Dem congresswoman says unfair to make medicaid users work since they're all addicts!!

[Meathead]

We also give out OHIP cards to anyone legally entering Canada. You come here on a student visa, you get a health insurance card with your welcome package and you get taxpayer funded health insurance coverage the whole time you're here. They're also handed out with landed immigrants cards, or refugee cards too.

We're NOT subsidizing "freeloaders". YOU ARE. 1/3 of your "healthcare dollars" are spent on "administration" - billing and paperwork, not health care. The largest department in any American hospital, is the accounting department. Those costs are passed on to the consumer, and those people are doing NOTHING to improve your health or well being.

Losing $12,000 a year in income in order that you don't pay for some "freeloaders" or immigrants, personifies the concept of "picking up the peanuts while being trampled by the elephants."

Our administration costs are 7%. Some European nations are paying less than 5% in Administration. I have a retired American friend whose was a registered nurse who never saw a patient. Her job was to obtain insurance approvals for care. Her job doesn't exist here.

My PCP's receptionist prepares and submits his monthly OHIP bill. The nurses and therapists on staff are seeing patients and doing billable services for patients. Few people require pre-approvals for ANYTHING medical except new or experimental treatments, or some very expensive drugs. Your doctor sets your care plan, not the insurance company.

There are no co-pays - they're illegal. There is also no paperwork. I give them my OHIP card, they swipe it, check my address, phone number, next of kin, please take a seat. That's it, unless it's a lab or a pharmacy, and I have a requisition/prescription from my doctor, in which case I give it to them.

Just drop the sanctimonious shit, OK?

 

[Frankenstein]

You will fund them through your tax dollars that cover the damages that they do to themselves, their family, and others.

WHY

 

[leftwinger]

We also give out OHIP cards to anyone legally entering Canada. You come here on a student visa, you get a health insurance card with your welcome package and you get taxpayer funded health insurance coverage the whole time you're here. They're also handed out with landed immigrants cards, or refugee cards too.

We're NOT subsidizing "freeloaders". YOU ARE. 1/3 of your "healthcare dollars" are spent on "administration" - billing and paperwork, not health care. The largest department in any American hospital, is the accounting department. Those costs are passed on to the consumer, and those people are doing NOTHING to improve your health or well being.

Losing $12,000 a year in income in order that you don't pay for some "freeloaders" or immigrants, personifies the concept of "picking up the peanuts while being trampled by the elephants."

Our administration costs are 7%. Some European nations are paying less than 5% in Administration. I have a retired American friend whose was a registered nurse who never saw a patient. Her job was to obtain insurance approvals for care. Her job doesn't exist here.

My PCP's receptionist prepares and submits his monthly OHIP bill. The nurses and therapists on staff are seeing patients and doing billable services for patients. Few people require pre-approvals for ANYTHING medical except new or experimental treatments, or some very expensive drugs. Your doctor sets your care plan, not the insurance company.

There are no co-pays - they're illegal. There is also no paperwork. I give them my OHIP card, they swipe it, check my address, phone number, next of kin, please take a seat. That's it, unless it's a lab or a pharmacy, and I have a requisition/prescription from my doctor, in which case I give it to them.

Did I mention that Canadians live LONGER than Americans. And you're in poorer health than any other nation in the G20.

That explains why you all come to USA for treatment and pay cash.

 

[Flopper]

Stop handing out narcan at taxpayer expense, democrats are so sad, save the addict kill the babies

Do primarily to Narcan, overdoses deaths among children have decreased from over 3,000 a year to less than a 1,000. A single dose of Narcan can be purchased for less than $25. Last year 1.4 million children lost parents, brothers, or sisters due to drug overdose.

Maybe $25 is too much to save the life of a child or a family member. I guess that depends on your sense of value.

 

[Flopper]

Baloney. Before meddling by the federal government everybody paid the same prices whether private insurance was involved or not. It is a federal government that feels no responsibility to spend the people's money as effectively, efficiently, frugally as the people would that has driven most of the disparities.

There's no time when everyone paid the same price for drugs. Different individuals and groups have historically paid different prices for the same medications due to factors like insurance coverage, negotiating power, and the type of purchase (e.g., generic vs. brand name).

If you go back to the mid-twenty century, most drug research was focused on antibodies, hormone replacement therapy, and vaccines. In those days goverment paid 50% to100% of drug research. Today goverment pays around 20%. And that research is far more complex and expensive. The cost of research and development is most of the cost of brand name drugs.

 

[Flopper]

Keep that shiite in Canada. I am not responsible for everybody else's health care, I take care of myself, and am in good shape for a man of near 60. I am not paying for those who sit around and get morbidly obese, smoke, drink, and take no care of theirs.

No matter how healthy you are, or think you are life can take a sudden, heartbreaking turn. And when it does, the financial impact can be overwhelming.

Let me share something personal. My nephew was just 34 years old, active, healthy, and full of life. One day, he was out in his backyard, doing some routine cleaning and landscaping. He got a small cut on his arm. It seemed minor, nothing alarming. He washed it, applied antiseptic, and put on a bandage.

