Vitamin G Wrote:The key to reducing healthcare costs is to get the Government OUT of it, not further into it. You have competition with cars, because the government doesn't pass out subsidized chevy-cobalt-care and chevycobalt-aid to people below a certain income.
My sister had to wait in line at the ER with a broken arm, while Aquanetta and her three children had CHICKEN POX and arrived in an ambulance. I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing, but they actually took HER into exam rooms first. Hopefully it was just to avoid contaminating the whole general waiting room.
Guess who's going to be footing the bill for that one? If you said "The Government" you're only partially correct. The Government doesn't technically "pay" for anything, it only redistributes YOUR money. YOU (and I) will be paying for that.
If people didn't have free healthcare, people would be less apt to use the emergency room for a cold, a tummy ache, a handnail, and my personal favorite (because i have staff that do this), "I just need an excuse for work cause i'm calling off 2 days in a row, and my PCP is booked"
Actually I have to disagree to some point. There are people out there who actually need assistance and I have no problem with helping somone get back on their feet. What I do have a problem with is those who abuse the system, driving around in a caddy sporting more gold than Mr. T and exchanging their food stamps for cash ultimately for drugs and alcohol. Anyone applying for assistance should be drug tested before receiving benefits.
That alone would take a huge amount of deadbeats off the cash cow system.
I
do agree with you about those taking their kids to the ER for a sniffle when its NOT an emergency. If they had to pay anything then they would reconsider using the system like that. Perhaps part of the solution is to have a co-pay on ER visits
unless the doctor signs off that it was an actual emergency. We don't want parents to stop taking their kids to the doctor for
real emergencies just because they don't have any extra cash.
We have state minumum prices for many items and there is no reason why the Feds cannot put caps on common medical procedure rates nationwide. A wrist X-Ray should not cost $200 in Pennsylvania and $500 in a San Diego, CA hospital...especially when its $75 when done at my family doctors office!
As long as the hospitals continue to be allowed to charge 2x-3x the standard reasonable & customary rate for services, the more insurance rates will rise.
$200 Wrist X-Ray, 3 different patients with same procedure:
The hospital will bill the insurance companies $200.
Blue Cross pays $90 for one patient and Health America send $75 for the other. Both are considered paid in full by the hospital at that point.
The 3rd patient has no insurance and gets a bill for $200. If they are "lucky", it will have a discount for paying early...normally 25%, so they pay $150.
If the state had a cap on the wrist x-ray price, say $80, then:
Blue Cross saved $10
Heath American paid $5 more
The patient without insurance saved $70
Is it not the people who cannot afford insurance part of the SCHIP program? By regulating common procedure prices there would be a substantial savings. The medical bills would be reduced from the get-go. Insurance companies would still be competitive because of their co-pays and other factors. It would eliminate the price gouging by the hospitals to get the maximum amount of income for each procedure. Ultimately more people could be insured by SCHIP without any increase in taxes while gaining some control on medical costs for everyone.
Actually, I'm willing to bet that the government already has a "reasonable & customary" price list that they will pay because of welfare benefits. Why not just take that and advise hospitals they cannot charge more than the state maximum amount. Oh, thats right...it would cut into those CEO wages of 1-2mil a year.
http://mdsalaries.blogspot.com/2006/12/hospital-ceo-salaries-in-usa-some.html
They don't get a salary like that by charging reasonable rates. You can't question the rates when it comes to a medical emergency. You go and hope to be well again...then get a bill later and wish you died instead.
Next time you go to the hospital for anything, ask them how much it will cost. They have NO F'N clue. In what business can you do that and get away with it? Wifey went to the hospital for shots in her back, a common pain relief procedure. Upon me asking, they could not give me any idea on cost. $100 a shot? $500? $1000? Your bill will come in the mail was their statement.