Comments on: The GOP’s Market-Friendly Health Care Reform

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:47:55 +0000

#22
I am sure there are those who think they are impervious to illness and forego healthcare coverage but what about those who have lost their jobs and have some type of pre-existing condition. Yes COBRA is a help but frequently unemployed people can’t afford to pay the full fare. You folks continue to think people want a free ride, they do NOT. They want access to healthcare plans and not discount programs such as the one cited by #2. There is no such thing as real healthcare insurance for $6 per day unless of course you don’t want any medical care covered.
The cost of healthcare is included in everything you buy. We are already subsidizing employer based healthcare benefits in two ways, 1) business’s price their goods and services accounting for all expenses including the cost of healthcare, 2) employees are not only paying their share they are getting reduced wages/salaries because this is considered by most employers as the “hidden Paycheck”.
When will this country wake UP? The GOP alternative is not acceptable because it leaves too many things up to the states. Just think about the differences in public education from state to state, the same thing will happen to healthcare if we don’t provide minimum standards for all.

By: Realitycheck

Realitycheck — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:56:42 +0000

I note that one comment mentioned that this well-constructed GOP plan would not work and that the government must MANDATE that all have health insurance. Excuse me for pointing this out but when the government begins mandating that we, as private citizens, must do certain things with our private lives; that is when our republic is dead, and this country can officially become a fascist state. It is well on its way already.

People, is this what we want? I didn’t think so. Do we let the minority of people who “don’t have access to health care” tell those of us who do that we must do something? I didn’t think so, either. So, it’s about time that we stand up, quit mumbling and quit being the MAJORITY with no voice (and I’m not speaking of the majority that won the election, either), I’m speaking of the non-vocal majority of Americans who have the same beliefs, the same ideals and who have sat by and let this country go to hell. This will not happen any longer. No longer the silent majority.

By: Dr. Bukk

Dr. Bukk — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:04:13 +0000

One more thing, we need to follow the example of Texas in limiting phony lawsuits via tort reform and requirements to prove the plaintiff is actually disabled.

By: Dr. Bukk

Dr. Bukk — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:33:33 +0000

Why can’t a new plan be based on GWB’s prescription drug program, which cost far less than anticipated due to competition between plans? BTW, for those of you who hate Bush for this program: how long has it been since you heard of old people eating dog food to afford skyrocketing drug costs?

Allow insurance companies to market nationwide and they will force legislators to make policies competitive.

Insurance companies have saved me thousands by limiting insane fees charged by doctors.

Take more drugs off the prescription list. Let people purchase antibiotics, prednisone, valtrex and many other safe drugs without a script so they can see a doctor during practice hours, at a reasonable cost instead of going to emergency rooms for drugs you could buy over the counter in most countries.

By: happy1ga

happy1ga — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:16:14 +0000

I love it when people talk about all the poor people who don’t have health ins in this country! What about the ones who just DON’T want it? Most young people, especially those who are healthy, and especially those who are single, had rather spend their money on clothes, food, partying, booze, etc. And that is their right. Everyone should have to pay for what they are responsible for, but if these people don’t choose to pay a monthly fee to go to the doctor 1 time every two yrs, then why should they? As the Cad said above, it is personal priorities. Some people had rather have cable, or cigarettes, or a nice car.

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:39:33 +0000

This plan is worthless without a mandate that everyone buy health insurance. People that don’t have health insurance drive up the cost of health insurance. Until that point is addressed, solutions like this one will always be woefully inadequate. Plus there’s the absence of a national insurance exchange (which unlike state ones would allow people to buy insurance across interstate lines). It’s a crap plan overall. It’s easily worse than the Obama plan. I don’t think people understand the fact that you can’t half ass free market solutions. Either you provide a free market (mandate insurance or let hospitals refuse care; allow interstate competition) or you provide Obamacare (pathway to single payer). Stop labeling things that you like “market friendly.”

And that’s not getting into the subsidy effect. Providing a subsidy without any form of cost control simply distorts prices. Why do you think college tuition costs expand so rapidly? If you give everyone in america 2300 dollars to get an insurance plan, i’m going to charge people an extra 2300 a year.

Like I said, this plan is terrible.

By: G Alston

G Alston — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:58:43 +0000

#18 — Bovine secretions!

malpractice costs

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/49xx/doc4968/01-08-MedicalMalpractice.pdf

From the congressional budget office.

Here are current (2007) average malpractice premiums for US, by specialty. Family practice, 12,500. GPs, 7,500 Internists, 12,500. Ob/gyns, 55,000 Pediatricians, 12,500 All primary care: 17,500 . There are about 750,000 MDs in the country : a ballpark number for total malpractice premium costs is going to be (0.75 x 10 e 6) x (~2 e 4) = 15 billion. But that might be low – maybe specialists pay a lot more. Since total premiums were about 10 billion in 2000, let’s say that they’re paying 20 billion total now – that’s reasonable, since nothing I’ve seen suggests that rates have doubled over that period. We’re on the same page. . Total health care costs for the US passed 2 trillion (2 e 12) in 2006. Malpractice premiums account for about 1% of total healthcare costs.

There was certainly less than that in legal payout, so doubling anyway to be generous gives the 2%.

#16 — Malpractice may only be 2% of the costs, but that figure doesn’t include the added cost of defensive medicine, that is, doctors who order unnecessary tests to confirm things they already know in order to protect themselves from lawsuits.

As for defensive medicine, the only part I object to is the part that has low payoff. I don’t think anyone has been able to come with a decent estimate of those costs. As for the idea that any argument can be won by citing some unmeasurable factor – well, I’m not from Missouri, but I grew up near there.

By: Mary Grabar

Mary Grabar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:38:27 +0000

Good article. This needs to be publicized more.

By: Well Educated Cad

Well Educated Cad — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:56:33 +0000

” Only 2% of the costs of healthcare are related to lawsuits”? Bovine secretions! How about 2% of the costs are DIRECTLY due to lawsuits- the indirect costs are astronomical!!!
Say, a little old lady is found lying on her floor in the nursing home. Did she have a stroke? Fall? Or just curl up and take a nap? Due to lawsuits, no one there will even examine her- they call the patient’s doctor, so they won’t get sued. Knowing what idiots he usually deals with at the nursing home, he okays the transfer to the ER, for the ER doctor to see, so he doesn’t end up getting sued. This is because he has a full office of patients as well. Now the EMS gets there, and finds that all the little old lady can say is “Roodle roodle” and not knowing what happened , follows their policy and “packages” the lady on a backboard, C collar and tape, so THEY won’t get sued. Now they show up in the ER with someone who looks like they’ve been in a major car wreck. And the little old lady is firmly saying “Roodle roodle”! The ER doc and EMS have no clue what may have happened and the patient cannot tell them, so here comes the “Nursing home workup” including a CT of her head.
The costs of this little trip? Oh, say $1500. Now multiply that figure by about 1000 times a day across the country and I’d say that’s pretty much more than “2%”, wouldn’t you?
ALL OF THIS is because everyone involved is afraid of being sued, so they CYA. And this is just a very small sample of what goes on everyday.

By: GinnyPub

GinnyPub — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:12:51 +0000

I’m glad someone mentioned “dumping”. Chicago’s Urban Health Initiative has been a failure in providing “care”. http://ginnypub.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/urban-health-initiative-for-all/
Anybody remember Hawaii’s universal health “care” program? No? Maybe that’s because it failed in 7 MONTHS.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,440561,00.html