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2009-10-26 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-10-26 10:11|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 Private plans would still have to incur substantial costs of 'defensive medicine' - I'm not sure but I bet the public option plan would be protected from a lot of malpractice suits.

Posted by Glenmore 2009-10-26 11:09|| 2009-10-26 11:09|| Front Page Top

#2 "Price Control" is a synonym for Shortage.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2009-10-26 11:13|| 2009-10-26 11:13|| Front Page Top

#3 Glossing over "cost shifting" bullcrap.

Took wife to emergency room about 10 months ago because she fell off stage at elementary school play.

3 hours later, 1 pain shot, 1 head MRI, and 2 x-rays of knee = $14,000! Fortunately, no actual need to "do" anything for her - just lay there in pain. Nothing they did was actually worth $14,000. We just had to pay big bucks so that they could "cost shift" to all the folks not paying at all. We could pay because we are responsible and had medical insurance.

I don't blame the hospital, and I don't blame the insurance company or the doctors - I blame congress that requires hospitals to treat folks that won't pay and then allows "cost shifting" so that the hospitals can stay in business.

This is the unspoken elephant in the room in the medical cost debate.

Posted by LeighG 2009-10-26 13:00|| 2009-10-26 13:00|| Front Page Top

#4 Our experience is very similar, wife was in a car accident with no apparent injury to either party. Because the airbags deployed and our car was undrivable the CHP arrived on scene and called for an ambulance for my wife. SHe initially resisted any need for it but gave in after repeated urging. Ambulance transported to UC hospital emergency room, where we had a four hour wait, one nurse consult, one doctor consult of perhaps 5 minutes, two sets of xrays and, get this, tylenol and an ice pack provided. Cost, $15,488 for the emergency room and $1,754 for the ambulance transport. Included in the bill was $488 for the godd*m tylenol.
The entire emergency room waiting area was abuzz with conversationn in spanish and ukrainian, and I suspect there were two other parties actually paying the freight for the rest of the room.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2009-10-26 13:18|| 2009-10-26 13:18|| Front Page Top

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