7 Ways Health Reform Is Going to Affect You

Reader Comments
Back to blog

When I went back to the ER because the wounds got infected, I had to pay again. I believe it was due to the Doctors not giving me post-operation antibiotics. If I get my car repaired, and the mechanic leaves something defective, I go back and the mechanic fixes it and apologizes. The hospital just charges me again with 5 more bills, hiding the true prices the insurance pays, and has me on the brink of bankruptcy. ANYTHING is better than what we have.

John Stroot 2 of FL 6:39PM June 10, 2009

I've never before witnessed such misinformation as within the general debate regarding healthcare in the US.
It's BROKEN. We have to FIX it.
Maintaining speed and course will only make it worse. Decreasing costs within the medical industry will certainly serve to make the medical industry more efficient, but it won't help you when you're denied coverage for a necessary medical proceedure.
If Government is truly to blame for our healthcare crisis, it's only because they deregulated the system so much that the INSURANCE COMPANIES were able to run roughshod on their customers, healthcare professionals, and the entire industry.
Insurance companies aren't in it to "FIRST DO NO WRONG". They're in it for the money! To do so, they overpromise, under deliver, and stall in an effort to wait out the patient. It's almost as if they hope the patient will either give up or die.
Sounds like the mail-in rebate programs for retail goods, doesn't it? It's the same thing!
The insurance industry isn't into it for the patient's good... they're in the business for their good!
We need universal healthcare in this country just to compete with other countries. Before you blather on about how everyone else is unhappy with their socialized medicine, the right-wing talking points without basis or merit, think about it.
Please. Think.
What would you do if today, you were denied medical insurance coverage for a necessary medical procedure based on a "pre-existing condition" determined by the insurance company?
My 35 year old girlfriend is the love of my life. Two weeks after we met, she was diagnosed with cancer. She had fantastic (expensive) health insurance, but was denied coverage based on "pre-existing condition". I've had to cancel my own health insurance to help with medical bills. Ironic! We both eat organic, vegetarian fare, live simply, and healthy. We don't drink or do drugs. We don't even watch TV. Doing everything right!
What would you do? I'm telling you, if we only had to wait in line for a few weeks before receiving medical care, that would be fantastic. If we didn't have to contemplate bankruptcy, FANTASTIC. Even if we couldn't choose our primary care Doc, WOW, WONDERFUL!
WE JUST WANT HEALTH CARE!
This country is controlled largely by corporations which have distanced themselves from the human factor of our great nation. The INSURANCE INDUSTRY doesn't have our best interests in mind. We have our best interests in mind. We have to socialize healthcare.
Just like fire protection, police, mail, education, infrastructure, military... all the things that make our society work.
Our current healthcare system is broken. We need to fix it for me and my girlfriend, your family member, your neighbor... all of us. It's time that we bebuild our society to become a community.
PS: If we weren't so overwhelmed by health concerns, we'd love to get married. Too bad the practical considerations prevail.

David of WA 6:38PM June 10, 2009

My insurance company gets 70% discount on the bills they show me. I receive 11 bills from a single hospital admission, and I must deal as a mediator between the insurance company and the hospital... I have to call the hospital and beg that they re-submit bills, and STILL I am left with 20% of the total (Which I don't know exactly what it is YET). So, the hospitals inflate the prices, give a fair discount to the insurance company, AND I am left to pay the rest WITHOUT discount. The insurance company hiked my payments, more are to follow, I am afraid that if I leave them, then I might never again find an insurance company that would accept me. One week after I was let go from the hospital, I had to go back to the ER because the wounds got infected. 6 months after the incident, I am still fighting with the insurance company so they pay what they are supposed to pay (at their 70% discount). The hospitals are gauging, the insurance company is gauging, they are taking the booty, and they are taking it from me. I pay with my taxes the money that goes to create new technologies through NIH and the NSF, they (hospitals,health care companies) get the benefits, and I get paid by getting screwed. The system has been set to squeeze the most out of patients, even if it means driving them into sickness and bankruptcy. Why? We as a country spend 19% on healthcare, and get the worst health care as a country. IT IS the worse and we all know it. Those who have job-provided insurance have to know that if they have to leave their job they are out in the wild world of hospital and insurance BANDITS. I am just 34 years old and had my private insurance I pay $200 for, and still I am going to probably go into bankruptcy. I lost time, had to stay at home and not go to work at least 3 times so I could call the insurance company and hospital, they only work from 9-6. I had ONE nurse attend me very well, 3 doctors for a total of probably 1 hour surgery, and probably a total of 30 minutes from the doctor that visited me, but I have had at least 10 hours of "conversations" with clerks that are just looking to maximize their bonus by denying me what is rightful mine. Support a PUBLIC plan, send a letter to your Congressman and Senator, even if they are Republicans or Democrats, health problems affect us all in the same way. I am a hard line conservative, but understand when a system, like our health care is broken AND corrupt. I think the democrats are right on their PUBLIC PLAN option.

