buffalo Loc: Texas

Was it Part A of your Medicare? If I may ask, were you in IC or ? Because for Medicare Part A to pay that much it was a huge bill. Probably in the $200,000 range. If it was a reimbursement for what Medicare Advantage paid, it was that high because Medicare Advantage is private INSURANCE and they get a HIGHER reimbursement from the government than regular Medicare Part A. THAT is another ripoff to the taxpayers by private, for profit INSURANCE corporations. But see, that is where the shills and parrots for private, for profit health INSURANCE have undue influence over the monkey politicians in DC. Federal Government is run by corporations and sream against single payer Medicare for All. It would end their SCAM.

My Dad spent 1 afternoon, evening, night and morning (got out around 3:00pm the next day ??) after he had a 1.5 hour stents put in and his Medicare Part A paid the hospital $7800+ on an $87,000+ bill. He was never billed anything.

mouset783 Loc: Oklahoma

It was part A and an HMO in contract with Medicare. Before I retired the company I worked for offered us $500.00 if we could could find a mistake on a hospital bill. I obtained one for my wife and one thing that stood out was 12 pair of surgical gloves.How I could I prove this one way or another. Common aspirin have at least 15 letters in their name at $ 5.00 each.

Carol Kelly

Except when you are paying so much for that insurance to cover others you can't afford to see a doctor yourself. What does that sound like to you? Abuse?

buffalo Loc: Texas

Sounds like your caught in the scam that is private, for profit health INSURANCE. Not only high premiums but co-pays and deductibles that are designed to prevent its use. While you also pay taxes for others to get medical CARE. Under a single payer Medicare for All system that would not be the case.

buffalo Loc: Texas

They intentionally inflate prices to increase reimbursement rates but then also write off that difference as a loss on their tax returns and reduce their tax liability. Win, win situation for them.

Medical costs got high when corporations started controlling the medical CARE system and its prices and billing. We no longer have any true "community" hospitals that are truly locally owned and controlled. Hence, almost extinct is the family private practioner.

PeterS

Emergency rooms don't do preemptive care and if you need follow up treatment--well, you can't go to the emergency room to get it so what's your choice if not to die?

mouset783 Loc: Oklahoma

It appears you said "something" for a change however it is not really obvious what it was.

bahmer

OK going from where you are at here and adding limiting malpractice claims to something more reasonable. Number one the average person working a standard job is not going to be earning 300 million in a lifetime and therefore gifting an individual that amount for a small amount of pain and discomfort is absurd. Even the loss of an individuals life it is not a reasonable settlement as far as I am concerned. I understand that no amount of money will bring them back and I believe in appropriate punishments to the individuals involved but not to the ridicules tunes of some of these lawsuits either. I have lost a son at nineteen and a wife of 43 years of marriage so I have experienced loss.

Maybe if the doctors started posting their fees for various services we could pick and choose from those lists. They used to go by that in the old day and they earned their reputation by their patients. That reputation spread by word of mouth.

I also know of some services that are provided by independent groups like MRI's and PET scans at a fraction of the cost that hospitals charge and you get your results the same day. Check with your doctor if this service is acceptable to him and if not why not. Shop around. We have become locked into our HMO's and those HMO's are usually linked to a hospital which means that the hospital and big Pharma split the profits at your expense. I don't know if the government can split that grand party up and help the little guy or not.

buffalo Loc: Texas

My doctor brother calls it the corporatization of the medical system. Corporations now, not only control the INSURANCE of medical CARE, they now own and control most hospitals, the delivery of medical CARE, even ones that used to be community institutions and HMO's. Doctors are, and have been for some time now, leaving private practices to become salaried "hospitalists".

bggamers Loc: georgia

I still believe that each state needs to have it own . Each town should have clinics and the state increase medicaid this for low income and people not cover because of their jobs ,seniors that need extra coverage. Everyone else should be covered by their jobs. THIS means it stays in each states control and isnt so hard to control and get out of hand.People with speacial needs trump is right it needs to be separate to have pre condition or speacial need tacked on to regular insurance jacks rates up for others who do not need special care. I'm one with pre existing condition right now I can still work but its getting harder my kids are pushing for diability. When I was on Obama care they went from 275 a month for a really good insurance and in less then 5 months upped it to 475 a month so I had to drop it and go back to work for the insurance Now they are making me pay beck the tax rebate of 1600.00 Nice

bahmer

Part of the reasoning behind this is that doctors cannot afford their medical insurance for malpractice insurance. This way if they join a hospital staff the hospital picks up that malpractice insurance for the doctor who then has to practice at that hospital alone. He cannot go into private practice unless he leaves the hospital and starts his own practice. Most of the doctors do not have the incentive to start their own medical practice. It really is costly to start their own practice when you break it down. Either purchasing or renting a building to house your practice, renting or purchasing the equipment for the exam rooms. renting equipment for the front office hiring a receptionist as well as nurses. Paying insurance on all of the employees and on and on it goes. costly very very costly to say the least and a doctor or surgeon could conceivable go through half a year or even more before breaking even let alone making anything for himself and his family. Not a decision to be taken lightly for sure.

Cherokee38 Loc: Atlanta

When you speak of those who can not afford health insurance., many of them smoke and drink which they chose to do rather than buy insurance. Let them need medical treatment and we hear they can not afford it. BS!

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

Exactly my problem with single payer. Why should I subsidize someone else when they don't care about their own health?

America Only Loc: From the right hand of God

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

I told a young couple the other day who have two little children below eight years old they should by life Insurance policies on themselves to protect their family. They are young so the cost is low. Each could have decent coverage for about $100/month. They both work, but neither make over $20,000 a year. They said there was no way they could afford it. I made them sit down and see what they spend a month on cigarettes' and beer. Both smoke. Only he drinks. Over $300 a month. It's all about priorities. This family also gets their medical paid for by Medicaid because they are below some monetary level. Meanwhile I don't smoke. Workout five days a week. Drink in moderation and I pay my own expensive health insurance and subsidize people like them.