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Congressional Budget Office: 24 million would lose insurance under RepubliCare

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  • So, single payer must be sounding fairly appealing in comparison... $10k just for coverage, and then you have to pay $7k before they'll kick in? So, this year and last I'm guessing you came near that kind of scenario, paying $17k for your treatment? Don't feel obliged to answer, I'm just curious.

  • So, single payer must be sounding fairly appealing in comparison... $10k just for coverage, and then you have to pay $7k before they'll kick in? So, this year and last I'm guessing you came near that kind of scenario, paying $17k for your treatment? Don't feel obliged to answer, I'm just curious.

    @gftchris said:

    So, single payer must be sounding fairly appealing in comparison... $10k just for coverage, and then you have to pay $7k before they'll kick in? So, this year and last I'm guessing you came near that kind of scenario, paying $17k for your treatment? Don't feel obliged to answer, I'm just curious.

    Hard to tell Chris I must admit there's an appeal there. I just don't know how much different our system would be if it were single-payer. I was in the Cleveland Clinic for 12 days. Cancer surgery and a heart catheter. The cancer center is one of the best of America and the cardiac center the best in the world. The place is state-of-the-art and the doctors the best anywhere. There's probably never a 30 minute. In which I didn't interact with a medical professional starting from nurses aides and going up the ladder to the heads of the Departments. Rather than to fuck with radiation my oncologist got me right into surgery with a woman who has the reputation as one of the best surgeons anywhere. My entire out-of-pocket for the year will probably be about $20,000. I could not ask for better care.

    Is it possible somewhere else I might have had to wait a few weeks for the surgery and taking the chance that the tumor metastasized? Or that the collapsing stent wood close up completely and do serious damage to my heart if I've waited? I don't know but if either of those situations were possible do you two even a minor wait time I don't know if saving the money would be worth it to me. Maybe 20 more Grand to spend on my wake......

    But it stands to reason if I got the exact same care and didn't have to pay for it oh, well sure that would be great.

    But I can't imagine the Cleveland Clinic would be as good as it is if it were run by the government.

    WSS

  • PS when kings and princes and Queens from oil-rich Middle East countries have chest pains they come here. Not Havana. Not Mexico City. Not Brazil.

    Not Lithuania. Not Slovenia.

    WSS

  • liberals dream socialism and they don't care that the money will run out

    and the country will be crashed and broke. When the worst happens, they

    will just bitch that they could have avoided it, but they weren't allowed to

    overspend it faster....

  • I guess I could live with that kind of two tier medical system. When I was in college and broke I remember sitting for hours at the free clinic. How long do you suppose it would be before the left, well the American left, makes a giant issue of the fact that the rich get better treatment then the poor?

    WSS

    @westside-steve said:

    I guess I could live with that kind of two tier medical system. When I was in college and broke I remember sitting for hours at the free clinic. How long do you suppose it would be before the left, well the American left, makes a giant issue of the fact that the rich get better treatment then the poor?

    WSS

    To be fair you can sit for hours in the Cleveland clinic.

  • @westside-steve said:

    I guess I could live with that kind of two tier medical system. When I was in college and broke I remember sitting for hours at the free clinic. How long do you suppose it would be before the left, well the American left, makes a giant issue of the fact that the rich get better treatment then the poor?

    WSS

    To be fair you can sit for hours in the Cleveland clinic.

    @the-cysko-kid said:

    To be fair you can sit for hours in the Cleveland clinic.

    Sure you can. Just talking about my experience and everything has gone as close to Clockwork as possible.

    And if you do wait it's for the finest facility in America unlike waiting for a nurse's aide in Hamilton Ontario.

    Bottom line if you never get sick who gives a fuck how good the health care is?

    WSS

  • My wife slipped on ice and broke her wrist in 2005. She had surgery at the Cleveland Cinic. I remember it was a huge waiting area, like a atrium. After she checked in I went with her to pre surgery, then they gave me kind of a beeper to wear around my head. They said they would beep me when it was done. I hung out in the atrium, checking out the nurses and about 1.5 hours later the beeper went off. I went up stairs and the surgeon was there with xrays and told me he had put eight screws in her wrist, she would have to stay over night, and I could pick her up the next morning. The surgery was over $20,000 and then she had to go thru occupational therapy for about two months to work her right wrist. All in all my out of pocket for everything was about $600.00 through Tricare, but that was paid for by the apartment as well as her missed work, etc. I should have sued the fuckers. Oh, and when I picked her up the next morning, they gave her a prescription for percocets. (spelling). She also ate breakfast, pancakes with maple syrup. We had just left the clinic and headed toward 77 south when she said she felt like she was going to throw up, I told her wait, wait......too late. Puked all over the passeger seat and floor. I swear, I washed, vacuumed, you name it for months. And could never get rid of that fucking smell of maple syrup and puke completely.

