So let's lay it out

[goatlady]

What will effect me personally and many, many folks is the ruling in this new medical care bill that states a doctor will no longer be able to write a prescription for a daily/maintanence medication for more than 3 refills. That means each person taking such a maintanence medication will now have to make a doctor's office visit with accompanying costs 3-4 times a year instead of once or twice a year.

[MustangGal]

not affecing me presently...but everything can and will change....i'm waiting for the rumored "tagging" clause to go into action in march 2012

March 2012?

[Irish-Tech]

If were talking #'s ill join. I currently have awesome insurance with my company. I pay 300 a month or or 3600 a year. my company pays 700 a month or 8400 a year. this covers myself and my wife and kids. we just had a baby and it only cost me $25 out of pocket, and that was for the entire pregnancy, ultrasounds and all.

If my company chooses to drop private insurance here is what i can expect to pay. thanks BioG8r

$1000 per month or $12000 per year for the "bronze plan" for myself, wife and kids. already im a loss of 8400. isnt it convient this is what my company pays for my insurance every year? i just noticed that.

if i choose not to buy insurance that year i will pay the penalty. which for my income would be 1000 per person or max 3000 for the year. which is less then what im paying now and less then the "bronze plan" so why would i ever buy it? what i dont know about is will there be co-pays and how much will Rx cost. just in #s alone im not sure what to expect.

we can look at other countries and see the possible future, but we do not know for sure. i like my doctors and my dentist. i dont want to lose any of them.

Now let me add this in for fun. my dentist can expect to get paid %50 for medicaid patients compared to what he gets from private insurance. in other words if it costs $100 to get a filling medicare/medicaid will pay him $50. so as a result he no longer accepts medicaid or medicare. the amount of paperwork and wait time to get 50% of your pay isn't worth it to him. What will happen if everyone can only get medicare/medicaid(obamacare) insurance? He has already told me he will retire. who will replace him? what kind of service can we expect? will my medical doctore retire too? will my kids pediatrician retire? will the only person i ever see is a lady that transferred from the DMV and took an 100 hour course on medicine? there will be people that fill desks in Obamacare i guarantee it. we may not like them.

time to learn how to fix things at home and leave the hospitals for broken limbs and such.

[Rmplstlskn]

Most people I call "friends," who are like-minded, know 0bama must go, and 0bama-care must get repealed, so the details of what will happen are moot to me, as it is a win or lose scenario. We win, it goes away; we lose, medical armeggedon. Societal collapse. WROL. Dogs and cats living together...

The REAL problem, as I see it, existed before 0bama, is deeply rooted, and systemic... The real problem is COST, DEMANDS and EXPECTATIONS mixed with GREED and "making ends meet."

COST: We all know how rediculous it is. Most say it is because those costs cover all those who get treated without insurance or payment. From what I hear from my wife (medical field), there a LOT of people getting very expensive treatments (cancer, etc...) and all that is related to that, where the hospital and doctors will never get paid a dime on from the patient. So who pays for this person? Everyone else...
Also, almost everyone in the medical field in a professional level makes GOOD money... Many in the 6 figures... They get paid every two weeks... Huge payroll. Who pays this? Everyone else... Many I have met or work with are GROSSLY OVERPAID. How do you correct that? They have the "paperwork"...

DEMAND: Even posts here show it. People demand to get the BEST care available, and expect insurance to cover it... The homeless guy living on the street demands the same advanced ($$$$$$) cancer treatment as Bill Gates would get, and gets it... Who pays for it? Everyone else...

