I know this is simple but.. who gets cancer most: smokers or non-smokers?

[Old Rocks]

Who gets cancer most? Perhaps that question would be better phrased as "Who gets LUNG cancer most?" Or, "Who gets ESOPHAGEAL cancer most?'' Then again, many smoke for decades and die cancer free at an elderly age. I believe that our deaths are partly pre-destined.

Yes, genetics often predisposes many to cancers or other problems.

So do we do genetic testing for these predisposition markers and charge accordingly for insurance?

Rather than that, let us go to a full Universal Health Care system so that we can do the genetic testing, catch the cancers at the curable stage, and have the citizen capable of many more years of productive life.

 

[DaGoose]

Who gets cancer most? Perhaps that question would be better phrased as "Who gets LUNG cancer most?" Or, "Who gets ESOPHAGEAL cancer most?'' Then again, many smoke for decades and die cancer free at an elderly age. I believe that our deaths are partly pre-destined.

Yes, genetics often predisposes many to cancers or other problems.

So do we do genetic testing for these predisposition markers and charge accordingly for insurance?

Rather than that, let us go to a full Universal Health Care system so that we can do the genetic testing, catch the cancers at the curable stage, and have the citizen capable of many more years of productive life.

THAT'S the big thing......preventive health care. It's key to saving lives and would greatly reduce the amount of money spent on health care if everyone had access to it.

 

[Seawytch]

I hear the incidence is unusually high among union workers; especially. shop stewards.

but hey! the ******* unions have exemptions..a favored status don'tyaknow?

And the ******* unions have good health insurance.

Yeah, my union policy is pretty good...but not as good as my socialist military one.

 

[healthmyths]

It seems there is absolutely no way to avoid some of your healthcare dollar going to pay for someone else's illness.

LOOK As I've said as an expert in Medicare the MAJOR the largest contributor to health care costs has been MEDICARE!

HOW many people are aware that Medicare ACCEPTS 6,000% markups from hospitals BECAUSE Medicare KNOWS hospitals pad and pass on the expenses hospitals incurred because of THIS stupid law passed in 1986!

in 1986 Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. Section 1867 of the Social Security Act imposes specific obligations on Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services to provide a medical screening examination (MSE) when a request is made for examination or treatment for an emergency medical condition (EMC), including active labor, regardless of an individual's ability to pay. Hospitals are then required t provide stabilizing treatment for patients with EMCs. If a hospital is unable to stabilize a patient"

THIS was NO big deal in 1986!
BUT over time hospitals continued to PAD and pass on these expenses in the form of overcharging Medicare!
I as an expert in Medicare have access to a data base of ALL claims paid by Medicare to Hospitals and the COST the hospitals incurred!

For example a hospital in Tampa billed Medicare:
for 2,110 claims for "CAT scan no contrast" at per claim of $2,635
Hospitals cost: $43
MARKUP: 6,127.91%

SO HOW IN THE HELL CAN AN ENTITY LIKE THE GOVT. THAT ACCEPTS 6,000% MARKUPS BE CAPABLE OF RUNNING THE ENTIRE HEALTH SYSTEM???

 

[bitterlyclingin]

If you live long enough without dying from heart disease or related events, youre going to die from cancer. Its like a computer program, only its in the DNA in your red and white blood cells, breast tissue, colon and small intestine, testicles and brain.
That opens the way for the question of "Who did more for their country or their world, those youngsters forever, buried in the American Cemetary at Colleville sur Mer, or the nonegenarian who dies a non descript death of kidney, heart disease, or cancer?
"Greater love hath no man than one who lays down his life for another"
You could almost say that living an uneventful life only to die at ninety is a most selfish act.
Anybody tried to order a brand new Sturm Ruger firearm lately? Long waits, Huhh?

 

[Dick Tuck]

Many have no idea of how insurance works.

Oh yeah, well who gets pregnant more, men or women?

 

[NYcarbineer]

We have always paid for Health Insurance for the uninsured, difference now is the astronomical cost. Tort reform could go a long way for reducing the cost. Trial lawyers a/k/a ambulance chasers have raised health care costs 10 fold over the last 40 years.