  • Another thing is that few years ago I read that there were more MRI machines in Greater Cleveland than there are in Canada.

    So I don't know how feasible it would be to drive up to Toronto for a quick MRI.

    WSS

    @westside-steve said:

    Another thing is that few years ago I read that there were more MRI machines in Greater Cleveland than there are in Canada.

    So I don't know how feasible it would be to drive up to Toronto for a quick MRI.

    WSS

    A couple of decades ago I was all in on socialized medicine, I thought the Canadians really had something.

    Then I started seeing the people across the border who were diagnosed with a 3/6 month life expectancy, who couldn't get the life saving surgery needed fast enough. They were coming to the states for our world class health care, where they could have their procedures in less than a week's time.

    If the government takes over our health care, it will go to hell in a hand basket.

  • When I had my knee replaced, it cost huge bucks. Many thousands. But I had retired and was on medicare,

    and Aetna supplemental insurance. Out of pocket - about 169 bucks or something. Amazing. The best surgeon,

    the staff at the hospital were wonderful ,you can't go anywhere in the world and have better health care.

    Until our VA health care is fixed, I have a complete lack of respect for the idea of government health care.

  • When I had my knee replaced, it cost huge bucks. Many thousands. But I had retired and was on medicare,

    and Aetna supplemental insurance. Out of pocket - about 169 bucks or something. Amazing. The best surgeon,

    the staff at the hospital were wonderful ,you can't go anywhere in the world and have better health care.

    Until our VA health care is fixed, I have a complete lack of respect for the idea of government health care.

    @calfoxwc said:

    Until our VA health care is fixed, I have a complete lack of respect for the idea of government health care.

    Amen Cal!

  • I'm still for straight up socialized medicine. If you want to pay for more have at it but everybody should have access to healthcare. Everyone.

    @the-cysko-kid said:

    I'm still for straight up socialized medicine. If you want to pay for more have at it but everybody should have access to healthcare. Everyone.

    Being conservative and for small government, I do feel that healthcare is now something that our government should be able to provide to its people, including education.

    Our country is founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and I feel that healthcare and education aid in those three rights. We are a wealthy nation, and we could provide to our people better benefits. What has to stop is the idea that money is to be made on EVERYTHING.

  • @the-cysko-kid said:

    I'm still for straight up socialized medicine. If you want to pay for more have at it but everybody should have access to healthcare. Everyone.

    Being conservative and for small government, I do feel that healthcare is now something that our government should be able to provide to its people, including education.

    Our country is founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and I feel that healthcare and education aid in those three rights. We are a wealthy nation, and we could provide to our people better benefits. What has to stop is the idea that money is to be made on EVERYTHING.

    @brownskidd said:

    Being conservative and for small government, I do feel that healthcare is now something that our government should be able to provide to its people, including education.

    Our country is founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and I feel that healthcare and education aid in those three rights. We are a wealthy nation, and we could provide to our people better benefits. What has to stop is the idea that money is to be made on EVERYTHING.

    I agree. Though, I remember as a kid, and having my knee reconstructed the summer after the ninth grade...

    a kid was on welfare, and was had major heart surgery the same day. One minute, I was in my room, and the next,

    the nurses came in, and moved by bed and me out into the hall, and apologized.

    The welfare kid - there wasn't a room yet, he was black, and his mom was raising hell over the fact that the other room

    for him wasn't quite ready yet, threatening to sue for racial disc. etc etc.

    So, they bailed and moved me out because I had surgery two days before and was doing great.

    My physician gets there and was upset, bigly. He got close to me and said "why...are...you...in...the hall???"

    I told him. and he really blew up. They took the confused welfare kid back out of my room, put me back in FAST,

    and nurses were scrambling and got his room ready FAST, and got him in it, and my surgeon, head of the orthopedic

    unit, was yelling...

    even back then, those who were so poor they couldn't pay, still had to be treated like anybody else. That is classy,

    and American heart. The trouble is, all those write offs for medical care, raised costs dramatically to try to regain

    money to pay for the services that couldn't be paid for.

    So, what to do? I understand a gov program. But obamaocare took the weird marxist step of screwing with what

    was not broken - our entire American medicine structure. Everything. The dems gloated over getting so much control.

    That backfired, but it's costly. Premiums and costs STILL went up. Doctors dropped out of coverages, millions lost

    insurance.

    Liberals ignored the CBO estimates of disaster... but now they hawk the CBO vs attempts to replace obamaocare.