John Stroot of FL 6:34PM June 10, 2009

It is amazing that the richest country in the world does not have a free healthcare system. It shows the values of the people in this country and it shows what people really care about here. Pay for your therapy or suffer and die in pain; that’s what happens when health care is just another way of making money.
Cuba has one of the worst economies in the planet, they have a dictator, and the dictator provides free health care to any citizen. The healthcare budget of that country is only 5% of these of its army.
Here in the US we have to be involved in every war in the world. The taxpayer dollar is burned every time a bomb is dropped abroad. If we could use just 5% of the army budget, we could enjoy a healthier life and still the army would have money to go have fun.
Don’t use our money to kill; use our money to cure!!

Juan Martinez of VA 5:27PM June 10, 2009

Bearnadine Healy MD was on the board of National City. I certainly would not trust her judgement. She either knew nothing about banking or had no guts to share her thoughts to others. Anyone working for the bank tried to express their thoughts were not listened to.
I certainly would get any information for someone else. Need single payer

rosie of MI 5:08PM June 10, 2009

I take exception to the inference that Medicare is a government "give away". I have paid into Medicare for 20 years with the assumption that I would have health care when I retire. It isn't the retirees fault that the government has "borrowed" from Medicare and Social Security and they are now bankrupt.

Diane of TX 5:03PM June 10, 2009

...and I am especially glad to see that medical travel is mentioned as it is. Scheduling surgery abroad has been utterly demystified, with a roster of quality medical travel facilitator companies to choose from, and many top hospitals such as Bumrungraad in Thailand, Johns Hopkins in Singapore, and the Hospital Angeles network of 22 private hospitals in Mexico developing their own business entities to work directly with US patients interested in medical travel.
The savings are 50-80% over the U.S. and so are an excellent option for US citizens priced out of the US health care market now and a good way for insurers to keep premiums down later, when medical travel is adopted as a mainstream free market practice.
Health Travel Guides, a medical travel facilitator based in San Francisco CA (www.healthtravelguides.com) regularly works with patients in all specializations: cardio, orthopedic, weight loss surgery, cataracts and LASIK ($2,000 both eyes, FDA-approved VISX technology) and even obstetrics (many people along the border are interested in enabling dual citizenship for their children, and saving $ on the birth itself -- a natural childbirth at a top hospital in Mexico is $3,000-$4,000 total cost).
I am looking forward to changes in the US health care system...I am one of those underinsured Americans, and I rely on the medical travel option for my major health care.

Sandra Miller of CA 4:54PM June 10, 2009

Our cost for healthcare is 25-35% higher than other nations because of
1. Medicare coding - required by our gov't adds 25% higher premium to everyone because it's such a poorly run program and ill conceived.
2. Medicare underpaying - since our gov't underpays doctors and hospitals and rest of us with insurance pick up a 9% upcharge to cover the underpayment
3. Unlimited healthcare options. In USA a patient can get virtually any option available for treatment - high price drugs or surgical procedures. These are not available anywhere else in the world.
Insurance companies didn't raise the prices - our gov't did.
Medicare is the worst run insurance program in the world. And it is being copied for everyone. Sad days are ahead for us all.

Deb of KS 4:52PM June 10, 2009

Hail comrades! Welcome the privileges and benefits The Party brings to you. To each according to his needs. Do not worry about working – the government is here to care for you.
Every time I turn on the news, a new hand out. Though I despise the idea socializing our nation, I’m less worried about the people who will make some kind of contribution toward their healthcare than those who are getting yet another freebie on my dime. Isn’t it about time we hear something about mandatory public service to earn these benefits? Military service, Americorp, Peace Corps, probably a couple of other “corps” out there where people could do something constructive to earn the freebies.

Quark of AL 4:28PM June 10, 2009

I just wanted to conquer with Muser of NM as to the quality of this article. It's so rare these days to find an article that equally presents both sides of an argument.
I think that some of the healthcare reform proposals are brilliant and necessary, but we need to be careful not to jump forward so quickly that we don't acknowledge the hazards in some of these plans.
Let us look to some of the other nations who employ centralized healthcare; in many cases people are on year-long waiting lists for surgeries and care that are quite urgent. Perhaps the medical tourism would help with that but if someone is not in a condition to travel--what then?
Furthermore, we ought to be careful about mandating that people have healthcare. It's not like auto insurance, where you have a legal liability or financial responsibility to others, unless one is talking about dependent children.
Let us also not forget that the health insurance industry is not the only beast in this jungle. Overuse of prescription drugs (I actually saw one that has a potential side effect of death on a commercial the other day, phrased as such), lawsuit-happy consumers (medical malpractice does deserve legal action but too many are too eager to sue when there isn't much cause for legal action) and lifestyle.
That a decision on health care must be made quickly I understand, but let us not rush things so much that no one will have a chance to actually read and react to the 600+ page bill (remember when we did that this past winter with the bailout?)
A balance of caution and risk is necessary; one without the other will only lead to disasterous results. Kudos to this article for alerting readers to some of the larger issues at hand; hopefully the public will take heart, educate themselves, and contact their representatives.

Marion Reed of CT 4:13PM June 10, 2009