Heck when my oldest child was born, I didn't need health insurance, I could afford to (and did) pay the cost of the doctor and the hospital. It was a whole $350.00. Can't do that today.

Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.

Doctors don't want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can pass the savings along to you. They want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can buy bigger boats.

Wake up.

 

[Vidi]

It seems there is absolutely no way to avoid some of your healthcare dollar going to pay for someone else's illness.

LOOK As I've said as an expert in Medicare the MAJOR the largest contributor to health care costs has been MEDICARE!

HOW many people are aware that Medicare ACCEPTS 6,000% markups from hospitals BECAUSE Medicare KNOWS hospitals pad and pass on the expenses hospitals incurred because of THIS stupid law passed in 1986!

in 1986 Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. Section 1867 of the Social Security Act imposes specific obligations on Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services to provide a medical screening examination (MSE) when a request is made for examination or treatment for an emergency medical condition (EMC), including active labor, regardless of an individual's ability to pay. Hospitals are then required t provide stabilizing treatment for patients with EMCs. If a hospital is unable to stabilize a patient"

THIS was NO big deal in 1986!
BUT over time hospitals continued to PAD and pass on these expenses in the form of overcharging Medicare!
I as an expert in Medicare have access to a data base of ALL claims paid by Medicare to Hospitals and the COST the hospitals incurred!

For example a hospital in Tampa billed Medicare:
for 2,110 claims for "CAT scan no contrast" at per claim of $2,635
Hospitals cost: $43
MARKUP: 6,127.91%

SO HOW IN THE HELL CAN AN ENTITY LIKE THE GOVT. THAT ACCEPTS 6,000% MARKUPS BE CAPABLE OF RUNNING THE ENTIRE HEALTH SYSTEM???

I'm not disputing your post, but saying your an expert in something behind the anonymity of the Internet is futile and stupid.

I'm an expert in carbon dating, yeast management and watch making. Prove me wrong.

 

[Katzndogz]

This is a question I have long pondered. So many of my old friends are dead now, mostly taken by cancer. All of them lifelong non-smokers. The ones who smoked are still alive and puffing away. Not only still alive, but in remarkably good health with no chronic diseases.

 

[Dick Tuck]

We have always paid for Health Insurance for the uninsured, difference now is the astronomical cost. Tort reform could go a long way for reducing the cost. Trial lawyers a/k/a ambulance chasers have raised health care costs 10 fold over the last 40 years.

Heck when my oldest child was born, I didn't need health insurance, I could afford to (and did) pay the cost of the doctor and the hospital. It was a whole $350.00. Can't do that today.

Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.

Doctors don't want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can pass the savings along to you. They want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can buy bigger boats.

Wake up.

I'm still amazed that so-called conservatives favor limited liability, and spit on the constitution.

But you're correct in your numbers. It's about 2%, and that 2% is the result of medical stupidity by a small handful of doctors. If the right wing is so set on limiting damages, to the victims of malpractice, why aren't they fighting for national licensing?

 

[healthmyths]

We have always paid for Health Insurance for the uninsured, difference now is the astronomical cost. Tort reform could go a long way for reducing the cost. Trial lawyers a/k/a ambulance chasers have raised health care costs 10 fold over the last 40 years.

Heck when my oldest child was born, I didn't need health insurance, I could afford to (and did) pay the cost of the doctor and the hospital. It was a whole $350.00. Can't do that today.

Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.

Doctors don't want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can pass the savings along to you. They want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can buy bigger boats.

Wake up.

YOU wrote:Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.:
Then what would you call what 90% of the doctors surveyed are those $600 billion a year in duplicate tests, specialist referrals, that these doctors complain the run so as NOT to be sued ? Not to have to take time to appear in court defending their practices?
The last time I checked $600 billion is about 25% of the $2.5 trillion health care expenditures!

It is Called DEFENSIVE MEDICINE! If I hear one more idiot claim it is only 2% I'll continue to ASK why are the doctors ordering $600 billion (25%) for Defensive Medicine?