    The dems are so frantically against repealing/fixing/replacing obamaocare strictly because they lose their dem bragging

    rights over it, and eventually, more of their base.

    The other problem is, we are already so seriously/dangerously deep in debt - and there is so much a large subculture

    of dependent/entitled people in our society, that any program to help the poor turns into an abused system of help -

    a gravy train for those who couldn't care less about abusing a system for their own profit.

    Poor kids everywhere, must have the best medical care. I never had a problem with them getting free care if they were poor.

    The poor kid I mentioned...he had a serious shoulder surgery. The younger guy actually had a nurse wheel him into

    my room - I was in there for a whole week (they don't do that anymore!)... he said he was sorry about that whole thing and

    me losing my room. I said I felt bad his room wasn't ready. He told me he was playing in the street, ran in between parked

    cars to get the basketball, and came out and got hit by a car that just pulled around a corner and was just slowing down

    because kids were in the area. Gov hc, free hc at private facilities making costs skyrocket... I don't know what the answer is,

    I just know kids like that young guy, all kids without insurance because they can't buy it.... deserve the best medical care.

    It isn't their fault they need it, and don't have it.

    The fraudulent abuse of any gov help program is major, I think. It's too bad.

  • @brownskidd said:

    Being conservative and for small government, I do feel that healthcare is now something that our government should be able to provide to its people, including education.

    Our country is founded on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and I feel that healthcare and education aid in those three rights. We are a wealthy nation, and we could provide to our people better benefits. What has to stop is the idea that money is to be made on EVERYTHING.

    I agree. Though, I remember as a kid, and having my knee reconstructed the summer after the ninth grade...

    a kid was on welfare, and was had major heart surgery the same day. One minute, I was in my room, and the next,

    the nurses came in, and moved by bed and me out into the hall, and apologized.

    The welfare kid - there wasn't a room yet, he was black, and his mom was raising hell over the fact that the other room

    for him wasn't quite ready yet, threatening to sue for racial disc. etc etc.

    So, they bailed and moved me out because I had surgery two days before and was doing great.

    My physician gets there and was upset, bigly. He got close to me and said "why...are...you...in...the hall???"

    I told him. and he really blew up. They took the confused welfare kid back out of my room, put me back in FAST,

    and nurses were scrambling and got his room ready FAST, and got him in it, and my surgeon, head of the orthopedic

    unit, was yelling...

    even back then, those who were so poor they couldn't pay, still had to be treated like anybody else. That is classy,

    and American heart. The trouble is, all those write offs for medical care, raised costs dramatically to try to regain

    money to pay for the services that couldn't be paid for.

    So, what to do? I understand a gov program. But obamaocare took the weird marxist step of screwing with what

    was not broken - our entire American medicine structure. Everything. The dems gloated over getting so much control.

    That backfired, but it's costly. Premiums and costs STILL went up. Doctors dropped out of coverages, millions lost

    insurance.

    Liberals ignored the CBO estimates of disaster... but now they hawk the CBO vs attempts to replace obamaocare.

    The dems are so frantically against repealing/fixing/replacing obamaocare strictly because they lose their dem bragging

    rights over it, and eventually, more of their base.

    The other problem is, we are already so seriously/dangerously deep in debt - and there is so much a large subculture

    of dependent/entitled people in our society, that any program to help the poor turns into an abused system of help -

    a gravy train for those who couldn't care less about abusing a system for their own profit.

    Poor kids everywhere, must have the best medical care. I never had a problem with them getting free care if they were poor.

    The poor kid I mentioned...he had a serious shoulder surgery. The younger guy actually had a nurse wheel him into

    my room - I was in there for a whole week (they don't do that anymore!)... he said he was sorry about that whole thing and

    me losing my room. I said I felt bad his room wasn't ready. He told me he was playing in the street, ran in between parked

    cars to get the basketball, and came out and got hit by a car that just pulled around a corner and was just slowing down

    because kids were in the area. Gov hc, free hc at private facilities making costs skyrocket... I don't know what the answer is,

    I just know kids like that young guy, all kids without insurance because they can't buy it.... deserve the best medical care.

    It isn't their fault they need it, and don't have it.

    The fraudulent abuse of any gov help program is major, I think. It's too bad.

    @calfoxwc said:

    I agree. Though, I remember as a kid, and having my knee reconstructed the summer after the ninth grade...

    a kid was on welfare, and was had major heart surgery the same day. One minute, I was in my room, and the next,

    the nurses came in, and moved by bed and me out into the hall, and apologized.

    The welfare kid - there wasn't a room yet, he was black, and his mom was raising hell over the fact that the other room

    for him wasn't quite ready yet, threatening to sue for racial disc. etc etc.

