is true that he reduced taxes, but spending continued, requiring the government to beging borrowing, therefore building the deficit. This was continued thru Bush 1. Clinton paid off the deficit and left Bush 2 a surplus which he blew all to hell and left Obama with a trillion dollar deficit, an economy in shambles and the destruction of a lot of personal wealth. I refer those interested to "increase in the national debt", source: U. S. Department of the Treasurer, Bureau of the Public Debt via several internet sites. Here are two specific sites:
www.lafn.org/politics/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html
www.scribd.com/doc/3015540/US-Budget-Deficit-or-Surplus-1960present
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I posted the article for informational purposes, not to start a partisan tit for tat. So this is the last I am posting here.
Wise
Well-known member
I appreciate the post Superbob. I wanted to know Krauthammer's take on it. He's right on regarding this issue.
As far as how this law will affect me, it will increase my taxes, it will decrease the quality of my healthcare, it will force me out of a healthcare plan I am entirely happy with. I don't see anything positive happening for me as a result of this law. Over and out.
Kathy McCain
Well-known member
i am definitely with Mr. Krauthammer. Wise I know EXACTLY how you feel. I'm afraid my husband and I are in the same situation. Thanks for the article Superbob. My eyes are WIDE OPEN, believe me.
