Our healthcare system is awesome

[SnikPlosskin]

https://www.facebook.com/pete.monfre/videos/10154022130001063/

[mrvette]

I too am so pissed and disappointed with my healthcare, I quit going to Docs....hell with it, just enough to keep my scripts up....which the GP is good at....pays my 20 bux co pay, and get the signature and pays my 4 bux co pay at the drug store....and hell with it all.....:issues:

[VITE1]

Thanks the "Great socity" for your ills.

CARPE DIEM: Milton Friedman's Response to Obamacare? The "Economics of Medical Care" from 1978 at Mayo (http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/07/milton-friedmans-response-to-obamacare.html)

He nailed it nearly 40 years ago and he has offered a solution which has been proven to work. Yet those in power don't want it because it takes the money, and power, away from the government and insurance companies and puts it back in the hands o the American people.

[Bill]

What I have discovered through the years is, in the end, YOU have to be responsible for your own care, as if you are your own general contractor. You seek out subs to perform different types of work, but none of those subs really keep track of the total patient, rather, they are only concerned with the work they themselves do.

[Mike Mercury]

http://images.ridemonkey.com/index.php?size=full&src=https%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2F560837_426924760701051_1386824421_n.jpg

[Kerrmudgeon]

.....sorry Pete, but I have to :rofl: and the complete idiocy of that recording.

Most days I'm just glad to be a :canada: with health issues. :thumbs:

[MrPeabody]

What I have discovered through the years is, in the end, YOU have to be responsible for your own care, as if you are your own general contractor. You seek out subs to perform different types of work, but none of those subs really keep track of the total patient, rather, they are only concerned with the work they themselves do.

A good General Practitioner will be good at managing your long term care, but those are getting hard to find. If they are good, they will refer you to competent specialists. My wife and I are fortunate to have a good GP. Do not expect a specialist to anything except care for the thing you were referred to him for. In car terms, do not expect the radiator shop to check your alternator.

This is why people should not rely on ERs for their primary care. The ER doctor doesn't give a shit what happens to you after you leave. That's not his job.

Snake, I feel badly for your experience in the OP. If anyone deserves to be well, it's you, because I know you work hard at it. But Obamacare is in no way responsible for a shitty phone machine speaking Spanish at your doctor's office. Best of luck to you.:seasix:

[VITE1]

.....sorry Pete, but I have to :rofl: and the complete idiocy of that recording.

Most days I'm just glad to be a :canada: with health issues. :thumbs:

Ever hear Eisenhower's warning on the "Military/Industrial complex?

What people fail to realize is that when government directs money to be spent on The Military or HC they alway have the need to spend the money to THEIR advantage. COnservatives will direct projects and funding to thier supporters. Liberals will do the same along with promising more "Help" to those who they feel they can buy off.

Sooner or later you run out of Other people money.

In order for HC to work the USers ( individuals) Must have greater control of the spending.

I posted about Friedman's concern in the 1970's about HCin America. He also published a solution which provide near universal HC, Lowers costs and maintains or improves quality. And it's been proven to work. The biggest problem is it take the money away from government and insurance companies and returns it to the people.

[DJ_Critterus]

Did you end up winning?

[69camfrk]

Kinda like a military vet. If the war doesn't kill you, the VA will...

[snide]

My dog looked up when he heard your dog bark, Pete.

[Bill]

You mean the healthcare system so awesome people come to the US for their healthcare needs?

Yeah sounds like a real winner. :rolleyes:

^^^^^^This post is Rotor approved! ^^^^^^

http://media2.wptv.com/photo/2012/03/04/VIDEO_Helicopter_crash093010c3-41f3-4b3e-907d-5cdeb87496f30000_20120304085421_640_480.JPG

[SnikPlosskin]

Snake, I feel badly for your experience in the OP. If anyone deserves to be well, it's you, because I know you work hard at it. But Obamacare is in no way responsible for a shitty phone machine speaking Spanish at your doctor's office. Best of luck to you.:seasix:

Thanks for the sympathy but here's where you are wrong. This was not an isolated incident. Since ObamaCare I have personally witnessed a serious decline in care including:

A significant transfer of labor from the doctor to me - (having me search through formularies for drugs, fighting with the insurance company, putting the onus on me to follow up, etc.)

