Can I rant about something here for a moment?

"JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t" (jawzx2) 04/16/2015 at 10:04 • Filed to: None

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WARNING! POTENTIALLY POLITICAL CONTENT BELOW THE JUMP!

If you got this far, have some widebody Alfas for your time...

whew... all those wide Alfas make me a feel better... I mean jeez, i barely have the energy to rant any more... so here's a question:

How come a 74 year old man with more money than he know what to do with can receive treatment for and survive a rare cancer, have both knees replaced, get a heart valve replacement, spend weeks in rehab and owe the medical establishment somewhere in the area of $2500 all told, and yet an otherwise healthy, 31 year old woman WITH HEALTH INSURANCE can be afraid to go to the doctor with symptoms that might be appendicitis because she KNOWS that the bill will ruin her financially and when she finally does go because the pain is too much to bear and someone she cares about tells her she's being stupid and the doctor sends her in an ambulance to the emergency room and they do a CT scan and several hundred other tests and discover she's got a really nasty (but pretty much untreatable except with pain meds and rest) non-life-threatening ovarian cyst the bill AFTER insurance pays its covered parts is closer to $10,000?

I'm not so much complaining about the first scenario (my dad) as wondering how in the fuck we live in a country where the second scenario (my girlfriend) has come to pass? I mean really. really? Come one USA, we can do better than this.

Also, fucking medical bills. There goes all the car-fun/mad money for the next two years.

bob and john > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:06

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American Health care pretty much.

This is why I'm warey about moving there. Yes, cali is nice and warm and all, but canada ahs working healthcare which i really really like.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:08

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Because old people vote.

itschrome > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:08

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yeah, I'm retarded clicked this like 3 times thinking it was a play icon for a video..

djmt1 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:08

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Don't you guys have an NHS now?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > bob and john 04/16/2015 at 10:08

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No shit, eh? I keep not moving to Montreal (lots of tech jobs) because my French sucks, but at times like this it really looks appealing.

Leon711 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:11

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*cough* UK *cough*

505Turbeaux > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:13

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this isnt funny at all, it sucks, and I am due for some knees here sooner than later so I feel it.

However, I think Matt and Trey nailed it in this episode

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > djmt1 04/16/2015 at 10:15

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HAH! It's a sham of one. The "godless liberals" (like me) tried, they really did, but the "Christian right" threw so many stones at it that the compromise system that finally got ratified is no more than a guaranteed, government funded paycheck for the private insurance companies and does nothing to address the out-of-control system cost raises, administrative stalling and paperwork roadblocks or personal costs that have outpaced inflation (let alone salary growth!) by nearly 300% for the last 10 years...

Yeah.

Not really.

Noah - Now with more boost. > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:17

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So sorry to hear that, I love this country but it is so unfair sometimes. Anybody who suggests that socialized medicine is a bad thing needs to think long and hard about their morals. We are all human beings. We all deserve high quality, affordable healthcare. I wish half of this country was not so selfish and stuck in the past...

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > itschrome 04/16/2015 at 10:18

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hehe ;)

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/16/2015 at 10:24

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*sigh* you have a point. I don't think we can blame it entirely on that though, one of the other problems is that only old people run for political office, and the reason is that young people cant AFFORD too, because their expenses are too high and their jobs are too all-consuming. I'm IN NO WAY saying that politicians should be paid more money, that just leads to political lifers who are no better than the middle manager who takes 4-hour lunch breaks to play golf with his retired buddies... we've already got plenty of those in politics... something something campaign funding reform yada yada yada by the wealthy and for the wealthy blah blah blah 99%. We've all heard it and still nothing changes, really...

BigBlock440 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:24

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Because her health insurance is crap? And doctors are drug pushers and drive the bill up?

djmt1 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:24

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Why would people be against it? Going to the doctor for something minor and then getting a prescription for subsidised often free medicine is awesome. I actually feel somewhat motivated to pay taxes.

jariten1781 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:24

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Selecting the right employer (or plan) makes a huge difference. I've worked in places where that was a minor concern for the front office and I just had to keep extra dough in the emergency fund because when I looked over the plan particulars 10k-15k was a possible outlay if something unexpected popped up. Where I am now, they've negotiated a very good plan and HR goes to bat if it seems someone is getting jerked around. We'll happily pack up all our employees and shift to another insurance if anybody gets screwed. Consequently I only need to keep ~2k set aside today.

