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Originally Posted by TheSpecialist
I seriously hope they demolish it.
Jim I have a question for you, if the government can regulate say utility costs and such why don't they come up with a blueprint for medical costs. I saw that when I had surgery what was billed out by the hospital and doctors, and what was paid by the insurance was a big discrepancy. It also shows just how much the medical industry over charges if they can settle for the rates they agreed to with the insurance companies. Why not have a blue book of rates for everything across the board. They could divide the country into regions and have different prices for different regions. I think that would be a prudent step in controlling healthcare costs. when their costs go up let them have a hearing and ask for a rate increase?
Could this work?
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Specialist, I'm no expert on healthcare, it is a very complicated issue, and I know very little...
States currently DO regulate the costs of health insurance. Health insurance companies need to get their rates approves by state insurance departments.
That aside, I just don't know how we control these costs. The cost of providing quality care are so high, I just don't see how you contain it. People want the best care, and that cutting-edge technoogy is very expensive.
Today, most doctors will tell you that they lose money when they treat Medicare/Medicaid patients, because the pathetic reimibursements provided by the gov't simply doesn't cover the costs of the care provided. How do you solve that problem? Beats the heck out of me.
I also know that Medicare is in the red by tens and tens of trillions of dollars (that's trillions with a "t"). And the baby boomers will make that much, much, much worse. What's the answer to that problem? Beats me. Should we bankrupt our kids and grandkids so that all the baby boomers can live an extra 6 months? But what's the alternative? To pull the plug on all these people? How do you begin to solve these problems?
"Why not have a blue book of rates for everything across the board."
I think that's how medicare works. And the rates are not sufficient to cover the costs of the care. Here's part of the problem. If you have one politician who wants to set the rates at a level that covers the costs of the care, plus a reasonable profit for the doctor. You then have another politician who promises to cut those rates in half...he knows that's stupid, but he wants to get elected. That crap works, those promises get people elected, which is why cops get to retire at age 45 with insane pensions. You simply cannot leave these decisions to politicians who care more about getting re-elected than they care about doing the right thing.
Specialist, the Baby Boomers will VERY SOON force the rest of us to figure this out. Do we literally bankrupt ourselves to extend their lives by every day possible?
Beats me.
Starting January 1, 2011, TEN THOUSAND BOOMERS A DAY started turning 65. 10,000 a day. That will continue for 15 years.
I don't pretent to know the answer. But I do know for a certainty that we are in serious, serious trouble. This could literally bankrupt us. Medicare is tens of trillions in the red, and the boomers have barely begun to turn 65. I read that today, 50% of a person's healthcare costs are incurred in the last 6 months of one's life. Think of what that means when the baby boobers really start getting old and sick by the tens of millions. We can't possibly cover that expense, but I don't even like to consider the alternative.
All I know is this. I have 3 boys. I sure as hell don't want them to have to sell their houses to keep me alive for 6 more months when I'm 80 years old.
Where do we get, say, $50 trillion more to pay for the care that the baby boomers will need? Do the math. It's not possible, it just isn't. And that's exactly what we are facing.