Community Forums

vegascouple · 01-26-2010, 08:59 AM

Ed that is how I feel about it. I don't think I'm even close to a high risk. I'm in the gym 5 days a week most days twice a day. I'm in excellent physical condition and have been lucky to never have any medical problem. My diet is decent, low to moderate fat. The only real issue is that I'm 62. I realize that I'm at a higher risk that if I were 25, but I can't buy health insurance at any price. I'm not alone there are millions of people just like me with no insurance. Insurance companies are in effect shifting the risk to the tax payers by denying them insurance.

The one issue that keeps coming up that is suppose to solve all problems is tort reform. Can someone explain to me what this would look like? Are we talking about making doctors immune from prosecution? Are we going to limit awards and if so how do we set those? Isn’t a big part of the problem juries? How do we fix that?

What I find really amazing is that we all seem to agree that health care is on intensive care! It needs serious help yet neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to be working for the American people. I think our law makers need to be like NASCR drivers. They need to wear jackets with all their supporters’ banners on them so that we know where their true loyalties lie.

Michael

2005 Dutch Star 40'

Lindsay Richards · 01-26-2010, 09:50 AM

I don't think anybody thinks tort reform will solve all of the problems, but defensive medicine costs $60,000,000,000 a year which is not a small sum. We have recently been the victum of this ourselves when the Doctor made my wife go thru what we found out later to be an unnecsssary test. We went through several weeks of very bad worry only to find out when we saw him, that it was just defensive medicine. The test was about $1100, but the worry it caused us was hard on us. Docutrors handle every case as if they were on the stand with each patient. It is like a lawyer is in the examining room with you and the doctor. When even a stupid claim is made, it ends up costing $10,000 or more. Most of these stupid claims are settled out of court. I would love to see us go with a looser pays system like in the UK. I think that would cut back 90% of these stupid lawsuits. I think a system to compensate folks for actual mistakes and errors could be set up. With my wife being a nurse, she has told me of plenty of cracy things that have happened in a hospital or with Doctors. We need a good system to seperate the good from the bad. Our former canidate for VP of the US who has recently been in the news lately for his "love child" won over half a billion dollars for a CF being caused by excessive labor in pregnant women when the science says it is a birth defect that can be detected early in the pregnancy. Insurancce companies paid this, added the cost to the Dr. who in turned added the cost to us. In the final picture, we pay for junk lawsuits. We need some common sense reforms and any reform that does not address defensive medicine is seriously flawed. The trial lawyers are the very biggest contributors to the party in charge and I do not expect real reform to ever take place. I don't think we need any 2500 page reforms. Lets start with some 25 page bills on some very smart things we can all agree upon.

vegascouple · 01-26-2010, 12:38 PM

There is no doubt that attorneys are the ideal enemy. No one likes them until we need them! However, I think you would agree that defensive medicine as it’s called is not just about attorneys. If you are going to start cutting on me I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it needs to be done. I have no problem with a second opinion and an extra test or two if that is what it takes to determine that surgery is really necessary. Secondly doctors prescribe a lot of tests just because you are old. An example, would be a colonoscopy. There is another reason doctors prescribe unnecessary tests. Many doctors have a financial interest in testing facilities. I think we know the problem I’m just not sure we really have a solution?
A couple years ago the Endoscopy center in Las Vegas was saving money by re-using needles and other materials when doing colonoscopies exposing thousands of people to Hepatitis C and AIDS! That’s a comforting thought isn’t it? One of our tenants now has Hepatitis C as a result. The doctor is worth millions but of course that is all well hidden. Their $5 Million dollar insurance policy was not nearly enough to even handle testing for all who were exposed let alone pay any kind of compensation to those whose lives were shattered.
I think we can all agree that we have problems. However, the devil is in the details. What concerns me the most is that country is gridlocked. I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say I’m upset with both political parties. I’m ready to throw them all out of office and start over. We need to stop fighting and come up with real solutions. If we don’t, our lives are going to change and it’s not going to be a good change!

Michael
2005 Dutch Star 40'

Always-RVing · 01-26-2010, 01:16 PM

Jim Stewart, what is the meaning of DW?

Elkhartjim · 01-26-2010, 03:53 PM

Devoted Wife or maybe Dish Washer?

Jim Stewart · 01-26-2010, 03:59 PM

Dear Wife, Dern Wife, Ditsy Wife, Don't Worry, Dreaded Wife, Dead Wife, Etc. The normal meaning is Dear Wife!

Jim Stewart · 01-26-2010, 04:03 PM

Gastroenterologists will tell you that a Colonoscopy is the "Gold Standard", referring to the best way to exam the Colon. In reality is the the "Gold Standard" because it makes them bags of Gold!

On Tort Reform, limit the amount that an Attorney can get on any case and the problem will solve itself. Slime seeks it's own level!