EXPECTATIONS: Society now EXPECTS access to the best and latest technology ($$$$$$), and DEMANDS it be provided. The poor expect and demand the same treatment the rich would get... Is this how it works in real life, in the real world. Sadly, NO. The rich will always have more access to OPTIONS than the poor. Except for medical. (Fringe, often very successful treatments in Mexico and the Dominican excluded, that only those with CASH can get)

GREED: Or is just "generating revenue?" (See "Who pays for it?" comments above) I know for fact that people with zero chance of recovery, that are weeks away from death, not even mentally aware anymore, are getting expensive $$$$$$$$$$$$$ treatments to generate revenue for the doctors and the hospitals. This goes on every day, at every medical facility, everywhere... It is usually two reasons: 1. patients family demand the treatment as a "last hope" or 2. doctors/hospital can push the treatment legally to generate revenue. Often both are involved... "There is a possible treatment option for your Mom, we can try that and hope..." (And the billing begins...)

So what is the answer? What I think is controversial though, often called cruel or inhuman... But without major changes, it is all screwed...

STEP 1: My wife and I often debate this problem, and as a "care giver" she differs with me on this... But I have told her that except for emergencies like accidents and the such, if a person cannot "survive" without life-support gear, then it is their time to go. No one is promised eternal life in the flesh, nor are we promised such and such years... Crap happens to people. It is the way this creation works... Why? I don't know. If I were God, I'd be able to answer that. So I support letting people die if they wish it to be. I also think family members need to let other family members pass along when that time has come... People tell me that maybe that miracle from God is this other treatment or wonder drug, even if it be $$$$$$$ and they be -$-$-$ (negative cash flow). I say, the true miracle from God is if you unplug and they recover... harsh? maybe...

STEP 2: The uninsured or those without money to pay for treatment should be in a seperate GROUP. A group that gives basic emergency care and that's it... If one has a problem with that, then deep down they want universal coverage and national healthcare... Here's your sign, "Obama 2012"....

One way to help Step 2 is to allow people access to health equipment without getting tied into endless doctor visits, and pharmaceticals as well. If I have the cash, I should be able to buy a CPAP machine off the internet without a prescription, as an example. Which, BTW, is far, far cheaper than what is billed to your insurance company...

This is my view on all this, take it or leave it...

[Irish-Tech]

correction: my company pays 700 per paycheck so its actually 16800 they contribute. still under the cadillac plan tax increase. at least for now. :)

[Irish-Tech]

STEP 1: My wife and I often debate this problem, and as a "care giver" she differs with me on this... But I have told her that except for emergencies like accidents and the such, if a person cannot "survive" without life-support gear, then it is their time to go. No one is promised eternal life in the flesh, nor are we promised such and such years... Crap happens to people. It is the way this creation works... Why? I don't know. If I were God, I'd be able to answer that. So I support letting people die if they wish it to be. I also think family members need to let other family members pass along when that time has come... People tell me that maybe that miracle from God is this other treatment or wonder drug, even if it be $$$$$$$ and they be -$-$-$ (negative cash flow). I say, the true miracle from God is if you unplug and they recover... harsh? maybe...

I can live with this. i do believe if the insurance company is willing to pay for it or if the person has the cash then let them. but those getting service on my dime shouldn't get to waste my money on a hopeless cause.

[Rmplstlskn]

but those getting service on my dime shouldn't get to waste my money on a hopeless cause.

It is mind-boggling to think of the "generate revenue" procedures on "end of the line" people that goes on here, in one hospital, in one city, in one State and then magnify that NATIONALLY... Billions of $$$ yearly.

Probably why they keep adding more and more facilities with that high dollar equipment, so they can "treat" more people... But just like the wars and "conflicts" feed a large and hungry US military manufacturing base, so too this feeds a large and well paid medical institution, one of them my wife... So there ya go... No answer...

[rice paddy daddy]

I'm at that point where I'll soon be on government health care one way or another. My wife is elligible for medicare, but since I'm still working she's on my work plan. Lord willing I can remain employed until my full retirement age (66) in two years. Then we will both have to be on medicare as we will not be able to afford our own insurance beyond what is required by medicare (supplemental). Yes, medicare is not "free".
I am also presently in the VA health care system, which in some cases is not much better than death itself. I do not use it one whit more than is absolutely neccessary.
Yep, as a VA "client" I know what government health care looks like, and trust me, ya'll don't want it.

