My wife wanted her doctor to deliver our son. He told her that if he delivered a baby, even on the side of a road in an emergency, his malpractice insurance would increase by $30,000.00/year. Think about that.
30K! Our legal, insurance, and medical industry is completely out of touch. On Oct 9, 2014, at 4:34 PM, Glen Waldrop via Af <af@afmug.com> wrote: > Check the prices for those procedures in other countries. > > Our medical system is out of touch with the rest of the world. > > I spoke with another Lyme patient who went to visit friends in Japan and got > an MRI done there. The expense from the trip and testing still didn't touch > what an MRI costs in the US. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Travis Johnson via Af > To: af@afmug.com > Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2014 5:22 PM > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare > > It's not the routine care and occasional small health issue, it's when the > $500,000 heart attack happens. Or the $300,000 kidney failure. Or even the > $100,000 surgery... that's really what insurance is for. > > They charge "full retail" when they have to bill insurance because it's such > a pain to actually collect. I work with several medical billing offices. > These are full time companies that do nothing but handle insurance billing > for doctors, etc... it's THAT big of a job to actually collect from all these > insurance companies (the same ones that are making billions in profits each > year). > > Travis > > On 10/9/2014 3:45 PM, Glen Waldrop via Af wrote: >> The hospital, yes. The doctor's office, no. >> >> I was a cash patient going to a specialist. My insurance price is around >> $175, my cash price was $130. Same with my meds, I paid cash price at my >> pharmacy and one run would be $66. With insurance they bill full retail >> which is closer to double that and I pay a $20 co pay. The pharmacy makes >> more money with my insurance, but they still made a profit without. I'm good >> friends with my pharmacist. >> >> I ran the numbers, even dealing with Lyme disease I was spending around >> $2500 a year, including supplements that aren't covered by insurance. I'm >> paying around $4000 a year for my insurance and still paying a chunk of my >> doctor bill and my medications, still paying for my supplements. My total >> healthcare is more like $5000 to $6000 a year now. >> >> I spent less on healthcare by paying cash. >> >> The testing was nice to have covered by insurance, but I'd have still come >> out cheaper at the end of the year to pay cash for those than pay my >> insurance. >> >> I will say this, my wife had a miscarriage last month. Insurance came in >> handy on that bill, however, paying cash for the same service would have >> only made our healthcare equal what I'm paying for insurance every year. >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Adam Moffett via Af >> To: af@afmug.com >> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2014 4:04 PM >> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >> >> >> If you go into a Doctor's office and receive aspirin and a hug, you'll still >> get a $500 bill (or your insurance will). >> >> I'd love it if we could address whatever drives the costs up. >> >>> Collin, socialized medicine or socialized anything doesn’t work. What >>> happened to the idea that Capitalism built the greatest country and the >>> greatest health care in the world. Why does everybody forget that and keep >>> wanting to go back to the failed systems in Europe, Socialism, Communism. >>> Costs go up because of attorney’s and the technology behind our health >>> care. If you want cheap health care, get rid of MRI machines, genome >>> cancer treatments, laser surgeries, AiDs drugs, Hepatitis drug research, >>> etc… If all you want is an aspirin and a hug, you keep holding to the idea >>> that socialized medicine is a great idea. >>> Rory >>> From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Bill Prince via Af >>> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2014 9:41 AM >>> To: af@afmug.com >>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >>> Amen brother Conlin. >>> >>> The way I see it, the biggest problem is that ObamaCare didn't go far >>> enough. We really, really need to have a system that gets a handle on the >>> costs. The cost to US citizens is more than double the cost to other >>> developed countries. >>> >>> Just peruse this: >>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/charts-health-care-costs-americans_n_2957266.html >>> >>> >>> bp >>> On 10/9/2014 5:12 AM, Paul Conlin via Af wrote: >>> What did people expect? Insurance companies are the house. They always >>> make money. By accepting pre-existing conditions everyone else’s premiums >>> go up. By definition. The only way health insurance can work is if it is >>> universal (code for mandatory). Can’t have people who can do math, like >>> Chuck, opting out. Or healthy people saying no. Everyone in. Everyone >>> pays. Spreads out the costs. >>> ObamaCare was never about controlling costs. It was about increasing >>> coverage. More coverage costs more. Why are people surprised at this? If >>> you want to control costs you have to redesign the way money flows. Our >>> system of providers and insurance companies is *designed* to maximize heath >>> costs. It is a positive feedback loop. What is needed is a single payer >>> system, like Canada, where one