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March 9, 2010 at 1:01 PM #524242March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM #523314
Eugene
Participant[quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
[/quote]How much does a surgeon make in Taiwan?
[quote]no Eugene, it is like the infamous $60 charge for a tablet of aspirin. you survey 10 hospital administrators and you’ll find 10 defending that until they are blue in the face.[/quote]
That’s why you have insurance companies. The hospital can charge you $60 and they can defend their charge till they are blue in the face, but, if the Medicare reimbursement fee schedule says that one tablet of aspirin is worth 50c, that’s what they’ll get and not a penny more. Once they get 50c, they’ll probably shut up and eat the difference.
Of course, the system would make a lot more sense if it were single-payer. Not necessarily cheaper, but more logical and without so many gaps. No doubt about that.
March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM #523453Participant[quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
[/quote]How much does a surgeon make in Taiwan?
[quote]no Eugene, it is like the infamous $60 charge for a tablet of aspirin. you survey 10 hospital administrators and you’ll find 10 defending that until they are blue in the face.[/quote]
That’s why you have insurance companies. The hospital can charge you $60 and they can defend their charge till they are blue in the face, but, if the Medicare reimbursement fee schedule says that one tablet of aspirin is worth 50c, that’s what they’ll get and not a penny more. Once they get 50c, they’ll probably shut up and eat the difference.
Of course, the system would make a lot more sense if it were single-payer. Not necessarily cheaper, but more logical and without so many gaps. No doubt about that.
March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM #523895Participant[quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
[/quote]How much does a surgeon make in Taiwan?
[quote]no Eugene, it is like the infamous $60 charge for a tablet of aspirin. you survey 10 hospital administrators and you’ll find 10 defending that until they are blue in the face.[/quote]
That’s why you have insurance companies. The hospital can charge you $60 and they can defend their charge till they are blue in the face, but, if the Medicare reimbursement fee schedule says that one tablet of aspirin is worth 50c, that’s what they’ll get and not a penny more. Once they get 50c, they’ll probably shut up and eat the difference.
Of course, the system would make a lot more sense if it were single-payer. Not necessarily cheaper, but more logical and without so many gaps. No doubt about that.
March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM #523990Participant[quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
[/quote]How much does a surgeon make in Taiwan?
[quote]no Eugene, it is like the infamous $60 charge for a tablet of aspirin. you survey 10 hospital administrators and you’ll find 10 defending that until they are blue in the face.[/quote]
That’s why you have insurance companies. The hospital can charge you $60 and they can defend their charge till they are blue in the face, but, if the Medicare reimbursement fee schedule says that one tablet of aspirin is worth 50c, that’s what they’ll get and not a penny more. Once they get 50c, they’ll probably shut up and eat the difference.
Of course, the system would make a lot more sense if it were single-payer. Not necessarily cheaper, but more logical and without so many gaps. No doubt about that.
March 9, 2010 at 1:07 PM #524247Participant[quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
[/quote]How much does a surgeon make in Taiwan?
[quote]no Eugene, it is like the infamous $60 charge for a tablet of aspirin. you survey 10 hospital administrators and you’ll find 10 defending that until they are blue in the face.[/quote]
That’s why you have insurance companies. The hospital can charge you $60 and they can defend their charge till they are blue in the face, but, if the Medicare reimbursement fee schedule says that one tablet of aspirin is worth 50c, that’s what they’ll get and not a penny more. Once they get 50c, they’ll probably shut up and eat the difference.
Of course, the system would make a lot more sense if it were single-payer. Not necessarily cheaper, but more logical and without so many gaps. No doubt about that.
March 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM #523323
CoronitaParticipant[quote=danielwis][quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
US per capita gdp is $45k. Taiwan is $30k.
So adjusted for US per capita GDP, logically, the same surgery and 3 day stay should logically be $4500 here.
but it probably would run $15k to $20k here realistically.
not that I’m for government interference and I am a Republican, but the main difference here is Taiwan has a single payer system.[/quote]
No cognitive dissonance here whatsoever….[/quote]
There’s one key difference though. Taiwan’s government is in the surplus…We’re not. If we demand public spending in one area, then we pretty much need to figure out where the money is coming from…
March 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM #523463CoronitaParticipant[quote=danielwis][quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
US per capita gdp is $45k. Taiwan is $30k.
