US Health Worse Than Nearly All Other Industrialized Countries - Page 2 - GoFuckYourself.com

Robbie · 01-24-2013, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrantMercury

It's not all bad.

But your point is well taken.

If I had my way...I would rather see the deals with the big pharmacy companies broken and the actual reason it is so expensive to go to the doctor or go in the hospital addressed and corrected.

That way "insurance" could go back to being something that you only used in catastrophic cases.

People could just go to the doctor and PAY for it. Just like I did all my life. Just like our parents did. Our grandparents, and so on.

But yeah...if they are going to continue to milk the American people for all we are worth, then it should be "single pay".

The problem I see with that is that once again the "class warfare" will come into play. And then people like us who work hard and make good money will just end up paying the taxes that pay for everyone else to go to the doctor.

Not to mention that it gives the govt. a lot of theoretical control over our lives (they could start telling people not to drink, smoke, eat certain foods, etc)

I think it would be a MUCH better thing to stop the corruption and price gouging and put the insurance companies back in their place as a measure of last resort in case of a horrible accident or terminal illness.

Not something we have to use every time we go to the doctor with a fucking runny nose and then use again when we get our prescription at the drug store. It's really, really ridiculous.

GrantMercury · 01-25-2013, 08:58 PM

By Catherine Arnst

Medical problems caused 62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. And in a finding that surprised even the researchers, 78% of those filers had medical insurance at the start of their illness, including 60.3% who had private coverage, not Medicare or Medicaid.

Medically related bankruptcies have been rising steadily for decades. In 1981, only 8% of families filing for bankruptcy cited a serious medical problem as the reason, while a 2001 study of bankruptcies in five states by the same researchers found that illness or medical bills contributed to 50% of all filings. This newest, nationwide study, conducted before the start of the current recession by Drs. David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler of Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School, and Deborah Thorne, a sociology professor at Ohio University, found that the filers were for the most part solidly middle class before medical disaster hit. Two-thirds owned their home and three-fifths had gone to college.

But medically bankrupt families with private insurance reported average out-of pocket medical bills of $17,749, while the uninsured's bills averaged $26,971. Of the families who started out with insurance but lost it during the course of their illness, medical bills averaged $22,658. "For middle-class Americans, health insurance offers little protection. Most of us have policies with so many loopholes, co-payments, and deductibles that illness can put you in the poorhouse," said lead author Himmelstein. "Unless you're Warren Buffett, your family is just one serious illness away from bankruptcy."

The study underscores President Barack Obama's arguments in calling for health-care reform legislation this year. In a letter to Democratic Senate leaders this week, the President said: "Health-care reform is not a luxury. It's a necessity we cannot defer. Soaring health-care costs make our current course unsustainable. It is unsustainable for our families, whose spiraling premiums and out-of-pocket expenses are pushing them into bankruptcy and forcing them to go without the checkups and prescriptions they need."

Highest Costs for Diabetes, Neurological Illness
The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published online June 4 by the American Journal of Medicine. It will appear in the Journal's August print edition. The researchers examined the court records of a random sample of 2,314 bankruptcy filings across the nation during early 2007, and also contacted those filers for written explanations. The researchers then followed up with extensive phone interviews of 1,032 of those filers.

They found that a number of medical factors contributed to a family's financial disaster. More than 90% of medically related bankruptcies were caused by high medical bills directly or medical costs that were so high the family was forced to mortgage their home. The remaining 8% went bankrupt because a medical problem caused them to lose income. The authors were not able to track credit-card defaults caused by medical bills, but a 2007 study found that, of low- and middle-income households with credit-card debt, 29% used their plastic to pay off medical expenses.

Individuals with diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S., and those with neurological illnesses such as multiple sclerosis had the highest costs, an average of $26,971 and $34,167, respectively. Hospital bills were the largest single expense for half of all medically bankrupt families.

Dr. Woolhandler, an advocate of a single-payer health-care system, said lawmakers in Washington should reconsider health-care reform in light of the study. "Covering the uninsured isn't enough," she said. "Reform also needs to help families who already have insurance by upgrading their coverage and assuring that they never lose it."

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/...064_666715.htm

GrantMercury · 01-25-2013, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robbie

The problem I see with that is that once again the "class warfare" will come into play. And then people like us who work hard and make good money will just end up paying the taxes that pay for everyone else to go to the doctor.

Don't fall for that. It's not the poor who are ripping us off. (If it was, would they be poor?)

And if some poor bastard got the genetic penalty box, or has some horrible accident, and can't work, and needs lots of health care? Well, never forget that it coulda been you.