    So, they bailed and moved me out because I had surgery two days before and was doing great.

    My physician gets there and was upset, bigly. He got close to me and said "why...are...you...in...the hall???"

    I told him. and he really blew up. They took the confused welfare kid back out of my room, put me back in FAST,

    and nurses were scrambling and got his room ready FAST, and got him in it, and my surgeon, head of the orthopedic

    unit, was yelling...

    even back then, those who were so poor they couldn't pay, still had to be treated like anybody else. That is classy,

    and American heart. The trouble is, all those write offs for medical care, raised costs dramatically to try to regain

    money to pay for the services that couldn't be paid for.

    So, what to do? I understand a gov program. But obamaocare took the weird marxist step of screwing with what

    was not broken - our entire American medicine structure. Everything. The dems gloated over getting so much control.

    That backfired, but it's costly. Premiums and costs STILL went up. Doctors dropped out of coverages, millions lost

    insurance.

    Liberals ignored the CBO estimates of disaster... but now they hawk the CBO vs attempts to replace obamaocare.

    The dems are so frantically against repealing/fixing/replacing obamaocare strictly because they lose their dem bragging

    rights over it, and eventually, more of their base.

    The other problem is, we are already so seriously/dangerously deep in debt - and there is so much a large subculture

    of dependent/entitled people in our society, that any program to help the poor turns into an abused system of help -

    a gravy train for those who couldn't care less about abusing a system for their own profit.

    Poor kids everywhere, must have the best medical care. I never had a problem with them getting free care if they were poor.

    The poor kid I mentioned...he had a serious shoulder surgery. The younger guy actually had a nurse wheel him into

    my room - I was in there for a whole week (they don't do that anymore!)... he said he was sorry about that whole thing and

    me losing my room. I said I felt bad his room wasn't ready. He told me he was playing in the street, ran in between parked

    cars to get the basketball, and came out and got hit by a car that just pulled around a corner and was just slowing down

    because kids were in the area. Gov hc, free hc at private facilities making costs skyrocket... I don't know what the answer is,

    I just know kids like that young guy, all kids without insurance because they can't buy it.... deserve the best medical care.

    It isn't their fault they need it, and don't have it.

    The fraudulent abuse of any gov help program is major, I think. It's too bad.

    Agreed. So the question is, where to start? First, as cliche as it seems, drain the swamp is a first. Not just draining of people, but of laws, over taxation, legislation and anything else that hinders progress in the medical AND insurance markets. For example, why are prescriptions cost so much higher in the USA verses other countries (as an example)? It will require a complete re-write of the medical and insurance industries, and would require government oversight, but in regards to healthcare, and remembering that life, lifeberty and happiness are rights, I think the government might be able to get it right. This might mean that companies lose revenue, and bonuses... so what, fuck them. This is about the people and providing for them.

    However, this does not mean that we just give. Our society needs to reinforce what it means to be a productive citizen. Schools today are so focused on seeing kids hit a certain number in test scores that we aren't focusing on what it means to be an adult. But we have also taken away schools rights to be authority figures during the day, this means kids have lost respect or have no respect for teachers. This is also enabled by piss poor parenting. However, if we can educate the people, to be productive and to want to work hard, and add value to society, then we can see more people put into the pot of healthcare.

    The narrative that I hate is the "poor" this, the "poverty" that, and they need this and they need that. But are we asking the question as to "WHY" they are poor, and why they are poverty stricken? DId you drop out of school? Did you not finish college? Have you managed your credit poorly? Do you manage your finances poorly and make poor financial choices? Did you have kids that you really couldn't afford to have? These are tough questions to ask but are being completely ignored. Drive down the road, and look at those at the bus stop. What do you usually see with those waiting on the bus. A cell phone and smokes. A lot of lower income people I see typically with smokes, drugs, alcohol and then bitch about the rich. Give me a fuckin' break.

    A pack of smokes today cost on avg. $5.51. If you started smoking in the last 5 years or so, you're paying $5.00 bucks for a pack on avg. If you are a pack a day smoker, over 40 years (if you live that long), you will have spend just over $72,000 (as long as prices stay the same) on smokes. That doesn't include the booze and the weed you blow money on too. And I bet, they probably have the best cable TV package and Netflix, and all the other amenities. Have fun riding the bus.

    Let's not also mention that many poor people have made other poor life choices that has included breaking the law and have therefore relegated themselves to low skilled low paying jobs. I do feel that there needs to be some type of reform for those that really do want to turn around their lives and do so. But don't complain about low wages at McD's when you have drug charges, domestic abuse, fraud and other crimes on your record and you don't seem to get the picture when it comes to cleaning up your life. Fast food joints aren't there to fix your poor life choices.