DO YOU finally understand??
This IS why Tort reform is necessary because lawyers making $100 billion a year from health lawsuits FORCE doctors to practice DEFENSIVE MEDICINE out of FEAR of lawsuits!

DO YOU GET IT through you head... It's not malpractice premiums DUMMY!
IT's $600 billion in DEFENSIVE MEDICINE!!!

 

[healthmyths]

We have always paid for Health Insurance for the uninsured, difference now is the astronomical cost. Tort reform could go a long way for reducing the cost. Trial lawyers a/k/a ambulance chasers have raised health care costs 10 fold over the last 40 years.

Heck when my oldest child was born, I didn't need health insurance, I could afford to (and did) pay the cost of the doctor and the hospital. It was a whole $350.00. Can't do that today.

Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.

Doctors don't want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can pass the savings along to you. They want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can buy bigger boats.

Wake up.

I'm still amazed that so-called conservatives favor limited liability, and spit on the constitution.

But you're correct in your numbers. It's about 2%, and that 2% is the result of medical stupidity by a small handful of doctors. If the right wing is so set on limiting damages, to the victims of malpractice, why aren't they fighting for national licensing?

AGAIN like so many ignorant people regarding health care you are NOT knowledgeable about costs.
I am an expert as every day I get 10,000+ requests specifically checking if providers will get paid by Medicare so UNLIIKE YOU I KNOW what I'm writing about!
DEFENSIVE MEDICINE constitutes 25% of the $2.5 trillion ---$600 Billion a year!
90% of doctors surveyed SAID they bill $1 of every $4 purely out of fear of being sued!
YET idiots like YOU DON'T even take the time to find out this $600 billion a year is a major contributor!

YOU also are obviously totally ignorant as to the nearly $100 billion a year in Medicare waste fraud and ABUSE and THAT drives health care costs up!
YOU have NO idea evidently that some hospitals OVERCHARGE Medicare by 6,000% and Medicare ACCEPTS that.. i.e. waste .. ABUSE .

AGAIN you are totally IGNORANT about EMTALA! Again use the internet and LEARN
what stupid law passed in 1986 has created this $100 billion a year in Medicare WASTE!

 

[Dick Tuck]

Malpractice and tort related issues are 2% of the cost and even tort reform would never recover all of that.

Doctors don't want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can pass the savings along to you. They want malpractice insurance costs lowered so they can buy bigger boats.

Wake up.

I'm still amazed that so-called conservatives favor limited liability, and spit on the constitution.

But you're correct in your numbers. It's about 2%, and that 2% is the result of medical stupidity by a small handful of doctors. If the right wing is so set on limiting damages, to the victims of malpractice, why aren't they fighting for national licensing?

AGAIN like so many ignorant people regarding health care you are NOT knowledgeable about costs.
I am an expert as every day I get 10,000+ requests specifically checking if providers will get paid by Medicare so UNLIIKE YOU I KNOW what I'm writing about!
DEFENSIVE MEDICINE constitutes 25% of the $2.5 trillion ---$600 Billion a year!
90% of doctors surveyed SAID they bill $1 of every $4 purely out of fear of being sued!
YET idiots like YOU DON'T even take the time to find out this $600 billion a year is a major contributor!

YOU also are obviously totally ignorant as to the nearly $100 billion a year in Medicare waste fraud and ABUSE and THAT drives health care costs up!
YOU have NO idea evidently that some hospitals OVERCHARGE Medicare by 6,000% and Medicare ACCEPTS that.. i.e. waste .. ABUSE .

AGAIN you are totally IGNORANT about EMTALA! Again use the internet and LEARN
what stupid law passed in 1986 has created this $100 billion a year in Medicare WASTE!

10,000+ a day? How do you find time to screw around on the internet?

BTW, I spent my career in the medical systems field. Defensive medicine is a joke. When you replace that so called "preventive" crap with best practice, those claims go way down. I suggest that you, being the expert that you claim to be, look at how Bethesda Navy Medical's Breast Cancer Clinic both reduced costs and reduced malpractice. It was with best practice combined with informatics that ensured follow-up.

