“The Price We Pay” Healthcare

The thing that changed my position on universal health care is that we already spend as much government money, per capita, on health care as countries that provide universal health care. If we are already spending enough money to do the job, we may as well go ahead and do the job.

Germany has a good system, taxes cover the basics and catastophic healthcare, and private insurance is available if you want more. Singapore also has a good system where catastrophic healthcare is covered and tax money funds HSAs for everyone to cover any other needs. I don't really have strong opinions on how we make it work, so long as catastrophic care is covered and those who want to pay for more are allowed to pay for more. We have the highest prices and the worst outcomes, so clearly what we are doing now isn't working.

In our current system, the wealthy get better care than those under universal coverage systems in other countries, and the rest of us get worse care. Allowing for private health insurance will mean that the wealthy can still get their better care, but the rest of us don't have to suffer as much.

 

I totally agree with this. We have a broken system. We each pay huge amounts of money now for insurance, individually and companies. I cannot imagine how those same monies, channeled through a single-payor system, with all the economies of scale naturally built-on to the system, cannot provide care for every citizen. And, unlike the current system that punishes companies who want to give great insurance to their employees (the Cadillac plan-penalties), there should be proscription against procuring upgraded insurance of things like concierge service.

 

Depending on the study, insurance companies suck up 7-30% of healthcare spending. In countries with universal healthcare, only about 2-3% of healthcare spending goes to the administrative stuff insurance companies are handling in the US.

 

Welcome and hold on to you hat, things can get a bit testy…

 

Lucas Duplan? Is that you?
21-Year-Old Raises Largest Seed Round In Silicon Valley History — $25 Million — For Mysterious Payments App

Clinkle CEO and founder, Lucas Duplan, just raised the largest seed round in Silicon Valley history.
Clinkle

Is David Lee a Duplan dupleecity ? Is this latest scheme a clunker reminiscent of Clinkle? Forgive my skepticism.

8 Reasons Why Clinkle's Lucas Duplan is the Worst Startup Founder Ever
(From 2013/14)

8 Reasons Why Clinkle’s Lucas Duplan is the Worst Startup Founder Ever
The picture above says it all, but if you want to find out exactly how this Stanford kid raised $30 million for his startup Clinkle and became responsible for one of Silicon Valleys biggest fails, then keep reading.

Quotes from former employees -

“He doesn’t want to know you, he doesn’t want to care about you, nor does he want to lead you; he simply wants to control you. You’re a pawn on his chessboard. In his mind, everyone is replaceable.”

“Working for Clinkle was like going through an abusive relationship… I still have trust issues and think my new boss is going to screw me over.”

“He treated them like second-class citizens,” one former employee describes, and that a lot of people who have left Clinkle feel “permanently scarred.”

 

We need single payer. So very obvious.

 

Just what we need, govt controlled health care...and as a bonus CBDC just around the corner.

 

Not sure what the complaint is. I love overpriced bad service industries that lack transparency. Medical, car repair come to mind.

 

At least my mechanic doesn’t kill my car.

 

I dropped my coverage a couple years ago. To date I am ahead about $22K vs what I would have been paying for a family plan. Kept a $500/mo plan for my wife and college freshman son.
Go to my primary once a year for bloodwork. Self pay about $300 for the tests and visit. $50 self pay office visits when ill.

 

Are you saying all mechanic dont kill cars or just yours? We know other people have had bad experiences

 

Are you suggesting that mechanics are the leading cause of mechanical failure in cars ?

http://www.webdc.com/pdfs/deathbymedicine.pdf

 

Health Care, no matter the system, should always promote a culture of prevention. Start with diet and exercise. How much of American diseases could be prevented if we were at ideal weight and laid off the sugars and seed oils? I bet it is as high as 75%

 

I've mentioned this before, but I bet we have more gyms, yoga studios, fitness businesses per capita than countries we'd consider healthier. If you want healthier Americans its going to take reigning in capitalism in a way that selling certain foods, portion sizes or using certain ingredients is illegal. Mandating certain nutrition standards in schools (ketchup isnt a vegetable). Building walkable or bikeable cities/towns would be a plus too, phasing out car culture and long commutes. Of course being able to do that without someone screaming "what about our freedom" or claiming some kind of UN conspiracy theory to kill the car seems pretty unlikely. Health is largely a lifestyle issue, and basically all the forces in America are aligned in a way that it makes living that kind of lifestyle unobtainable or difficult for many people. Your diet matters a lot less if you are walking to the store or work everyday vs. sitting in a car for hours.

 

No I am not. Are you saying all mechanic dont kill cars or just yours? We know other people have had bad experiences

 

Stop subsidizing corn and soy beans. We have high fructose corn syrup as a result of scientists and the gluttony of corn. Not only is it addictive but it's cheaper than fresh food

 

Really, really dumb comparison to lawn care that shows the author is more interested in making a political point than anything else.

The time to make sure your health expenses are covered (through hsa, savings, insurance, whatever) is as soon as you're legally responsible for them, otherwise known as when you become an adult. If you don't do this and then have a medical emergency (you will) then you'll pay the cost of healthcare and irresponsibility. The second is what's expensive there.

Irresponsibility with lawn care can be equally costly when the city comes and takes your property due to unpaid fines from years of violating ordinances, so maybe the comparison isn't terrible if you look at it that way, but neglecting any responsibility for decades usually results in a big problem.

Tldr try being a responsible adult, the alternative is expensive

 

I guess you would consider the family that was the focus of this article as irresponsible.
‘UVA Has Ruined Us’: Health System Sues Thousands Of Patients, Seizing Paychecks And Claiming Homes

Heather Waldron and John Hawley are losing their four-bedroom house in the hills above Blacksburg, Va. A teenage daughter, one of their five children, sold her clothes for spending money. They worried about paying the electric bill. Financial disaster, they say, contributed to their divorce, finalized in April. Their money problems began when the University of Virginia Health System pursued the couple with a lawsuit and a lien on their home to recoup $164,000 in charges for Waldron’s emergency surgery in 2017.​