Conquer Club

thegreekdog wrote:

jj3044 wrote:

thegreekdog wrote:Healthcare costs increased substantially, as a percentage of GDP from 1968 to 2008. Why? I'm sure the growing number of obese people and increases in the average age of our population had much to do with it. But one would think technological advancement would breed less need to spend money on healthcare. There are a number of studies showing what drives healthcare costs in the US. Such factors include increase utiliation of health insurance created by increased consumer demand (which will only increase now that we have "free" health insurance), new treatments, and more intensive diagnostic screening. Other researchers indicated that healthcare providers are rewarded for treating and testing patients rather than curing them. None of these cost factors are helped by the Affordable Care Act.

jj3044 wrote:The law does much more than create more "freeloaders". It also tries to change the healthcare delivery system, which today is VERY ineffective. Here's how:

-Make preventive well-visits free (fully insurance paid) annually, allowing for much earlier identification of diseases and conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and yes, cancer, which in early stages typically do not have many symptoms. By the time symptoms are noticed, usually damage has already been done. By identifying and treating these conditions earlier, the condition costs much less, and will over all reduce the burden of treatment in the system today.

-Encourage a performance-based fee structure from insurers to providers. I currently live in Rhode Island, and "Patient centered medical homes" are the new buzz word... meaning that most of the resources needed to treat a patient are located within the practice (dietician, physical therapist, nurse case manager) to facilitate better care. When the patient meets better-than-average outcome measures, the practice gets paid more. Also, electronic health records are being installed so that if a patient goes to a different doctor, they can pull up the patient's information, see that they had a CT scan last month that was negative, and NOT order an unnecessary, duplicate test.

-Encourage employers/insurers to utilize value-based benefit designs. Basically these designs encourage proper use of the healthcare system by rewarding plan participants for being proactive in their health such as having an annual physical, taking a health risk assessment, or speaking to a health coach.

I need more details (e.g. links). I've read the law at least twice, and I don't remember seeing anything like this in it.

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

Lootifer wrote:Shoosh. Push ur rhetoric elseware Scot... I mean sym

jj3044 wrote:Healthcare costs increased substantially, as a percentage of GDP from 1968 to 2008. Why? I'm sure the growing number of obese people and increases in the average age of our population had much to do with it. But one would think technological advancement would breed less need to spend money on healthcare. There are a number of studies showing what drives healthcare costs in the US. Such factors include increase utiliation of health insurance created by increased consumer demand (which will only increase now that we have "free" health insurance), new treatments, and more intensive diagnostic screening. Other researchers indicated that healthcare providers are rewarded for treating and testing patients rather than curing them. None of these cost factors are helped by the Affordable Care Act.

aad0906 wrote:

jj3044 wrote:Healthcare costs increased substantially, as a percentage of GDP from 1968 to 2008. Why? I'm sure the growing number of obese people and increases in the average age of our population had much to do with it. But one would think technological advancement would breed less need to spend money on healthcare. There are a number of studies showing what drives healthcare costs in the US. Such factors include increase utiliation of health insurance created by increased consumer demand (which will only increase now that we have "free" health insurance), new treatments, and more intensive diagnostic screening. Other researchers indicated that healthcare providers are rewarded for treating and testing patients rather than curing them. None of these cost factors are helped by the Affordable Care Act.

Healthcare costs increased also DUE to technological advance. 200 years ago, if you had cancer, you'd never find out and simply die. No cost. 30 years ago if you had cancer, they put you and a machine that radiates a very large part of your body and your survival chances increased tremendously, but it did cost a lot of money and the therapy also damaged healthy tissue. Of course you would now get older and... the older we get the more healthcare we need (simple math plus older people generally need more healthcare than younger people). Nowadays we have machines that can treat tumors with pinpoint precision. Higher chances of survival and less damage to healthy tissue but... exponentially more expensive as these high precision machines can cost in excess of $1 million each. The mere fact that we can now discover more and more diseases/ailments and also treat them lease to higher healthcare cost.

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

Night Strike wrote:

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

A system where everyone buys the policies and coverages that they need for themselves and their families instead of it being provided through an employer. A system where the government doesn't mandate such mandatory coverage as paying for hair implants or sex-specific coverage when the buyer is of the opposite sex.

Night Strike wrote:

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

A system where everyone buys the policies and coverages that they need for themselves and their families instead of it being provided through an employer. A system where the government doesn't mandate such mandatory coverage as paying for hair implants or sex-specific coverage when the buyer is of the opposite sex.

Lootifer wrote:

Night Strike wrote:

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

A system where everyone buys the policies and coverages that they need for themselves and their families instead of it being provided through an employer. A system where the government doesn't mandate such mandatory coverage as paying for hair implants or sex-specific coverage when the buyer is of the opposite sex.

So the insurance model is the free market model? Interesting. Because the insurance model still places distorted incentives on the providers.

DoomYoshi wrote:A free market model would have no insurance at all. Health insurance would be illegal. Right now if you have an insurance plan and you go to the doctors, the doctor determines that the insurance company can afford to pay $800 per visit, and charge that. Because the consumer has no idea of the costs, they can't ever make a rational choice about cost and benefit. If the consumer had to pay that $800 per visit directly, they would look for a cheaper doctor and the cost would enter a free market bidding war.

