Describe your ideal health care policy.

[Liability]

Any and every medical matter gets covered for me and my family, with no exceptions.

No yearly limits.

No lifetime limits.

NO pre-existing condition exclusion.

No co-pay.

No deductible.

No limit on which doctors or hospitals I may utilize for my health care options.

No fees of any kind ever.

No paperwork needs to be completed by me or members of my family.

Registered Democrats must contribute into the "system."

If the "system" ever runs short of funds, there will be an immediate surcharge imposed on the income of those who pay into the system.

Registered Republicans are not required to pay into the "system."

Ideal.

 

[boedicca]

Shithow is one of the stupidest posters on the internets.

 

[shintao]

Shithow is one of the stupidest posters on the internets.

The personal attack, Brokencunt's only defense for being an imbecile.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Any and every medical matter gets covered for me and my family, with no exceptions.

No yearly limits.

No lifetime limits.

NO pre-existing condition exclusion.

No co-pay.

No deductible.

No limit on which doctors or hospitals I may utilize for my health care options.

No fees of any kind ever.

No paperwork needs to be completed by me or members of my family.

Registered Democrats must contribute into the "system."

If the "system" ever runs short of funds, there will be an immediate surcharge imposed on the income of those who pay into the system.

Registered Republicans are not required to pay into the "system."

Ideal.

Yeah....SOUNDS ideal....but i imagine the doctors/hospitals (if they have a choice!) will mostly choose to serve the free market Republicans....

 

[code1211]

$150 bucks a month, max.... for starters.

$100 buck deductible

max out of pocket per year $1000

Insurance pays 80% for whatever the doctor thinks is necessary and best for me and each individual patient...I front the 20% for me until max out of pocket is Paid.

PERFECT! (in a dream world, I suppose)

Not to be obtuse, but wasn't the question about the ideal policy "for you"? If it's for me, I have a few ideas:

Why any premiums or costs of any type or size? 100% coverage of all things with no cost to me and a pesonal physician that just waits around for me to need him. Unlimited resources and unlimited care.

A private nurse that looks like a Victoria's Secret Model and acts like I'm her dream boat.

On-demand sponge baths with happy endings whenever and wherever.

I may think of other things, but that should do for now.

 

[loosecannon]

I dont really have time to line mine out as well as OP did, but to me the ideal system is a private industriy where the Gov't is hands off...maybe some oversight, but let the private sector take care of itself.

In other words If I am not on the governments payroll, they need to leave me the heck alone.

Social medicine does'nt work... it has'nt worked anywhere else, so what gives us the idea it will work for us? Guess thats why people come from all over the world to seek HC here

No quick solutions really.... but what they rammed thru last March was a joke!


Oh... one more thing.... if your not a citizen, you go home to get your healthcare (except in extreme emergencies)
I work in the medical industry and it is appauling how many people are here illegally and we cater to them hand and foot. While American citizens wait in line behind them in E.R.'s -- thats just not right.

The free market system for healthcare does not work. The buyer must be capable and willing to evaluate the goods and services received versus the cost. If not the provider will raise the cost to increase revenues which is exactly what's happening. Patients have little or no interest in controlling cost since their insurance company pays most of the cost. The insurance companies are ineffective at controlling costs. They just raise their premiums. It's a broken free market system.

I think the free market system would work if we take out most of the "in-betweens"...the middlemen that cost us so much....this would include insurance companies (for everything except major medical), employers (why should they choose our plans?), and the government (except for the core needy).

If people had to buy their health care directly from their doctors, their clinics and hospitals, they would self-control their regular costs...most people can plan for their auto service and repairs, why not plan for their medical service too?...i believe this would dramatically reduce medical costs as competition would enter the picture...like with auto shops they are competitive and you can shop around and find the mechanic or doctor you like and trust to do a good job and not gouge you...I also believe preventative medicine (& behavior) will become very popular...

A monthly bill: Major-medical or catastrophic insurance would cover the big expensive items that might occur.

A monthly bill: Long-term care should also be a cost addressed from youth onward in order to spread out the cost over one's life to prepare for old age.

Health Savings could be appropriated from paychecks and be tax deductible - this would help people save money for their health bills.....however the individual gets to spend his health money on the health plans of his choice. This money should also cover monthly pmts during times one does not have income.

