The US Healthcare Mass Debate

[laklak]

It is. That's how it ended up costing me $12,000 a year for shitty coverage.

[L'Emmerdeur]

'Hospitals In States That Expanded Medicaid Less Likely To Close'

The expansion of Medicaid helps rural hospitals stay afloat in states like Colorado, which added 400,000 people to the health insurance program under the Affordable Care Act.

Hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid were about 6 times less likely to close than hospitals in non-expansion states, according to a study by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The study was published Monday in the January edition of the journal Health Affairs.

Colorado was one of 32 states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. That cut the state's uninsured rate in half. The biggest group that got coverage was childless adults.

Richard Lindrooth, a professor at the Colorado School of Public Health and lead author of the study, says hospitals saw more people showing up to hospitals with that insurance — so Medicaid payments increased. That helped the hospitals' bottom line.

"It's not as though Medicaid is an extremely profitable form of reimbursement, but it is something," says Lindrooth, a professor the University of Colorado's School of Public Health. "On the margins, it certainly helps the hospitals' cash flow."

[Scot Dutchy]

It is. That's how it ended up costing me $12,000 a year for shitty coverage.

Well it does not work like that here. There is a annual meeting between the insurance companies, health inspectorate and patient reps. All the costs are calculated and the basic coverage premium is agreed upon and so is the basic package which is pretty comprehensive. It includes birth control and maternity care and even sexual reassignment. This is the maximum that is allowed to be charged which is this year €100. Because of the country's financial and economic positive situation many companies were offering cheaper rates.
The basic package is just that basic and I personally buy additional coverage which pays for extending the amount of treatment and wider treatment. Basic insurance holders have to use clinics and other health services that are in contract with their insurance company. I dont and I can choose the clinic/hospital/ health care service most convenient to me. This costs me €55 a month which is not much but for some it is too much especially when you are young and fit.
All treatments and costs are fixed at that meeting as well along with which medicine will be reimbursed which my additional package also helps.
I am also completely covered for foreign travel anywhere in the world.

[pErvinalia]

You've missed the point. Lak is saying it's silly having to pay for things like sex reassignment and maternity if you will never need them. For some reason the option to opt out of those things doesn't exist in the US. It does here in our private insurance sector.

[Scot Dutchy]

You've missed the point. Lak is saying it's silly having to pay for things like sex reassignment and maternity if you will never need them. For some reason the option to opt out of those things doesn't exist in the US. It does here in our private insurance sector.

We dont have a private or public insurance sector. It would make very little difference anyway. Paying for something like GP's visits would but in order to keep a low threshold on the service these are included. Maternity is an essential which may explain America's poor performance in that area. Our health costs are not high at being less than half what America pays for not an Universal Health Care system. Here the service is for everyone and nobody can be denied.

[pErvinalia]

You've missed the point. Lak is saying it's silly having to pay for things like sex reassignment and maternity if you will never need them. For some reason the option to opt out of those things doesn't exist in the US. It does here in our private insurance sector.

We dont have a private or public insurance sector. It would make very little difference anyway. Paying for something like GP's visits would but in order to keep a low threshold on the service these are included. Maternity is an essential

Not if you are a single male.

[Scot Dutchy]

You've missed the point. Lak is saying it's silly having to pay for things like sex reassignment and maternity if you will never need them. For some reason the option to opt out of those things doesn't exist in the US. It does here in our private insurance sector.

We dont have a private or public insurance sector. It would make very little difference anyway. Paying for something like GP's visits would but in order to keep a low threshold on the service these are included. Maternity is an essential

Not if you are a single male.

It would not make that much difference. The basic package is agreed upon and nobody can touch. It keeps it simple and cheap.

[pErvinalia]

Simplicity is a consideration. But when you are talking about private insurance markets, that's called collusion.

[Scot Dutchy]

Simplicity is a consideration. But when you are talking about private insurance markets, that's called collusion.

It is not a private insurance market that is the whole bloody point.

[pErvinalia]

Lak and I are talking about the US.

[laklak]

The only reason we do have to pay for that coverage is the ACA, prior to that we didn't have to pay for options we didn't want. The ACA brought in "minimum coverage standards" that basically covered anything and everything. The way the law was written you could go without insurance for your entire working life, paying a minimal penalty each year for not being covered. Then, when you decide you're actually a man trapped in a woman's body, you could buy an insurance policy and get the surgery done. The insurers couldn't reject you by law, nor could they charge you a higher premium than anyone else in your general demographic. The law also capped the amounts they could charge for different demographics - can't remember the actual numbers but buying a policy at age 70 could only cost double (I think) than buying the same policy at age 20. This had an enormous impact on premiums for younger, healthier people. Same thing applied to any pre-existing condition. You could go without insurance until you got lung cancer, then sign on and get treated at no financial penalty. Prior to that, insurance companies would not cover pre-existing conditions for (usually) one year after you bought the policy. Therefore it was prudent to keep health insurance so you could get treatment if something dire happened to you.

I don't want to give the wrong impression, there were certain issues the ACA addressed that needed addressing. The insurance industry had been under regulated in some ways and there were abuses. But the ACA went waaaaaay too far and the end result was they further fucked an already fucked system. Like I said, you have to understand how a thing works in order to rationally regulate it. Now, because of the excesses of the ACA, we'll be thrown to the wolves. Thanks, Obama.

[Forty Two]

You've missed the point. Lak is saying it's silly having to pay for things like sex reassignment and maternity if you will never need them. For some reason the option to opt out of those things doesn't exist in the US. It does here in our private insurance sector.

We dont have a private or public insurance sector. It would make very little difference anyway. Paying for something like GP's visits would but in order to keep a low threshold on the service these are included. Maternity is an essential which may explain America's poor performance in that area. Our health costs are not high at being less than half what America pays for not an Universal Health Care system. Here the service is for everyone and nobody can be denied.

Maternity care is part of American health coverage.

You pay much less than half what we pay here. 100 Euros a months? You pay annually less than I pay per month.

Obamacare really fucked us all up.

[Tero]

America! Marriage of Capitalism and Government! Best monopolies ever! Wealth through regulation. GOP can’t get is out of it.

[Forty Two]

America! Marriage of Capitalism and Government! Best monopolies ever! Wealth through regulation. GOP can’t get is out of it.

It's what you voted for in 2008. It's Obamacare. Don't pretend you weren't in favor of the crony capitalism you voted for....

[laklak]

Nah, it was Bush's fault. Everything is Bush's fault. In fact, he crucified Jebus. Personally banged in the nails, while dodging the draft and snorting cocaine.