So adjusted for US per capita GDP, logically, the same surgery and 3 day stay should logically be $4500 here.
but it probably would run $15k to $20k here realistically.
not that I’m for government interference and I am a Republican, but the main difference here is Taiwan has a single payer system.[/quote]
No cognitive dissonance here whatsoever….[/quote]
There’s one key difference though. Taiwan’s government is in the surplus…We’re not. If we demand public spending in one area, then we pretty much need to figure out where the money is coming from…
March 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM #523905CoronitaParticipant[quote=danielwis][quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
US per capita gdp is $45k. Taiwan is $30k.
So adjusted for US per capita GDP, logically, the same surgery and 3 day stay should logically be $4500 here.
but it probably would run $15k to $20k here realistically.
not that I’m for government interference and I am a Republican, but the main difference here is Taiwan has a single payer system.[/quote]
No cognitive dissonance here whatsoever….[/quote]
There’s one key difference though. Taiwan’s government is in the surplus…We’re not. If we demand public spending in one area, then we pretty much need to figure out where the money is coming from…
March 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM #524000CoronitaParticipant[quote=danielwis][quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
US per capita gdp is $45k. Taiwan is $30k.
So adjusted for US per capita GDP, logically, the same surgery and 3 day stay should logically be $4500 here.
but it probably would run $15k to $20k here realistically.
not that I’m for government interference and I am a Republican, but the main difference here is Taiwan has a single payer system.[/quote]
No cognitive dissonance here whatsoever….[/quote]
There’s one key difference though. Taiwan’s government is in the surplus…We’re not. If we demand public spending in one area, then we pretty much need to figure out where the money is coming from…
March 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM #524257CoronitaParticipant[quote=danielwis][quote=ocrenter]a relative showed me a hospital bill from Taiwan recently. he just had ear related surgery, was in the hospital for 3 days. everything added up was $3000. he himself had a $300 co-pay.
US per capita gdp is $45k. Taiwan is $30k.
So adjusted for US per capita GDP, logically, the same surgery and 3 day stay should logically be $4500 here.
but it probably would run $15k to $20k here realistically.
not that I’m for government interference and I am a Republican, but the main difference here is Taiwan has a single payer system.[/quote]
No cognitive dissonance here whatsoever….[/quote]
There’s one key difference though. Taiwan’s government is in the surplus…We’re not. If we demand public spending in one area, then we pretty much need to figure out where the money is coming from…
March 9, 2010 at 1:10 PM #523329CoronitaParticipant[quote=carlsbadworker]For those recommend travel insurance, have you actually used it before here in US? I am asking because it seems most travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions or has a very low cap for pre-existing conditions. Wouldn’t that make it pratically useless?[/quote]
Pre-existing conditions are excluded. But you also need to think about those things that aren’t pre-existing too. Yes, it can be expensive. But any trip to the hospital, will be much more.
March 9, 2010 at 1:10 PM #523468CoronitaParticipant[quote=carlsbadworker]For those recommend travel insurance, have you actually used it before here in US? I am asking because it seems most travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions or has a very low cap for pre-existing conditions. Wouldn’t that make it pratically useless?[/quote]
Pre-existing conditions are excluded. But you also need to think about those things that aren’t pre-existing too. Yes, it can be expensive. But any trip to the hospital, will be much more.
March 9, 2010 at 1:10 PM #523910CoronitaParticipant[quote=carlsbadworker]For those recommend travel insurance, have you actually used it before here in US? I am asking because it seems most travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions or has a very low cap for pre-existing conditions. Wouldn’t that make it pratically useless?[/quote]
Pre-existing conditions are excluded. But you also need to think about those things that aren’t pre-existing too. Yes, it can be expensive. But any trip to the hospital, will be much more.
March 9, 2010 at 1:10 PM #524005CoronitaParticipant[quote=carlsbadworker]For those recommend travel insurance, have you actually used it before here in US? I am asking because it seems most travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions or has a very low cap for pre-existing conditions. Wouldn’t that make it pratically useless?[/quote]
Pre-existing conditions are excluded. But you also need to think about those things that aren’t pre-existing too. Yes, it can be expensive. But any trip to the hospital, will be much more.
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