Lindsay Richards · 01-26-2010, 04:56 PM

We have been paying into Medicare for over 40 years and had we not done so and invested that money, we could have (including innterest) about $230,000. Many younger folks, including my daughter consider Medicare the dole.

a k · 01-26-2010, 05:13 PM

One bypass surgery would wipe out your $230,000 and then what? I think we're all screwed. Work all your life and then get thrown to the wolves.

Lindsay Richards · 01-26-2010, 05:45 PM

Actually the proceeds of the invested $230,000 would buy a nice medical insurance policy and the remainer left after our death could be given to our daughter. In life, you have to think in terms of averages, not the worst case. I could have been run over by a truck one day before my 65th birthday also, but didn't. That's what insurance and shared risk is all about; averages and stats. When millions of people are insured and share the risk, then only the averages count towards the cost. I see you have a Newmar. We took there factory tour back in the summer and were very impressed with their quality.

vegascouple · 01-27-2010, 09:15 AM

Lindsey I agree with you. I've spend tens of thousands of dollars for health insurance my entire life. I was paying almost $9,000 a year for my last policy. I've never been in the hospital. I take no perscription drugs. The only medical expenses I've ever had were for routine checks ups, blood tests, and one of those wonderful colonoscopies. The very same one that was using needles for mulitiple patients. Fortunately I just contributed the gold and didn't get AIDS!

I've shared the risk and my good health has paid for others. I'm fine with that as I understand the system. However, what I don't understand is now that I'm 62 I get dumped. Obviously that is the reason for Medicare. Insurance companies don't want older people as the risk is too high even though we pay premiums that off the charts. What's so wrong with allowing people like me to BUY into Medicare a few years early? The insurance companies don't want our business. Like you what I don't understand the popular belief that somehow taxpayers are paying for my insurance (Medicare). It's just the opposite. If you don't allow me to have insurance, its the taxpayers who are going to be picking up the tab!

Michael

2005 Dutch Star 40'

Lindsay Richards · 01-27-2010, 01:03 PM

Medicare is setup for people to pay into until they get 65 and then receive it. I am certainly not a stats expert, but I would expect people getting in early would mess up the numbers. We are all responsible for our own healthcare and the rules have been in place for decades. In the final anylasis, either an individual or his peers will pay for it. We all have to be responsible for our decisions. I my case, when we retired at 62 and bought our motorhome, I had to allow for the $24,000 a year for medical insurance for 3 years and ended up with a smaller coach than I would have liked. I think anybody can buy insurance, as in our case with both of us cancer suvivors, we had to pay through the nose. It was gaurenteed isssue whcih most states have. It is the very highest risk pool, but availalbe. You can also buy high deductable insurance to make it cheaper. Good Luck.

vegascouple · 01-27-2010, 04:27 PM

I wish that it were true that anyone can get an insurance policy. It depends on where you live. There are no guaranteed issue policies available in Nevada. I've even called the state insurance office to see if there was something I was missing. Just out of curiosity I did a little research only 10 states offer guaranteed issue for self employeed people.

I realize this is not a big issue for most people as they are already on Medicare or have an employeer insurance policy. However, as medical cost continue to escalate insurance premiums will have to increase as they have been. That will make insurance less affordable for many more people. As the unemployeed return to work many of the them will get jobs that do not include health insurance as it's just too expensive. The number of uninsured will grow quickly from the current 47 million. At the same time neither political party will have the courage to even talk about reform. Someone is going to have to pick up the tab for the uninsured and that someone is us, the taxpayers. I think insurance companies made a huge mistake not working towards a solution to this problem as many are not be able to afford their policies in the near future. In other words this is just the tip of the iceburg!

I hope I'm wrong!

Michael

2005 Dutch Star 40'

Lindsay Richards · 01-27-2010, 05:00 PM

Insurance and pharmaceutical company gave millions to politicians backing healthcare reform. They saw millions of new customers (That 47 million is a very confusing figure in that it includes illegals and lots of people who don’t want insurance.) There was a big flap about Martha Coakly running for senator from MA went to a huge fund raising function several days before the election. The fund raiser was put on by the insurance and pharmaceutical companies and raised million ad millions of dollars. The insurance companies were today’s boogyman and now the boogyman is the banks. I think there have been way too much talk about health insurance lately. What was needed was a common sense approach that started solving the real problems first and left out all of the hot button issues like abortion and end of life decisions. What happened is that very strong positions at the extreme end of the spectrum were put forth and even the party that controlled both houses of congress couldn’t even get their members to pass it even though no opposition party votes were needed. What was needed to work was get everybody together and come up with something in the middle. Congress wasted months on this and got nothing done. I do think it kept them from screwing up anything else which is good.
Have you looked into getting a very high deductible (like $10,000) policy? I have a friend who has this as they have preexisting conditions and all it does is give them protection against a huge problem from wiping them out. They handle all of the day to day expenses. A concept that was presented but wasn’t even considered was selling across state lines. That would solve your problem.