posted on September 9, 2009 06:23:59 PM new
"FACT CHECK: Obama drops iffy line on health plan"
OBAMA: "Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. "
THE FACTS: "The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the health care bill written by House Democrats and said that by 2016 some 3 million people who now have employer-based care would lose it because their employers would decide to stop offering it"
posted on September 10, 2009 09:38:12 AM new
Obama's statement is correct. It doesn't and can't take into consideration what employers may choose to do regarding coverage. One thing is certain, if nothing changes, millions will lose coverage anyhow by 2016 because employers will drop coverage due to skyrocketing costs. What will those folks do then, with no public option to back them up?
posted on September 10, 2009 10:56:47 AM new
What did Obama say about malpractice suits?
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 10, 2009 11:20:55 AM new
hwahwa, I agree. When I called the billing department about the office charge I was charged what was $189.00 for 25 minutes, I asked why so high and the billing clerk because they have to charge those amounts because of the malpractice suits.
They need tort reform before they tackle health care.
There is so much to do before the tackling of health care. I think the goverment is moving backwards instead of going forward. This includes both democrats and republicans. Both parties are involved and something must be solved
posted on September 10, 2009 11:22:17 AM new
There is a Chinese saying -wool came from sheep !
One day the sheep complain to the shepherd they are cold,the shepherd took out the shears and start shearing the wool from the sheep, make a blanket and throw it over the sheep ,what did the sheep gain?
Nothing !
Meaning nothing is free,we have to pay for it.
Say you go to your favorite restaurant and they just redecorate the place with wall paper,new chair,new table ,fresh table linen,then you open the menu and they have raised the price !
You are looking for a place to rent and you walk into a place which has fresh paint,new venetian blinds and new lock on the door,well,the landlord has just raised the price to recoup all that.
Employer may provide insurance coverage but you will find your raises to be smaller !
They may even take away free coffee,free toilet paper,soap and charge us for using the bathroom .
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 10, 2009 11:31:46 AM new
Logansdad I think you didn't read the OP post. He was talking about in 4 years when you are not working for your original employer and you are talking about something all together different. He does state not having to change health insurance but what happens in 4 years if your employer goes out of business. That person can go to any other insurance company and get insurance, it doesn't mean that the public health care has to start. It is in his mind that he does want the public plan but he can't put that in because this plan would never pass. I don't know what would happen if Pres. Obama isn't in office.
Any health care plan has to be thought out and you can't do that overnight probably not even in a year. The public does not want wait times for physician visits, tests or surgery.
posted on September 10, 2009 11:34:34 AM new
189 dollars for phone call!
Sometimes it is better not to read the fine prints of the medical bill,when I fractured my ankle and ended up in the hospital,they charged me for chest Xray and a small silly pump to strengthen my arm? or hand?
They sent me to buy my supplies at the hospital store which cost 3-5 times as much as a neighborhood Walgreen.
They said if no one buys from the hospital store,it will go out of business.
But they also told me a piece of gossip-when the Shah of Iran came for cancer treatment,they evacuated three floor-the one he occupied,the one above and the one below.
Men with machine guns were stationed on the floor above him in the balcony,dont know what is going on below?
The Shah donated one million dollars to the hospital .
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on September 10, 2009 01:06:34 PM new
hwahwa You misread. I phoned the business office about my $189.00 office visit. That is when she said that about malpractice suits. I want to pay my fair share but I don't want to pay for malpractice suits.
posted on September 10, 2009 01:19:49 PM new
so $189 is for office visit/
If you are a new patient,the first visit always cost more,esp if the doctor is a specialist.
Nothing is under $100 dollars now?
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
"Now, finally, many in this chamber -- particularly on the Republican side of the aisle -- have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. (Applause.) Now -- there you go. There you go. Now, I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs. (Applause.) So I'm proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. (Applause.) I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas. I think it's a good idea, and I'm directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today." (Applause.)
posted on September 10, 2009 06:47:53 PM new
It is good to know,I saw the AMA spokeswoman on PBS tonight applauding the idea.
thanks
Now for some interesting reading,the latest Forbes magazine has an article on German healthcare system.
The german has both public and private systems,most people join one or the other,some do not ,a very small minority of self employed and guest workers (200,000 strong).
Now the reason why they are not enrolled is that they cant afford it ,and if they want to enroll,they would have to pay the back premium.
I dont know how they can pay the back premium if the reason why they dont enroll is that they cant afford it in the first place ,unless they win the lottery!
Anyway,it illustrates how the 2 systems differ-one who is on private care has Lou Gehrig disease and is denied a respirator until he fought with them.
The other patient a lady also has the same disease has no problem getting the machine but has to take generic drug.
The public system is financed by payroll tax-14.9 % of a person's salary(employee picks up 7.9 % and employer 7%),premium as you can see is based on how much you earn,not age or risk.
The private system is based on risk ,not income.
The pubic system is similar to our Medicare ,reimbursing hospital and doctor at fixed rate But it has something Medicare does not have- price concessions from drug company .
A german GP makes 80k a year while US GP makes 160k,a German GP said a plumber makes more money than a GP in Germany!
But the German hospitals do not splurge on lastest tecknology AND have less machines .
But since more people are insured,the ER is not crowded like ours.
Then it moves on to show how much other countries spent-India and China almost none,you can read all about it in this month's Forbes.
So can we find true happiness under dual system?Can both systems co- exist happily like the German would like us to believe?
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There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
[ edited by hwahwa on Sep 11, 2009 06:23 AM ]
[ edited by hwahwa on Sep 11, 2009 06:24 AM ]
