Humana cutting back.....

[ZZman]

How do you price shop for emergency treatment?

Lots of treatments aren't emergencies.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Lots of treatments aren't emergencies.

I personally would have no problem with my insurance company telling me which provider in my area provided the cheapest under their plan for some standard service. They would need to tell me however because I don't know what all these codes mean and could not shop for myself.

However you know as well as I do that many would scream bloody murder because they were being restricted to providers - because someone on TV told them so.

I also don't think the standard services are a very big percentage of total spend - but I could be wrong.

I am no expert on any of this. I simply look at a list of 20 different prices, apply my knowledge of how markets work, and know for fact that this can never be efficient in its current form.

 

[alarmguy]

And many take surgery vacations to other countries. Most complaints are waiting for surgeries and such. When everyone is covered and using services of course there will be a wait for non emergencies. Is having no coverage or going bankrupt better?

Being free to choose is the best choice always
Yes, very popular to take surgery vacations to other countries. As long as you were well aware that those other countries do not give medical care to their own population unless they can pay cash. So let’s not for one moment praise those countries for not providing that level of medical care for their own population as we do in the United States. You get the highest level of medical care no matter who you are here. In much of the world only those that can afford to pay get top quality care. Everybody else is warehoused into lower rated facilities


We have the best system in the world as long as we are free to choose however that has changed and we are being forced to buy products that We don’t want this in itself is raising the cost for many

 

[alarmguy]

And you can't really price shop here. What if you could and Insurance companies gave you a break for it.

Health insurance is an optional private business.
The prices they negotiate are FAR greater than if you price shop yourself.

 

[alarmguy]

Your examples are not on point. One is about tainted blood that had nothin to do with socialized care, and the other has to do with people coming here for care and how there screened.

We do have the best care on earth. We have the best providers. We also have way too much administration and bureaucracy with their hands out so we also pay the most with those that buy private / employer health insurance or pay out of pocket that subsidize the rest of the system.. A small subset pays a lot more for everyone else's care.

Go look up the cost for a CT scan here, or in a modern country like Japan or Germany. I choose CT simply because its an automated test and there are really only 2 manufacturers of those machines. Hint - its way cheaper there.

I pulled this out of my hospitals spreadsheet of required published cost. I really don't know what it is but I believe its some sort of CT scan. What is interesting is there are 20 different prices. I assume the very two low outliers are some sort of state medicade administrator or an error. Also note there is no Medicare direct pay. This is a state run hospital. I assume there is some sort of meeting in a smoke filled room to determine that number.

Please tell me how having 20 different rates for the same standard service makes any sense? It would be like your grocery store having 20 prices for milk dependent on who you were?

View attachment 233705

We live in a free country.
You’re showing a price chart that you admit you don’t really know what it is, but I suspect these negotiated rates with that service provider from different companies
As far as the tainted blood samples, I’m not sure how you can make that statement since it is a government run and controlled socialized medical system that we were talking about, and politicians have even profusely apologized

I’m not quite sure how I could do any better by paying $125 for an MRI at any high-quality radiology center hospital in the Carolinas

So why do I need to price shop? My insurance company has done that for me and your insurance company has done that for you. If you have insurance, you don’t pay the full retail cost.

 

[SC Maintenance]

You’re showing a price chart that you admit you don’t really know what it is, but I suspect these negotiated rates with that service provider from different different companies

I said I don't know what the actual service is exactly, but its the same service for the same code with clearly different prices based on who your insurer is. I don't need to know if its an apple or an orange, just whichever it is you will pay different based on what insurance you have. That was the point. What service is irrelevant to the argument, just that its the same service.

As far as the tainted blood samples, I’m not sure how you can make that statement since it is a government run and controlled socialized medical system that we were talking about, and politicians have even profusely apologized

Because private systems never make mistakes??

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html

We live in a free country.

