The Health Care Bill has passed...

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AGDee

My other argument, generally, is... if you don't want the government to pay for the uninsured, then stop requiring hospitals to care for the uninsured. I've yet to have someone explain in a logical manner why hospitals must provide their care for free when no other industry has to do that. If health care is NOT a right, then hospitals shouldn't have to treat people who can't pay. If it IS a right, then continue to require hospitals to provide the care but figure out a way to reimburse them. Be consistent.

If hospitals are compensated, even at lower levels, for all the care they provide, the charges for the insured will go down. Currently, they have to make up the difference somehow.

Bingo! You can't send a sick person away from an ER, but they won't let us determine who is truly sick. I have a runny nose so I'm going to the ER to be treated for a cold for a $900 charge that I'll never pay and the hospital will have to eat. Nice!

One part of the argument that swanqween missed is that insurance prices should come down because with increased numbers of healthy people in the system paying in but not using resources, it decreases expenses. As dirty as insurance companies can be at times, they do actually have to justify their rates to state insurance regulators. I'm hopeful that the federal government does get a cap on their administrative fees and profit margins pushed through. If we can't make them go "non-profit", we should at least push as much of the money as we can towards paying claims.

I heard an incredible story last week. One of the urologists was talking in the Physician's Dining Room with another surgeon, arguing against reform. He was talking about paying for his health insurance policy since he is in solo practice. His wife has pancreatic cancer. He actually has Medicare which helps pay for his premiums which are $4000 a month! I was completely shocked! That's $48,000 a year!!!! How could any normal person afford that kind of bill? And he's against health insurance reform?!