Do we dare discuss the Supreme Court decision re: Healthcare

[kaycountrygal]

I am dubious re Obamacare. If I had my "druthers", I'd rather not have it... but I won't go bonkers about Supreme Court's ruling. I also do not know how it will affect my Medicare and supplemental. I think -not positive - that those of us on Medicare will eventually have less coverage; I might be wrong.

[snakemama]

Since my husband needs coverage BADLY and we can't get it due to a pre-existing condition...I'm happy. We've called over 40 places trying to get help so that my hubby can get back on his meds...which run around $1300/month without insurance...and no luck.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

One thing that concerns me is where do the illegals fit into all of this? All Americans will have to have insurance or pay a fine, so will we be still covering the illegals health care too? I am not against immagration as long as it's legal. We can't trust the US government to even control that. How can we trust them with our health coverage?

Frankly, it frighens me.

[sasvermont]

I have not a clue about illegal immigrants and how their health coverage claims get handled. Do they pay taxes? How can they if they don't have a ss#? or do they.

I know a few people who don't have insurance coverage because they just don't want any, believe it or not. They will have to pay a penalty for no coverage I just don't know how much that will be.

Having been a healthy younger person and now a "falling apart older person" I don't know what I would do without insurance. Hospital stays and proceedures are so expensive that without the coverage, I would be in the poorhouse.

Vermont has just begun the process of establishing an insurance exchange and has, as I mentioned in an ealier post, has great coverage for folks who don't make much money, income wise. They really look after the people living here. They also have Medicaid etc., but in general, Vermont government treats it's residents nicely. I think I will stay here.

I get it that people don't like to be TOLD what to do. Heck, you need to have car insurance to drive a car. You need a license to drive, too. Surprisingly enough, many people don't have either and get caught from time to time. Shame on them. I don't see why people would get worked into a lather about having to have health insurance coverage.

We shall see how this all falls out. November will be interesting.

[RICHARD]

Again,

Hospitals can charge what they want for services rendered.

Medicine and implant companies can do the same

Insurance companies - no one talks about malpractice insurance - are out to make a buck or 10 billion.

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"O" care is a joke.

The government needs to step in and

Limit what charges can be billed to a patient.

Again, I worked for a HMO for 30 years and if the prices that were charged when I stopped working are even 5% higher
some people are making a crapload of money.

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If you go for a hospital stay - heaven forbid - ask for an itemized bill and check to see what item/treatment you received and what you did not get.

Find out what a Diagnosis Related Group is and what the limits are for a stay for a specific illness.

To make billing easier, the hospital no longer went thru a chart to see what a patient used - either in treatments or supplies.

They use a computer program that compiles what is used in an operation or stay.

Every time a patient stays they use a template for what is used during an average stay. If you use more of the facilities/supplies, they enter that into a database.

So, that raises the average costing per stay, per patient.

That number increases the cost according to the template.

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That average stay cost is used to universally charge the insurance or bill the government.

So, if you go in for a headache and stay overnight?

They pull up the costs for that diagnosis and charge at whatever the template says.

It does not matter if you get one aspirin and are sent home or five aspirins, a CAT scan and a blood tests for that stay.

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Another billing rule is in a DRG is that a physician can only treat you for so many days for that illness and be reimbursed. Otherwise the hospital eats the extra costs.

The physician has to sign an attestation when the stay is complete - that means that he states the illness and treatment days are correct. Otherwise he can be taken to court and fined.

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I won't go into the cost of implants - pacemakers, sutures, ortho kits and stuff like that.


Healthcare costs can be reigned in by controling the cost of inventing, formulating and manufacturing med supplies.

Also, the costs involved in bring and defending against malpractice suits are crippling the people that medicine should be saving.

[Freedom]

I am not against immagration as long as it's legal.

Glad you said that. My Mum was born and raised in London during WW II. She lived here 42 years, always had a green card. For that generation of English, it was hard for them to even consider changing citizenship. Many did, but not as many as may have had they not lived through the Blitz. It always surprises me how many people don't distinguish; and since we grew up with it (my brother and I), it was normal for us.

Anyway, having pre existing condition and having stopped work (well, the company disappeared in a take over and we were all let go) about 14 years back, I've been on a self pay plan for years now. I don't dare let it lapse, I'd be in a huge mess. Now paying over $700 PER MONTH, I am in favor of a change that covers pre existing conditions. This doesn't mean I think Obamacare is perfect; but then, no law is. There are so many aspects to nation wide coverage.

[snakemama]

This doesn't mean I think Obamacare is perfect; but then, no law is. There are so many aspects to nation wide coverage.

This. I keep thinking today, when I see the conflict popping up all over....don't let the perfect get in the way of the good.

[Edwina's Secretary]

This. I keep thinking today, when I see the conflict popping up all over....don't let the perfect get in the way of the good.

Well said! I am proud to think this nation will begin movement toward joining the rest of the western world in seeing healthcare as something you should not have to be rich to have.

[Karen]

Immigration needs to be reformed. That is a separate issue than health care, although of course they overlap.

Right now, anyone who shows up in an Emergency Room with no insurance gets treated anyway, as it should be, but the costs get swallowed by the rest of us with insurance. It doesn't matter WHY the person has no insurance - whether they are here illegally, too poor to get insurance, unemployed and coverage ran out, just didn't buy insurance - it's all lumped into one category. If the law works the way it should, everyone here legally should have some sot of insurance coverage, as there will be subsidies for extremely low income people, etc. But having insurance will hopefully mean they will go to the doctor for preventative care, and not end up in the Emergency Room at all. A minor asthma attack, for example, is far cheaper to handle with medication at home when necessary, than waiting until it has escalated into a life-threatening condition requiring immediate treatment and days of hospitalization. That's one example I can speak to from personal experience, as a lifelong asthmatic.

Don't ask me about any other medical conditions, that's the one I know.