Question..."guess" actually.

CasualLurker said:
Health care should be nationalized, and for that matter, so should all kinds of insurance. On its face, insurance for profit causes an obvious conflict. The companies are in business for their shareholders, not their customers. Running for profit, they have to make a lot more than they pay out.

I know for a fact that healthcare insurers try to deny paying for services, but I'm not sure about doctors ordering unnecessary tests and procedures. In my experiences, doctors from the professional corporations, which is now just about all of them, hate the insurance companies as much as the patients do. I've heard more than one of my doctors refer to insurance as organized crime.

European countries have private health care, but those who choose that route still have to pay for the public care in their taxes--as they should. Conservative Americans want freedom from societal obligations as much as they want freedom to own machine guns. Conservative military retirees who HAVE socialized medicine for themselves are often among the most opposed to anybody else having it. That's an example of having no shame.
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Lotta real good points here, Lurker.

Thanks.

ULTLRA MAGA above you made some good ones also...although obviously along a tangential line to how we are thinking.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
I've noticed exactly the same thing. Last year Mr. Owl lost a crown on one of his molars. He saved it and just needed it stuck back on. But every dentist office he called either wasn't accepting new patients, or had a wait of several weeks. He finally called that chain, Delta Dentist, and was able to get in within a week. It took all of five mins. to restore the crown.

In 2023 when I had surgery (lumpectomy) for breast cancer, it took two weeks for the biopsy to come back, and two MONTHS to see an oncologist.
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I make my appointment for my annual checkup 366 days in advance. Once I called to see if I could see my primary for something minor, and he could see me in 3 months.

Never mind.
 
Ross Dolan said:
We can afford a national healthcare system...and we have to insist that one be instituted. In fact, we CANNOT afford not to have a national healthcare system. The "system" now in place has got to be replaced by something that insures EVERYONE has access to all the healthcare needed.

I, personally, favor government funded medical education with a reasonable period of paid work as a doctor in clinics that provide medical care similar to the kinds used by other developed nations. Yeah, there are negatives to those systems, but the negatives in our present system is appalling in a nation as wealthy as ours.
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Ironic that we don't have the money for healthcare, but we have billions upon billions for trump's grifts.
 
Ross Dolan said:
I've noticed that it is almost impossible to get an unaffiliated doctor these days. Almost all belong to medical associations...as do most hospitals. All of these "groups" are for-profit.

So here is the predicate for my question...asking each of you for your best guess:

Since these groups are formed to maximize profits for the hospital and physician members...do you guess that in situations where it would be more profitable to require extended testing or repeat doctor visits before any procedure be performed (regardless of whether those visits or tests are absolutely needed)...will the association encourage the more profitable route...or will the association encourage the less profitable alternative? Especially if the patient is on Medicare or Medicaid.

No need to even explain your guesses, but if you feel comfortable doing so, give some reasons for your guess.
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And this is part of the answer:

Yakuda said:
Insurance is the worse things that has happened to medical care. When you go to the doctor the insurance company is the customer not the patient. The doctor or hospital get paid by the insurance company not the patient The patient in turn doesnt care about the cost of treatment they only care about how much they have to pay for the insurance. Prices are inflated as insurance companies decide how much they will pay not the patient.
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The problem today is that between lawyers (malpractice) and health insurers, doctors have little choice but to affiliate with large corporate healthcare providers. That cuts way down on their own insurance costs, provides a layer of protection against malpractice suits, and gives them access to the army of bureaucrats and clerks necessary to do all the paperwork.

The administrative cost of providing healthcare in the US is roughly 25% of the total cost.

The Impact of Administrative Costs on U.S. Healthcare Spending - World ranking sites

U.S. HEALTHCARE • COST DRIVERS • ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD Updated: 2026-01-29 Latest national spending: 2024 Admin baseline map: 2019 In 2024, U.S. national health spending reached $5.3 trillion (about $15,474 per person) and accounted for 18.0% of GDP. Large research syntheses estimate that...
statranker.org

Administrative costs outpace direct patient care at US hospitals

Hospital efficiency has worsened as administrative costs outpace direct patient care expenses, according to a recent analysis.
www.hfma.org www.hfma.org
 
Ross Dolan said:
Yup. Makes one wonder what motivates the people who continue to support that grifter.
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I have a strong suspicion that most of the Trumpanzees avoid being exposed to the reality of what the #TangerineTyrant is up to. You know Reichwing media is silent other than praising the grifter and showing only the snippets of video that make him look non-demented.
 
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