Government oversight should make sure all insurance plans provide for what people really need and make them easy to read and understand so consumers can shop and easily compare. This will help people understand what they are actially getting and the real costs and how to plan for them. For example young people will soon learn that their monthly pmts will only go up up up if they wait around to buy major medical and LTC. Plans should be lifelong and company insured for stability. Also plans should not be necessarily restricted to one state or location. People should be able to move freely and take a plan with them no matter where they live.

Actually what you probably would prefer is self insurance coops. Insurance as an industry began as self insurance coops and they work sort of like credit unions that deal in insurance not banking services.

You control costs by bargaining with providers directly and establishing your own care standards.

There is no way a private for profit insurance company is ever gonna tailor a plan to your preferences as well as a collective can, and there can be as many of them as there are models of autos. And best of all even tho they are each independent and local as a rule nothing prevents self insurance coops from bargaining for services in blocks.

Dennis Kuccinich endorsed a similar plan when the public option was taken off the table, organized by individual states, and after considering it I concluded it was a far better idea than the public option.

 

[code1211]

Similar to the VA, considered by many to be the best system in the world.
To begin with, they start off with a data base where every single illness and drug treatment are entered. From that, we can know what is effective and what isn't with data pulled directly from real cases.

Insurance companies are there to make money. They would never invest in something like this and Republicans don't want them too. Because their goal is to gut the American economy and squeeze out every cent the can. It's not like they hide it.

Republicans have convinced the American People that something that actually helps American citizens is "socialism" and should be stopped. So I want a health care system that helps Americans and not just lines the pockets of a greedy few. A national data base is the place to start. The other is a public option.

Is this the VA that was the scourge of military medicine during the Bush Administration? Before the healthcare debate, the Libs around here, you are a lib are you not, were calling for blood due to the inferior care provided by those at Walter Reed "the Crown Jewel of the VA System".

Why was the VA the symbol of Bush's lack of Competence then, but is now the symbol of government competence? How can the same example serve the opposite purpose? Is this another case of simply forgetting what the story line is and putting your foot in it?

Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility - washingtonpost.com

While the hospital is a place of scrubbed-down order and daily miracles, with medical advances saving more soldiers than ever, the outpatients in the Other Walter Reed encounter a messy bureaucratic battlefield nearly as chaotic as the real battlefields they faced overseas.

On the worst days, soldiers say they feel like they are living a chapter of "Catch-22." The wounded manage other wounded. Soldiers dealing with psychological disorders of their own have been put in charge of others at risk of suicide.

Disengaged clerks, unqualified platoon sergeants and overworked case managers fumble with simple needs: feeding soldiers' families who are close to poverty, replacing a uniform ripped off by medics in the desert sand or helping a brain-damaged soldier remember his next appointment.

"We've done our duty. We fought the war. We came home wounded. Fine. But whoever the people are back here who are supposed to give us the easy transition should be doing it," said Marine Sgt. Ryan Groves, 26, an amputee who lived at Walter Reed for 16 months. "We don't know what to do. The people who are supposed to know don't have the answers. It's a nonstop process of stalling."

 

[loosecannon]

I'm the only one that suggested a national data base. It's the one thing that has been proven to work.

It sounds like a nightmare merged with a bad operating system merged with a death panel merged with a roulette wheel.

I have a friend who was named CEO of the year by CEO magazine. His firm had 4 straight years of 300% growth.

Then he upgraded the company's computer network and the company nearly died.

Cars that drive themselves and accidents waiting to happen.....

 

[Greenbeard]

Is this the VA that was the scourge of military medicine during the Bush Administration? Before the healthcare debate, the Libs around here, you are a lib are you not, were calling for blood due to the inferior care provided by those at Walter Reed "the Crown Jewel of the VA System".

I'll just throw out the obvious point that Walter Reed is not a VA hospital. This is the complete list of VA facilities.

 

[Liability]

Any and every medical matter gets covered for me and my family, with no exceptions.

No yearly limits.

No lifetime limits.

NO pre-existing condition exclusion.

No co-pay.

No deductible.

No limit on which doctors or hospitals I may utilize for my health care options.

No fees of any kind ever.

No paperwork needs to be completed by me or members of my family.

Registered Democrats must contribute into the "system."

