Joe Scarborough gets a WIENER shoved down his throat: BEST VIDEO on Healthcare

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Joe Scarborough is an idiot, he kept dodging Weiner's question "Why do we need insurance companies?".  Weiner's dead on, they do nothing other than take your money, give it to the doctor and take a huge chunk out for themselves.  I can't believe anyone would defend an insurance company. 

[Soul Crusher]

Joe Scarborough is an idiot, he kept dodging Weiner's question "Why do we need insurance companies?".  Weiner's dead on, they do nothing other than take your money, give it to the doctor and take a huge chunk out for themselves.  I can't believe anyone would defend an insurance company. 

You know what, the whole third party payer system does not work.  I can agree with this.  However, the thought of the govt running this is equally as ominous. 

Health care needs to be decoupled from employment IMHO. 

[tu_holmes]

You know what, the whole third party payer system does not work.  I can agree with this.  However, the thought of the govt running this is equally as ominous. 

Health care needs to be decoupled from employment IMHO. 

I don't see why... It's ominous because people are so caught up in the "smaller government" schtick.

When government works... It works well.

Medicare, Medicaid, the VA.

Outside of the medical aspects even, when you look at our military and intelligence services... They work VERY VERY well.

The problem is that people LOVE what the government does, they just hate paying taxes to do it.

I was talking to my friend just the other day about just extending medicare to everyone... I like that.

If you want in, you get in... sounds pretty simple.

They real problem is that the people who have insurance just don't want it to change... but Weiner is right. As long as I'm covered and can get what I want, I don't care who the "insurance provider" is... I just want to see my doctor and get an operation if I need to.

The fact that there is no profit in Medicare is a fact... and 4% overhead is pretty damn good.

[Straw Man]

You know what, the whole third party payer system does not work.  I can agree with this.  However, the thought of the govt running this is equally as ominous. 

Health care needs to be decoupled from employment IMHO. 

I agree.  What's your alternative.

Why do health insurance companies even exist.  There only purpose for being it to create wealth for shareholders.  They add nothing to the healthcare system.  They stand between the patient and the health care provider and sift off dollars.   Let's put everyone in Medicare and let the insurance companies worry about how they are going to survive.   If the govt run plan is so bad then surely the private companies will find a way.
Most likely what will happen is all the dollars wasted on insurance companies will remain in the system and go to healthcare provider and patients (in the form of health care). 

[Soul Crusher]

I agree.  What's your alternative.

Why do health insurance companies even exist.  There only purpose for being it to create wealth for shareholders.  They add nothing to the healthcare system.  They stand between the patient and the health care provider and sift off dollars.   Let's put everyone in Medicare and let the insurance companies worry about how they are going to survive.   If the govt run plan is so bad then surely the private companies will find a way.
Most likely what will happen is all the dollars wasted on insurance companies will remain in the system and go to healthcare provider and patients (in the form of health care). 

They are supposed to be in theory like home insurance or auto insurance.  It did not work that way though since many states require the privvate plans to cover all sorts of crap thereby driving premiuims up.

An analogy might be the price of auto insurance and how much the cost would go up if oil changes, wiper blades, tires, scratches, etc all had to be covered by law under the same policy.   . 

[The True Adonis]

They are supposed to be in theory like home insurance or auto insurance.  It did not work that way though since many states require the privvate plans to cover all sorts of crap thereby driving premiuims up.

An analogy might be the price of auto insurance and how much the cost would go up if oil changes, wiper blades, tires, scratches, etc all had to be covered by law under the same policy.   . 

Adopting Auto Insurance is a giant scam in itself and people should be outraged by it also.  New Hampshire and Wisconsin do not require auto insurance at all.

It is beyond me how any citizen would want the government forcing you to buy a "product" from the private sector.

Furthermore, auto insurance should be completely optional and solely to protect YOUR OWN car, nobody elses car, should you feel it warrants protection or if you want it to have such protection.

Another upside to Universal Healthcare in a Single Payer system, it renders Auto Insurance completely useless for medical or injury justification and puts them in a solely optional category.  Furthermore, Auto Insurance rates would plummet as they no longer would have to carry any medical element (which is totally stupid by design in the first place).

 

[drkaje]

Adonis,

Do you have any direct, personal experience with Medicare as a patient or doctor?

[The True Adonis]

Adonis,

Do you have any direct, personal experience with Medicare as a patient or doctor?

I worked for UnitedHealth Group and dealt with Medicare on a daily basis.  Medicare is superior in its delivery and coverage to any plan we offered across the entire United States.  I dealt with doctors and patients and doctor`s billing office on a daily basis also.  EVERYDAY I would have doctors ready to strangle me for denial of payment, same with patients.  It is a shame when Doctors have to waste their time to try to recoup payment from an Insurance Provider.  I do not have exact figures, but I can assure you that Billions of dollars goes unpaid simply because the Doctor gave up haggling with us.

If you knew the giant Bureaucracy involved in a Private Insurance Company, you`d be outraged.  Medicare does not suffer a 100th of the problems and Doctors love to treat patients with Medicare.


Another member on this board, "Andy Griffin" worked with me at UnitedHealth and he can tell you the horror stories as well.

[drkaje]

I worked for UnitedHealth Group and dealt with Medicare on a daily basis.  Medicare is superior in its delivery and coverage to any plan we offered across the entire United States.  I dealt with doctors and patients and doctor`s billing office on a daily basis also.  EVERYDAY I would have doctors ready to strangle me for denial of payment, same with patients.  It is a shame when Doctors have to waste their time to try to recoup payment from an Insurance Provider.  I do not have exact figures, but I can assure you that Billions of dollars goes unpaid simply because the Doctor gave up haggling with us.

If you knew the giant Bureaucracy involved in a Private Insurance Company, you`d be outraged.  Medicare does not suffer a 100th of the problems and Doctors love to treat patients with Medicare.


Another member on this board, "Andy Griffin" worked with me at UnitedHealth and he can tell you the horror stories as well.

I'm intimately familiar with private insurance bureaucracy and Medicare isn't much better.

How exactly are providers expected to deliver care when getting paid has such high administrative costs. Sure, Medicare isn't spending more than 4% admin fees but the doctors/hospitals have to pay people to collect. That's simply shifting admin fees onto providers.

The only reason Medicare/Medicaid works (at an office level) is because private insurance payments exist. Unless offices are overbooked or people tack on needless procedures/visits people never break even treating medicare patients and even lose money in most cases. You're pretty much taught that the occasional Medicare case is to be considered charity.

Sadly, when doctors begin opting out or refuse to join something that can not possibly work (as described) the class warfare card will be played.

I was never a fan of math but now realize why it should be stressed in school. People really can't freaking add so they let politicians convince them everything can be had for free.

I believe the insurance companies suck ass and are greedy as hell. That's not the point at all. And, Yes, the system needs fixing. All those things being admitted, you can't "fix" the system in a way that makes the actual delivery of healthcare unaffordable at the doctor/patient level. Doing so will technically create more insured but decrease availability of service.

People are putting political aspirations and ideology before simple math. One side aiming to thwart a presidential and the other hoping things will just work.