Indeed, Senator Kyle a couple of years ago had a talk in the Scottsdale galleria, a large office building where I worked, in a town hall format. He talked about medicare D, and the beauty of how it made the us government the largest single buyer, and how it gave med d such bargaining rights. my voice from the crowd. "But Senator Kyle, YOU wrote the rider on medicare part D that removed its right to bargain, and forced Medicare patients to pay whatever the drug companies charged!" His handlers attempted but failed to escort me out, when I showed the badge stating i worked there.
Then he mentioned drugs from canada. But senator Kyle, those drugs are often the same drugs from the same batches sent here to the us, sent to canada where they have price controls, and sent back, in factory original sealed condition. How could they be unsafe? On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 6:33 PM, Edmund Storms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Yes, I agree. However, even if I were paying the bill, how would I, while > sick, bargain with the doctor to lower my payment? The insurance company and > the government are supposed to do this for me, in their own self-interest. > If the government were the single payer, they would have a bigger stick to > keep the costs under control. I suggest, the problem is that the medical and > insurance companies are in bed together. Together, they have paid for a > government that won't intervene. As long as the employer/employee pay, and > the government won't stop the rape, why change a profitable system? The > medical/insurance companies have no reason to lower costs because both gain > profit from the situation, the insurance companies with higher premiums and > the medical companies with more income. Every time the government tries to > bring the situation under control, both scream socialized medicine and > predict loss of quality. The voters buy the nonsense and continue to pay. > Unfortunately for the medical/insurance companies, the rest of the system is > stating to hurt and is starting to put pressure on the government. Perhaps > if a few more of the purchased congressmen are voted out of office, things > will change. > > Ed > > > > leaking pen wrote: > > > > Unfortunately Ed, health insurance is in part the problem. When > > insurance and not a person was paying the bill, doctors and hospitals > > found they could charge more. Insurance companies raise prices to > > compensate, but are thus willing to pay more, and the cycle continues. > > > > On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 8:10 AM, Edmund Storms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > > This is indeed a sad story, Jed, that is repeated many times each day. > The > > > basic problem is that the American people have accepted the idea that > life > > > in this country should be based mainly on the individual effort, with > > > socialism being un-American. Liberalism, which tries to use the state to > > > protect the individual, is considered a dirty word. These ideas are > accepted > > > by the ordinary working person even though this is not in their > > > self-interest to do so. Your friend probably even voted for Bush and > would > > > not support a politician who proposed socialized medicine, even though > > > variations of this approach work well in other countries. We get what we > > > vote for. If we are too ignorant to vote wisely, we get the government > we > > > deserve. Hopefully, the pain inflicted by the Bush philosophy will cause > > > people to reexamine their criteria for voting. > > > > > > Ed > > > > > > > > > > > > Jed Rothwell wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > A friend of mine in his 50s has no health insurance. Normally this is > not > > > > > > > > > > a problem because he is a vet who goes to the VA hospital. He has a lot > or > > > problems, including some service related ones. The other day he suffered > > > from a minor stroke and passed out while at a Lowe's hardware > superstore. > > > They called an ambulance, which took him to Grady Hospital, because that > is > > > usually the only hospital in Atlanta that take uninsured patients. He > was > > > there for 4 days, mostly doped up or asleep to keep him from moving. He > is > > > much better now. > > > > > > > > > > At Grady they did not have to do much for him other than to take some > cat > > > > > > > > > > scans and keep him immobilized. They sent him home and he went to the VA > > > hospital a few days later, where they did a bunch more tests and > declared > > > him okay. > > > > > > > > > > Anyway, the point of this story is to relate the appalling fact that > Grady > > > > > > > > > > just sent him a bill for $82,000. This is an self-employed, ordinary, > middle > > > class guy who probably doesn't earn that much in a year. In other words, > > > four days of hospitalization for a relatively minor health problem cost > > > enough to bankrupt an ordinary person. This is insane. The U.S. > healthcare > > > system is unsustainable. > > > > > > > > > > Bush correctly pointed out that anyone in the U.S., even an uninsured > poor > > > > > > > > > > person, can get healthcare at an emergency room, just as my friend did. > He > > > did not say that after a few days in the hospital you will be billed > more > > > than your net worth, and then hounded by bill collectors until they run > you > > > out of house and home. > > > > > > > > > > - Jed > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- That which yields isn't always weak.
