hilary1617
First time at the rodeo.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2014
- Messages
- 3,874
I'm definitely with the Bad Cop on this one. Medical insurance should be a safety net for medical expenses - it should provide access to decent health care for all; not an a la carte payment plan for expected or select conditions.
In my mind, the "US insurance problem" will remain until the root causes, many of which are outside of the insurance sector, are addressed - we have the highest expenses in the world, but not the best care. (1) Laborious, expensive, slanted FDA approval and patent processes - leads to incredibly expensive drugs, devices, limits availability of and delays proven treatments (I personally will have to travel to Sweden, Germany or Singapore for appropriate radiation (PRRT) and imaging for my rare cancer (Ga-68), as FDA hurdles continue to delay and impede clinical trials here a decade after these have been available elsewhere) (2) overly litigious society - we need tort reform - limit these class actions and malpractice lawsuits that benefit law firms while the harmed patients get pennies (3) un and under-insured necessarily using emergency care in lieu of general practice, leading to hospitals charging $40 for a Tylenol (4) leaving negotiations up to insurers such that an hospital charges fora negotiated rate of $X for a service for one patient and a $Y for the same service for a different patient (5) places like Hobby Lobby aren't required to provide birth control coverage, etc.... (6) doesn't permit us to die with dignity via assisted suicide- rather is set up to prolong quantity without quality at the end of life... (7) Our birth process is over-medicalized and c-section rate is insanely high.... These and much more are the things we must fix if we want low cost insurance premiums.
Also, frankly, as a patient with a rare and very costly disease (pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor), the ACA's elimination the lifetime cap and the pre-existing condition exclusions keep me alive and sufficiently well to contribute back to the community as an employed taxpayer. If it goes away, I will be a casualty of the system instead of a contributor.
@galaxygrrl - you made my day. Thanks for the kind words!
In my mind, the "US insurance problem" will remain until the root causes, many of which are outside of the insurance sector, are addressed - we have the highest expenses in the world, but not the best care. (1) Laborious, expensive, slanted FDA approval and patent processes - leads to incredibly expensive drugs, devices, limits availability of and delays proven treatments (I personally will have to travel to Sweden, Germany or Singapore for appropriate radiation (PRRT) and imaging for my rare cancer (Ga-68), as FDA hurdles continue to delay and impede clinical trials here a decade after these have been available elsewhere) (2) overly litigious society - we need tort reform - limit these class actions and malpractice lawsuits that benefit law firms while the harmed patients get pennies (3) un and under-insured necessarily using emergency care in lieu of general practice, leading to hospitals charging $40 for a Tylenol (4) leaving negotiations up to insurers such that an hospital charges fora negotiated rate of $X for a service for one patient and a $Y for the same service for a different patient (5) places like Hobby Lobby aren't required to provide birth control coverage, etc.... (6) doesn't permit us to die with dignity via assisted suicide- rather is set up to prolong quantity without quality at the end of life... (7) Our birth process is over-medicalized and c-section rate is insanely high.... These and much more are the things we must fix if we want low cost insurance premiums.
Also, frankly, as a patient with a rare and very costly disease (pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor), the ACA's elimination the lifetime cap and the pre-existing condition exclusions keep me alive and sufficiently well to contribute back to the community as an employed taxpayer. If it goes away, I will be a casualty of the system instead of a contributor.
@galaxygrrl - you made my day. Thanks for the kind words!
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