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LA Times accidentally proves that Health Savings Accounts would fix rising health costs.

post #1 of 9
5/29/12 at 12:58pm
Thread Starter 

LA TIMES

Quote:
A Long Beach hospital charged Jo Ann Snyder $6,707 for a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis after colon surgery. But because she had health insurance with Blue Shield of California, her share was much less: $2,336.

Then Snyder tripped across one of the little-known secrets of healthcare: If she hadn't used her insurance, her bill would have been even lower, just $1,054.

"I couldn't believe it," said Snyder, a 57-year-old hair salon manager. "I was really upset that I got charged so much and Blue Shield allowed that. You expect them to work harder for you and negotiate a better deal."

Wow....

Quote:
The difference in price can be stunning. Los Alamitos Medical Center, for instance, lists a CT scan of the abdomen on a state website for $4,423. Blue Shield says its negotiated rate at the hospital is about $2,400.

When The Times called for a cash price, the hospital said it was $250.

This gets stranger...

Quote:
Belk recently told a group gathered at a seniors center about the vast price difference when he requested routine blood work for a patient last year. A local hospital charged her $782. Her insurer said that with its discount, she owed only $415.

"She could have gotten it for $95 in cash. How does that make sense?" Belk said. "The last thing the insurance companies want you to know is how inexpensive this stuff really is."

For those patients who have insurance, getting the lower price would typically mean withholding that information from the hospital or clinic. Experts warn that doing so, however, means any payments don't apply to customers' annual insurance limits for out-of-pocket spending.

So what is the biggest part of the problem.....

Quote:
At Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where Snyder got her CT scan, the hospital's chief financial officer said insured patients like her pay more to subsidize the uncompensated care given to the uninsured and low reimbursements for Medicaid patients.

"We end up being forced to charge a premium to health plans to make the books balance," said John Bishop, the hospital's finance chief. "It's a backdoor tax on employers and consumers."

As is always the case with the left, the solution to the problem is more of what was causing the problem to occur in the first place. If people were allowed to purchase catastrophic insurance and negotiate helath care costs out of their health savings account, a long promoted and very effective conservative IDEA, the costs associated with most of these procedures would go down quickly and immediately. The real problem, as noted in the article isn't the people, who are using their health care less, but the inability of a health savings plan to allow the backdoor government tax on employers and consumers.

 

The corrupt system is kept in place because it allows the corrupt government to keep their hand in the pot. It is no different for banks or energy.


Edited by trumptman - 5/30/12 at 8:20am

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #2 of 9
5/30/12 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

LA TIMES

Wow....

This gets stranger...

So what is the biggest part of the problem.....

As is always the case with the left, the solution to the problem is more of what was causing the problem to occur in the first place. If people were allowed to purchase catastrophic insurance and negotiate helath care costs out of their health savings account, a long promoted and very effective conservative, the costs associated with most of these procedures would go down quickly and immediately. The real problem, as noted in the article isn't the people, who are using their health care less, but the inability of a health savings plan to allow the backdoor government tax on employers and consumers.

 

The corrupt system is kept in place because it allows the corrupt government to keep their hand in the pot. It is no different for banks or energy.

 

Absolutely spot-on, trump.  There are many stories just like this. In fact, it happened in my own family.  At a time where my Dad was between jobs for a few weeks, my Mom needed back surgery.  He didn't have insurance at the time (this was back in the early 1980s).  The original bill was going to be like $3,500.  The bill ended up being $1,200 because he didn't have insurance.  Hmmm.  I wonder how that happened while neither was eligible for a government program. 

 

The issue now is that we have no stake in what our care actually costs.  Because of insurance, we have no reason to care.  But the Left believes that everyone in the country is owed healthcare, so there you have it.

To save time, assume I know everything.
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To save time, assume I know everything.
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post #3 of 9
5/30/12 at 3:12pm
  • BR
  • Justified Arrogance

The far left wants to get rid of the insurance layer entirely.  You, again, misrepresent the ideas of the left.

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #4 of 9
5/30/12 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

The far left wants to get rid of the insurance layer entirely.  You, again, misrepresent the ideas of the left.

 

And replace it with a single-payer and/or nationalized healthcare system. I think we know what the left's ideas are.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #5 of 9
5/30/12 at 3:48pm
  • BR
  • Justified Arrogance

Yes, cut out the profit-seeking middleman on a service that isn't elective.

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
Reply

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #6 of 9
5/30/12 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

Yes, cut out the profit-seeking middleman on a service that isn't elective.

 

You act like that's going to work.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #7 of 9
6/2/12 at 9:43pm
  • e1618978
  • will burn in the Fiery Pit of Hell.

It worked in Canada - their healthcare is half the cost of ours and they also live longer.
 

45 2a3 300b 211 845 833
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45 2a3 300b 211 845 833
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post #8 of 9
6/2/12 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by e1618978 View Post

It worked in Canada - their healthcare is half the cost of ours and they also live longer.
 

 

Canada sends that which they cannot handle over the border to their neighbor. Their population is 88% white and essentially a monoculture. If Canada had a large group of white people murdering another group of white people, they would deal with it as a crime and not as an exercise in victimization and racism.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #9 of 9
6/8/12 at 12:50pm

Came across this comment by ThatsTheWayItIs-

 

"The original AEI mandate just required proof we can pay for our costs, even by posting a bond.
It required "catastrophic coverage" that paid only for emergencies.
It allowed us to pay for our own maintenance. The checkups, tests and drugs we think work.

But then medical industry lobbyists got involved, told us that "preventative maintenance" like checkups and drugs sold on TV save money. They 

"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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