Maybe I'm missing something (healthcare)

[MissMillie]

but I don't get why there needs to be a middle-man (insurance).

You go to the doctor, the doctor gets paid. Everyone.

Sure, if people want to buy insurance for things like liposuction or cosmetic surgery, let them have at it.

But somehow the insurance aspect of everything seems to add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

[Srkdqltr]

1. That makes too much sense has to be socialism.

[Blues Heron]

2. esp. when the insurance cos start practicing medicine

e.g. deciding which med they'll cover and forcing you to switch. I'm thinking inhalers here, but there are numerous examples of good, well proven drugs being dropped from the insurance formularies.

[frazzled]

3. Would you be able to pay for

A triple bypass surgery, a year-long cancer treatment, or a liver transplant?

We at least need what used to be called “Major Medical” insurance. Sometimes the big things happen. It’s like car insurance. If someone totals your new car while it’s parked on the street, do you want to have to pay for another car yourself and eat the loss? If your house burns down, no insurance to help with the losses?

I’m old enough to remember when you paid the doctor for a regular visit, but still had to have major medical insurance for the big stuff and the unexpected.

[rampartc]

9. my weekly chemotherapy is over 14,000

if medicare did not pick up most of it i would soon be homeless.

under "capitalism" i should be able to negotiate with the hospital. that would do a lot of good!

[frazzled]

15. Yes, Medicare is insurance

My husband’s year-long chemo, surgeries, expensive PET scans, etc. was 100% covered by our (private) employers insurance. Everyone needs insurance for these big ones, even if you’re young and healthy ... you could be hit by a truck one day.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. I met an Italian woman at a conference...

... related to our very rare genetic condition (which mostly causes early blindness), and she used to write very right-wing newspaper articles. She was born in Massachusetts, but moved to Italy as a young woman (marrying an Italian man) and never returned except to visit her family over here periodically.

Funny how her political attitude changed after she went blind!

Also, she was absolutely shocked by the difficulty in getting medical care in the USA compared to Italy. (Which was clear whenever she returned and stayed with her mother for awhile.) When she had left the USA long ago, she was a very healthy young woman and never really needed it.

An actress named Jessica Harper has the same genetic condition, by the way. I talked to her and her brother for awhile at another conference. Her brother was a hoot! He seemed more extroverted than her, actually, despite not being an actor.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Harper

[StarfishSaver]

6. An Italian friend asked me why people were so opposed to Obamacare

"Don't people want to have better healthcare?"

I told him that they do, but too many people thought that Obamacare was Socialism.

He asked, "What's wrong with that?"

LOL

[Buckeye_Democrat]

7. Italy apparently has several anti-socialist types too.

That woman had an audience for her libertarian-type articles over there. Wrote a book too.

I never knew her until after she lost her eyesight and made a reversal of her old political ideas, though.

We stayed in touch by phone for a few years, but eventually stopped doing it.

One of the funnier times was when I called her cellphone and she happened to be eating outside a restaurant in Turin. People in the background were yelling like there was a big fight in progress, and I asked her about it. She replied that they were just talking LOUDLY like pretty much every Italian over there, as she'd explained to me in the past, and it was the aspect of that country which she hated the most. She asked me to call again later when she'd be home and able to hear me.

[StarfishSaver]

8. LOL

Italians often talk like they're mad at each other.

[area51]

5. imo, we need Medicare for All.

By the term Medicare for All, I mean enhanced Medicare with better coverage that doesn't need extra insurance. Biden said he was for a public option, so I hope he'll try to do at least that. It's insane that we're such a wealthy country but treat healthcare as a luxury item.

[marie999]

10. I think something that would help the uninsured very quickly

would be that doctors and hospitals can not charge more than Medicare will pay. Recently I went to the hospital. The ER room, doctor, and bloodwork were charged to the VA for $2118.49. Medicare allowable for VA CCN came to $325.44. Veteran responsibility $0.00. Why should people be made to pay more than Medicare?

[MissMillie]

11. What I notice about ANY insurance

Is that insurance companies get billed more than out-of-pocket.

(Well, I noticed it about auto insurance...)

When I had glass coverage on my automobile, the insurance company got charged nearly $1K for a new windshield. When I had to buy one out of pocket, it was less than $300. A $300 windshield should cost $300 no matter who is paying for it.

Seems to me insurance drives up the cost, because, let's face it, if the insurance company isn't making money, there's no reason for them to be in business.

If Medicaid is insurance, I'm not so sure I'm interested. Doctor visits, hospitalization, prescription meds... just get what you need and it gets paid for.

None of this "pay a premium/get coverage for only a portion of what you need" crap. Even $100/month in premiums can be too much for some people to afford--especially if it doesn't cover everything.

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. I'm a bit confused MissMillie

You say "You go to the doctor, the doctor gets paid." By whom?

Thanks for the clarification.

[Xoan]

13. How else are you gonna have ...

the most expensive healthcare?

[speak easy]

14. What you are missing is that there is still a middleman,

a public agency, but a middleman none the less.

[Baked Potato]

16. The 'Middleman' is a gig old as time.