Everything Is More Expensive

[tvguy]

But no stock options

Well, no stock options for him in his private sector job either, husband and wife owned it. :O

 

[barkley]

The issue is that if everyone is contributing (as in a tax based system) then the people who currently pay for health insurance won't be subsidizing the costs of uninsured people seeking emergency treatment for conditions that have gone untreated for too long.

some money will have to be spent in educating people to GET regular medical check-ups and to seek care to diagnose and treat conditions though.

i've been out of dshs for about 16 years but the utilization charts back then for our clients who received entirely free of cost medical coverage from the government clearly showed that many if not most did not do preventative appointments but waited until medical issues became so bad that they became much more dangerous/costly to treat. it was absolutely NUTS to see kids with permanent nerve damage due to repeated untreated ear infections that led to severe mastoids, RICKETS (what kid in this day and age living in sunny california should have rickets? let alone have gone unseen by a doctor long enough that it's never been picked up on???). well before the anti-vax movement the majority of our clients didn't think it was necessary to get their kids immunized until they got to school age and had to for enrollment so each year we had waves of measles and mumps and chickenpox cases filling the much higher cost to operate emergency rooms.

this was'nt for lack of available treatment (an area rich w/providers) or less desirable treatment (same kaiser, public and private hospitals/providers anyone else who lived in that region utilized-and our clients got the choice of which to affiliate themselves with/unlike employer sponsored which made you choose and stick with a plan for an entire year-our clients could change every month if they wished to). this wasn't a population of people illegaly in the u.s. who were fearful of discovery (yes, this was a state/county that provided all forms of benefits to undocumented individuals and families 'off the record'). this was a shared and generational mindset that i don't know if to this day has been effectivly addressed.

 

[1st*toright]

some money will have to be spent in educating people to GET regular medical check-ups and to seek care to diagnose and treat conditions though.

i've been out of dshs for about 16 years but the utilization charts back then for our clients who received entirely free of cost medical coverage from the government clearly showed that many if not most did not do preventative appointments but waited until medical issues became so bad that they became much more dangerous/costly to treat. it was absolutely NUTS to see kids with permanent nerve damage due to repeated untreated ear infections that led to severe mastoids, RICKETS (what kid in this day and age living in sunny california should have rickets? let alone have gone unseen by a doctor long enough that it's never been picked up on???). well before the anti-vax movement the majority of our clients didn't think it was necessary to get their kids immunized until they got to school age and had to for enrollment so each year we had waves of measles and mumps and chickenpox cases filling the much higher cost to operate emergency rooms.

this was'nt for lack of available treatment (an area rich w/providers) or less desirable treatment (same kaiser, public and private hospitals/providers anyone else who lived in that region utilized-and our clients got the choice of which to affiliate themselves with/unlike employer sponsored which made you choose and stick with a plan for an entire year-our clients could change every month if they wished to). this wasn't a population of people illegaly in the u.s. who were fearful of discovery (yes, this was a state/county that provided all forms of benefits to undocumented individuals and families 'off the record'). this was a shared and generational mindset that i don't know if to this day has been effectivly addressed.

I agree- if regular healthcare isn't part of the shared culture, we will always be playing catch up. I have a friend who is a doctor in Sweden - she is the school doctor for 3 elementary schools. She is responsible for routine medical care for the kids, vaccinations, screening, treatment, all kinds of care. Not sure that parents in the US would ever accept that (our individualism can be a stumbling block to public health too), but not likely to see kids with untreated rickets there!

 

[aboveH20]

Every time we drive by the airport and see how full all the parking lots are I comment to my husband that the economy must be hood. (I'm pretty sure he's tired of hearing me say it .)

I love to go solo to WDW and next month am splurging on an $80 dessert party . I don't know how families afford Disney!

 

[kymom99]

Every time we drive by the airport and see how full all the parking lots are I comment to my husband that the economy must be hood. (I'm pretty sure he's tired of hearing me say it .)

I love to go solo to WDW and next month am splurging on an $80 dessert party . I don't know how families afford Disney!

I like to travel with friends because then I only have to pay for myself.
Plus I can split costs with others.