paying party can have maximum leverage to >>> minimize costs and who has limited ability to raise taxes. It is a proper >>> (negative) feedback system that has inheritably more control. Canada, for >>> the record, is not privatized health care like the VHA. In fact it is the >>> opposite. The Government of Canada purchases all its healthcare from >>> private entities, like Medicare. A fact yet to be discovered by the media >>> in the USA. >>> It is hard to understand why the Republican’s hate ObamaCare since it was >>> mostly their idea. Well, other than ObamaCare was championed by Obama and >>> I guess that is enough reason. The basic concept to use the free market >>> and let industry to its thing is normally what Republican’s want. Not to >>> mention its inherent ability to make more money for insurance companies and >>> private industry. Sure, they are upset that it is being used as a wealth >>> distribution system that makes people with money pay more and people >>> without pay less. Ok, so that is two reasons they hate it. >>> The mistake made, was not implementing a single payer system simultaneously >>> with universal coverage. The CBO calculated the saving from the former >>> would pay for the later resulting in no increase in out-of-pocket costs. >>> Then the other benefits of such a privatized system would start to kick in >>> and the open market competition for services will drive costs down. With >>> health care general health would improve and costs would go down even more. >>> Unfortunately the Government is dysfunctional and has zero chance of >>> overcoming the trillions of dollars companies are making off of the >>> existing out of control health care system. And if they could pass the >>> laws, would anyone trust our Government to run such a program? And there >>> is the root problem. >>> Obviously an over simplification but now back to my real job. >>> PC >>> Blaze Broadband >>> From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Rory Conaway via Af >>> Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2014 12:33 AM >>> To: af@afmug.com >>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >>> People with pre-existing conditions are one of the few groups benefitting >>> from this. >>> Rory >>> From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Jeremy via Af >>> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 7:32 PM >>> To: af@afmug.com >>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >>> We pay about the same as we did but our deductible is lower, our out of >>> pocket max is lower, and they covered our pregnancy. We switched during >>> the first trimester because we didn't have maternity coverage (no >>> self-insured plans in our state had it), and Obamacare made pregnancy not >>> count as a pre-existing condition. It saved us about $7,000-$8,000 this >>> year. The craziest part is that we actually stayed with the same provider, >>> Select Health (IHC). It was just the difference between them providing >>> maternity and not providing maternity. We have been very happy with our >>> Obamacare. >>> On Wed, Oct 8, 2014 at 6:50 PM, Glen Waldrop via Af <af@afmug.com> wrote: >>> Further the subsidies have been deemed unconstitutional, so they're forcing >>> us to pay insurance with the promise of subsidies that they are now going >>> to take away. >>> >>> Bait and switch. >>> The whole thing has been a screwup from day one. >>> It is actually cheaper for me to pay out of pocket than pay for this >>> insurance, but the fines will get you either way. >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Rory Conaway via Af >>> To: af@afmug.com >>> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 7:03 PM >>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >>> And so did the quality and options of your care. I know that 2 of my >>> doctors retired early and the other one doesn’t take Obamacare. >>> Fortunately I don’t have to use it. >>> Here is my question though, doesn’t the fact that the federal government >>> wasted a couple billion dollars of your taxes on websites that don’t work, >>> companies that are paying workers to do nothing, and companies that are >>> friends with the First Lady with no bid process in place? >>> Rory >>> From: Af [mailto:af-boun...@afmug.com] On Behalf Of Sean Heskett via Af >>> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 5:00 PM >>> To: af@afmug.com >>> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] ObamaCare >>> Please don't forget that this whole "obamacare" thing was "invented" by the >>> American Heratage Foundation which is a republican think tank. And the >>> republicans tried to squash "Hillarycare" with it in the 1990's. >>> Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. >>> Also, so far in the states that set up their own exchanges medical costs >>> and premiums have been going down...mine sure did :) >>> 2cents >>> Sean >>> >>> On Wednesday, October 8, 2014, Travis Johnson via Af <af@afmug.com> wrote: >>> Hi... >>> >>> I'm not sure exactly how this ObamaCare thing was supposed to "save >>> everyone money" and provider "better health care". We just received our >>> group health insurance premium notice for the upcoming year, and our rates >>> will go up by 10% starting 2015. >>> >>> On top of that, everyone is now paying a 3% ObamaCare tax on their personal >>> income taxes. This doesn't really seem like much of a savings to me... :( >>> >>> Travis >>> >> > >
