“You call up doctors and ask the price…”

[admin]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/02/15/freedom-caucus-ready-for-obamacare-replacement-that-expands-hcas-bans-abortion-funding/?utm_term=.1cfd5e19a758#comments

I’m very much an advocate of market-based economies, but I also understand there are limitations. Healthcare is way too complex to allow every transaction to be negotiated by the end consumer. The plan presented by the “Freedom Caucus” is an absolute disaster.

I expect that “repeal and replace” will get mired in gridlock as the Republicans obviously never had an alternative in the past six years. But they now are under tremendous pressure to do something, so there is a good chance we will get legislation that is desperate and half-baked.

My advice to anyone that does not have a decent employer-provided health insurance plan: Don’t get sick in the next few years.

[outtamojo]

haha when they hear the sound of fear and pain in your voice they jack up the price.

[moneymaker]

I apologize as I am responsible for higher medical prices, don’t have a doctor or take medicine so they have to get their money from other people like you. If people boycotted doctors and drugs do you think prices would go down or up? Obviously I don’t have an MRI machine at home or do surgery on myself so I’m also at their whim. My brother got an MRI recently and was charged $2900 just to interpret it, ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

[quote=moneymaker]I apologize as I am responsible for higher medical prices, don’t have a doctor or take medicine so they have to get their money from other people like you. If people boycotted doctors and drugs do you think prices would go down or up? Obviously I don’t have an MRI machine at home or do surgery on myself so I’m also at their whim. My brother got an MRI recently and was charged $2900 just to interpret it, ridiculous![/quote]

Soon your brother will be able to haggle for a better price!

Pro tip: Stay conscious during any medical procedure. General anesthesia can hamper negotiating skills.

[FlyerInHi]

Republicans are in a pickle.
Right now, with the mandate, young people are paying for old folks who voted for Trump.

Republicans, by undermining their own plan (Obamacare is just market based healthcare they wanted before), may cause the pitchforks to demand Medicare for all in the future.

The opioid epidemic is sweeping the red states. It’s now worse than the inner cities which are gentrifying. Opioids and out of wedlock pregnancies are now rural problems. But the rural folks and Trump still live in decades past.

But no worries…. nothing more prayers, family values and bootstrapping can’t solve.

[ucodegen]

[quote=harvey][quote=moneymaker]I apologize as I am responsible for higher medical prices, don’t have a doctor or take medicine so they have to get their money from other people like you. If people boycotted doctors and drugs do you think prices would go down or up? Obviously I don’t have an MRI machine at home or do surgery on myself so I’m also at their whim. My brother got an MRI recently and was charged $2900 just to interpret it, ridiculous![/quote]

Soon your brother will be able to haggle for a better price!

Pro tip: Stay conscious during any medical procedure. General anesthesia can hamper negotiating skills.[/quote]
I negotiated mine… $610 for full upper body (guggle to zatch).
They obviously preferred cash.

[spdrun]

You shouldn’t have to negotiate it.

Good parts of the Repubes’ plan…
(1) Subsidies appear to be here to stay
(2) By allowing premiums to pass through a taxfree HSA, it effectively extends the self-employed health insurance tax credit to W-2 wage earners who are not insured. Why do this in such a convoluted way?

Hopefully, states will require insurance (a la Massachusetts pre-ACA) and set quality controls on what polities are acceptable, as well as community-rating like NY did pre-ACA and still does.

[outtamojo]

[quote=harvey][quote=moneymaker]I apologize as I am responsible for higher medical prices, don’t have a doctor or take medicine so they have to get their money from other people like you. If people boycotted doctors and drugs do you think prices would go down or up? Obviously I don’t have an MRI machine at home or do surgery on myself so I’m also at their whim. My brother got an MRI recently and was charged $2900 just to interpret it, ridiculous![/quote]

Soon your brother will be able to haggle for a better price!

Pro tip: Stay conscious during any medical procedure. General anesthesia can hamper negotiating skills.[/quote]

Yes try not to slur your speech after your stroke, that will also hamper your negotiating.

