Are consumers getting gouged on health-care?

[Banjo]

Look around the health-care world, and the almighty dollar can rear its head just about anywhere.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ar...health-care-costs-2014-11-18?siteid=rss&rss=1

 

[Tsing Tao]

Of course they are. That's why we keep hearing how the insurance industry is going to fight the GOP tooth and nail to change Obamacare. Who's interest is the ACA really in?

 

[fhl]

I see two sides to this issue. The article says that the system will " pile on administrative expenses when a patient comes in for a simple procedure, turning a $200 echocardiogram into a $2,000 ordeal." They're right. This in itself makes affordable into unaffordable.

The other side is how can society afford a cadillac system for everyone? Can everyone in society have the latest drugs, the latest technology, the newest mri machines, etc? I don't see how that can be any more feasible than everyone driving a cadillac instead of some portion of society driving entry level cars. I just don't see how the numbers could come anywhere close to working in promising every citizen the latest in everything. The latest in everything is not affordable, even if you cut out administrative costs. It can't work.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Absolutely. The ACA failed to address the actual cost of healthcare and in the kind of tragic irony only the government can deliver, the "Affordable" Care Act isn't affordable for taxpayers subsidizing the premiums while the individuals get hosed for the absurdly high deductibles.
We will all end up paying more, receiving less, and waiting longer for it.

 

[Ricter]

Absolutely. The ACA failed to address the actual cost of healthcare and in the kind of tragic irony only the government can deliver, the "Affordable" Care Act isn't affordable for taxpayers subsidizing the premiums while the individuals get hosed for the absurdly high deductibles.
We will all end up paying more, receiving less, and waiting longer for it.

The AMA failed to address the supply of doctors in the face of rising boomer demand.

 

[CaptainObvious]

The AMA failed to address the supply of doctors in the face of rising boomer demand.

The AMA can do little to address the supply of doctors. The source of that problem is brought on by the corrupt legal system which forces doctors out of business through frivolous lawsuits. Doctors are human. They make mistakes. Unless gross negligence can be proven there should be no legal recourse for patients that happen to be on the receiving end of human error. Shit happens, deal with it.
What the AMA can do is put a stop to needless hospital care and surgeries for the almost dead and dying. This problem will increase as my generation gets older yet. Sorry, but if you're over 80 you get nothing but Hospice. Time to go. Assisted suicide should be an option for every person in every state. We should allow people to die with some god damn dignity instead of a diaper full of feces.

 

[Ricter]

The AMA can do little to address the supply of doctors. The source of that problem is brought on by the corrupt legal system which forces doctors out of business through frivolous lawsuits. Doctors are human. They make mistakes. Unless gross negligence can be proven there should be no legal recourse for patients that happen to be on the receiving end of human error. Shit happens, deal with it.
What the AMA can do is put a stop to needless hospital care and surgeries for the almost dead and dying. This problem will increase as my generation gets older yet. Sorry, but if you're over 80 you get nothing but Hospice. Time to go. Assisted suicide should be an option for every person in every state. We should allow people to die with some god damn dignity instead of a diaper full of feces.

In spite of that, no, because of that, they should have been increasing the supply of doctors. The plan should have been in place decades ago, it's not like this tide of elderly is a surprise to anyone.

No argument from me re tort reform.

 

[dbphoenix]

Absolutely. The ACA failed to address the actual cost of healthcare and in the kind of tragic irony only the government can deliver, the "Affordable" Care Act isn't affordable for taxpayers subsidizing the premiums while the individuals get hosed for the absurdly high deductibles.
We will all end up paying more, receiving less, and waiting longer for it.

Given the way our system depends so much on for-profit insurance companies, we'd end up paying more, receiving less (or nothing at all) and waiting longer for it anyway.

 

[dbphoenix]

The AMA can do little to address the supply of doctors. The source of that problem is brought on by the corrupt legal system which forces doctors out of business through frivolous lawsuits. Doctors are human. They make mistakes. Unless gross negligence can be proven there should be no legal recourse for patients that happen to be on the receiving end of human error. Shit happens, deal with it.
What the AMA can do is put a stop to needless hospital care and surgeries for the almost dead and dying. This problem will increase as my generation gets older yet. Sorry, but if you're over 80 you get nothing but Hospice. Time to go. Assisted suicide should be an option for every person in every state. We should allow people to die with some god damn dignity instead of a diaper full of feces.

Don't let Sarah hear you say that

 

[der_kommissar]

Given the way our system depends so much on for-profit insurance companies, we'd end up paying more, receiving less (or nothing at all) and waiting longer for it anyway.

So why aren't you outraged with the "blank check" the insurance industry was guaranteed in this ACA fiasco?

AFAIC, we took a flawed system and broke it beyond repair.