A decline in the competency of nurses and physicians attendants. Everything from nurses that can't get an IV right (taking three sticks) to forgetting to call in prescriptions, etc.

I lost my primary care doctor of 8 years and was assigned a new doctor who knows nothing about my case.

Extreme waits with regard to scheduling appointments with both primary care and specialists

Every drug, test and procedure previously approved turned down (forcing us to spend hours appealing)

An increase in out of pocket costs, premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Shortages of IV fluids and other drugs (mostly IV)

Physicians understaffed



This has EVERYTHING to do with Obamacare. My brother is a surgeon and I speak frankly with my doctors. I also just attended in insurance industry conference where they discussed the shortfalls in compensation (BCBS spent $500 million more than they were reimbursed by the .gov).

Doctors are making less and can't hire the staff. They're regulatory burden has increased - people that once provided care, now spend their time doing paperwork.

Care is being rationed for the chronically ill. (this is manifested by insurance companies denying coverage for certain treatments and drugs plus unavailability of doctors and specialists)

Unless you interact with the medical system on a regular basis, these problems might be invisible to you.

I have conversations like that one every week at minimum. I just started recording them.

[SnikPlosskin]

Did you end up winning?

In fact, they called today and told me the doctor isn't seeing any new patients. It took me two hours and six calls talking to four different people to find out that Princess Doctor isn't taking patients.

They could have told me this in the first 20 seconds on the first call. Now, it's a week later and I'm at the starting line again. And they called me at 4:30pm.

My government assigned primary care doctor is only open from 9am-11am and 2pm-4pm. (4 hours a day) So I can't call them until Monday - adding two more days.

I likely won't actually see a doctor for at least two more months.

[MrPeabody]

Thanks for the sympathy but here's where you are wrong. This was not an isolated incident. Since ObamaCare I have personally witnessed a serious decline in care including:

A significant transfer of labor from the doctor to me - (having me search through formularies for drugs, fighting with the insurance company, putting the onus on me to follow up, etc.)

A decline in the competency of nurses and physicians attendants. Everything from nurses that can't get an IV right (taking three sticks) to forgetting to call in prescriptions, etc.

I lost my primary care doctor of 8 years and was assigned a new doctor who knows nothing about my case.

Extreme waits with regard to scheduling appointments with both primary care and specialists

Every drug, test and procedure previously approved turned down (forcing us to spend hours appealing)

An increase in out of pocket costs, premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Shortages of IV fluids and other drugs (mostly IV)

Physicians understaffed



This has EVERYTHING to do with Obamacare. My brother is a surgeon and I speak frankly with my doctors. I also just attended in insurance industry conference where they discussed the shortfalls in compensation (BCBS spent $500 million more than they were reimbursed by the .gov).

Doctors are making less and can't hire the staff. They're regulatory burden has increased - people that once provided care, now spend their time doing paperwork.

Care is being rationed for the chronically ill. (this is manifested by insurance companies denying coverage for certain treatments and drugs plus unavailability of doctors and specialists)

Unless you interact with the medical system on a regular basis, these problems might be invisible to you.

I have conversations like that one every week at minimum. I just started recording them.

1. My wife is disabled and has had a pacemaker for 15 years. She has asthma and arthritis. I'm sure we have had as much interaction with hospitals and doctors as you have . At one point my wife was seeing 13 specialists.

2. I, too, have medical professionals in my family. My wife is a retired RN and my daughter has her MSN and is a hospital administrator. I won't bother to list the details of the other half dozen members in my family who are in the medical field.

3. Your OP was not about the things you listed in your last post. While they may be true and may have something to do with Obamacare, I was responding to a very clever and entertaining video about and answering machine and nothing else. I stand by my statement that Obamacare has nothing to do with your doctor's answering machine.

4. I don't doubt you are having the problems you are having, but we have not experienced any of that. It may have something to do with us living in a small town and dealing with much less of a beaurocracy than you are. I probably doesn't hurt that most of the doctors we see and their staffs are personal friends. I also know we do get special treatment and discounts because we volunteer at the hospital. I also think this is not right. Everyone should be treated the same. No one should need friends on the inside to get proper medical care. Hope you get well and stay well, my friend. :cert:

[SnikPlosskin]

1. My wife is disabled and has had a pacemaker for 15 years. She has asthma and arthritis. I'm sure we have had as much interaction with hospitals and doctors as you have . At one point my wife was seeing 13 specialists.