Until, of course, some doctors banded together and started price fixing.

Symmetry wrote:

Night Strike wrote:

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

A system where everyone buys the policies and coverages that they need for themselves and their families instead of it being provided through an employer. A system where the government doesn't mandate such mandatory coverage as paying for hair implants or sex-specific coverage when the buyer is of the opposite sex.

Dude, chicks are kinda different from dudes, medically and such. You don't need to worry yourself. Or at least, not so fervently.

Of course, I'm not implying that you have a deep degree of interest in Gay sex, perhaps even prurient, that you find difficult to acknowledge, I just wanted to point that out in legalese, as, of course, neither of us are talking about how ridiculous your fear of gay people might possibly be relevant.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.-- A longtime Springfield doctor in private practice says he can't afford to keep his doors open. Dr. Shelby Deckard says government regulations are leading to the end of his 37-year practice.

Deckard and his employees say every day is a sad one, as they prepare to say farewell to their patients and friends.

Spending time with patients is one of Deckard's priorities.

"He's pretty laid back," said patient Stan Coffman.

It's likely what's kept many coming back.

"I think at least 20 years," Coffman said.

But Deckard believes taking his time has actually gone against what he calls the secret to survival.

"You've got to see twice as many people or you've got to do twice as many things that may be unnecessary," Deckard said.

Deckard took the road less traveled more than 15 years ago, choosing to stay in private practice.

"My partners became employees of the hospital, and I just came in on my own, and was able to get a young partner with me," said Deckard.

Now, Deckard says more fees, lower reimbursements, and time consuming regulations have made having his own office too costly.

"We have the business; that's not the issue. It's just a matter of trying to combat the overhead. This Obama stuff this year has totally destroyed us with all the expenses," Deckard said.

He says he and his partner each made only $2,300 in September, and $3,000 last month.

"My young partner has had to work a second job the last year and a half," Deckard said.

Deckard and Dr. Brian Neely sent a letter out to patients, telling them, "It has become impossible to sustain a viable private practice."

They'll close Dec. 28.

"Oh, I was shocked. I guess it's due to this Obama healthcare deal," says Jean Borgmeyer, a patient of nearly 30 years.

"Unfortunately, it's sad every day, because we get reminded, dealing with the patients," Deckard says.

"Now, I have to find a doctor, and I'll never find another one like him that you can call and get a prescription for cough syrup," says Borgmeyer.

For Dr. Deckard, it's a farewell to longtime friends and the end of a dream.

"I'm done, because I can't do what I want to do, as far as taking care of people," says Deckard.

The White House says the Affordable Care Act, signed in 2010, aims to improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone and protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices.

"Oh, I was shocked. I guess it's due to this Obama healthcare deal," says Jean Borgmeyer, a patient of nearly 30 years.

"Unfortunately, it's sad every day, because we get reminded, dealing with the patients," Deckard says.

"Now, I have to find a doctor, and I'll never find another one like him that you can call and get a prescription for cough syrup," says Borgmeyer.

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

Phatscotty wrote:

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

I don't know. Health care, in general, has never experienced the free market, not in my lifetime. My grandpa tells me stories though, about my 5 other aunts and uncles.

They just paid the doctor the money when they needed the doctor.

kentington wrote:I don't know what system would work. All I know is that if I had to pay for the treatments of the kidney stone out of pocket, then I would have need to just die instead. It wasn't coming out on its own.

kentington wrote:I don't know what system would work. All I know is that if I had to pay for the treatments of the kidney stone out of pocket, then I would have need to just die instead. It wasn't coming out on its own.

AndyDufresne wrote:

kentington wrote:I don't know what system would work. All I know is that if I had to pay for the treatments of the kidney stone out of pocket, then I would have need to just die instead. It wasn't coming out on its own.

Kentington, you could have always gone to a nice low-cost private surgeon.




--Andy

Symmetry wrote:Stuff that NS may have missed- the doctor is 67 years old, so well past retirement, I doubt that healthcare reform is why he's shutting down.

But then again, we have the patient addicted to prescription strength cough syrup to think about:

"Oh, I was shocked. I guess it's due to this Obama healthcare deal," says Jean Borgmeyer, a patient of nearly 30 years.

"Unfortunately, it's sad every day, because we get reminded, dealing with the patients," Deckard says.

"Now, I have to find a doctor, and I'll never find another one like him that you can call and get a prescription for cough syrup," says Borgmeyer.

Hmm. This sounds a bit dodgy to me.

DoomYoshi wrote:

kentington wrote:I don't know what system would work. All I know is that if I had to pay for the treatments of the kidney stone out of pocket, then I would have need to just die instead. It wasn't coming out on its own.

The prices are only so high because of market manipulation.

Lootifer wrote:Question: what does frer market healthcare look like? (High level question)

thegreekdog wrote:A free market healthcare system, for me, is one in which health insurance companies exist sort of like tornado insurance companies - get it if you want, but if you don't, you should be able to pay for the storm damage or risk no storm coming.