Comments on: Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition! http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/ A Psychic Medium's view on people, politics, paranormal, and Pop-Tarts. Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:52:53 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Health care -- how do we move forward http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-491 Health care -- how do we move forward Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:25:24 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-491 Source: Economic Policy Institute Many leading policy makers, including President Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, have argued that the creation of a public insurance plan is a necessary part of comprehensive U.S. health care reform. http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/pm141/ Really? Here are the author's main points: 1) Introduce competition to previously limited markets 2) Reduce costs 3) Drive quality advancement and innovation 4) Serve as a benchmark for the insurance industry Again, I say really? 1) They can create competition without essentially nationalizing health care (by the way how is nationalization competition). If there is an enforceable individual mandate then the issues of adverse selection will be eliminated. Small employers, rural employers and individuals will be able to purchase health care at what are effectively group rates just as large employers do. 2) Public plans (Medicare and Medicaid) reduce costs because they have the legislative power to do so, but don't. SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) has called for a reduction in physician reimbursement every year for the past several and the Congress over rode the reduction in all but one year. Currently they would have to reduce the rate 21% to meet the formula. They won't politics and political interest groups will prevail. And by the way, the providers make up for what they perceive as public plan shortfalls by charging private plans substantially more. 3) Quality advancement and innovation are products of free enterprise, involvement of multiple viewpoints and the opportunity to profit from hard work and creativity. Are government bureaucracies creative? I will let you answer that question (think US Mail vs.Fedex) 4) As far as serving as a benchmark, Medicare pays significantly less than commercial plans. Has this lower cost benchmark caused insurance rates to fall? www.ilovebenefits.wordpress.com Source: Economic Policy Institute

Many leading policy makers, including President Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, have argued that the creation of a public insurance plan is a necessary part of comprehensive U.S. health care reform.

http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/pm141/

Really? Here are the author’s main points:

1) Introduce competition to previously limited markets

2) Reduce costs

3) Drive quality advancement and innovation

4) Serve as a benchmark for the insurance industry

Again, I say really?

1) They can create competition without essentially nationalizing health care (by the way how is nationalization competition). If there is an enforceable individual mandate then the issues of adverse selection will be eliminated. Small employers, rural employers and individuals will be able to purchase health care at what are effectively group rates just as large employers do.

2) Public plans (Medicare and Medicaid) reduce costs because they have the legislative power to do so, but don’t. SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) has called for a reduction in physician reimbursement every year for the past several and the Congress over rode the reduction in all but one year. Currently they would have to reduce the rate 21% to meet the formula. They won’t politics and political interest groups will prevail. And by the way, the providers make up for what they perceive as public plan shortfalls by charging private plans substantially more.

3) Quality advancement and innovation are products of free enterprise, involvement of multiple viewpoints and the opportunity to profit from hard work and creativity. Are government bureaucracies creative? I will let you answer that question (think US Mail vs.Fedex)

4) As far as serving as a benchmark, Medicare pays significantly less than commercial plans. Has this lower cost benchmark caused insurance rates to fall?