450X_FTW > djmt1 04/16/2015 at 10:28

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Because the rich far right politicians believe that if you are poor you pretty much deserve to die and are worthless to society. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought being poor was a choice

yamahog > djmt1 04/16/2015 at 10:31

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"Because poor people have no business enjoying the luxuries of preventative care and should be forced to suffer and clog up ERs at great expense and further bankrupt themselves as punishment for not having money!"

-too many Americans

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > jariten1781 04/16/2015 at 10:35

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Oh, MY health insurance is fucking spectacular. 100% paid, medium deductible and an HSA reimbursement option against said deductible.

My girlfriend is self employed as a farmer and can't afford anything better than what she has, which is basically a catastrophic plan. It costs about $2000 a year after all eligible subsidies, which doesn't sound like a lot, but its easily the profit difference between a year when she has all ewe lambs or 1/2 ram lambs, or there's bad pasture and she has to buy in hay... and And people wonder why no one wants to be a farmer anymore?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 10:42

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Exactly. It's not the PEOPLE who are against it, it's the politicians and the insurance companies, and they have so much money to spend on advertising and "grass roots" brainwashing that the Christian Right sheep (remember, the church membership is a flock, I'm using their OWN terminology here...) believe all the made up crap and vote the way their church-involved politicians want them too, not the other way around, LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > BigBlock440 04/16/2015 at 10:44

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No argument there. I just wish I knew how we could get away from that being the truth. Government certainly doesn't want to help... the insurance companies have too many politicians in their pockets.

jariten1781 > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:45

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Gotta work the factory farms. They're more efficient with better yields and get better deals with everyone due to their mass. I grew up on a family farm, but outside of boutique operations, they've kind of been obviated (don't tell my grandfather I said that or his ghost will come back and whip me bloody...then send me out to repair a fence line overnight as punishment haha). It's hard work, she's got my respect.

450X_FTW > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 10:47

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Only part of it I'm against is making it mandatory that everyone have insurance.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:03

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If YOU didn't have to pay for that insurance out of pocket and then get reimbursed would you still be against the mandate that everyone be covered? Assume it raised taxes slightly, but everyone gets the same "good", basic coverage, people could opt to pay more for additional coverage if they wished (ala Switzerland) ... Single payer not only makes the argument against universal coverage moot it has been proven TIME AND TIME AGAIN to lower overall costs.

TheHondaBro > djmt1 04/16/2015 at 11:04

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Because SOCIALISM LEADS TO COMMUNISM!!!!!!!! Apparently.

450X_FTW > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 11:08

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Yes but then there are the low income households, where there may just be 1 person in it, that has never needed insurance and lives paycheck to paycheck. Now they have to pay for something that they may never use, don't want, and have to take money out of their budget that was being used for other things.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:21

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Did I mention that the current implementation is a SHAM and everyone should be ashamed of it?

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 11:24

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What's really sad is that a healthcare story like this can even be considered political.

As for your gf, I thought there was a maximum out of pocket limit (for insured patients) of about $3500 as part of healthcare reform. Luckily I haven't had to test that, but is that not the case?

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:26

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They do think that. It's the core of their message. Even middle class republicans think that.

Textured Soy Protein > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 11:28

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The problem is simple:

Our healthcare system is ultimately run by for-profit health insurance companies. Since these health insurance companies exist to make profit, which does not always align with providing the best care to everyone who needs it.

In addition to the insurance companies, many of the care providers are also in it for profit, and even the non-profit ones pay their executives and doctors ungodly amounts of money. Since insurance companies rather than individuals are footing the bill, the providers charge the insurance companies whatever they damn well please.

The insurance companies of course then say "well the costs of care keep going up," and keep charging more money for worse coverage.

In spite of these issues, we have at least half of the entire voting public who believe that creating a public healthcare authority which exists to provide the best care to everyone who needs it and not worry about profit, is EEEEVVVVVIILLLL SOCIALISM.

The closest we were able to come was to make it somewhat easier for more people to get health insurance, and make it harder for health insurance companies to deny coverage in certain specific situations. But the structural issues of for-profit healthcare are still very much in place.

450X_FTW > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 04/16/2015 at 11:28

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Pretty much all political parties are a waste of time. Eliminate democrats, republicans, conservatives, liberals, libertarians, everyone, just be a person on vote on each issue by itself

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 04/16/2015 at 11:31

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Maximum Out Of Pocket for "exchange" plans is $6,600 for individual plans and $13,500 for family plans, but she has a state-subsidized non-exchange plan because she can't afford an exchange plan. She avoids the penalty for not having insurance, but gets shitty coverage. Its a great system, isn't it?

actually this is a rough year for her, she got divorced last spring and her tax situation is all fubar for 2015, she may actually qualify for enough subsidies next year to get an exchange plan, but this year she's kinda screwed.