2. I, too, have medical professionals in my family. My wife is a retired RN and my daughter has her MSN and is a hospital administrator. I won't bother to list the details of the other half dozen members in my family who are in the medical field.

3. Your OP was not about the things you listed in your last post. While they may be true and may have something to do with Obamacare, I was responding to a very clever and entertaining video about and answering machine and nothing else. I stand by my statement that Obamacare has nothing to do with your doctor's answering machine.

4. I don't doubt you are having the problems you are having, but we have not experienced any of that. It may have something to do with us living in a small town and dealing with much less of a beaurocracy than you are. I probably doesn't hurt that most of the doctors we see and their staffs are personal friends. I also know we do get special treatment and discounts because we volunteer at the hospital. I also think this is not right. Everyone should be treated the same. No one should need friends on the inside to get proper medical care. Hope you get well and stay well, my friend. :cert:

I should have posted that this was just part of a larger overall pattern that is resulting in a decline in the quality of my care.

Sorry to hear about your wife. What I'm seeing is a pattern that impacts people with chronic and terminal illness.

On a side note, you didn't mention the type of arthritis. If she has rheumatoid arthritis then we both have very similar diseases caused by the same immune system malfunction. Osteoarthritis is different.

I'm having trouble just getting the medications that I've been taking for 8 years since I was FORCED to change health plans and FORCED to change doctors. I've had to skip treatments (thus causing me to relapse) because of paperwork problems where they could not get the drugs to the cancer center in time for my treatment.

One difference might be that your wife's treatment is simpler - likely an inhaler and pills.

I have to go to a cancer center and my drugs are biological ($17K per dose) and have to be administered by IV every six weeks. I also have to inject several drugs. Pills are easy to get.

Since Obamacare, EVERY prescription and test has to be fought over to be covered. I spend about 25 hours a month working on medical billing, insurance, scheduling, lab visits and doctors appointments.

Pre-Obama Care I spent about 9 hours and seldom had any problems seeing a doctor or getting treatment or medications. My premiums were about the same and my deductible and out of pocket costs were lower.

I'm not alone. Millions of people are having the same problems. Government is the biggest problem with healthcare and health insurance. Period.

For example - why does my drug cost $17K? Perhaps because of government controls on the sale of the drug - it can't be sold across state lines or national borders (limiting competition).

I had to choose a plan BEFORE the drug formulary was published. (since my choice is 100% based on getting the above mentioned drug - this is a bit of a problem). Why was this? Because the .gov had not approved it yet and missed their own deadline.

Question: do you have individual insurance or are you under a group plan? Many of the problems I cite have to do with individual plans.

[MrPeabody]

I should have posted that this was just part of a larger overall pattern that is resulting in a decline in the quality of my care.

Sorry to hear about your wife. What I'm seeing is a pattern that impacts people with chronic and terminal illness.

On a side note, you didn't mention the type of arthritis. If she has rheumatoid arthritis then we both have very similar diseases caused by the same immune system malfunction. Osteoarthritis is different.

I'm having trouble just getting the medications that I've been taking for 8 years since I was FORCED to change health plans and FORCED to change doctors. I've had to skip treatments (thus causing me to relapse) because of paperwork problems where they could not get the drugs to the cancer center in time for my treatment.

One difference might be that your wife's treatment is simpler - likely an inhaler and pills.

I have to go to a cancer center and my drugs are biological ($17K per dose) and have to be administered by IV every six weeks. I also have to inject several drugs. Pills are easy to get.

Since Obamacare, EVERY prescription and test has to be fought over to be covered. I spend about 25 hours a month working on medical billing, insurance, scheduling, lab visits and doctors appointments.

Pre-Obama Care I spent about 9 hours and seldom had any problems seeing a doctor or getting treatment or medications. My premiums were about the same and my deductible and out of pocket costs were lower.

I'm not alone. Millions of people are having the same problems. Government is the biggest problem with healthcare and health insurance. Period.

For example - why does my drug cost $17K? Perhaps because of government controls on the sale of the drug - it can't be sold across state lines or national borders (limiting competition).

