Proof there is a God.

[magley64]

do you buy insurance after a car wreck? No. It's cheaper to pay the penalty, so why not just pay the penalty until you need a 30,000$ surgery then get insurance... IDIOT

The penalty for not having car or motorcycle insurance is losing your license for 6 months minimum. If the penalty was 1/6th the premium I pay, then I would say fuck that noise, too.

I've paid way more in car insurance than I have ever gotten out of it.... it's a shitty investment.

[prekarious]

To keep my same plan, monthly cost would have increased by over 80%.  To keep my family coverage cost relatively near what I was paying I lost a LOT of coverage. Trying to defend this proves nothing but closed minded ignorance.  How the hell do you expect to do a medical overhaul without talking to anyone in the medical industry and then putting the bean counters in charge of the whole thing. 

 

Seriously, you put the IRS in charge of medical insurance reform and expect it to be about anything aside from making the gov't money????  This is not a plan that was devised with the people in mind in any way aside from how can they get more from us and make us look like the bad people at the same time.  Instead of just listening to friends opinions try doing a bit of your own research and see what this actually does to people. 

 

My personal health care is not your responsibility.  Yours is not my responsibility.  I take care of my family, then myself.  You and yours....That responsibility is solely upon you.  Not the gov't.  Not the state.  Not the old rich guy up the street.  Not the good samaritan that enjoys helping people.  Yours.  There is no reason that you should have to pay for my needs or bills, so what gives anyone else the right to force me to pay for theirs. 

 

We may be born equal but our choices change that equation throughout our lives.  I have hit bottom in my life and I found a way to bring my ass back up to average and occasionally above.  My choice.  My determination. My self respect.

[Tpoppa]

The most needed reform that could benefit the US Healthcare system is without a doubt Tort Reform.  The volume of medical lawsuits in this country is completely out of control. 

 

Physicians have no choice, but to practice 'CYA' medicine.  Every unnecessary test you receive is due to a doctor trying to avoid being sued for malpractice.  There are now courses in medical school teaching future doctors how to best manage the volume of malpractice lawsuits throughout their career. 

• Every malpractice lawsuit whether successful, unsuccessful, or settled out of court drives up medical costs & insurance premiums. 
• Every unnecessary test/procedure you received drives up medical costs & insurance premiums. 

The biggest beneficiaries in all of this are the lawyers.  Lawyers argue that these lawsuits improve the overall quality of health care...they argue this and they are wrong.  But I suppose they need to tell themselves that to sleep at night.

 

Obamacare is an attempt to deal with the symptoms of high medical costs.  It doesn't address the root causes of high medical costs & insurance premiums. 

[Tonik]

The most needed reform that could benefit the US Healthcare system is without a doubt Tort Reform. 

 

Toss us some specific examples of what reform you propose. I too think lawsuits in general are out of control....BUT.....if a doctor f's up and turns someone into a vegetable the price that doctor or insurance company pays should be very high. Care and feeding alone for a child for life runs in the millions and millions of dollars. How do you set limits?

[Tpoppa]

^^

There are real cases for malpractice.  And doctors should be accountable if a mistake genuinely harms someone.  However, the current model just isn't sustainable. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort_reform

 

It's a complex issue.  Basically, the burden of proof needs to be raised.  Damages need to be limited so people don't look at them like a goddam lottery ticket.  There are people that would like nothing more than to retire after winning a large malpractice suit. 

[Tpoppa]

You want a better model to subsidize healthcare????

 

Here's one:

• Eliminate the penny.  No one needs it anyway.
• Round every retail transaction in the US up to the next $.05
• Use the money to subsidize medical premiums.
• Don't just give more money to Insurance or Healthcare providers.  Scrutinize their financial model and look for waste, make them justify their fees if they want any of this money.  The federal government is incompetent when is comes eliminating financial waste, so use a private entity like E&Y instead of IRS douchebags.
• Put the plan to a popular vote, we don't need anymore mandates from Washington.