We have seen the advent of boutique health plans for the last 10 years or so in response to long lines in the ER, short visits after long waiting periods with "parenting magazine" and "golf digest" as the only diversion for the hour or so we wait even before we have to sit on that examination table for another 20 minutes. We like to have doctors at least treat us as something other than the next body to be examined before lunch.
There will be even more of this as things change in this country, the rich and those who see higher priority in having personalized service from their doctors will be more and more in demand. There is no chance that the government will ever be as hard hearted as insurance companies already are. Government is beholding to citizens, voting tax paying citizens and watchdog groups will see to it that the first "dealth panel" decision makes front page news, FOX of course will draw even an appearance of such a thing out for weeks (where they have yet to report on a single impropriety committed by any of the big insurance companies now).
No, the rich have nothing to worry about and the rest of us will either get care we were originaly denied outright or at least get seen by someone with a bit of compassion. Lots of people's lives will be extended simply because they were able to get blood pressure medication for cheap. Yeah, it may well be that we will have longer lines and longer waits but I don't comprehend how anyone who doesn't get any attention now has much to complain about when it takes half of one of his oh so precious days in order to be seen for that scary lump under his right arm.
When examined closely, the anti-obama care folks have nothing, not a single thing that stands up to examination to complain about.
Oh, I forgot, there is one thing. "the government is MAKING me pay for something I don't want", that is until he is yanked out of a car wreck and where he would have had to think about how he was going to pay the 45k the hospital wants to put his pelvis back together, now he doesn't have to sell his motor home to pay.
no, not this at all. Each paragraph contains some sort of twisted view by someone who neither works in the health care field or the insurance field.
boutique health plans have been around since the advent of insurance. 10 years is simply not true. In fact, they were much more commonplace before we started tying health insurance to employment. What Obamacare outlaws is catastrophic insurance. Which is the most sensible insurance for the younger healthier generation.
Government is NOT all heartfelt and caring about it's citizens when it comes to healthcare. They are the biggest denier of coverage. Medicaid/care denies almost 3 times as many claims as all private insurance combined while paying providers less for what they do cover.
Because the hospital corporations negotiated higher pay rates for same services (EMTALA, the first huge government interference) we are seeing doctors offices sell to hospitals. This puts them on a guaranteed salary while hospital collects a higher reimbursement for the same service they performed last week in the same clinic. The incentive to work long hours is gone for the doc under a salary. The shortage will become shorter if those working an average of 60-80 hrs a week cut their time by 50% or more.
Obama's cabinet health adviser is Ezekial Emanuel. Please read his publications and his advice about rationing according to productivity potential. If Obama does not agree with this man's advice why did he appoint him to such a high position? Why hire him at all?
You say anit-obamacare people have nothing........ Aren't you the one who claimed there wasn't a 700B dollar cut to medicare and you knew that for a fact because you claimed to have read the bill? oops . Besides a litany of health care cost related complaints, liberty stomping complaints and over reaching of the government complaints, there are complaints about the pharmaceutical payoff, the insurance boondoggle and corporate hospital windfall. There are legitimate complaints about the costs (you know, since we are broke).
And fuck anyone who tells me I have to buy something because it's good for me. Fuck em, seriously, right in their self-righteous, intolerant skulls. That's not how you treat other adults in a free society.
You seem to be attributing your feelings about what a decent health care bill would do and are assuming this is it. Why? What truths have you been told about any major bill that leads you to believe this time they are right? When was the last CBO cost projection that was even close?
canndo, you are one of the most informed posters in the political section. I enjoy your posts and feel you've educated me on quite a few subjects, but you are out of your element in obamacare discussions.
cn