I had to choose a plan BEFORE the drug formulary was published. (since my choice is 100% based on getting the above mentioned drug - this is a bit of a problem). Why was this? Because the .gov had not approved it yet and missed their own deadline.

Question: do you have individual insurance or are you under a group plan? Many of the problems I cite have to do with individual plans.

My wife has Medicare with a supplemental to cover the rest. Medicare recently dropped a heart drug she was taking called Tikosyn, which controls Atrial Fib. It is not affordable for us. So far, she is doing okay without it. Maybe the three ablations she has had over the years are finally having some effect. I have Anthem Blue Cross, which is under Covered California, which is our state's Obamacare exchange. Knock on wood, I am in excellent health. I fit the narrow demographic who pays less than I was paying before Obamacare for much better coverage. I'm in my early 60s, my retirement income is relatively low and I receive a government subsidy for my insurance, which I accept shamelessly since I have been paying taxes since I was 16.:D

Insurance companies have been dropping medical procedures and drugs for decades. I think I remember a post of yours describing how Texas had a good plan that worked well for you that was eliminated/replaced by Obamacare, so I understand how you feel. At least now insurance companies can't just drop your policy because you have contracted a serious chronic disease like they used to do. With the plan you had in Texas, I'm guessing they also would not drop you. It wasn't that way in every state.

A few words about doctors having to do more paperwork. This is true, and while doctors don't like it, it has cut way down on hospital errors and deaths resulting from those errors. Gone are the days when a doctor could pass a nurse in a hallway and change a patient's meds verbally. They have to put it in writing so any mistakes can more easily be sourced. A lot of nurses have taken a career fall for a doctor's mistake, because they are lower on the totem pole. When you think about it, it's logical that hospitals used to normally stand behind the doctor, because they bring in the business. Nurses are expendable. It's also logical that doctors are complaining about and resisting the new documentation rules.

By the way, it's good to have an intelligent conversation with a reasonable person. I gotta stay sober more often.:leaving:

[SnikPlosskin]

My wife has Medicare with a supplemental to cover the rest. Medicare recently dropped a heart drug she was taking called Tikosyn, which controls Atrial Fib. It is not affordable for us. So far, she is doing okay without it. Maybe the three ablations she has had over the years are finally having some effect. I have Anthem Blue Cross, which is under Covered California, which is our state's Obamacare exchange. Knock on wood, I am in excellent health. I fit the narrow demographic who pays less than I was paying before Obamacare for much better coverage. I'm in my early 60s, my retirement income is relatively low and I receive a government subsidy for my insurance, which I accept shamelessly since I have been paying taxes since I was 16.:D

Insurance companies have been dropping medical procedures and drugs for decades. I think I remember a post of yours describing how Texas had a good plan that worked well for you that was eliminated/replaced by Obamacare, so I understand how you feel. At least now insurance companies can't just drop your policy because you have contracted a serious chronic disease like they used to do. With the plan you had in Texas, I'm guessing they also would not drop you. It wasn't that way in every state.

A few words about doctors having to do more paperwork. This is true, and while doctors don't like it, it has cut way down on hospital errors and deaths resulting from those errors. Gone are the days when a doctor could pass a nurse in a hallway and change a patient's meds verbally. They have to put it in writing so any mistakes can more easily be sourced. A lot of nurses have taken a career fall for a doctor's mistake, because they are lower on the totem pole. When you think about it, it's logical that hospitals used to normally stand behind the doctor, because they bring in the business. Nurses are expendable. It's also logical that doctors are complaining about and resisting the new documentation rules.

By the way, it's good to have an intelligent conversation with a reasonable person. I gotta stay sober more often.:leaving:

I can't just go without drugs because I will die.

While they can't boot you out of the plan, they can (and are) denying coverage - so the only difference is you still play the premium but your claims are denied.

Same thing. Plus they (CBC) say 20 million still have no coverage. If I recall, the entire reason for the ACA was to cover 15 million people that were uninsured. By my math we are actually down 5 million people.

[MrPeabody]

I can't just go without drugs because I will die.

While they can't boot you out of the plan, they can (and are) denying coverage - so the only difference is you still play the premium but your claims are denied.

Same thing. Plus they (CBC) say 20 million still have no coverage. If I recall, the entire reason for the ACA was to cover 15 million people that were uninsured. By my math we are actually down 5 million people.