If the "system" ever runs short of funds, there will be an immediate surcharge imposed on the income of those who pay into the system.

Registered Republicans are not required to pay into the "system."

Ideal.

Yeah....SOUNDS ideal....but i imagine the doctors/hospitals (if they have a choice!) will mostly choose to serve the free market Republicans....

Who said anything about Doctors being free to make choices?

 

[Flopper]

Nobody should buy any insurance except catastrophic insurance. And catastrophic insurance used to be dirt cheap, dunno what it would cost today.

I want bare bones Cuban style care with easy appointments and no waiting. I want it to cost about what Cubans pay for their care. I want the US government to allow me to make the trip to Cuba to get this care! What I save will offset the airfare and accommodations.

In an ideal world people would not receive end of life care that cost more than their net worth. Perhaps the reverse mortgage is the best way to make that happen. A lot of people who can't afford end of life care should expect to die.

We simply can't afford to spend more money on end of life care than the net worth of those receiving it.

People are not designed or intended to live to the ripe old ages we achieve.

Death panels are necessary until we learn how to face death like adults.

Insurance companies contract with provider and get big discounts. For example the following are claims against my policy.

Doctors Visit $135
Insurance pays $78 + my $10 Copay

Blood Tests $678
Insurance pays $178 + my $o Copay

Colonoscopy $1850
Insurance pays $940 + my $0 Copay

CT Scan $1000
Insurance pays $410 + my $100 Copay

Emergency Room $2200
Insurance pays $750 + my $50 Copay

For these services the provider gets $5863 if I pay the provider.
If the claims go through my insurance the provider gets $2516.

This is a huge discount. If individuals could negotiate these discounts, then the catastrophic policy makes sense.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Nobody should buy any insurance except catastrophic insurance. And catastrophic insurance used to be dirt cheap, dunno what it would cost today.

I want bare bones Cuban style care with easy appointments and no waiting. I want it to cost about what Cubans pay for their care. I want the US government to allow me to make the trip to Cuba to get this care! What I save will offset the airfare and accommodations.

In an ideal world people would not receive end of life care that cost more than their net worth. Perhaps the reverse mortgage is the best way to make that happen. A lot of people who can't afford end of life care should expect to die.

We simply can't afford to spend more money on end of life care than the net worth of those receiving it.

People are not designed or intended to live to the ripe old ages we achieve.

Death panels are necessary until we learn how to face death like adults.

ANd who gets to play God, you?. Some bunch of unelected unaccountable bureaucrats?
Under your "Soylent Green " system someone has to make the decision to in effect commit someone to a death sentence.
Be careful what you wish for...One day it will be you....
I have two elderly parents and I will be God Damned if I will let some yuppie fuck decide my Mom has to live as a cripple because needed a knee replacement and the yuppie government fuck decided she couldn't have one...
And screw you about longevity...
Who the fuck are you to decide what is a person's " net worth"?

Longevity is hereditary you fuckwad...We are evolving as a species. We live longer because it is natural for us to do so. So take your actuarial tables and your bean counter outlook on healthcare and cram them in your crinkly rectum.

 

[thereisnospoon]

First, eliminate all first dollar coverage...Too expensive.
All carrriers free to do business in any state they wish. No more protected markets.
All coverage begins at $2,500 per person, per year. This eliminates trips to the doctor for simple ailments such as nausea and the sniffles.
Allow people to purchase long term disability policies as well as catostrophic occurance policies in the event of a serious illness or injury. These would be high deductible policies.
Allow medical savings accounts.
Continue the concept of "doctor's hospitals"...These are physician owned facilities that serve those who pay a yearly fee to join the health organization. This is similar to "pre-paid legal services"..
Eliminate ALL federal insurance mandates. Patients should be able to choose their coverage. A man should not have to buy coverage for ovarian cancer. Conversely, a woman should not have to buy coverage for testicular ailments.
No coverage for sex change operations or any elective "vanity surgery"...If you want a face lift, new tits, new nose, lips, cheekbones..pay for it yourself or simply play hand you were dealt. No coverage for hair replacement/removal...None of that nonsense.