A couple of days later, the pain in his arm worsened, and he developed a mild fever. Concerned, he visited a walk-in clinic, where they quickly sent him to the emergency room. By the next day, he had a devastating diagnosis: necrotizing fasciitis—better known as flesh-eating bacteria.

Within a week, he lost his arm. Two weeks later, both of his feet. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, he passed away just a few weeks after that.

He left behind a grieving wife, two young children, and a crushing medical bill of $520,000.

If a healthy, young person like my nephew can experience something so tragic, it can happen to anyone. And without the right protection, the financial impact can be just as devastating as the emotional one.

 

[Flopper]

You're forgetting...the "let them die" folks are in power in the government now.

All we can do is hope there is something left to rebuild when they are all dead and gone.

The country has survived a lot worse than Trump.

 

[Dragonlady]

Not buying that company line Flopper. Yes medical science has advanced tremendously in the last 70 years but that is neither the explanation for or justification for Americans being charged 1000% or ore than other countries pay.

You're being charged for paperwork, not health care. 1/3 of your health care costs aren't health care, they're insurance company paperwork and preapprovals, which do nothing but drive up costs. You spend nearly double what we spend and you don't live as long or as well.

Doctors who have practiced in both Canada and the USA say they made more money in the US, but they kept more of the money they made in Canada,, because their overhead was so low. No third party billing companies. Not having to get preapprovals, gave them more time to spend with patients, so they could see more patients, which also raised their income.

Government funded health care isn't "being on the dole". It's funded and paid for by our taxes, just like your Medicare, but in our case our care is 100% funded - no copays, no insurance company costs.

 

[candycorn]

The country has survived a lot worse than Trump.

Its a different kind of threat. Give your examples though.

 

[Foxfyre]

There's no time when everyone paid the same price for drugs. Different individuals and groups have historically paid different prices for the same medications due to factors like insurance coverage, negotiating power, and the type of purchase (e.g., generic vs. brand name).

If you go back to the mid-twenty century, most drug research was focused on antibodies, hormone replacement therapy, and vaccines. In those days goverment paid 50% to100% of drug research. Today goverment pays around 20%. And that research is far more complex and expensive. The cost of research and development is most of the cost of brand name drugs.

Then spread the cost by charging the same for everybody buying those drugs.

 

[Flopper]

Let's put in terms you can easily relate to:

You're morbidly obese as with so many liberal women. Despite you Medicaid doctor's warnings, you continue to use your EBT card to purchase sugary sodas and junk food and so develop diabetes.

Is that pre-existing condition one that tax payers have to fund ?

Being "morbidly obese" may not be a pre-existing condition but what accompanies it will most likely be considered pre-existing condition.

Medicaid’s coverage for individuals with unhealthy lifestyles is not merely an act of compassion, it is a strategic necessity for society. Without this coverage, hospitals are burdened with unpaid bills, businesses suffer from lost productivity due to employee illness, families face the devastating prospect of medical bankruptcy, and preventable diseases spread unchecked. By ensuring access to care for all, Medicaid protects public health, stabilizes our healthcare system, and safeguards the economic well-being of countless families.

 

[Flopper]

Then spread the cost by charging the same for everybody buying those drugs.

Sounds like major government intervention in the free market.

Manufacturers set the initial list price for their drugs, considering research and development costs, market competition, and profit margins.

Intermediaries such as distributors and wholesalers negotiate lower prices with manufacturers and sell drugs to pharmacies and hospitals.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers act as middlemen between insurers and pharmacies, negotiating prices on behalf of their clients.

Insurance companies pay for drugs and negotiate prices with PBMs and manufacturers.

Thus, everybody pays a different price.

We could adopt a system similar to that used by some European countries, where the government solicits bids for each drug, awarding the contract to the lowest bidder. As a result, all pharmacies sell the drug at the same price. However, dispensing fees, which vary between pharmacies, are typically charged separately.

 

[Flopper]

/—/ You pay through your income tax. BTW:

“42,000 Canadians come to the United States for care” – Really?

pnhp.org

Overall, basic healthcare in Canada is very good, but access to some sub-specialists and elective surgeries may require long wait times. So rather that wait 9 months for cosmetic surgery you can come to US and get it in 2 or 3 months. It's a good way to insure that badly need healthcare does not have long waits.

However, keep in mind, ICE may deport you before you get your surgery.

 

[Flopper]

Yep. For reasons unimportant to go into now, hubby and I had a rough time financially in those early years, especially when our first child arrived less than a year from our wedding making it difficult to help support the family. There were many times we hocked my accordion to afford groceries when the paycheck didn't reach to the end of the week or the car was in the shop or whatever. What made it bearable is most of us among our friends were in that situation and we often pooled our resources--one would bring a pound or two of pinto beans, one a sack of potatoes, one some hamburger and we mixed it all together for a hearty meal while playing cards all day. Our parents were in no position to help either.

It never occurred to us that it was anybody's responsibility but ours to take care of ourselves though. There was no welfare. No food stamps. Sometimes there was government cheese available to those who wanted to go get some, but that was about it.