[Irish-Tech]

Yep, as a VA "client" I know what government health care looks like, and trust me, ya'll don't want it.

my FIL goes to VA for all his medical needs, and he feels the same way. your just a # to them unless you are real friendly and get to know them really well. even then they just give him drugs to hide the symptoms but wont actually fix any problems.

[MustangGal]

My FIL (WWII vet) passed in 1999, but I took him to his doctor's appointments for many years and towards the end of his life, I saw substantial changes in the way the VA operated - for the better. When I first stated taking him, he (and every other person they saw that day) would have a 9am appointment. Towards the end, he was given an appointment for a specific time and was rarely kept waiting.

He was often frustrated by doctors with thick foreign accents. :( But, over all, we were pleased with the improvements in his care. I hate to hear that things did not continue of the path to improvement. :(

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Yep, as a VA "client" I know what government health care looks like, and trust me, ya'll don't want it.

Ditto but I quit them because presently i have a choice with a different route thank God because even though it was documented for 7 straight yrs they refuse to acknowledge it when I finally reached the point of needing help and told me (A) i was lying and (B) they wouldnt help me (C) I didnt have what was documeneted i had something else because all them Drs and PAs were wrong but their clinical technician KNOWS what is right.
I wouldnt spit on them if they were on fire and thats where we are heading

[rice paddy daddy]

My VA "home clinic" is a small clinic in Georgia. They are small-town friendly types. Nice place.
But the VA hospital in Lake City, Florida is crowded and if you don't get a parking place before 6 AM you are out of luck. Lots of waiting time as your appointment time is delayed. Plan to lose a day's work.
The VA clinic in Jacksonville is what I imagine a third world country hospital to be like. I hope to never have to go there ever again.
Those who are applying for disability have to run the gauntlet of application, initial denial, appeal boards, denial, service officers, more appeals. This is the VA disability process - "deny, deny, deny, 'till you die."
This is government health care. Not pretty.
The individual VA workers are mostly kind and curteous, but just understaffed and overwhelmed.

[MustangGal]

My VA "home clinic" is a small clinic in Georgia. They are small-town friendly types. Nice place.
But the VA hospital in Lake City, Florida is crowded and if you don't get a parking place before 6 AM you are out of luck. Lots of waiting time as your appointment time is delayed. Plan to lose a day's work.
The VA clinic in Jacksonville is what I imagine a third world country hospital to be like. I hope to never have to go there ever again.
Those who are applying for disability have to run the gauntlet of application, initial denial, appeal boards, denial, service officers, more appeals. This is the VA disability process - "deny, deny, deny, 'till you die."
This is government health care. Not pretty.
The individual VA workers are mostly kind and curteous, but just understaffed and overwhelmed.

It is so sad that we, as a nation, don't treat our veterans better.

The one in Fayetteville, AR is the only one I have any experience with, and it is (or at least was) worlds away from what you describe. I just read this week that they are adding four new clinics in NW AR, on of which would have halved our drive. Even though things went much smoother over time, it was still far away enough that I lost a full day of work.

[rice paddy daddy]

I have never applied for disability, all I ever wanted was for them to fix my injuries. In the 1980's I recieved treatment for PTSD (which never really goes away, you learn to cope with it), and just this year finally gave in and got hearing aids after 42+ years of what they subsequently termed "severe hearing loss." My wife was very happy!
As long as I don't come down with any of the Agent Orange related diseases I consider their job done.

[Pop_45]

The V.A. in Jax is just a clinic. That was my home V.A. They are woefully under staffed, and in limited space. If I needed something more than what the clinic could provide, I was sent to the V.A. Hospital in Gainsville, or to one of the local hospitals.

The only time I had any extended wait, was for lab work.

When I applied for disability, (S.S.D. not VA) I only had to apply one time.

It was the Gainsville VA that put in my pacemaker. All in all, I would have to say I've been treated very well at the VA. But your experience may very.