Healthcare Sharing Networks - Have You Used One?
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@Dashrender said:
I have a deviated septum, probably the main reason I rarely breath through my nose. I could have it fixed, but I have no idea if insurance would cover it. Do you think this would be covered by government healthcare in Europe?
I would certainly expect that to be covered in Europe.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
From what little I've seen, seeing a GP in Europe takes minutes (more or less literally.) In the US I could go to an Urgent Care for that, but timing it myself that takes many times as long. It's all the little things that add up. Seeing your GP is a 30 minute exercise, not a three hour one. Hitting the pharmacy is fifteen minutes, not an hour or two. Prescriptions are correct not life threatening - a pretty big deal (studies show doctors kill people at an alarming rate in the US.)
Yeah, well considering that many people in the US go to the doctor for every little thing - the GP's are totally backed up, and you're right, it can take days to get in - or go Urgent care and still likely spend hours waiting - I know I have. I am truly discussed by US Emergency rooms - short of you actually dying, they could care less about treating you in a timely manner. I had a pretty bad leg laceration a few years ago... went to the ER, 3.5 hours later I finally left. The waiting room had 1 other person in it, and otherwise was dead. It was ridiculous. OH and then I got the bill. 10 stitches and a few shots costs me $850
Actually in Europe I think that they go to the GP more often than in the US. They just have more doctors seeing people faster. I know that Japan has a huge culture of "go see the doctor early and often" and they've found that, overall, it reduces the wait times in the system because they catch more things, sooner when they have more chances to fix them easily.
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@Dashrender said:
10 stitches and a few shots costs me $850
That's the other thing, you never actually get covered by insurance. We've had insurance for years, yet always end up paying more out of pocket than if we were in another country without insurance. How does that work?
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@scottalanmiller said:
Actually in Europe I think that they go to the GP more often than in the US. They just have more doctors seeing people faster. I know that Japan has a huge culture of "go see the doctor early and often" and they've found that, overall, it reduces the wait times in the system because they catch more things, sooner when they have more chances to fix them easily.
Japan has its own issues with their healthcare system, but all in all it is so far removed from the crap we have here that the issues are not even comparable.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
10 stitches and a few shots costs me $850
That's the other thing, you never actually get covered by insurance. We've had insurance for years, yet always end up paying more out of pocket than if we were in another country without insurance. How does that work?
Well, I'm on an high deductable, I would have expected to pay around 20% if I had HMO coverage.
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No one's is perfect.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
10 stitches and a few shots costs me $850
That's the other thing, you never actually get covered by insurance. We've had insurance for years, yet always end up paying more out of pocket than if we were in another country without insurance. How does that work?
Well, I'm on an HA, I would have expected to pay around 20% if I had HMO coverage.
Considering that even the cheapest US insurance is many times the cost of the healthcare taxes in other countries that cover everything... doesn't that seem high?
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I'll agree that our healthcare costs are out of control - but I have to stop and ask myself why is that? Where does that money go?
I've asked where the greatest portions of our expenses are for our smallish medical practice (we net around 12 Million a year). The top three things are salaries, insurance for staff, malpractice insurance. If I recall this takes around 60-70% of net revenue.
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@Dashrender said:
I'll agree that our healthcare costs are out of control - but I have to stop and ask myself why is that? Where does that money go?
Private companies that siphon it off. Tons goes to the unnecessary insurance business. That is a HUGE business for a reason. A bit goes to the government. Tons goes to the pharmaceutical industry. Lots goes to the doctor's own insurance as the system encourages lawsuits like crazy. Tons goes to billing overhead. The US system needs 20 people for every tiny transaction. The system is very complicated making it expensive and extremely corrupt making it SO much more expensive.
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@Dashrender said:
I've asked where the greatest portions of our expenses are for our smallish medical practice (we net around 12 Million a year). The top three things are salaries, insurance for staff, malpractice insurance. If I recall this takes around 60-70% of net revenue.
And that is a small part of the picture. Most of the money is gone long before a doctor's office gets anything.
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People talk about other countries and how they are so corrupt and in the US people say that things are not corrupt and that corruption does not affect them day to day - which is insane. I'm convinced that corruption has become so common and insidious that Americans have stopped identifying it as something bad. At least in Italy, for example, people still realize that there is big time corruption.
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Money gets soaked up by the insurance industry and it's a complete waste. People indirectly profiting & betting on others being sick disgusts me.
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OH yeah.. the insurance companies themselves are definitely where a huge portion of the money goes.
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@Dashrender said:
OH yeah.. the insurance companies themselves are definitely where a huge portion of the money goes.
Considering how huge and numerous they are and how many employees they have. Every single person in the industry represents someone siphoning money out of healtcare as profit instead of you getting healthcare for your money. It's a huge industry and every single person working in it represents a terrible corruption of the economic and healthcare systems. Not one of them has a purpose and all they do is stand between you and healthcare.
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@scottalanmiller label me a flaming red communist but I'd Nationalize alllllllll the hospitals and clinics. In Canada and the USA. Brings it's own set of challenges but lighting the insurance industry on fire would be something for everyone to rally around.
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Isn't privatization the existing problem? There is no public oversight. Everyone can do anything that they want because healthcare is seen as a product to be marked up, rather than as a critical public utility.
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@scottalanmiller good grief I got so upset I got my merds wixed - Nationalize. Apologies. Corrected below.
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LOL, that makes more sense.
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lol all those darned privatizing communists, taking power away from the government and giving it to private industry. Need a face palm emoji for epic brain farts like that.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Isn't privatization the existing problem? There is no public oversight. Everyone can do anything that they want because healthcare is seen as a product to be marked up, rather than as a critical public utility.
we still argue on this point. Though I could be convinced to go the other side if it was heavily regulated like power companies - and should be completely non for profit. But our government has shown time and time again how it also can't be trusted to do the right thing.