Fucking healthcare (including mental health) for all, regardless of ability to pay, I say. There comes a time when we just have to be compassionate.

Not to mention, it makes us ALL safer. The homeless guy who gets treatment for his tuberculosis won't be spreading that TB to you, or your family. The paranoid schizophrenic who gets help in the form of meds and/or a shrink won't be one shooting up your kids' school.

Think of the bigger picture, and remember your humanity.

DTK · 01-25-2013, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrantMercury

Don't fall for that. It's not the poor who are ripping us off. (If it was, would they be poor?)

This (follow the money)

Quote:

Well, never forget that it coulda been you.

This

Quote:

There comes a time when we just have to be compassionate.

This

Quote:

Not to mention, it makes us ALL safer.

This

Quote:

Think of the bigger picture, and remember your humanity.

And especially this

Single payer FTFingW

Coup · 01-25-2013, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrantMercury

Yet we spend the most on health care by far...

http://truth-out.org/news/item/14024...ised-countries

Supz · 01-25-2013, 11:35 PM

GrantMercury · 01-26-2013, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supz

Supz · 01-26-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrantMercury

Sorry. What Chuck Norris says, goes. I guess you are not familiar with Real Life.

GrantMercury · 01-26-2013, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supz

Sorry. What Chuck Norris says, goes. I guess you are not familiar with Real Life.

Nope. And I'll try to keep it that way.

01-25-2013, 08:58 PM	#52
GrantMercury Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,626	By Catherine Arnst Medical problems caused 62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. And in a finding that surprised even the researchers, 78% of those filers had medical insurance at the start of their illness, including 60.3% who had private coverage, not Medicare or Medicaid. Medically related bankruptcies have been rising steadily for decades. In 1981, only 8% of families filing for bankruptcy cited a serious medical problem as the reason, while a 2001 study of bankruptcies in five states by the same researchers found that illness or medical bills contributed to 50% of all filings. This newest, nationwide study, conducted before the start of the current recession by Drs. David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler of Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School, and Deborah Thorne, a sociology professor at Ohio University, found that the filers were for the most part solidly middle class before medical disaster hit. Two-thirds owned their home and three-fifths had gone to college. But medically bankrupt families with private insurance reported average out-of pocket medical bills of $17,749, while the uninsured's bills averaged $26,971. Of the families who started out with insurance but lost it during the course of their illness, medical bills averaged $22,658. "For middle-class Americans, health insurance offers little protection. Most of us have policies with so many loopholes, co-payments, and deductibles that illness can put you in the poorhouse," said lead author Himmelstein. "Unless you're Warren Buffett, your family is just one serious illness away from bankruptcy." The study underscores President Barack Obama's arguments in calling for health-care reform legislation this year. In a letter to Democratic Senate leaders this week, the President said: "Health-care reform is not a luxury. It's a necessity we cannot defer. Soaring health-care costs make our current course unsustainable. It is unsustainable for our families, whose spiraling premiums and out-of-pocket expenses are pushing them into bankruptcy and forcing them to go without the checkups and prescriptions they need." Highest Costs for Diabetes, Neurological Illness The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published online June 4 by the American Journal of Medicine. It will appear in the Journal's August print edition. The researchers examined the court records of a random sample of 2,314 bankruptcy filings across the nation during early 2007, and also contacted those filers for written explanations. The researchers then followed up with extensive phone interviews of 1,032 of those filers. They found that a number of medical factors contributed to a family's financial disaster. More than 90% of medically related bankruptcies were caused by high medical bills directly or medical costs that were so high the family was forced to mortgage their home. The remaining 8% went bankrupt because a medical problem caused them to lose income. The authors were not able to track credit-card defaults caused by medical bills, but a 2007 study found that, of low- and middle-income households with credit-card debt, 29% used their plastic to pay off medical expenses. Individuals with diabetes, one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S., and those with neurological illnesses such as multiple sclerosis had the highest costs, an average of $26,971 and $34,167, respectively. Hospital bills were the largest single expense for half of all medically bankrupt families. Dr. Woolhandler, an advocate of a single-payer health-care system, said lawmakers in Washington should reconsider health-care reform in light of the study. "Covering the uninsured isn't enough," she said. "Reform also needs to help families who already have insurance by upgrading their coverage and assuring that they never lose it." http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/...064_666715.htm __________________ http://www.taboophonesexfantasy.com http://www.thekittykatclub.com Last edited by GrantMercury; 01-25-2013 at 09:00 PM.. Reason: accidentally double-posted sorry

01-25-2013, 11:35 PM	#56
Supz Arthur Flegenheimer Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 11,057