The idea here is give as much access to the best health care in the world to as many people as possible.
T

 

[loosecannon]

ANd who gets to play God, you?. Some bunch of unelected unaccountable bureaucrats?
Under your "Soylent Green " system someone has to make the decision to in effect commit someone to a death sentence.
Be careful what you wish for...One day it will be you....
I have two elderly parents and I will be God Damned if I will let some yuppie fuck decide my Mom has to live as a cripple because needed a knee replacement and the yuppie government fuck decided she couldn't have one...
And screw you about longevity...
Who the fuck are you to decide what is a person's " net worth"?

Longevity is hereditary you fuckwad...We are evolving as a species. We live longer because it is natural for us to do so. So take your actuarial tables and your bean counter outlook on healthcare and cram them in your crinkly rectum.

Asked and answered, low IQ case.

We already have death panels: Medicare, Insurance companies your own spouse pulling the plug.

Health care is a product not a right.

If you can't afford it, expect to live or die accordingly.

And what is wrong with that? The world has billions of people we don't need. And healthcare isn't a right, it is man flipping the middle finger to God and nature's God and saying "I am not dead yet, mutherfunker".

If you can't afford the care already, die. Die gracefully but die already!

That's life, bucko!

 

[code1211]

Is this the VA that was the scourge of military medicine during the Bush Administration? Before the healthcare debate, the Libs around here, you are a lib are you not, were calling for blood due to the inferior care provided by those at Walter Reed "the Crown Jewel of the VA System".

I'll just throw out the obvious point that Walter Reed is not a VA hospital. This is the complete list of VA facilities.

Sorry. The Washington post called Walter Reed the Crown jewel of the VA system.

Google "VA Hospital problems" to find 167,000 links.

 

[Old Rocks]

I dont really have time to line mine out as well as OP did, but to me the ideal system is a private industriy where the Gov't is hands off...maybe some oversight, but let the private sector take care of itself.

In other words If I am not on the governments payroll, they need to leave me the heck alone.

Social medicine does'nt work... it has'nt worked anywhere else, so what gives us the idea it will work for us? Guess thats why people come from all over the world to seek HC here

No quick solutions really.... but what they rammed thru last March was a joke!


Oh... one more thing.... if your not a citizen, you go home to get your healthcare (except in extreme emergencies)
I work in the medical industry and it is appauling how many people are here illegally and we cater to them hand and foot. While American citizens wait in line behind them in E.R.'s -- thats just not right.

Are you truly that stupid! Not only does it work, but it costs less and gets better result in every nation it is used in than our system does.

There are many ways to skin the cat, so why don't we look at some of the very successful ones?

FRONTLINE: sick around the world | PBS

 

[Old Rocks]

Is this the VA that was the scourge of military medicine during the Bush Administration? Before the healthcare debate, the Libs around here, you are a lib are you not, were calling for blood due to the inferior care provided by those at Walter Reed "the Crown Jewel of the VA System".

I'll just throw out the obvious point that Walter Reed is not a VA hospital. This is the complete list of VA facilities.

Sorry. The Washington post called Walter Reed the Crown jewel of the VA system.

Google "VA Hospital problems" to find 167,000 links.

Which it was until maintenance was taken from government workers and handed to a Haliburton spinoff.
Privatized Walter Reed Workforce Gets Scrutiny - washingtonpost.com

The scandal over treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the Army's decision to privatize the facilities support workforce at the hospital, a move commanders say left the building maintenance staff undermanned.

Some Democratic lawmakers have questioned the decision to hire IAP Worldwide Services, a contractor with connections to the Bush administration and to KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary. Last year, IAP won a $120 million contract to maintain and operate Walter Reed facilities. The decision reversed a 2004 finding by the Army that it would be more cost-effective to keep the work in-house. After IAP protested, Army auditors ruled that the cost estimates offered by in-house federal workers were too low. They had to submit a new bid, which added 23 employees and $16 million to their cost, according to the Army.

 

[Granny]

The ideal health insurance ... well, first, one that the government doesn't have its grubby hands involved in. A health care system that has serious tort reform so that greasy lawyers are put on a very short leash.

 

[shintao]

How about "a health care plan with no limits, no deductibles, free medicines, tests, X-rays, eyeglasses, even dental work — all for a flat fee of $250 or less a year."

 

[thereisnospoon]

How about "a health care plan with no limits, no deductibles, free medicines, tests, X-rays, eyeglasses, even dental work — all for a flat fee of $250 or less a year."

That doesn't even rise to the level of la la land.