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This exactly. Taken as a whole, these powerful institutions and the bills they churn out dominate the nation?s economy and put demands on taxpayers to a degree unequaled anywhere else on earth. In the U.S., people spend almost 20% of the gross domestic product on health care, compared with about half that in most developed countries. Yet in every measurable way, the results our health care system produces are no better and often worse than the outcomes in those countries This is one of the best articles on our completely backwards medical system - worth reading: http://www.uta.edu/faculty/story/231...ndAndGreed.pdf |
The idea of government envolvement in anything and price reduction is absurd.
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Who do you think subsidizes Medicaid? Also don't you think there should be some reform on the malpractice end? Its just greedy lawyers getting theirs hands on as much cash as possible for doing very little work. This was not even addressed in Obamacare which is absolutely insane. |
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Not only do I not have health insurance since I opened a business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but I've had more and better PERSONAL service then I've ever had in the US. When was the last time your physician took your blood pressure or drew blood for tests? And walk right in without an appointment and have never waited more than 15 minutes? Remember house calls? My doctor makes them on weekends and the evenings. I use Lipitor and Nexium - both WITHOUT prescription. Lipitor 20mg runs me $18 for a 30 day supply and Nexium 40mg costs more - about $30 for 14 days. No co-pays, no deductibles. Generics are so cheap it's almost laughable - $1.50 for cough syrup with codeine, indomethacin for gout, a strip of 10 @25mg costs 75 cents. This has allowed me to offer healthcare to my 22 employees - all paid as a business expense because it's so affordable. Stay with us for 6 months and. I'll cover your families too. What mess in the US - what a shame. |
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I can buy the exact same stuff overseas through the internet for a fraction of the price. The one that cost $45-$55 I can get for $11. The one that costs $325 I could get for $70. Exactly same medicine made by the exact same manufacturer only a fraction of the price. |
I hear ya guys. I first became aware of the differences in price of medications when I vacationed down in Mexico.
I was shocked! And not only that...but most of the drugs here in the U.S. that they force us to go pay a doctor to get a prescription...you can buy right over the counter. And no...I'm not talking about some shithole town in Mexico. I'm talking about Cancun and Los Cabos (the two places I go to in Mexico). I've also made trips over the border into Tijuana to hit the drug store and load up on shit. I remember once, I flew into Cancun and walked into the drugstore in the airport and bought 5 ampules of testosterone (the kit came with 5 syringes as well) over the counter! Here in the U.S.? I would be arrested for having it. Or else have to go to an "anti-aging" doctor and pay a fortune for it. It's just ridiculous. And our politicians (including the President) KNOW this shit. Matter of fact, the first thing Pres. Obama did was assure Big Pharma that The Affordable Health Care Act would have NO provisions in it to stop the price gouging. :( |
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"Shipping giant Federal Express has been indicted for drug trafficking for illegal online pharmacies and conspiracy to traffic controlled substances by the US Department of Justice. ?FedEx knew that it was delivering drugs to dealers and addicts,? said the press release from the US Attorney?s Office of the Northern District of California released on Thursday. Among the 15 counts, the company stands charged with ?conspiracies to traffic in controlled substances and misbranded prescription drugs for its role in distributing controlled substances and prescription drugs for illegal internet pharmacies,? according to the statement. It said that FedEx was aware that its services were being utilized by illegal drug companies and the transportation of such substances, and had been for more than a decade" http://rt.com/usa/173832-fedex-drug-...king-indicted/ . |
That FedEx story reminds me of a story I saw back in the 1990's where the Federal Govt. started cracking down on people in the NorthEastern U.S. who were driving across to Canada to get their prescriptions filled.
