Destroying Healthcare in America

[clemgrad85]

Originally Posted by davidra

Yeah, the problem is easily seen in your characterization of "catastrophic illness" versus "daily doctor visits" as being the only kind of health care costs. That's fine, but you just don't see the very high percentage of people that don't fall into either category. Let me give you a few scenarios that happen every day millions of times.

Your moronic teenage son falls off his skateboard and hits his head. He is taken to the emergency room. He is evaluated with an MRI, which is normal, a skull film, which is normal, some routine blood work, and because he is drowsy it's determined that he needs to stay in observation overnight. Is that a catastrophe? Wanna guess what it would cost you out of pocket? Somewhere north of $5000....for one night's care. So you pony up out of your HSA account to cover the costs. While at the hospital you partake of some fine hospital food but after getting home you suddenly develop explosive diarrhea that won't stop. You continue to drink fluids but your temperature goes up and you have to go back to the ER yourself. While there you are given fluids, cultures of your stool are taken, you get multiple blood cultures and blood work done, and because your diarrhea hasn't stopped you have to be admitted right next to your son for at least 24 hours of observation. Pony up another $5K. Now....when are you going to negotiation prices for this treatment? From the commode? I guess you think things like this don't happen very often to people. Guess what? Every ER is full of people just like this, generating huge bills that they would not be able to pay without insurance. The vast majority of health care costs are generated not in catastrophic care or simple outpatient visits, but everything in between. And most people just cannot afford that care. That's why everything needs to be covered, however that can be accomplished...public, private, however. And this coverage must be combined with cost controls based on using only effective treatments and testing. That is the way to control costs, not tort reform, not insurance reform. Those are smokescreens.

Well good doc.....you apparently don't understand how an HSA plan works. Using your example of my "moronic teeanage son", once he hits the $4000 deductible, the remaining $1000 will be paid at 100%. Next, when I have to go back to the hospital after eating their "fine food" (I wonder if this is a ploy of theirs?) and I have that $5000 ER expense, guess how much I will pay? I'll help you doc, the answer is $0 because I hit the family deductible when my moronic teenage son hit the family deductible. Now, let's say later in the same year, I have back surgery and have to stay one night in the hospital (will try and avoid their food as much as possible this time) and they send me a bill for $17,485.52....can you guess how much of that I'll pay? Yes....you are catching on, $0! The anethesiologist sends me a bill for $1500....how much? $0. Oh, I went for pain medication after the surgery, how much of that will I pay? $0! Now, my wife twists her knee later in the same year and goes to a specialist and gets charged $300 for the visit and probably another $300 for crutches....how much will she pay? $0!

So....all of that was paid for from meeting the family deductible of $4000....my total out of pocket expense for a son's head injury, my ER visit, my back surgery and one night in the hospital and my wife's knee issue. I'm not surprised you don't understand how the HSA plan works, most of the doctors I talk to don't understand it either, they just want their money. How about take some time to understand how it works before you discuss how bad it is?

I will agree with you that not everyone should be on these plans....but....many people should be. I think a wealthy doctor such as yourself would be a prime candidate for it. You could actually save money....but....since you are a liberal, you aren't really interested in saving money as you'd rather complain and, of course, blame it all on George Bush.

[Micael]

Aren't all teenage sons "moronic"? Shouldn't they have special deductible?