Textured Soy Protein > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:31

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You know what's a whole hell of a lot more likely than a low-income person never needing healthcare? A low-income person who needs healthcare but doesn't get it because they can't afford it, until something really bad happens and they end up going to an emergency room because they know the emergency room won't turn them away even if they have no insurance. The cost of that emergency room visit never gets recovered because the person has no ability to pay and no insurance.

So instead, that low-income person gets on a cheap plan thru the health insurance exchange, which might have a high deductible but also likely covers preventive care such as primary care physician visits, and they go and get their checkup like a normal person and actually stay healthy. Which means they don't end up in the emergency room passing the costs on to the rest of us.

450X_FTW > Textured Soy Protein 04/16/2015 at 11:39

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Think part of the problem is why those visits cost so damn much in the first place. I had an overnight stay in ER during college years ago, got into a drunken fight, had a bottle broken over my head, that cost my insurance about $6,000. For what? I had an x ray and a few stitches put in, then they let me sleep it off. Why does simply being in a room cost thousands of dollars?

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 11:46

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Geez. Well, I hope things turn around for her.

Clearly the people who can't afford insurance can easily afford 5 or even 6 figure surprise medical bills, right? Right?

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:49

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Especially since things like healthcare shouldn't be politicized. When I discuss healthcare laws with my (100% republican) parents, they usually agree on the details, but when it comes time to vote, they go with their party of choice every time.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Textured Soy Protein 04/16/2015 at 11:50

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Whoa whoa whoa, what do you think you're doing bringing math and logic into a discussion about medical costs?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Textured Soy Protein 04/16/2015 at 11:50

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Oh Noes! Radical Leftist Commie Pinko Hippies are here to takes our Freeeeeeeeedoms!!!!

Fucking morons.

Stop watching Duck Dynasty and believing your preacher when he says god will save your ass if you just pray hard enough and take a look at the way things actually work... *SIGH*

yup.

Textured Soy Protein > 450X_FTW 04/16/2015 at 11:51

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Emergency rooms cost so much for two reasons:

1. Emergency rooms are required by law to treat everyone.

2. Hospitals charge whatever the fuck they feel like charging.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 04/16/2015 at 11:51

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makes perfect sense doesn't it?

450X_FTW > Textured Soy Protein 04/16/2015 at 11:53

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Most expensive small hotel room with crappy meals ever.

RallyWrench > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 14:11

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You're ok in my book. My 34 year old very healthy wife couldn't even get coverage for over a year after she quit her job to care for our child, just because she's had knee surgery and is of child bearing age. The ACA is flawed in many ways, but it's at least enabled us to get her insurance. It's still over $350/month, but at least we have it. It'd still cost over $600/month to put them on my work plan. We're looking at having to pay over $6k out of pocket for our next child. I'm sole breadwinner and don't make a ton of money, but people who make less than 10k/year less than me can get it nearly free. Bullshit.

Also, thanks for the Alfas. I'm a sucker for GTV6s.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 15:22

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There are a shit ton of issues with the Health/Medical sector. I'm a type 1 Diabetic for 29 years now. I've always had health insurance and have been comfortable with regard to my means (both when younger and under my parents support, and as an adult). Any time I've been sick to the point where it requires an ER visit, I know that I'm realistically looking at a bill of at least $5,000 and it enrages me to no end.

I also am not allowed to check myself out because insurance won't cover a dime if I do. I have to wait for doctors to approve and discharge me which means that once I'm back to normal and healthy, and all my numbers look good, I get to spend an extra 12 - 36 hours in the hospital just because. Because why? The longer I'm there, the more they get to charge.

Now I'm not saying that healthcare shouldn't be a for profit business, and certainly the doctors and nurses should be well compensated for what they're doing, but it's gotten completely goddamn out of control. As far as health insurance providers go, they all go suck on a shotgun.

I'm sorry about your predicament, hopefully the girlfriend is alright and the cost isn't too much of a fun killer after all. While there are tons of issues facing this once great nation, this is one of the biggest.

NJAnon > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 04/16/2015 at 21:59

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All I can tell you JawzX2 is thank you for posting that red Alfa Romeo 155 DTM race car. No other car has that exhaust note.