[Anonymous]

[quote=spdrun]You shouldn’t have to negotiate it.

Good parts of the Repubes’ plan…
(1) Subsidies appear to be here to stay[/quote]

You mean SOCIALIST WEALTH CONFISCATION!

Oh wait …. when the Republicans do it, it’s FREEDOM!

I haven’t heard that subsides are still on the table. It will be entertaining to watch the spin if subsidies are part of the solution.

[quote](2) By allowing premiums to pass through a taxfree HSA, it effectively extends the self-employed health insurance tax credit to W-2 wage earners who are not insured. Why do this in such a convoluted way?[/quote]

Individual premiums should have always been tax-deductible. I have no idea why this wasn’t the case all along. Actually I do know why. Because it would cost the government money and individuals don’t have lobbies like large employers do. But maybe they’ll at least get this part right.

[quote]Hopefully, states will require insurance (a la Massachusetts pre-ACA) and set quality controls on what polities are acceptable, as well as community-rating like NY did pre-ACA and still does.[/quote]

I’m sure the larger blue states will at least offer a solution that is not completely worthless. Everyone else can start saving up for that broken leg.

[FlyerInHi]

Tax deductions are worthless for middle and lower class Americans because they don’t have total deductions greater than the standard.

New report shows that welfare benefits working class Whites more. Obamacare was a convenient issue ginned up to rile up the pitchforks. But it’s Obamacare was developed in right wing think tanks as an alternative to euro style health care.

We should just sit back and let Republicans take the blame for healthcare. Those of us who have earthy crunchy lifestyles don’t need much medicine anyway.

[spdrun]

Depends how they’re structured. Self-employed health insurance deduction is over and above the standard one.

[Reality]

[quote=moneymaker]I apologize as I am responsible for higher medical prices, don’t have a doctor or take medicine so they have to get their money from other people like you. [/quote]

If you have insurance they are getting it from you too. Your premiums are subsidizing the high utilizers.

[SK in CV]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
We should just sit back and let Republicans take the blame for healthcare. Those of us who have earthy crunchy lifestyles don’t need much medicine anyway.[/quote]

While you’re sitting back and blaming republicans, what am I supposed to do to if I develop a serious medical condition that requires hospitalization? Absent the ACA, I’m uninsurable.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=SK in CV][quote=FlyerInHi]
We should just sit back and let Republicans take the blame for healthcare. Those of us who have earthy crunchy lifestyles don’t need much medicine anyway.[/quote]

While you’re sitting back and blaming republicans, what am I supposed to do to if I develop a serious medical condition that requires hospitalization? Absent the ACA, I’m uninsurable.[/quote]

I’m being glib here. But you have shoes right? You can move to a state where you can get health care. I was watching Tucker Carlson on Fox and he was interviewing someone. They were having a good laugh about puttin’ on shoes.

Not you, but lots of people on Obamacare think it sucks and they voted for Trump. Maybe when they face cancellation and no replacement, they can join the demonstrators on the streets to demand Medicare for all, or VA tor all.

As one who helps my elderly relatives manage health care, i think government run VA for all, with rationing, would be best. Right now, the system is so complex that the average American can’t understand it.

[millennial]

My old employer offered a free high deductible plan and offered to contribute $2K a year in an HSA. Was the best plan I had when I was young. I was able to put the money in an investment related account every year and would put the difference between that plan and a traditional PPO into the HSA as well. The high deductible plan offered no deductible for annual checkups and I would call doctors and price shop when I had a bad cold. I remember calling doctors and asking for a price to get some antibiotics and prices ranged from $100-$450 just to check me out and write me a prescription. Did this for about 10 years in my 20s and lucky enough only needed to max out on the out of pocket one year when I needed a surgery. Now that I’m older and have a family we use my wife’s HMO but still have a lot of money in the HSA for all our medical needs going forward. Honestly if all employers could offer something similar to young people I think it could be beneficial and self insure many for a good part of their lives.

[Author]

Posts