Perhaps it was the post about redefining social security as a "Federal Benefit payment" instead o f the return of a fraction of the money paid in from our lifetime earnings....But I was sitting around over the holidays and got to thinking about all of the money wasted by me and for me in the name of healthcare and insurance... Probably over $100,000 in premiums and unnecessary bills... Seriously I haven't been to a doctors office in Fifteen years. And all but on or two of the Times educational hat I did go were a waste... The couple of broken bones? they were covered by the driver that hit me. everything else that was necessary, I could of paid for a-la-carte and been much better off financially.. even given a sub-par rate of return on those funds....
what a scam!
Your experience is why I dropped health insurance nearly 20 years ago. Over those years the only thing I needed a doctor for was a finger tuft fracture, which cost around $2,000. Insurance coverage for all those years would have at least been $50K and likely closer to $75K counting Ocare increases.
I’ve rarely had it unless employer provided for $30/month— high deductible— but I just pay out of pocket Had two kids without it — last one was in big city and hospital supplied itemized cost that would have been paid had I had insurance ( I paid ahead of delivery to hospital through their non insured program $800) itemized bill was over $4000 (1991)— Pediatrician preferred to charge me a flat $35 for office visits because she didn’t have to deal with insurance coding etc and got to keep it all. It’s a scam but people are horrified beyond belief when you say you don’t have insurance- and I too haven’t been to a doctor in 15 years— haven’t been sick since 2005 when I had whooping cough — then I just went to Urgent Care for diagnosis confirmation and cough syrup ( prescription strength)—
Well I mean insurance companies can't exist without people like you. If you had got you money's worth, then what money is left over the insurance company?
Really we just need to get rid of insurance and let healthcare compete openly with transparent prices and just watch as the price of everything plummets. (Like lasic eye surgery has been doing)
My dr says the insurance company really doesn’t pay their part. Most hospital coverage is 80/20. You pay 20 and the insurance company pays 80. Except they don’t. The hospital charges you 10,000 for a 500 dollar procedure. You pay 2000. 500 covers the bill 1000covers welfare freebies and 500 is profit. The insurance company pays 0.
If we completely eliminate government and insurance health care would be pretty reasonable.
Oh, it's a huge scam. We've had to pay thousands in premiums over the decades in insurance we've never used (in early 60's). We are very healthy people and like you have only had broken bones and knee surgery. The last 4 doctors we've went to homeopaths and of course not covered. Doctors are "forced" into networks, in order to take insurance. Those networks then make the rules, decide protocols, price and so forth. Naturally, after oshithead did what he did, you can't opt out. Then wrap big Pharma up in the mess, with meds treating symptoms and not the root cause, bull shit meds, designed to keep everyone "coming back". It's a freaking zoo, where we are forced into funding a small % of people getting rich all while they kill us in the process.
about ten years ago there was an outbreak of drs ditching insurance and going with the concierge dr model where they only took cetain clients who paid cash or had a similar arrangement.. this wa predominantly focused on the wealthy but resulted in a situation where you know your Dr. and he knew you.. in this situation it was like the old country dr. approach where you you might play golf or something with your Dr and that was how he kept up with you rather than ridiculous bi-weekly visits so they can charge your insurance company..
the insurance model is also why your dr is run around like a chicken in the slaughter shoot by his staff that tries to pack as many co-pays as possible into the day..