Since you claim to be an expert, you ought to know that "failure to follow up" is clear winner of what leads to malpractice. Second is shitty handwriting. Lab results come back, and the doc doesn't let the patient know the next step. It's not rocket science. Bad prescriptions regarding dose and drug, are a distant second.

 

[healthmyths]

I strongly encourage those of you that are really interested to UNDERSTAND Medicare go to this web site: https://www.cms.gov/IdentifiableDataFiles/downloads/sasIDmedpar.pdf

FREE Information regarding Medicare expenses claims,etc...
For example you will find that
# of Medicare Ave.claim hospital
Hospital Outpatient Medicare paid service claims amount cost Overcharged!
Univ. Community Hospital CAT scan no contrast 2,110 $2,635 $43 6,127.91%

NOW if YOU are happy with the government that gladly paid this specific hospital $5.4 million MORE then (6,127%) YOU will LOVE OBAMACARE!!!

 

[Dick Tuck]

I strongly encourage those of you that are really interested to UNDERSTAND Medicare go to this web site: https://www.cms.gov/IdentifiableDataFiles/downloads/sasIDmedpar.pdf

FREE Information regarding Medicare expenses claims,etc...
For example you will find that
# of Medicare Ave.claim hospital
Hospital Outpatient Medicare paid service claims amount cost Overcharged!
Univ. Community Hospital CAT scan no contrast 2,110 $2,635 $43 6,127.91%

NOW if YOU are happy with the government that gladly paid this specific hospital $5.4 million MORE then (6,127%) YOU will LOVE OBAMACARE!!!

Your numbers make zero sense.

 

[healthmyths]

I'm still amazed that so-called conservatives favor limited liability, and spit on the constitution.

But you're correct in your numbers. It's about 2%, and that 2% is the result of medical stupidity by a small handful of doctors. If the right wing is so set on limiting damages, to the victims of malpractice, why aren't they fighting for national licensing?

AGAIN like so many ignorant people regarding health care you are NOT knowledgeable about costs.
I am an expert as every day I get 10,000+ requests specifically checking if providers will get paid by Medicare so UNLIIKE YOU I KNOW what I'm writing about!
DEFENSIVE MEDICINE constitutes 25% of the $2.5 trillion ---$600 Billion a year!
90% of doctors surveyed SAID they bill $1 of every $4 purely out of fear of being sued!
YET idiots like YOU DON'T even take the time to find out this $600 billion a year is a major contributor!

YOU also are obviously totally ignorant as to the nearly $100 billion a year in Medicare waste fraud and ABUSE and THAT drives health care costs up!
YOU have NO idea evidently that some hospitals OVERCHARGE Medicare by 6,000% and Medicare ACCEPTS that.. i.e. waste .. ABUSE .

AGAIN you are totally IGNORANT about EMTALA! Again use the internet and LEARN
what stupid law passed in 1986 has created this $100 billion a year in Medicare WASTE!

10,000+ a day? How do you find time to screw around on the internet?

BTW, I spent my career in the medical systems field. Preventive medicine is a joke. When you replace that so called "preventive" crap with best practice, those claims go way down. I suggest that you, being the expert that you claim to be, look at how Bethesda Navy Medical's Breast Cancer Clinic both reduced costs and reduced malpractice. It was with best practice.

Since you claim to be an expert, you ought to know that "failure to follow up" is clear winner of what leads to malpractice. Second is shitty handwriting. Lab results come back, and the doc doesn't let the patient know the next step. It's not rocket science. Bad prescriptions regarding dose and drug, are a distant second.

Obviously you are still too dumb to know there are computer systems I designed that do these 10,000+ inquiries a day the word is "automatically"!


AND obviously YOU NEVER heard of "six sigma" which goes way over your head right?
ISO 9000 standards mean nothing to you obviously!
A) Bethesda Eligible Department of Defense beneficiaries, including patients 65 years and older. NOT MEDICARE!
B) ""failure to follow up" shitty handwriting??? GEEZ YOU'VE NEVER heard of EMR???
Obviously if you are that dumb to think I do verifications manually and YOU think "shitty handwriting" is still the major cause... GEEZ I hope you are retired!

