Obamacare success stories please

[Spankadoodle]

There will always be negative press about anything. I live half an hour outside of Winnipeg, in a city of 12,000 people. Our Hospital has an MRI machine, and for most people it's a same day appointment. I know when I tweaked my knee a few months back my doctor called the clinic and I had a scan in under 2 hours, as a non-urgent case.

And yes, we tax the hell out of things like Alcohol and liquor to pay for our health care, as we should. Those things cause a lot of the health care issues. It also looks like Marijuana will be legalized within the next 3-5 years as well, which will then add another powerful revenue stream for our health care.

I'm not saying it's better or worse, as there is room for improvement in any system. It seems odd when the world's biggest superpower spends so much time fighting over the fact that people need health care. Include the fact that The US government currently spends more per person than Canada, which offers "free" no patient cost health care, it seems that the system is broken

As an American, we see articles like this about 12-18 month waits for a"free" MRI's and are equally baffled. Also, unless all of your Dr, Nurses, pharmaceutical companies etc. are working for free. Your healthcare is not free, It's just paid for differently.

 

[johde]

I'm not saying it's better or worse, as there is room for improvement in any system. It seems odd when the world's biggest superpower spends so much time fighting over the fact that people need health care. Include the fact that The US government currently spends more per person than Canada, which offers "free" no patient cost health care, it seems that the system is broken

The thing is for the most part, the fight isn't over the fact the people need health care, nor is it about the fact that the health care payment system is broken. The fight is over how to fix it. At the two extremes, you have one group that wants something similar to a Canada or UK style single payer system to reduce costs. The other would ideally like to see a more free market approach to reducing costs and excessive insurance is part of the problem, because it shields consumers from the true expense of health care. In their minds, health insurance should be like every other insurance, protection from a major financial loss.

For example, my parents are on Medicare and a supplement that pays everything else so he basically has 100% prepaid health insurance. When they need blood work done, they go to the hospital because it's the only place in town that's convenient and prepaid or "free". I on the other hand have a high deductible health care plan. Instead of going to the hospital for blood work I go to an independent lab in a neighboring city where I work to get my blood work. I go to the independent lab because they charge $8.00 for a test the hospital charges $138. If my parents had to directly pay for the tests, they wouldn't be going to the hospital either but their insurance has completely insulated them from the cost.

 

[Spankadoodle]

Unfortunately, the disparity in cost is due to collusion between the health care providers and the insurance companies. Being a privatised system for so long has allowed for things like $140 blood work or the so often heard about $20 tylenol or aspirin tablet.

Best of luck America. I sincerely hope you all find a happy medium where everyone can be covered at the lowest possible cost. Nobody should ever have to go into debt due to illness or accident.

 

[Muushka]

The thing is for the most part, the fight isn't over the fact the people need health care, nor is it about the fact that the health care payment system is broken. The fight is over how to fix it. At the two extremes, you have one group that wants something similar to a Canada or UK style single payer system to reduce costs. The other would ideally like to see a more free market approach to reducing costs and excessive insurance is part of the problem, because it shields consumers from the true expense of health care. In their minds, health insurance should be like every other insurance, protection from a major financial loss.

For example, my parents are on Medicare and a supplement that pays everything else so he basically has 100% prepaid health insurance. When they need blood work done, they go to the hospital because it's the only place in town that's convenient and prepaid or "free". I on the other hand have a high deductible health care plan. Instead of going to the hospital for blood work I go to an independent lab in a neighboring city where I work to get my blood work. I go to the independent lab because they charge $8.00 for a test the hospital charges $138. If my parents had to directly pay for the tests, they wouldn't be going to the hospital either but their insurance has completely insulated them from the cost.

You've hit the nail on the head.
People don't try to conserve on medical expenses because they don't have to.
That goes for Medicare, Medicaid, private health ins. If we all had a policy like you (had, sadly),
healthcare would not be in the shape it is in now.

 

[johde]

You've hit the nail on the head.
People don't try to conserve on medical expenses because they don't have to.
That goes for Medicare, Medicaid, private health ins. If we all had a policy like you (had, sadly),
healthcare would not be in the shape it is in now.

Fortunately, I live in a state that allowed early renewals of policies. I can keep my current plan until Dec 1, 2014. So, finding a new plan right now is a choice and not a necessity. The key to a HDHP is having the deductible/OOP max high enough to keep the premium down, but not so high that you couldn't pay it if you needed to.

 

[Muushka]

Fortunately, I live in a state that allowed early renewals of policies. I can keep my current plan until Dec 1, 2014. So, finding a new plan right now is a choice and not a necessity. The key to a HDHP is having the deductible/OOP max high enough to keep the premium down, but not so high that you couldn't pay it if you needed to.

That's good that you can keep it for 1 more year.

The answer to the healthcare dilemma that we are in is to force people to look at every single dime spent on healthcare. Even if they had some sort of reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid if you didn't spend all the money in your "account". It would make people think twice about how often they get medical care and where they get it.

 

[AndyLL]

The other would ideally like to see a more free market approach to reducing costs and excessive insurance is part of the problem,

How do you get more free market then what we had before ACA?

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

How do you get more free market then what we had before ACA?

Well, deregulation allowing consumers to shop across state lines, for a start.

 

[AndyLL]

Well, deregulation allowing consumers to shop across state lines, for a start.

Deregulation and allowing consumers to buy across state lines are 2 different things.

Selling across state line would help the 3-4 states that have little competition.

