Do the Homeless Get Free Medical Treatment at American Hospitals?

[RyanKCR]

Robert Maxwell wrote:

---

All I can say is, you've been very fortunate in your experiences.

He's not alone. I've done the same many times and I know many people who are able to do the same.

[Robert Maxwell]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

He's not alone. I've done the same many times and I know many people who are able to do the same.

What do you want me to say? "Good for you"? Is that your argument against universal coverage? I'm not buying it.

You are lucky that it works for you, and it's certainly fortunate for those who can get by purely on cash, but that is not everyone, and we shouldn't leave them out in the cold just because you are already taken care of.

By that logic, I shouldn't want any changes at all, because I already have coverage, so why should I give a shit about anyone else?

The level of selfishness on display by opponents of universal coverage really is astonishing sometimes.

[RyanKCR]

Robert Maxwell wrote:

---

What do you want me to say? "Good for you"? Is that your argument against universal coverage? I'm not buying it.

You are lucky that it works for you, and it's certainly fortunate for those who can get by purely on cash, but that is not everyone, and we shouldn't leave them out in the cold just because you are already taken care of.

By that logic, I shouldn't want any changes at all, because I already have coverage, so why should I give a shit about anyone else?

The level of selfishness on display by opponents of universal coverage really is astonishing sometimes.

Who said I was taken care of? Ever since the ACA was passed my costs and many other people's costs have risen considerably. How is that helping? UHC will make things worse quality wise. If things are expensive now they will be outragously so with UHC.

[J. Allen]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

Who said I was taken care of? Ever since the ACA was passed my costs and many other people's costs have risen considerably. How is that helping? UHC will make things worse quality wise. If things are expensive now they will be outragously so with UHC.

It's not Universal Healthcare. Also, it's still going into effect. Your increasing costs aren't being caused by that.

[nightwind1]

Santa Hooves wrote:

---

It's not Universal Healthcare. Also, it's still going into effect. Your increasing costs aren't being caused by that.

Exactly.

I think their costs are going up because of all of the people taking advantage of "free" healthcare, and the healthcare providers jacking prices to make up for it.

[RyanKCR]

nightwind1 wrote:

---

Exactly.

I think their costs are going up because of all of the people taking advantage of "free" healthcare, and the healthcare providers jacking prices to make up for it.

Not really.

[J. Allen]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

Not really.

How dare they insure young, healthy people against the future, where they may develop health problems that come with older age! Why, that's almost the entire purpose of health insurance!

Seriously, the article states that benefits will improve for young people, though at the same time, rates may rise for some. You know what that money will do? Help you. You know, because you'll be in the same system. It's just common sense.

[RyanKCR]

Santa Hooves wrote:

---

How dare they insure young, healthy people against the future, where they may develop health problems that come with older age! Why, that's almost the entire purpose of health insurance!

Seriously, the article states that benefits will improve for young people, though at the same time, rates may rise for some. You know what that money will do? Help you. You know, because you'll be in the same system. It's just common sense.

A system I can barely afford and may soon not be able to afford. Again I ask how is that a good thing? Did you notice how the article does not address people in my situation?

[J. Allen]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

A system I can barely afford and may soon not be able to afford. Again I ask how is that a good thing? Did you notice how the article does not address people in my situation?

Because the article is about healthy, young people. Are you either of these things?

[RyanKCR]

Santa Hooves wrote:

---

Because the article is about healthy, young people. Are you either of these things?

And that's the point. ACA will screw over people like me and families with children like me.

[Robert Maxwell]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

And that's the point. ACA will screw over people like me and families with children like me.

How? Provide actual details, otherwise I'm calling bullshit.

[nightwind1]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

And that's the point. ACA will screw over people like me and families with children like me.

Let's see something that shows that definitively, rather than just your imagination.

[J. Allen]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

And that's the point. ACA will screw over people like me and families with children like me.

Post proof or retract, please.

[teya]

RyanKCR wrote:

---

And that's the point. ACA will screw over people like me and families with children like me.

No, it won't. You'll be eligible for insurance thru the exchanges.

As will I, when I retire at 60. And retirement at 60 means I can work the day job remotely from my farm, start my business on my farm, and produce a few jobs. Not a lot of jobs, but a few in an area that desperately needs every job it can produce.

I know quite a few people who plan to take the skills they've gained through a lifetime of working for someone else & start a business of their own. Few of us make it to 60 without a pre-existing condition that makes us uninsurable on the open market.

With a true universal healthcare system, we wouldn't be tied to those employers & would have been able to start our businesses earlier.

As for providers raising prices now... I've only heard anecdotal evidence on that. So I'll provide anecdotal evidence to the contrary: although 60 percent of our contracts are commercial & pay us on percentage of charges, we raised rates this year only on procedures where our charges were less than what Medicare pays or where the charge for a given procedure was inconsistent across the system. There's no reason a CT done in one location in a hospital system should be cheaper than the one done across the street. The patient doesn't get the choice of what scanner they're scheduled in, so charge discrepancies are unfair to the patient.

[Robert Maxwell]

teya wrote:

---

No, it won't. You'll be eligible for insurance thru the exchanges.

As will I, when I retire at 60. And retirement at 60 means I can work the day job remotely from my farm, start my business on my farm, and produce a few jobs. Not a lot of jobs, but a few in an area that desperately needs every job it can produce.

I know quite a few people who plan to take the skills they've gained through a lifetime of working for someone else & start a business of their own. Few of us make it to 60 without a pre-existing condition that makes us uninsurable on the open market.

With a true universal healthcare system, we wouldn't be tied to those employers & would have been able to start our businesses earlier.

As for providers raising prices now... I've only heard anecdotal evidence on that. So I'll provide anecdotal evidence to the contrary: although 60 percent of our contracts are commercial & pay us on percentage of charges, we raised rates this year only on procedures where our charges were less than what Medicare pays or where the charge for a given procedure was inconsistent across the system. There's no reason a CT done in one location in a hospital system should be cheaper than the one done across the street. The patient doesn't get the choice of what scanner they're scheduled in, so charge discrepancies are unfair to the patient.

Here's my anecdata: I've had my employer-provided policy come up for renewal a couple times since Obamacare was passed. My employer doesn't cover very much of it, so any increases are felt by me pretty directly. Without giving exact amounts, here's how my insurance costs increased each year since 2009:

2010: 12.6% increase over 2009
2011: 15.5% increase over 2010 (a lot of that due to a switch to another insurance company)
2012: 7.8% increase over 2011

No word yet on what the 2013 rates will be like, though the rumblings I hear indicate it won't be a steep increase. Talking to my fellow employees, they were seeing at least 10%+ increases every year before Obamacare, too.

All that's happening now is insurers jacking up rates and blaming Obamacare for it, when in reality they'd have raised the rates regardless because that's the way the industry is going, for a whole host of reasons. I'm not saying the Affordable Care Act has had no impact on rates, but to singlehandedly blame them for all recent-year rate increases is just pure hogwash.