 

[Dakota731]

but not likely to see kids with untreated rickets there

Less than 1000 cases in the US per year so don’t get too alarmed. I asked my daughter who is a ER physician and she said extremely rare here since formula is fortified with vitamin d so unless a child is being starved it’s more of a media falsehood. Not that i don’t think that children get neglected here, but that’s not the country’s fault. If someone is selling their food stamps for drugs or not using their free Medicaid healthcare for their child then not a whole lot can be done. Government can’t move in with a family from birth to grave to see if children are taken care of. My daughter sees neglected children every day in the emergency room whose parents have free Medicaid but don’t get kids prescriptions filled or don’t come back for tests or follow up visits. Unfortunately you can’t legislate bad parenting.

 

[Dakota731]

I for one would rather keep my private insurance. There are too many horror stories in the VA system, and so much fraud with Medicaid. And my mom pays several hundred a month to supplement her supposed “free” Medicare insurance that everyone seems to want.

 

[RamblingMad]

I for one would rather keep my private insurance. There are too many horror stories in the VA system, and so much fraud with Medicaid. And my mom pays several hundred a month to supplement her supposed “free” Medicare insurance that everyone seems to want.

Then prepare for more and more expensive healthcare over time. I’m blown away by how much it has increased since I graduated.

It’s a very profitable business.

I’m hearing recommendations to have an additional million to get through retirement to cover healthcare costs due to its rising cost. That’s a lot of money.

 

[KEK1]

People seem to forget that taxes will go up if we have socialized healthcare so what's the difference if I pay 20% of my income for taxes or 20% of my income in healthcare costs. Sure it sounds all wonderful (until actual facts not emotions are considered) but if you're having trouble making ends meet then nothing will change. The only people who come out ahead are those who don't pay taxes or pay very little in taxes. And with some lawmakers suggesting Medicare and Social Security for non-citizens then there is no way the system will work if millions aren't even paying into the system at all.

This is how other countries afford to fully fund health care.. here in Australia I pay 32.5% tax, and I only earnt $68k (Australian) last year, about 50kish US dollars. It's a lot. But yesterday I went into the emergency department and spent the morning there, and it cost (me) nothing. A lot of us do have private health, though, as all the elective stuff/ non emergency is not really covered. As a single I pay $120/ month (hosp care, no "extras"), 2nd top level (no joint replacements, pregnancy care).

 

[Dakota731]

A lot of people don’t realize that Canadians who aren’t of retirement age have to pay for their own prescription drugs which can be quite costly for people who have chronic health conditions. The majority of Canadians buy private insurance on their own or through their employer in addition to their government plan which they pay for with a hefty tax bill.

 

[vacationer1954]

People seem to forget that taxes will go up if we have socialized healthcare so what's the difference if I pay 20% of my income for taxes or 20% of my income in healthcare costs.

The difference is that living and dying won't be so directly correlated to financial affluence.

Unemployment was 10% in the 80's when we started out compared to 3% now

Unemployment is bad optics, so instead the economy has been restructured to hide it behind underemployment.

I for one would rather keep my private insurance. There are too many horror stories in the VA system, and so much fraud with Medicaid. And my mom pays several hundred a month to supplement her supposed “free” Medicare insurance that everyone seems to want.

I don't see any reason why people can't be given the opportunity to ignore their state-provided benefits and engage with private companies for alternatives. Heck, I remember back when I was growing up some of our neighbors chose to ignore the schools that were provided for them by the government and put their children into private schools. No problem.

A lot of people don’t realize that Canadians who aren’t of retirement age have to pay for their own prescription drugs which can be quite costly for people who have chronic health conditions.

So what you're saying is that Canada's system is better than the United States' except in one aspect, where its system is just as good as the United States'.

 

[vacationer1954]

They've got the same pot of money as any other district in California. ($10,291 per year per student) I don't think the pot is the issue, it is how it has been divided up.

What you said earlier made it sound like you were blaming the teachers for "demand[ing]" fair wages and class sizes more in keeping with educational standards. Is that not what you meant? One issue with how the budget is being divided up is how administrators, probably at the direction of elected officials, are paying down debt instead of doing those things they agreed to do, things that would make education more effective. The people making that decision were hired by people elected by voters, which brings us back to the point I was making: "The buck stops [t]here..." - with elected leaders and with the voters who put them there.

Part of the problem is that California remains below average in funding education, and in the past there was big problems with community-by-community funding differences. That economic injustice perhaps is where that debt came from, and if so should be paid off by the state, not the district. That's another way that that the true accountability for the situation might flow up to the elected leaders and with the voters who put them there.

 

[yeahdisney]

peeps with insurance that the following services are covered please go have them done.

free yearly labs

eye exam, diabetics if you do not have eye insurance MOST health insurance will cover eye exam with deductible applied but will not cover glasses

Teeth cleanings

Mammograms

Colonoscopy age 50. (New recommendation I believe 40 but some insurances not caught up it that)
You are worth your future health.

