Health Care Reality Check

[guido911]

I wanted to let this forum know an experience I and another poster in here recently had with getting health care. We saw, first hand, what will unquestionably become the norm when it comes to some groups of people getting the care they need. Doctors are very selective in the ages of the new patients they will see, and very guarded in what insurance plans they will accept. This, mind you, is before HCR has even been marginally implemented.

Advice. If your physician is about the retire/cut back, or you think your coverage may prohibit you from seeing your current doctor, start shopping around NOW. Trust me.

[TulsaRufnex]

...because the previous system in which 50 million people could ONLY go to the emergency room for care, or practice healthcare "self rationing," or lose everything because of medical bankruptcies was so great....
...oh, that's right... you're the guy who thinks you pay for everybody else's healthcare.... go figure.  

[Teatownclown]

I wanted to let this forum know an experience I and another poster in here recently had with getting health care. We saw, first hand, what will unquestionably become the norm when it comes to some groups of people getting the care they need. Doctors are very selective in the ages of the new patients they will see, and very guarded in what insurance plans they will accept. This, mind you, is before HCR has even been marginally implemented.

Advice. If your physician is about the retire/cut back, or you think your coverage may prohibit you from seeing your current doctor, start shopping around NOW. Trust me.

Obviously, you've been without care until recently. You let it go on too long.  Only a reactionary would post this comment. Progressives saw it coming several years ago.


Good luck.

[Teatownclown]

I wanted to let this forum know an experience I and another poster in here recently had with getting health care. We saw, first hand, what will unquestionably become the norm when it comes to some groups of people getting the care they need. Doctors are very selective in the ages of the new patients they will see, and very guarded in what insurance plans they will accept. This, mind you, is before HCR has even been marginally implemented.

Advice. If your physician is about the retire/cut back, or you think your coverage may prohibit you from seeing your current doctor, start shopping around NOW. Trust me.

You've lost what little credibility you had go. This is a joke. So are you. BTW, those meds are synthetic heroin and your health care program covered the cost. Now, take another pill.....

[Red Arrow]

Obviously, you've been without care until recently. You let it go on too long.  Only a reactionary would post this comment. Progressives saw it coming several years ago.
Good luck.

Try a major health care system in Tulsa not renewing their contract with a major health care "insurance" company.  You are obviously blowing smoke.

[Hoss]

Try a major health care system in Tulsa not renewing their contract with a major health care "insurance" company.  You are obviously blowing smoke.

Aetna?  They've sucked for years.  Had there been a choice for me, I would never have chosen them.

In the last job I had, in seven years, we change HC insurance companies no fewer than four times.  That should really tell you all you need to know of the HC insurance industry.

When I had to help take care of my mother out of the hospital in 1985-1986, my Dad was working at Sunoco, and at the time, Aetna was what he had.  They were awesome back then.  Out of a quarter million dollar bill that was piled on, out of pocket with Aetna my dad paid about $850 of that.

Good luck doing that now.

[Red Arrow]

Had there been a choice for me, I would never have chosen them.

Bingo.  No choice.

[Hoss]

Bingo.  No choice.

That's not the fault of the gubmint.  Your employer chooses.  You could always opt to not sign up for your employers coverage and purchase it outside of it.  But the prices would double.

[Red Arrow]

That's not the fault of the gubmint.  Your employer chooses.  You could always opt to not sign up for your employers coverage and purchase it outside of it.  But the prices would double.

Gubmint actions are making it more difficult for health care systems and health care insurers to come to agreement.   How much of your salary would you be willing to give back to your employer because they chose an insurer that chose not to renew with your doctor's group or your doctor's group chose not to renew with your insurer?  Oh, add to it that this is a one way ticket.  You cannot change your mind  and go back next year, or ever.

[Red Arrow]

That's not the fault of the gubmint.  Your employer chooses.  You could always opt to not sign up for your employers coverage and purchase it outside of it.  But the prices would double.

I am sorry to hear that you pay as much as 50% of your health care costs.  Maybe you need to find another new job.

[nathanm]

I am sorry to hear that you pay as much as 50% of your health care costs.  Maybe you need to find another new job.

The individual market is completely effed up and has been for years. The actual rates are well over double what they are on a group plan in a lot of places and the available coverage is usually much worse, although that varies by employer since the employer gets to choose. And spats between insurers and providers are nothing new. It may well be that provider A's contract came up for renewal and they didn't want to take the reimbursement rates the insurer wanted, while provider B's contract hasn't yet come up. Dropping provider A means more volume with provider B and gives the insurance company more negotiating power at provider B's renewal.

I hope that the exchanges help with the individual market, but I'm not very optimistic.

[Red Arrow]

And spats between insurers and providers are nothing new.

True.  The fact that the difficulties were announced in October and it was also announced that a decision would be (and was) withheld until November 15th makes me wonder though.

[Hoss]

Gubmint actions are making it more difficult for health care systems and health care insurers to come to agreement.   How much of your salary would you be willing to give back to your employer because they chose an insurer that chose not to renew with your doctor's group or your doctor's group chose not to renew with your insurer?  Oh, add to it that this is a one way ticket.  You cannot change your mind  and go back next year, or ever.

So far I haven't had that issue.  That's not to say it won't happen, however.

Please don't assume that my situation equals yours.  It sucks for your situation and I feel for you.  So far, not so much for mine.

However, when it does, I won't go assuming that you'd do the same as me.

We all know the one thing that would solve this.  Unfortunately, if I utter that hyphenated word, I'll be labeled as a socialist.

[Red Arrow]

We all know the one thing that would solve this.  Unfortunately, if I utter that hyphenated word, I'll be labeled as a socialist.

Everyone would have coverage but no one really knows if that coverage would be better than now overall.  Equalization in government usually means lowest common denominator, not raising the bottom to meet the top. 

That is except when car and truck tags were equalized in Oklahoma.  Everyone with cars thought they would get truck rates.  What happened for at least a few years is that truck rates were raised and I think car rates went down a little.  I think there is a cap on tag rates now but my cars are both old enough (1995 & 1998) that I am below that so I am not sure.

[nathanm]

Everyone would have coverage but no one really knows if that coverage would be better than now overall.  Equalization in government usually means lowest common denominator, not raising the bottom to meet the top. 

They've got private hospitals and private insurance in the UK, despite the NHS. Employers often provide supplementary coverage for things like private rooms or the drug copay in the (rare) instances you'd have to pay one.