However these days most states have plenty of competition within the state and many would likely to see their rates go up because of consolidation of smaller insurance companies into huge companies like the banking industry saw.

These has already been happening at a smaller degree which is one reason we we have seen rising rates the last decade.

It is funny that this is a main talking point of one of the parties but when the choice on if the ACA exchanges should be federal ( selling across state lines ) or state based it was that party that prevented the federal exchange.

As for regulation.... insurance companies are state regulated and the states are never going to give that up.

 

[Kathi OD]

Well Ivy Leagues are private so we can't applaud the Govt for that one, Oh and it is nice that they got in, but education as a whole in the US is subpar, so they are comparing students from subpar schools all over the US. I bet if the kids were competing against a multitude of students from other countries, then our kids probably wouldn't make the cut.

ALso if the Govt continues, they won't be doing a great job, there won't be any money to fund Medicare.

I kind of hate to go back a couple of pages, but as to the bolded part, kids from the United States ARE definitely competing with a huge pool of students from other countries when they apply to Ivy League schools. Still, somehow, with our horrid public education system, some still manage to sneak in.

 

[Robbi]

I kind of hate to go back a couple of pages, but as to the bolded part, kids from the United States ARE definitely competing with a huge pool of students from other countries when they apply to Ivy League schools. Still, somehow, with our horrid public education system, some still manage to sneak in.

very few

 

[Kathi OD]

very few

Maybe I am misunderstanding your comment...

According to each school's websites, international students made up between 9% and 19% of the students admitted as freshman in September 2011 (class of 2016).

My math may be a bit off, but those numbers seem to suggest that the vast majority of students admitted to Ivy League schools are from right here in the United States. While I didn't look for the numbers, I have a feeling that at least half of those were graduates of public schools.

 

[Robbi]

Maybe I am misunderstanding your comment...

According to each school's websites, international students made up between 9% and 19% of the students admitted as freshman in September 2011 (class of 2016).

My math may be a bit off, but those numbers seem to suggest that the vast majority of students admitted to Ivy League schools are from right here in the United States. While I didn't look for the numbers, I have a feeling that at least half of those were graduates of public schools.

Do you think most of those admitted to the Ivy League graduate from Podunk public high school? A couple, I believe Harvard is one, have about 50/50 private/public but most do not.

These are considered feeder prep schools:
Trinity (NYC)
Horace Mann (NYC)
Phillips Andover (Mass)
Brearley (NYC)
Roxbury Latin (Mass)
Phillips Exeter (NH)
Collegiate (NYC)
St. Paul's (NH)
Spence (NYC)
Winsor (Mass)
Chapin (NYC)
Harvard-Westlake (Calif)
Dalton (NYC)
Lawrenceville (NJ)
Groton (Mass)
Milton (Mass)
College Prep (Calif)
Noble and Greenough (Mass)
Hopkins (Conn)

 

[lauradis]

As a Canadian, I am completely baffled by the US health care system. The fact that there is such a huge fight over a basic human requirement like health care is something I simply don't understand.

I'm all for our system. A 24 pack case of beer costs about $50, a pack of Cigarettes cost $10, and health care is free.

Actual being fat bypassed smoking health related cost over 5 years ago. So don't forget to tax candy bars to $3 and chips to $12 too.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Actual being fat bypassed smoking health related cost over 5 years ago. So don't forget to tax candy bars to $3 and chips to $12 too.

Come again?

Btw, I'm all for taxing unhealthy food if it would make healthcare free for all.

 

[Muushka]

How about making unhealthy food not be able to be purchased by food stamps?

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

How about making unhealthy food not be able to be purchased by food stamps?

Another solution would be to end the subsidies that allow "unhealthy" foods to be so much less expensive than "healthy" ones and move those subsidies to the healthier foods, or at least subsidize both equally, so that people have the choice.

One reason unhealthy foods are so relatively popular with lower income people is they are calorically dense while relatively inexpensive (due in large part to the massive subsidies given to the sugar and corn industries, amongst others), whereas healthy foods are much more expensive and are less calorically dense.

 

[chobie]

How about making unhealthy food not be able to be purchased by food stamps?

I though all people on food stamps only buy steak, lobster and crab?

 

[souris]

As an American, we see articles like this about 12-18 month waits for a"free" MRI's and are equally baffled. Also, unless all of your Dr, Nurses, pharmaceutical companies etc. are working for free. Your healthcare is not free, It's just paid for differently.

12-18 months! That is ludicrous.. That is far from being the norm in canada. Average wait time in Ontario is less then 60 days (less if urgent of course).

I am so happy to hear about those now being able to be insured. I have pre-existing medical conditions and in the past year have gone through cancer treatment and have had a high risk pregnancy/birth. I can only imagine how much in debt I would be without insurance.

 

[lauradis]

12-18 months! That is ludicrous.. That is far from being the norm in canada. Average wait time in Ontario is less then 60 days (less if urgent of course).

I am so happy to hear about those now being able to be insured. I have pre-existing medical conditions and in the past year have gone through cancer treatment and have had a high risk pregnancy/birth. I can only imagine how much in debt I would be without insurance.

Being from Ohio and living close to Cleveland Clinic and Canada.

I have always wondered if health care in Canada is so great then why do Canadians that can afford to come to the Cleveland clinic for just basic care?

I really know nothing about Canada health care system, just what Canadians and the stupid talking heads on the news tell me.

Maybe a fellow diser from Canada can explain this?????