 

[Dakota731]

The difference is that living and dying won't be so directly correlated to financial affluence.

Contrary to scare tactics by some groups with agendas, people in this country aren’t dying because of lack available healthcare. As a mother to two physicians Medicaid is free to no income individuals and Obamacare is very low cost to low income people. And having a daughter who works in the ER, no one is turned away and the majority of her patients don’t have private insurance at all. There are also free clinics and free prescription services available for those in need. However you can’t make people seek healthcare and you can’t legislate lifestyle choices. There are many more deaths in the country from drug abuse than any so-called people lying in the streets waiting to see a doctor.

 

[RamblingMad]

Contrary to scare tactics by some groups with agendas, people in this country aren’t dying because of lack available healthcare. As a mother to two physicians Medicaid is free to no income individuals and Obamacare is very low cost to low income people. And having a daughter who works in the ER, no one is turned away and the majority of her patients don’t have private insurance at all. There are also free clinics and free prescription services available for those in need. However you can’t make people seek healthcare and you can’t legislate lifestyle choices. There are many more deaths in the country from drug abuse than any so-called people lying in the streets waiting to see a doctor.

The opioid problem is really concentrated in the northeast part of this country. Then we have the measles issue to. The news does do a good job of scaring people.

The problem with ACA is that the plans that are affordable are really expensive. The affordability part of ACA is missing. And the plans get worse each year.

What we really need is price controls.

 

[Searc]

Contrary to scare tactics by some groups with agendas, people in this country aren’t dying because of lack available healthcare. As a mother to two physicians Medicaid is free to no income individuals and Obamacare is very low cost to low income people. And having a daughter who works in the ER, no one is turned away and the majority of her patients don’t have private insurance at all. There are also free clinics and free prescription services available for those in need. However you can’t make people seek healthcare and you can’t legislate lifestyle choices. There are many more deaths in the country from drug abuse than any so-called people lying in the streets waiting to see a doctor.

You are (incorrectly) assuming healthcare facilities are available to 100% of our population. Not even close.

 

[Searc]

The opioid problem is really concentrated in the northeast part of this country. Then we have the measles issue to. The news does do a good job of scaring people.

The problem with ACA is that the plans that are affordable are really expensive. The affordability part of ACA is missing. And the plans get worse each year.

What we really need is price controls.

The opioid problem is an epidemic across the country, not just the NE.

 

[pixiedustedme]

What folks are always discussing is the cost of US Healthcare and who should bear it. Right now, we have a cost system that allows everyone the best in the world care, whether they can afford it...

Where are you getting the idea that everyone gets health care in the U.S. regardless of their ability to pay for it? If you can't afford a prescription, the pharmacy won't give it to you. If you can't afford to pay the balance charged by your doctor's office, they won't schedule you for future appointments. They also won't let you in for an appointment if you can't pay the copay.

You seem to think that the health care in America is open-access for all, and that is untrue. Anyone will get emergency room services (sometimes after being ordered to go to a different hospital's emergency room due to their insurance), but emergency room services are not the bulk of real health care.

 

[tvguy]

What you said earlier made it sound like you were blaming the teachers for "demand[ing]" fair wages and class sizes more in keeping with educational standards. Is that not what you meant? One issue with how the budget is being divided up is how administrators, probably at the direction of elected officials, are paying down debt instead of doing those things they agreed to do, things that would make education more effective. The people making that decision were hired by people elected by voters, which brings us back to the point I was making: "The buck stops [t]here..." - with elected leaders and with the voters who put them there.

Part of the problem is that California remains below average in funding education, and in the past there was big problems with community-by-community funding differences. That economic injustice perhaps is where that debt came from, and if so should be paid off by the state, not the district. That's another way that that the true accountability for the situation might flow up to the elected leaders and with the voters who put them there.

No, kids and good teachers are the victims. I don't think fair wages and class size are even issues in this local dispute.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Where are you getting the idea that everyone gets health care here regardless of their ability to pay for it? If you can't afford a prescription, the pharmacy won't give it to you. If you can't afford to pay my doctor's office, they won't schedule you for future appointments.

You seem to think that the health care in America is open-access for all, and that is untrue. Anyone will get emergency room services, but emergency room services are not the bulk of real health care.

https://www.medicaid.gov/about-us/index.html