YOU obviously love Lawyers. Love the fact they MADE $100 billion a year in fees almost all related to health care!
So you also obviously HATED tanning salons and were happy Obamacare slapped those evil tanning cancer causers with a 10% tax...That is an absolute LAUGHER!!!

BECAUSE lawyers PAID Obama/Congress in 2008 alone $300 million WE DON"T see any Tort reform in Obamacare!
We don't see any 10% tax on lawyers i.e. $10 billion a year THAT could have funded completely the insurance premiums for the truly ONLY 8 million truly needy "uninsured"
BUT of course YOU still ignorantly think there were 50 million Uninsured even though
10 million were not citizens, 14 million already covered by Medicaid and 18 million that are under age 34, could afford (make over $50,000 a year) BUT DIDN"T want their employer or to buy UN NEEDED health insurance!
YET idiots like YOU included them so wrongly along with the 10 million non citizens and 14 million already covered.. CHANGED 98.5% of all Americans HEALTH system for just 1.5%! Dumb!

 

[Big Black Dog]

Silly question. It's like asking "Who gets into auto accidents the most often, drivers or non-drivers?"

 

[Vidi]

AGAIN like so many ignorant people regarding health care you are NOT knowledgeable about costs.
I am an expert as every day I get 10,000+ requests specifically checking if providers will get paid by Medicare so UNLIIKE YOU I KNOW what I'm writing about!
DEFENSIVE MEDICINE constitutes 25% of the $2.5 trillion ---$600 Billion a year!
90% of doctors surveyed SAID they bill $1 of every $4 purely out of fear of being sued!
YET idiots like YOU DON'T even take the time to find out this $600 billion a year is a major contributor!

YOU also are obviously totally ignorant as to the nearly $100 billion a year in Medicare waste fraud and ABUSE and THAT drives health care costs up!
YOU have NO idea evidently that some hospitals OVERCHARGE Medicare by 6,000% and Medicare ACCEPTS that.. i.e. waste .. ABUSE .

AGAIN you are totally IGNORANT about EMTALA! Again use the internet and LEARN
what stupid law passed in 1986 has created this $100 billion a year in Medicare WASTE!

10,000+ a day? How do you find time to screw around on the internet?

BTW, I spent my career in the medical systems field. Preventive medicine is a joke. When you replace that so called "preventive" crap with best practice, those claims go way down. I suggest that you, being the expert that you claim to be, look at how Bethesda Navy Medical's Breast Cancer Clinic both reduced costs and reduced malpractice. It was with best practice.

Since you claim to be an expert, you ought to know that "failure to follow up" is clear winner of what leads to malpractice. Second is shitty handwriting. Lab results come back, and the doc doesn't let the patient know the next step. It's not rocket science. Bad prescriptions regarding dose and drug, are a distant second.

Obviously you are still too dumb to know there are computer systems I designed that do these 10,000+ inquiries a day the word is "automatically"!


AND obviously YOU NEVER heard of "six sigma" which goes way over your head right?
ISO 9000 standards mean nothing to you obviously!
A) Bethesda Eligible Department of Defense beneficiaries, including patients 65 years and older. NOT MEDICARE!
B) ""failure to follow up" shitty handwriting??? GEEZ YOU'VE NEVER heard of EMR???
Obviously if you are that dumb to think I do verifications manually and YOU think "shitty handwriting" is still the major cause... GEEZ I hope you are retired!

YOU obviously love Lawyers. Love the fact they MADE $100 billion a year in fees almost all related to health care!
So you also obviously HATED tanning salons and were happy Obamacare slapped those evil tanning cancer causers with a 10% tax...That is an absolute LAUGHER!!!

BECAUSE lawyers PAID Obama/Congress in 2008 alone $300 million WE DON"T see any Tort reform in Obamacare!
We don't see any 10% tax on lawyers i.e. $10 billion a year THAT could have funded completely the insurance premiums for the truly ONLY 8 million truly needy "uninsured"
BUT of course YOU still ignorantly think there were 50 million Uninsured even though
10 million were not citizens, 14 million already covered by Medicaid and 18 million that are under age 34, could afford (make over $50,000 a year) BUT DIDN"T want their employer or to buy UN NEEDED health insurance!
YET idiots like YOU included them so wrongly along with the 10 million non citizens and 14 million already covered.. CHANGED 98.5% of all Americans HEALTH system for just 1.5%! Dumb!