http://www.ilovebenefits.wordpress.com

]]> By: dawtch http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-436 dawtch Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:03:35 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-436 Having been on Medicade as a young (17 years old), pregnant female, I can tell you it’s not worth it. To begin with, you’re treated differently. Both attitudewise, and care wise. Granted some people just don’t care, but regardless of who you are, you have a right to be treated like a person, which treatment really ceases when the dreaded “welfare” payment form is uttered. In addition, once that IS uttered, the standard of care decreases dramaticlly. I've been pregnant on Medicare & pregnant with private insurance, trust me, it's apples to oranges....The medicare was many years ago, and only for a short time, and it was a case of true need. But it colored my view of people in general. Even other patients look down on the welfare recipient. Do I think everyone deserves medical care? Most certainly. Do I think government has the answer? Most certainly not. In order for healthcare costs to be reduced, we have to go back to the source of the ridiculous costs. Is it people not paying? In part. But more than that, it is a group of arrogant, greedy, self-serving people. Who are these people you ask..? Well, they are the people who run the universities. Betcha didn’t see that coming, didja? But let’s look at this from a new angle. Why does it cost such ridiculous amounts of money to attend college? JUST TO GO! You’re talking 5 to 6 figures just for the honor of setting foot in the building. Doesn’t include books, lodging, food, recreation (entirely necessary). If our physicians weren’t having to start their adult, professional lives so deep in debt they really can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, they wouldn’t have to charge such exorbitant fees. They wouldn’t be afraid to offer care at prices people could afford. Once the fees decrease, the insurance companies could lower the cost of policies. Employers could offer more & better coverage. Self-employed could afford coverage - or even - Goddess forbid - not need coverage, just PAY FOR THEIR CARE. Oh yeah, we need to look at malpractice practices, also. Doctors are HUMAN. They make mistakes. You know this when you go to them. When you walk into a location & ASK FOR HELP, you should be thankful that help is available. I’m pretty sure there aren’t many doctors out there intentionally causing harm to people…so why is it ok to hold this profession to a higher standard? Expect PERFECTION from them..? If a utility worker makes an error and paints the yellow line crooked, and someone has a wreck & kills someone else, is the utility worker to blame? Or is the driver who ignored common sense to drive in a manner he KNEW to be incorrect? What happened to taking responsibility for one’s actions? Today, everything is someone else’s fault, and everyone expects someone else to fix what they broke, with a smile on their face and a willingness to continue follow them around cleaning up their messes… ahem... bb dawtch Having been on Medicade as a young (17 years old), pregnant female, I can tell you it’s not worth it. To begin with, you’re treated differently. Both attitudewise, and care wise. Granted some people just don’t care, but regardless of who you are, you have a right to be treated like a person, which treatment really ceases when the dreaded “welfare” payment form is uttered. In addition, once that IS uttered, the standard of care decreases dramaticlly. I’ve been pregnant on Medicare & pregnant with private insurance, trust me, it’s apples to oranges….The medicare was many years ago, and only for a short time, and it was a case of true need. But it colored my view of people in general. Even other patients look down on the welfare recipient.
Do I think everyone deserves medical care? Most certainly. Do I think government has the answer? Most certainly not. In order for healthcare costs to be reduced, we have to go back to the source of the ridiculous costs. Is it people not paying? In part. But more than that, it is a group of arrogant, greedy, self-serving people. Who are these people you ask..? Well, they are the people who run the universities. Betcha didn’t see that coming, didja? But let’s look at this from a new angle. Why does it cost such ridiculous amounts of money to attend college? JUST TO GO! You’re talking 5 to 6 figures just for the honor of setting foot in the building. Doesn’t include books, lodging, food, recreation (entirely necessary). If our physicians weren’t having to start their adult, professional lives so deep in debt they really can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, they wouldn’t have to charge such exorbitant fees. They wouldn’t be afraid to offer care at prices people could afford. Once the fees decrease, the insurance companies could lower the cost of policies. Employers could offer more & better coverage. Self-employed could afford coverage – or even – Goddess forbid – not need coverage, just PAY FOR THEIR CARE.
Oh yeah, we need to look at malpractice practices, also. Doctors are HUMAN. They make mistakes. You know this when you go to them. When you walk into a location & ASK FOR HELP, you should be thankful that help is available. I’m pretty sure there aren’t many doctors out there intentionally causing harm to people…so why is it ok to hold this profession to a higher standard? Expect PERFECTION from them..? If a utility worker makes an error and paints the yellow line crooked, and someone has a wreck & kills someone else, is the utility worker to blame? Or is the driver who ignored common sense to drive in a manner he KNEW to be incorrect? What happened to taking responsibility for one’s actions? Today, everything is someone else’s fault, and everyone expects someone else to fix what they broke, with a smile on their face and a willingness to continue follow them around cleaning up their messes…
ahem…
bb
dawtch

]]> By: matt http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-433 matt Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:17:21 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-433 This blog's great!! Thanks :). This blog’s great!! Thanks :) .

]]> By: Topics about Facebook » Archive » Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition! http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-432 Topics about Facebook » Archive » Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition! Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:02:18 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-432 [...] Car Loans Best Choice put an intriguing blog post on Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition!Here’s a quick excerptSend a personal email and include a link to the website, update your Facebook status to tell people about the campaign, write a blog post… [...] [...] Car Loans Best Choice put an intriguing blog post on Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition!Here’s a quick excerptSend a personal email and include a link to the website, update your Facebook status to tell people about the campaign, write a blog post… [...]

]]> By: Conspirama http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-431 Conspirama Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:45:04 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-431 <strong>Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition ......</strong> Posted in 1 | Tagged psychic medium, politics, life, health, Chandler, Arizona, events, family, psychic, pennsylvania, spirituality, news, random, philadelphia, spiritual, tempe, gilbert, scottsdale, berwyn, west chester, paoli, ...... Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition ……

Posted in 1 | Tagged psychic medium, politics, life, health, Chandler, Arizona, events, family, psychic, pennsylvania, spirituality, news, random, philadelphia, spiritual, tempe, gilbert, scottsdale, berwyn, west chester, paoli, ……

]]> By: Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition! http://rickywood.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/howard-dean-draws-a-line-in-the-sand-sign-the-healthcare-petition/#comment-430 Howard Dean Draws a Line in the Sand. Sign the Healthcare Petition! Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:29:22 +0000 http://rickywood.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-430 [...] Original post by bchboy1 [...] [...] Original post by bchboy1 [...]

]]>