We agree on this, but I don't get your point. Your saying we live in a free country so we can not socialize health care? We socialize roads, utilities, education?

I am not saying that socializing health care is good either. But the current system is clearly over complex and expensive. If there is a better way without socialization I am all for it. But this isn't it.

 

[SeaJay]

Very glad the U.S. healthcare is working out well for you. Not glad that the tradeoff is inflation and debt/deficit. At some point reality will come out.

The wife and I are very happy with our US Healthcare.

 

[alarmguy]

Very glad the U.S. healthcare is working out well for you. Not glad that the tradeoff is inflation and debt/deficit. At some point reality will come out.

The debt and deficit is due to uncontrolled government spending on ever increasing programs with no funding.
Why attack health care?

 

[Jdeere562]

WOW...prices must be all over the map. Think I pay about $2600 per year for Blue Cross Blue Shield on top of my Medicare.

I can pick the Doctor of my choosing, and not have to drive into the city for their preferred DR.

Crazy world.

 

[ZZman]

The debt and deficit is due to uncontrolled government spending on ever increasing programs with no funding.
Why attack health care?

Exactly why Medicare tax needs to be increased.

 

[midnightlaundry]

 

[CKN]

Please not another YouTube video to prove one's point....just articulate your position yourself and I will read it. Cause I'm not clicking on a YouTube video.

 

[GON]

The debt and deficit is due to uncontrolled government spending on ever increasing programs with no funding.
Why attack health care?

No attacking anything. It is worth noting that receiving great service on a credit card that the user is not going to have to pay for is part of the conversation. If the U.S. by law was required to pay off the national debt in ten years, and run zero annual deficits, and fully fund entitlements, healthcare costs would more likely than not collapse overnight.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Your not in Medicare then, just clarifying for others since two conversations going on here, Medicare and non Medicare

Once you are 65 you do not have to carry health insurance of any kind. In Hospital only coverage is free and you do not have to have or pay for anything else if you do not want it.
Doctor, outpatient care, tests, drugs etc are optional coverages

Yes I am.

 

[alarmguy]

Yes I am.

Well, then you are incorrect/misinformed .
You are not forced to pay for drug coverage drug beverage Part D is strictly optional.
In fact, you’re not forced to pay for any health insurance if you don’t want it.

You responded with three words and ignored the rest of my post explaining what I just wrote above again?
____
I’m sincerely trying to inform you. This is what you posted.=“I've have Humana for my prescriptions. Because the Friends in Washington require you to they haven't paid one cent.”

So just so you can be informed I’m letting you know you are not required to have drug prescription coverage. In addition, you will not require to pay for any health coverage.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Well, then you are incorrect/misinformed .
You are not forced to pay for drug coverage drug beverage Part D is strictly optional.
In fact, you’re not forced to pay for any health insurance if you don’t want it.

You responded with three words and ignored the rest of my post explaining what I just wrote above again?
____
I’m sincerely trying to inform you. This is what you posted.=“I've have Humana for my prescriptions. Because the Friends in Washington require you to they haven't paid one cent.”

So just so you can be informed I’m letting you know you are not required to have drug prescription coverage. In addition, you will not require to pay for any health coverage.

Some are, like if your also on a state plan or state disability plan, or have a pension the government took over, or some other reasons. I forget them all. They enroll you automatically. Not all that common but it does exist.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Well, then you are incorrect/misinformed .
You are not forced to pay for drug coverage drug beverage Part D is strictly optional.
In fact, you’re not forced to pay for any health insurance if you don’t want it.

You responded with three words and ignored the rest of my post explaining what I just wrote above again?
____
I’m sincerely trying to inform you. This is what you posted.=“I've have Humana for my prescriptions. Because the Friends in Washington require you to they haven't paid one cent.”

So just so you can be informed I’m letting you know you are not required to have drug prescription coverage. In addition, you will not require to pay for any health coverage.

True but then you will pay the highest price for your prescriptions!