Big Pharma raised hell and the Feds moved in to crack down on it. If anyone still believes that politicians give a damn about your health...you are being very foolish. |
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IMO the US doesn't use pharmacists correctly. It's just recently that they can give flu shots - otherwise, nothing with syringes. I've lived in Colombia - almost no need to go to a doctor; just go to the local pharmacy, tell them what's wrong and they'll take care of you. Pharmacists should be the first line of defense, IMO. And don't give me crap about prescription abuse. Countries that have little or no prescription regulation have nowhere near the abuse/recreational use of prescription drugs as in the US. |
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But there are tons of other drugs and things that AREN'T drugs that our govt. has made illegal without a prescription. When I was a kid, I used to run into the drugstore and get a bag of 50 insulin syringes for my great-grandmother (she was diabetic). They were in a rack on one of the aisles. You can't do that now. You can't buy a syringe or a needle because of the "Drug War". And that is one of the reasons that AIDS spread so fast amongst the IV recreational drug users. Absolutely no reason for the fucking govt. to put their nose into that...but yet they did. You also can't go to the drug store and get an IV bag of saline water. Fucking WATER in a plastic bag. You MUST get a prescription. It's like they make sure to funnel us in to be forced to spend extra money for everything. It's fucking outrageous. The govt. is supposed to work FOR us. But they RULE over us instead. :( |
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Do you understand the basic business math of limiting the percentage of profit means that insurance companies must inflate the number of insurance enrollee sand the cost of healthcare in order to raise gross profit? Goldman Sachs is projecting 60 percent growth for the top 5 insurance companies. |
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You think increasing expenses for small- and medium-sized businesses, while exempting big business, has no impact on social mobility? You think fining people for being poor has no impact on social mobility? You think making financial decisions for those less fortunate than you, against their will, has no impact on social mobility? You said here that people who agree with you make more money than people who are poorer but hopeful about the future: Quote:
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I was less persistent than you, but I had a similar initial issue, plus the system kept giving me different (high) pricing for the same info and telling me to phone. I was never able to get a human on the phone. I'm also still uninsured. |
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I'm waiting for shit to hit the fan when I refuse to pay any tax penalties I know they will try to assess. Dvae …. can you hear the crickets? Pretty quiet here. . |
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I know a lot of people that have had no issues with receiving insurance from the exchanges. And the few people that have had initial problems (all Republicans who were resistant to begin with) eventually persisted (aka got their head out of their ass) and were able to get a better policy for cheaper (and are now quite happy with the ACA). And if the website is too confusing for you, you can always just call an insurance agent and they would be glad to walk you through all of your options as they receive a commission. I already had an agent for my business account and called him up regarding my options. He met with me, compared my current policy to some new business policies. Then compared those with the exchanges. I chose a new personal policy, signed the paperwork, paid the premium, he turned it in and done. And if you don't have insurance, the only persons at fault is you. Nothing is stopping you from just buying regular insurance outside of the exchanges. Republicans love to tell everyone else to quit making excuses, pull yourself up by your boot straps and getter done. Yet they are the first ones to make excuses when they can't accomplish something. Oh, and the only 'shit to hit the fan' when you don't pay the small no insurance tax will be interest, fines and an eventual levy. But good luck to you. |
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I have pre-existing conditions that not only prevent me from being accepted for insurance but will allow insurance companies the "loophole out" to not pay claims should I have medical issues. Already happened twice in the past, to the tune of over $100,000 despite years of paying monthly premiums up front each year. I looked forward to the chance to actually have insurance despite my skepticism of anything run by the government. In this case my personal, selfish needs were going to come first over any political beliefs. I did everything requested, and within the given time parameters. Anyway, you are saying I can contact an independent insurance agent and he can get me on Obamacare? If that's the case why the emphasis and expense of the government website? As far as getting "my head out of my ass" when the day comes that I can't fill out simple forms designed for the lowest common denominator citizen please shoot me. . |
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But one genius pops and says ... what else, its your fault. Are you computer illiterate? And all this time on GFY you've been faking it!:1orglaugh:1orglaugh This is you no doubt. Stick with it, its priceless. You should want put your fist through the screen about halfway through. |
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The government site was meant for ease of use. Most people who just want insurance can go to the website, pick a policy, pay the premium and are good to go. Think of it like travel. Most people just hit up Expedia, Orbitz etc to book a flight. However for those that have special circumstances or questions, they can go to a travel agency. I'm not saying the ACA is perfect. Far from it. However it is a good start and the majority of people I know who have shopped the exchanges came out with a better, and cheaper policy. I have found the biggest complainers were the biggest opponents in the first place (Republicans) and never have given the law a chance. This is another example of people complaining, and rallying against, something that can help them. |
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The fact at you have no insurance shows you have no responsibility at all. If you don't have the money, it shows you have poor without enough business sense or job skills to make it, or is it that you have been "forced into welfare"? Won't even bother to comment on the rest of the drivel you wrote which clearly shows no grasp of the law, economics or political science. Bet you still think trickle down works too. |
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Do you mean inflate as in lie or are you claiming that heat care companies are conspiring to raise health care costs to raise the gross so the net is higher? Prove that conspiracy theory if that is what you are hinting and I will explain that to my father who is a retired DR that worked for Blue Shield before he went into private practice. |
Apparently from what I have read from people who say this is all good...If you ever complained about ObamaCare or you are a Republican or disagreed with the Democrat Party in any way...then trying to get affordable health care is almost impossible using the Exchange.