I've read all your posts in this thread and come to the conclusion that even if all of your facts and figures were 100% accurate, youre a raving lunatic. Please seek professional help. You should probably be on medication.

 

[Dante]

Who do you think pays for the cancer treatments of those who do NOT have health insurance?

not you or I?

 

[Dick Tuck]

AGAIN like so many ignorant people regarding health care you are NOT knowledgeable about costs.
I am an expert as every day I get 10,000+ requests specifically checking if providers will get paid by Medicare so UNLIIKE YOU I KNOW what I'm writing about!
DEFENSIVE MEDICINE constitutes 25% of the $2.5 trillion ---$600 Billion a year!
90% of doctors surveyed SAID they bill $1 of every $4 purely out of fear of being sued!
YET idiots like YOU DON'T even take the time to find out this $600 billion a year is a major contributor!

YOU also are obviously totally ignorant as to the nearly $100 billion a year in Medicare waste fraud and ABUSE and THAT drives health care costs up!
YOU have NO idea evidently that some hospitals OVERCHARGE Medicare by 6,000% and Medicare ACCEPTS that.. i.e. waste .. ABUSE .

AGAIN you are totally IGNORANT about EMTALA! Again use the internet and LEARN
what stupid law passed in 1986 has created this $100 billion a year in Medicare WASTE!

10,000+ a day? How do you find time to screw around on the internet?

BTW, I spent my career in the medical systems field. Preventive medicine is a joke. When you replace that so called "preventive" crap with best practice, those claims go way down. I suggest that you, being the expert that you claim to be, look at how Bethesda Navy Medical's Breast Cancer Clinic both reduced costs and reduced malpractice. It was with best practice.

Since you claim to be an expert, you ought to know that "failure to follow up" is clear winner of what leads to malpractice. Second is shitty handwriting. Lab results come back, and the doc doesn't let the patient know the next step. It's not rocket science. Bad prescriptions regarding dose and drug, are a distant second.

Obviously you are still too dumb to know there are computer systems I designed that do these 10,000+ inquiries a day the word is "automatically"!


AND obviously YOU NEVER heard of "six sigma" which goes way over your head right?
ISO 9000 standards mean nothing to you obviously!
A) Bethesda Eligible Department of Defense beneficiaries, including patients 65 years and older. NOT MEDICARE!
B) ""failure to follow up" shitty handwriting??? GEEZ YOU'VE NEVER heard of EMR???
Obviously if you are that dumb to think I do verifications manually and YOU think "shitty handwriting" is still the major cause... GEEZ I hope you are retired!

YOU obviously love Lawyers. Love the fact they MADE $100 billion a year in fees almost all related to health care!
So you also obviously HATED tanning salons and were happy Obamacare slapped those evil tanning cancer causers with a 10% tax...That is an absolute LAUGHER!!!

BECAUSE lawyers PAID Obama/Congress in 2008 alone $300 million WE DON"T see any Tort reform in Obamacare!
We don't see any 10% tax on lawyers i.e. $10 billion a year THAT could have funded completely the insurance premiums for the truly ONLY 8 million truly needy "uninsured"
BUT of course YOU still ignorantly think there were 50 million Uninsured even though
10 million were not citizens, 14 million already covered by Medicaid and 18 million that are under age 34, could afford (make over $50,000 a year) BUT DIDN"T want their employer or to buy UN NEEDED health insurance!
YET idiots like YOU included them so wrongly along with the 10 million non citizens and 14 million already covered.. CHANGED 98.5% of all Americans HEALTH system for just 1.5%! Dumb!

Well moron, perhaps your contracting officer should have picked a more intelligent service provider. People who follow best practice medicine rarely get sued.

I know there's millions of medicare/medicaid claims that you believe are "defensive medicine". I counter with my belief that they're just people trying to suck more out of the system.