By the time our kids were school age we were doing much better. By the time they were in high school we were solidly in the middle class, owned our home, had a savings account and money left over to help others. Never through all that did we feel like life was unfair to us in any way. And as you mentioned, we might not have eaten high on the hog but we didn't go hungry and we made sure our children did not do without anything they really needed.

A nation that makes people dependent instead of encouraging self reliance does them no favors whatsoever.

Unless you were getting started during the depression food stamps were available. SNAP began in 1939. Since the beginning of the 20th century there has always been some form welfare. It expanded greatly in 60's and 70's.

 

[Frankenstein]

Do primarily to Narcan, overdoses deaths among children have decreased from over 3,000 a year to less than a 1,000. A single dose of Narcan can be purchased for less than $25. Last year 1.4 million children lost parents, brothers, or sisters due to drug overdose.

Maybe $25 is too much to save the life of a child or a family member. I guess that depends on your sense of value.

What an emotional bunch of hoooey! Maybe if we do something about the drug issue instead of facilitating addicts being able to kill themselves then come back to life.

 

[Frankenstein]

No matter how healthy you are, or think you are life can take a sudden, heartbreaking turn. And when it does, the financial impact can be overwhelming.

Let me share something personal. My nephew was just 34 years old, active, healthy, and full of life. One day, he was out in his backyard, doing some routine cleaning and landscaping. He got a small cut on his arm. It seemed minor, nothing alarming. He washed it, applied antiseptic, and put on a bandage.

A couple of days later, the pain in his arm worsened, and he developed a mild fever. Concerned, he visited a walk-in clinic, where they quickly sent him to the emergency room. By the next day, he had a devastating diagnosis: necrotizing fasciitis—better known as flesh-eating bacteria.

Within a week, he lost his arm. Two weeks later, both of his feet. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, he passed away just a few weeks after that.

He left behind a grieving wife, two young children, and a crushing medical bill of $520,000.

If a healthy, young person like my nephew can experience something so tragic, it can happen to anyone. And without the right protection, the financial impact can be just as devastating as the emotional one.

I understand that life is hard, my sister in law just died from ALS. Thankfully she received SSI disability to help her. Maybe tort reform could help bring down medical prices.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Overall, basic healthcare in Canada is very good, but access to some sub-specialists and elective surgeries may require long wait times. So rather that wait 9 months for cosmetic surgery you can come to US and get it in 2 or 3 months. It's a good way to insure that badly need healthcare does not have long waits.

However, keep in mind, ICE may deport you before you get your surgery.

/----/ "However, keep in mind, ICE may deport you before you get your surgery."
Winner. Strawman Argument of the week.

 

[Foxfyre]

Unless you were getting started during the depression food stamps were available. SNAP began in 1939. Since the beginning of the 20th century there has always been some form welfare. It expanded greatly in 60's and 70's.

FDRs new deal food stamp program was for eligible people to buy two stamps and you received a third for free that then could be used for food. I suppose that was a welfare program of sorts but so few were aware of it few used it. It ended in 1943.

There was essentially no federal food assistance program from that time until the mid 1960s and that started out pretty limited. There were some issues of various cheese and other commodities the government brought as surplus and made available to low income families but it was really really gross stuff.

But at any rate, by the time government welfare became a common thing, all of us had improved our financial situations so that we were not eligible for it so it was a moot point.

 

[Foxfyre]

Sounds like major government intervention in the free market.

Manufacturers set the initial list price for their drugs, considering research and development costs, market competition, and profit margins.

Intermediaries such as distributors and wholesalers negotiate lower prices with manufacturers and sell drugs to pharmacies and hospitals.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers act as middlemen between insurers and pharmacies, negotiating prices on behalf of their clients.

Insurance companies pay for drugs and negotiate prices with PBMs and manufacturers.

Thus, everybody pays a different price.

We could adopt a system similar to that used by some European countries, where the government solicits bids for each drug, awarding the contract to the lowest bidder. As a result, all pharmacies sell the drug at the same price. However, dispensing fees, which vary between pharmacies, are typically charged separately.

Again you seem to be fine with U.S. citizens being charged thousands more for a drug than people in other countries are charged. Again I am not okay with that.

I believe that is wrong and President Trump is absolutely justified in correcting it if he can.

And returning to the OP, I think it is a very constructive thing to require able bodied people receiving welfare to work for what they receive even if that is just doing community service.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Again you seem to be fine with U.S. citizens being charged thousands more for a drug than people in other countries are charged. Again I am not okay with that.

I believe that is wrong and President Trump is absolutely justified in correcting it if he can.

And returning to the OP, I think it is a very constructive thing to require able bodied people receiving welfare to work for what they receive even if that is just doing community service.

/----/ As a former Pharma Rep, I towed the company line about the costs of self-insurance, R&D and marketing. What opened my eyes was a friend whose cancer meds were $2,500 a month. I suggested he try Costco Rx. He did, and the cost dropped to $30 a month. Sadly, we lost him five years ago.