quote:
Originally posted by Loki:
The problems is the insurance companies. Not the people. They pay over bloated health care costs to physicians and hospitals. Healthcare needs to be fixed at the source. This would bring the cost of insurance down to a reasonable rate (or at least tell you who is being greedy if rates do not decrease). The cost some doctors charge for healthcare is insane. It's this that needs regulating, then only regulate insurance if they don't drop their rates after the cost of healthcare has decreased. Hospital stays are ridiculous. You could rent space in a Hollywood mansion for a month for the cost of a week stay in the hospital. This is why the healthcare system is messed up. We pay certain hospitals/doctors way too much money for alot of things they do. I mean when they are getting a few 100,000 for a surgery...something is not right there.
Yeah, I'm being somewhat of a hypocrite I suppose. Would I pay anything to save my life? Yes I would. But is it morally acceptable to financially cripple someone because you did? No.
It all seems very simple to me to fix this problem. Fix it at the source with the doctors and hospital, then make sure insurance companies follow suit by lowering their rates. Hearby making healthcare affordable for everyone that isn't looking for a free handout.
Easier said than done I know. Alot of greedy politicians stand in the way of it succeeding.
It is quite obvious you don't have a doctor in your family or personally know their income. I have two. I can tell you they don't bring home that much money. The minimum cost for malpractice insurance is between $5,000 and $10,000 per month.
Several insurance companies pay half at the time of service and if the doctor keeps taking their patients they will pay half at the end of the year. The doctor has to pay their overhead out of the initial half. How would you like to get paid once per year?
Medical school costs are outrageous. A doctor can easily come out of medical school these days owing more debt than most people assume in their whole lifetime. When my sister entered medical school over 30 years ago just one of the instruments she had to buy was over $5,000.
Doctors lose almost 50% of the amount they bill. This amount is usually written off. At the same time many will spend 10% to 20% of their time volunteering for a charity.
I can't say where all the money is going, but it isn't going to the doctors. In 10 years there will be a shortage of doctors, especially in family practice. They just can't afford to be in business, especially with the malpractice insurance rates.