By the time politicians and insurance companies got through with Obamacare, it was fatally flawed before the bill was passed. Like I said, I'm in a narrow demographic who is benefitting from it. I know many are not.

[MrPeabody]

But we had to pass the bill to see what was in the bill. :rolleyes:

And how dare we peasants ask our overlords in DC to read a bill. :wow:

The insurance companies knew what was in the bill. They wrote it.:yesnod:

It was a gift to them like Medicare part D was a gift to the drug companies. It's absolutely insane that the federal government is prohibited from negotiating drug prices with the drug companies.

Someday I hope we will elect people who can do better than this, but then I am a dreamer.

[Kerrmudgeon]

You mean the healthcare system so awesome people come to the US for their healthcare needs?

Yeah sounds like a real winner. :rolleyes:

:rofl:.....don't be believing all the crap you hear on US tv/media about the cross border health care trade. It's funded by the US Pharma, US Med Insurance companies and the actual clinics that want the Canadian business. it's what THEY want you to believe. Brainwashing period.

There is a minute amount of that fast track border jumping treatment by wealthy Canucks to avoid wait times, but trust me, as a person with multiple health problems I've never waited more than a few weeks for an app. for anything. :thumbs:

[VITE1]

I can't just go without drugs because I will die.

While they can't boot you out of the plan, they can (and are) denying coverage - so the only difference is you still play the premium but your claims are denied.

Same thing. Plus they (CBC) say 20 million still have no coverage. If I recall, the entire reason for the ACA was to cover 15 million people that were uninsured. By my math we are actually down 5 million people.

One big problem with drug costs in the USA is all Pharmacies are required to buy their drugs through a distributor. They are not allowed to buy direct. Canada and other countries does not have that law so they can buy direct and save 25-45%.

This is one law that must be changed.

[mrvette]

Born in '44, spent 53 years in the DC region...my Father worked his way up from pounding the streets of Cleveland Ohio selling and indeed trading with clients to keep their coverage intact, for food.....krazy sounding but true.....
this in the 30's.....so Dad got promoted rapidly, in some ten years he got a company transfer to Wash DC to develop the region for Life/Accident/Health and Liability insurance....the marketing changed, as DC was a town full of lawyers, which is why the company sent him there.....being VERY successful in developing territories .....Dad at two different times was Ex VP of two different ins. companies....nationally.....

He knew as much as actuaries, accountants, you name it, he was very smart with a pencil in hand.....or even a calculator.....strange tale but true....by time I was in my 20's make that later 60's....his secretary presented him with a monthly billing to some very large group he as an agent/agency/with partners had underwritten, the agency was SO large, they did all the billing and underwriting right there, and the companies were glad to dump the overhead....

SO she presented this billing to Dad, with a then Victor Adding machine tape clipped to the front, billing is about an inch thick.....he sets the tape aside, and proceeds to look at each page as was customary for him.....and so caught an error, doing all the math in his head.....page after page, and told her the totals she had were wrong.... she and even his partners said NO, IMPOSSIBLE!!! Dad was correct, took them several hours to find the error....

SO With that background, I describe the insurance industry development....

remember that turn of the last century, insurance of any kind did not exist....the concept of risk management on a reliable/statistical/billable/payable basis by the NUMBERS did not exist....but the concepts got started in NYC, and so the growth was rapid, and NY State was the first to set up regulations for the then new industry, and ever since then....state after state set up regs damn similar to NY, to regulate their own insurance trades....fine, but trick was, the companies had to get licensed and set up each agent with a STATE license, individually.....there was never any cross state line marketing, it was maybe even the same policy print wise, but it was under each state banner, NOT sold cross state lines....weird legal crap, with it making a company like Humana out of Ca. for instance, very hard to sell insurance in say Florida, without being licensed and setup with offices in Florida then recruiting Florida agents.....

this Shituation is largely still true today, but for 'healthcare' where the feds have botched something SO simple.....all need do is erase all the state erected boundry laws for sales nationwide.....which is what TRUMP refers to in some speeches......

but folks dunno jack shit about insurance laws and the history.....so here is a small primer......

:dance::seasix:

[CertInsaneC5]

Most legible post ever. :D :cert: