bmac32 Loc: West Florida

Life time but I get to start at 63? Thankfully I'm not effected YET but looking through the policies my monthly would go from $167 to $411 and I actually have LESS coverage, sounds like such a great deal.

First they know this will not work, getting young people to buy isn't going to happen, they'll take the fine. Without them applying for it the system will quickly run out of funds raising rates for those who did join. When this system does not work single payer will be next as by then many of the small companies will have been driver out of business. Take a close hard look at Canada's and Great Britain's systems as they need millions more just to stay afloat.

Dave Loc: Upstate New York

If what you seek is improved information regarding options of medical treatment there are ways to achieve that short of a radical socialising the entire industry. By the way, the reason food is less expensive is because those seeking profits have increased the efficiencies involved in producing it. You may not have noticed something similar taking place in medical care - laser eye surgery. The cost of that has significantly been reduced. Care to guess why?

As to health care being delivered at a crisis time - certainly you realize the difference between day to day health care and catastrophic health care. I'd venture to say the major portion of health care is done as more of a routine than under catastrophic conditions - and health care insurance is most needed when catastrophy happens. That is considerably different than the mandated coverages of Obamacare for routine things - like birth control. Insurance against virtually sure things isn't exactly insurance.

Why you think government mandates is superior to market driven mandates is beyond me - other than your bias towards big government solutions, there is no evidence that government advances economic goods - of which health care is certainly one.

As to your "drive-by masectomies" - are you so innocent of reality as to really think that government run health care insurances do not result in unnecessary procedures? In the area I live in there was recently a Medicaid scandal of a local dentist performing multiple root canals on 8 and 9 year old kids.

As to your idea that there is no limit to insurance company profits - you reveal an amazing lack of understanding markets. Show me any business of any kind with unlimited profits and I'll show you a business that attracts competition in droves.

I look at facts continuously - and it is facts that drive to me state time after time - in the generation of economic benefits, that is goods and services - there has yet to be a better model of generating continuous improvement than that of the market driven profit motive.

VladimirPee

1998-2007
the US leads in the discovery of approved drugs, by a wide margin (118 out of the 252 drugs). Then Japan, the UK and Germany are about equal, in the low 20s each. Switzerland is in next at 13, France at 12, and then the rest of Europe put together adds up to 29.

Profits are not evil and encourage research

AnnMarie Loc: Madison, Wi

They put out bids, but all the anesthesia machine companies charge the standard set US prices. We have recently seen some competition in the lower end, like surgerycenter equipment, because a company from China is making and selling medical equipment in the US.

Why would we charge more in the US? The profit motive. Our job is to get as much profit as possible. That is capitalism.

We are already paying for the uninsured to go to the ER, the costliest type of care, and since they cannot get chronic care, say for diabetes, they go to the ER when they need an amputation. ACA is trying to get healthcare, preventive healthcare (which has to be covered without a deductable under the ACA) that saves money in the long run. The congressional budget office (non-partisan) says ACA SAVES money, not costs money. In fact, the Ryan budget keeps the Obamacare savings in the budget, but says he is going to get rid of Obamcare.

VladimirPee

So if they do not compete the Chinese will take their business away. To claim government entities bid better and cheaper displays a lack of knowledge. I have bid on government contracts for decades and they are among the poorest buyers in America. They often write such contract proposals with so much crap many companies won't even bother bidding.

OldSchool Loc: Moving to the Red State of Utah soon!

Typical warped and misguided logic from a liberal. Please move to Russia, or some other c*******t country, you'll fit right in!

AnnMarie Loc: Madison, Wi

Never said profits were evil. Reseach is based on profits, agreed. That being said, our drug delivery system, based on profit motive, has flaws. For one thing, a new drug is only tested against placebos-it has to be more effective than nothing in order to be approved. It does NOT have to be more effective than a cheaper, previously approved drug. It took a drug study from Canada to show that for hypertension, hydrochlorothiazide, a very old and very cheap drug, did the best job for hypertension. So the newer, expensive anti-hypertensive drugs were being prescriped in the US when a cheaper, safe alternative worked better. Health Canada did the research, and now we know. That would not have been done in the US, as the profit motive, the same motive that makes equipment more expensive in the US, would have us keep using the new expensive drugs instead of the old generic drugs.

AnnMarie Loc: Madison, Wi

Didn't answer my question, oldschool, just called me a name. I guess you have no answer to my question, so just call me a warped c*******t. I take that as you agree with me, cant argue the other side.

vernon

you dont have the slightest idea what your talking about .obama care is going to ration care and to do that they have to k**l off the old and the inferm people .kind of like hitler and dr mengale did,but of course you are blind to the t***h so im wasting my time

AnnMarie Loc: Madison, Wi

True about China-what has happened is that prices have eroded in the low end market, and jobs have been moved overseas to make OUR machine in China. Not such a happy ending. Governments on healthcare get the lowest prices. If we give a lower price to another customer (there are some limits such as order size) we have to rebate that price to the government, and that becomes the new government price. I cannot speak on buying anything but healthcare equipment, but after 35 years in the business, I can tell you governments get the lowest prices.

VladimirPee

Drugs react differently with different people. I use Enalapril for hypertension. I pay $8.00 a prescription. Some people use Diovan. I want what works best for me. Not what some government panel decides is adequate based on costs

bmac32 Loc: West Florida

As of Sept. 18 the CBO says that it will go down slightly over the next few years and then will head up. So what does that mean, prices good for a few years and them the sky rocket? With damn near 9 million unemployed jobs should have the number one thing not health care.

China-medical equipment, not good as China can't even get dog treats right with over 600 dead dog from their treats.

vernon

your right ,they write contracts to fit a certain business so their friends get the job

AnnMarie Loc: Madison, Wi

Not true. No care rationing. Do you think there is rationing of healthcare on Medicare?? That has been working for 60 years of government SINGLE PAYER no less. Nobody k**led off the sick and infirm for the last 60 years. That is 60 years of experience! Who is blind to that??? Sarah pulled that death panel crap out of her ass. You are on medicare, your healthcare is not changing. STOP WORRYING.

vernon

you might as well give up on her she is a commited c*******t and cannot be saved