Biden mistakes New Hampshire for Vermont during campaign stop

[Steeleballz 7,550]

13 hours ago, N-o-l-a said:

Mine is $400/mo with a 8k deductible.  For my salary at the moment, it is insane. 

 

   Ouch. Well I guess mines not so bad then. 

 

   I did call Cigna this year about something not being covered anymore, and the person basically straight up said nothing has changed on their end. Every deductible increase and copay increase and procedure not covered was the employer negotiating lower and lower costs from their end every year.    

[Boiler 43,401]

2 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   Ouch. Well I guess mines not so bad then. 

 

   I did call Cigna this year about something not being covered anymore, and the person basically straight up said nothing has changed on their end. Every deductible increase and copay increase and procedure not covered was the employer negotiating lower and lower costs from their end every year.    

I have a feeling that would be better described as negotiating reduced increase in costs.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

I have a feeling that would be better described as negotiating reduced increase in costs.

 

  It's another reason I'd like to see health care coverage completely removed from employment. I wouldn't mind seeing a two tier system where private supplemental insurance is available. I don't want to see that tied to an employer though. 

[Boiler 43,401]

6 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Boiler is right actually. We have always had a form of rationing in the US through price and availability. We also have problems with standards of care, particularly in poor or rural areas. Everyone knows for instance that our local rural hospital is a place you don't want to go... so they will choose to go to hospitals in other counties and even over the state line - this puts additional pressure on those facilities. Ever tried to get an appointment at somewhere that's not your GP? You'll encounter 'rationing' through availability. Only enough slots for appointments and not enough doctors means you may not be getting that appointment for weeks or months. Most times for a GP, you may not even be seeing the actual GP but an NP or PA.

 

We don't usually get care immediately upon demand either in an ER. When I was writhing in agony in the ER, it was still a ten hour wait before someone actually saw me. And there was another woman who was in very serious condition with a pregnancy that they left there even longer. Some estimates say that by 2030 we will be running on a shortage of 120,000 doctors and many of the best doctors in our country are nearing retirement age. Some are getting very little reimbursement from insurance, so they are early retiring.

I know this is crude and does not take into account changes in life expectancy, new types of treatment etc etc,  seems like a ratio of 1 Doctor per 150 is about the needed, so the extra number of Doctors would be about a Million. I would imagine that 120,000 reflected just the current situation.

[yuna628 9,527]

13 hours ago, N-o-l-a said:

Mine is $400/mo with a 8k deductible.  For my salary at the moment, it is insane. 

I used to have that high of a deductible when I paid out of pocket.. but it was $900 for the two of us.

 

Think the husband contributes somewhere around $200+ for us and the employer puts in the rest. No deductible and it's fantastic... but how much the company spends is eye-popping. He also pays a little extra every month for dental care which has come in handy.

[Boiler 43,401]

Just now, Steeleballz said:

 

  It's another reason I'd like to see health care coverage completely removed from employment. I wouldn't mind seeing a two tier system where private supplemental insurance is available. I don't want to see that tied to an employer though. 

That linkage makes no sense. I would imagine very few Employers want to be in that business either, why would they?

[Steeleballz 7,550]

Just now, Boiler said:

That linkage makes no sense. I would imagine very few Employers want to be in that business either, why would they?

 

   It originally became an employment benefit because of wage caps and labor shortage after WW2. It was a throw in to entice potential employees. We are in a completely different world now. I don't even see employment based health insurance as a benefit anymore. Overall, it probably does more to restrict people from changing jobs than attracting new employees.

[Ban Hammer 12,830]

18 hours ago, N-o-l-a said:

The polls show the majority of Democrat voters want universal healthcare.

just because they want it, that does not mean it's constitutional.

[Boiler 43,401]

3 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   It originally became an employment benefit because of wage caps and labor shortage after WW2. It was a throw in to entice potential employees. We are in a completely different world now. I don't even see employment based health insurance as a benefit anymore. Overall, it probably does more to restrict people from changing jobs than attracting new employees.

I understand the background, like Company Cars in the UK, times have changed. I had Private Insurance in the UK, but the cost was $30 a month, this is so different.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

3 hours ago, missileman said:

Rationed care, anyone?  Right now, I can usually get a same day appointment with my GP for routine care (medication follow-ups, etc.)........

 

Pretty much everyone where I live is insured because of our generous state plans. There is still no wait. More and more PAs and NPs are filling the roles of GP and other doctors, which is helping.  Some other countries don’t really have those options, so they suffer with doctor shortages. 

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

I used to have that high of a deductible when I paid out of pocket.. but it was $900 for the two of us.

 

Think the husband contributes somewhere around $200+ for us and the employer puts in the rest. No deductible and it's fantastic... but how much the company spends is eye-popping. He also pays a little extra every month for dental care which has come in handy.

What is worse yet is that every hospital (employer) around here has plans like this and worse. It is basically like buying at the company store. 

[Boiler 43,401]

Having Insurance does not mean you have access to Healthcare.

[Crazy Cat 39,193]

In my small home town, it sometimes takes weeks to get an appointment with a GP.....although the office is usually willing to "work in" a serious case.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

1 hour ago, Ban Hammer said:

just because they want it, that does not mean it's constitutional.

 

   No one said it’s a constitutional right. Tap water isn’t either, but I imagine if they shut it off to your state, people would have something to say about it. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

2 minutes ago, missileman said:

In my small home town, it sometimes takes weeks to get an appointment with a GP.....although the office is usually willing to "work in" a serious case.

 

   Around here, they tell you to go to ER if you can’t wait. I think mine has a priority list for serious issues and they try to get you in first if someone else cancels. I guess business must be good.