4 ms·

If only there were some way to give everyone in a country necessary and preventive health care regardless of whether they could pay for it or not. Like imagine

If only there were some way to give everyone in a country necessary and preventive health care regardless of whether they could pay for it or not. Like imagine a developed nation with health care for everyone? Where even the poor can have necessary medical procedures, medicine, etc without having to be buried under medical debt? Lol what a pipe dream

goodkittie396 3y ago
What is the view on healthcare spending for IVF for 45-year-old woman? Asking because you replied right after a post about IVF and failed IVF treatments. Don’t mean to pray. I’m just very very curious Why should I pay for somebody’s Viagra? Or IVF treatment? Because I am healthy? Diabetes is reversible with the healthy diet, no? Why not focus on reducing the costs.
- tekknik 3y ago
  Hard pass. Critical care I may be able to be convinced of, but not IVF, sex changes, hormone treatments outside of menopause or other similar issues, or anything else deemed optional.
tekknik 3y ago
Now imagine a world where everybody had a million dollars in the bank, a 25 room mansion, and 30 cars. Imagining things is fun, then reality and costs come crashing in. Go look at the state of VA healthcare for an example.
- throwway120385 3y ago
  VA healthcare sucks because people are more comfortable paying lip service to veterans than in actually helping veterans have better lives after their service is over. We're perfectly happy to say "Thank you for your service" but nobody is willing to fund things like a functioning medical system or a working payroll system for the military. You know, things that actually improve the quality of their lives. This is absolutely a problem we can fix.
xyzzy4747 3y ago
So the solution is to create even a bigger monopoly?
- barbazoo 3y ago
  Is that what happened in countries with universal healthcare?
- vkou 3y ago
  One without a profit motive, directly accountable via elections..? That sounds great, compared to the status quo.
- hn72774 3y ago
  US spends 50% more per capita on healthcare than the next highest developed country, Switzerland. And double the average comparable country. It's hard to see how regulated, single payor healthcare could be bigger or more expensive if the middle man is cut out. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/#Health%20expenditures%20per%20capita,%20U.S.%20dollars,%20PPP%20adjusted,%202022 https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-...
  - nradov 3y ago
    Simply replacing private payers with a single payer system ("Medicare for all" or whatever) wouldn't do much to cut US healthcare spending. Payer profit margins are relatively low and in total only constitute a small fraction of total healthcare spending. Any real savings would have to come from severe price controls on providers, drugs, and medical devices. Plus some forms of rationing. I'm not necessarily opposed to that, but it would be difficult to build a political consensus for it.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - FireBeyond 3y ago
      > Payer profit margins are relatively low and in total only constitute a small fraction of total healthcare spending. What? The government was forced to make insurers cap their profits at 20%. Except now that means if they want to make more money, they just raise premiums and negotiated provider payments. Even easier when you're as vertically integrated as UHC.
nradov 3y ago
All health plans are now required to cover preventive health services at no cost to the patient. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits/ https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits...
- Guvante 3y ago
  Few things: only one doctor visit is allowed and for some insurance companies asking about health problems voids that. Preventative is very narrowly defined to exclude anything considered a sickness in anyway. Getting something done that will ensure you don't get more sick might be considered preventative naively but is considered fixing a problem and so not covered. So basically this covers vaccines (make sure if you get multiple you don't see a doctor past the first or you are paying) tests unrelated to medical problems and a single non diagnostic visit to the doctor per year.
  - goodkittie396 3y ago
    This is an extremely valid and overlooked point. I feel frustrated when it seems that so much money somehow is going to preventive care… But when they quantify it, it’s just looks like screening. They ask if I feel safe at home they ask if I want to attend a group weight loss class, when I’m 95 pounds. They, the gatekeeping front desk clerks or nurses, just screen screen screen and check off items on a checklist earning them loads of credit. All that screening results in an approved amount of preventative treatment.
    - tekknik 3y ago
      At least you’re not in need of care, are overweight, and have state medical records. I need something looked at, and the first Dr I went to noticed my weight obviously and told me my issue is weight related and I need to lose weight before getting any further care. They then entered this info into my medical record that synchronizes with every other provider in the state. Now anybody I go to says the same and I still have pain. How I love socialized medicine!
  - 3y ago
refurb 3y ago
There are trade offs. The question is - are people willing to make them? Just compare access in the US to countries with regulated universal care. Have cystic fibrosis? Good news! There are drugs that reverse the genetic defect! In the US even Medicaid patients got access back in 2014. In Canada? Unless you live in one of 5 provinces that fund it, you don’t get it. Oh, and if you’re an adult? Nope, not a funding priority. In the UK, they didn’t get access until 2020. Six years after the US. Then you can look at some of the newest advances in cancer. You might need to wait 2-3 years after the US gets it. Then look at physician salaries. Access to primary care doctors. Waiting lists for joint replacement.
- tekknik 3y ago
  It’s good to see someone else loving that socialized medicine! /s

goodkittie396 3y ago

What is the view on healthcare spending for IVF for 45-year-old woman? Asking because you replied right after a post about IVF and failed IVF treatments. Don’t mean to pray. I’m just very very curious Why should I pay for somebody’s Viagra? Or IVF treatment? Because I am healthy? Diabetes is reversible with the healthy diet, no? Why not focus on reducing the costs.