Amazing isn't it? If you are a Democrat...no problems. You get your insurance instantly and it's much, much lower than before with much better coverage all the way around. :) But SOMEHOW...the system "knows" if you ever said anything "bad" about The Affordable Health Care Act or if you don't "believe" in it. And then you end up with high prices, higher deductibles, and that's only IF you ever are actually able to get signed up. lol |
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That was just rhetorical by the way. Your dad had nothing to do with what the heads of multibillion dollar corporations like Blue Cross/Blue Shield have done along with Big Pharama and the giant corp's that own hospitals. But if you don't think that all of them are working together along with our Federal govt. to insure high prices...then you are being naive of what the lobbyists in Washington D.C. have been doing all these decades. |
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No "regular" insurance company will cover me. I tried for years to get reinsured after Blue Cross Blue Shield/Humana dropped me and wouldn't cover my claims. (keep in mind I paid insurance for 3 decades without a major claim) The fact ACA ignored pre-existing conditions is what got me to sign up. This isn't a matter of shopping price it's a matter of having insurance that will actually pay a claim if the situation arises. I'll check this week for an agent with the "necessary designation". And just because I can pay my own way doesn't make me a Republican. And isn't the goal to insure everyone? There I am on the phone (numerous times, once for 4 hours) wanting to buy the best policy available and I have nothing. . |
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I had medical care for an emergency on Germany in the 70s where they performed micro surgery and reattached my thumb along with followups for less that the price of the $100 aspirin. Look at very highly developed 1st word country and I believe they all have socialized medicine. Maybe 1 or 2 other than the USA doesn't. |
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:1orglaugh But seriously...back to my original thread title: Does this mean that I will NEVER see a savings of $2,500 a year from the cost of when Pres. Obama made that speech back in 2009? (I was paying a little over $600 a month for FOUR people when he made that speech, I now am paying $931 a month for THREE people) |
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It's amazing...I go to the doctor and he is FORCED to have several expensive tests done to confirm what his training and knowledge already knew. So the costs go up. Then there is the paperwork. Instead of a secretary to handle appointments and answer the phone...he has a STAFF of people working in his office to handle all the insurance and govt. paperwork. This whole damn thing is a giant money machine. Problem is...WE are the ones who have to feed it in the end. I would like to see true healthcare reform that would return us to the sanity of being able to pay for a doctor visit our of pocket because it isn't too expensive in the first place. And "insurance" would actually BE insurance...i.e.: For a catastrophic incident. I just don't think our Federal Govt. will EVER do it. There's no money in actually fixing the system. :( |
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Answer this, how in Gods name will the mid and lower class people be able to pay for all the life extension technology such as routine transplants, robotic implants etc that will be common place in 20 - 30 years? What about on 50 years for the young ones on this board? The ACA is a big step forward, but we have miles to go. |
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Obviously if we had socialized medicine....they are out of business. They are going to do everything in their power to make damn sure that doesn't happen: Thus...ObamaCare instead of real healthcare reform. On a side note...countries with socialized medicine don't have a govt. like the United States that is intent on bossing the rest of the world around with a gigantic, overbloated military. Be nice to shut the fucker down and bring it back to being about DEFENSE (real defense, not theorizing about what MIGHT happen in some far off country) and then pay off the damn national debt over the next few years while taking a percentage of that money and using it for REAL healthcare (and not administrative bureaucracy) |
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And the 'Republicans' (sorry, Libertarians now) went into it kicking and screaming with a piss poor attitude and when the slightest of obstacles hit, they quit, blamed Obama and went bitching on message boards. |
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And, yes that is the goal. That is why, with the ACA, insurance companies cannot deny an applicant based on a pre-existing condition. Due to your special circumstances, and previous problems, contact an agent and they can help get you set up. Again, not saying the law is perfect, but it's a start and better then the system we did have in place. Personally I think everyone should receive very basic healthcare from the government. Even if its high co-pays, high deductibles. Something to cover catastrophic illness. Then individuals can buy supplemental insurance or employers can provide it as a benefit. Basically if you have the means, and choose to, you can buy better insurance (lower co-pays, low deductibles, lower max out of pocket etc). |
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