tekknik 3y ago
Hard pass. Critical care I may be able to be convinced of, but not IVF, sex changes, hormone treatments outside of menopause or other similar issues, or anything else deemed optional.

tekknik 3y ago

Now imagine a world where everybody had a million dollars in the bank, a 25 room mansion, and 30 cars. Imagining things is fun, then reality and costs come crashing in. Go look at the state of VA healthcare for an example.

throwway120385 3y ago
VA healthcare sucks because people are more comfortable paying lip service to veterans than in actually helping veterans have better lives after their service is over. We're perfectly happy to say "Thank you for your service" but nobody is willing to fund things like a functioning medical system or a working payroll system for the military. You know, things that actually improve the quality of their lives. This is absolutely a problem we can fix.

xyzzy4747 3y ago

So the solution is to create even a bigger monopoly?

barbazoo 3y ago
Is that what happened in countries with universal healthcare?
vkou 3y ago
One without a profit motive, directly accountable via elections..? That sounds great, compared to the status quo.
hn72774 3y ago
US spends 50% more per capita on healthcare than the next highest developed country, Switzerland. And double the average comparable country. It's hard to see how regulated, single payor healthcare could be bigger or more expensive if the middle man is cut out. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/#Health%20expenditures%20per%20capita,%20U.S.%20dollars,%20PPP%20adjusted,%202022 https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-...
- nradov 3y ago
  Simply replacing private payers with a single payer system ("Medicare for all" or whatever) wouldn't do much to cut US healthcare spending. Payer profit margins are relatively low and in total only constitute a small fraction of total healthcare spending. Any real savings would have to come from severe price controls on providers, drugs, and medical devices. Plus some forms of rationing. I'm not necessarily opposed to that, but it would be difficult to build a political consensus for it.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - FireBeyond 3y ago
    > Payer profit margins are relatively low and in total only constitute a small fraction of total healthcare spending. What? The government was forced to make insurers cap their profits at 20%. Except now that means if they want to make more money, they just raise premiums and negotiated provider payments. Even easier when you're as vertically integrated as UHC.

nradov 3y ago

All health plans are now required to cover preventive health services at no cost to the patient. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits/ https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits...

Guvante 3y ago
Few things: only one doctor visit is allowed and for some insurance companies asking about health problems voids that. Preventative is very narrowly defined to exclude anything considered a sickness in anyway. Getting something done that will ensure you don't get more sick might be considered preventative naively but is considered fixing a problem and so not covered. So basically this covers vaccines (make sure if you get multiple you don't see a doctor past the first or you are paying) tests unrelated to medical problems and a single non diagnostic visit to the doctor per year.
- goodkittie396 3y ago
  This is an extremely valid and overlooked point. I feel frustrated when it seems that so much money somehow is going to preventive care… But when they quantify it, it’s just looks like screening. They ask if I feel safe at home they ask if I want to attend a group weight loss class, when I’m 95 pounds. They, the gatekeeping front desk clerks or nurses, just screen screen screen and check off items on a checklist earning them loads of credit. All that screening results in an approved amount of preventative treatment.
  - tekknik 3y ago
    At least you’re not in need of care, are overweight, and have state medical records. I need something looked at, and the first Dr I went to noticed my weight obviously and told me my issue is weight related and I need to lose weight before getting any further care. They then entered this info into my medical record that synchronizes with every other provider in the state. Now anybody I go to says the same and I still have pain. How I love socialized medicine!
- 3y ago

refurb 3y ago

There are trade offs. The question is - are people willing to make them? Just compare access in the US to countries with regulated universal care. Have cystic fibrosis? Good news! There are drugs that reverse the genetic defect! In the US even Medicaid patients got access back in 2014. In Canada? Unless you live in one of 5 provinces that fund it, you don’t get it. Oh, and if you’re an adult? Nope, not a funding priority. In the UK, they didn’t get access until 2020. Six years after the US. Then you can look at some of the newest advances in cancer. You might need to wait 2-3 years after the US gets it. Then look at physician salaries. Access to primary care doctors. Waiting lists for joint replacement.

tekknik 3y ago
It’s good to see someone else loving that socialized medicine! /s