US Healthcare + Pricing Transparency.

[Cojafoji]

Original article here...

Kagen's bill, the Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2010, would require any individual or business offering health care- related products or services to openly disclose all of their prices at all times, including on the Internet.

Testifying before the subcommittee, Kagen, D-Appleton, a physician, told colleagues that transparency would increase competition, which in turn would lower costs. Kagen cited a recent news report in which a Northern California man had both knees replaced by the same doctor at different hospitals. One replacement cost $95,000; the other was $55,000.

Jesus. A $40,000 difference. The funny thing is, he probably received the same type/level or post operative care at the cheaper hospital than he did at the more expensive hospital.

Honestly, I think this has got to be one of the biggest problems with the medical system in the US. Last time I was in the hospital (Wrist x-ray after a car accident. Strong bones FTW) I was told upfront that it would cost $85 (I told them that I had no health care at the time. ) to have five x-rays taken of the wrist (different angles). The bill that I got later was much different, (I faxed them my car insurance info. My friend was the one driving. PA car insurance laws are shite.) a couple hundred dollars more in fact. It just pisses me off that some hospitals can get away with gouging the shit out of people when they have health insurance, and still charging absurd, albeit less, amounts of money to people who don't. The worst part is that they're not even consistent with that!

So, what do you guys think? For the bill, against it? Anything else we can do to help the system? Canadians, EU, and Aussies are more than welcome to join in...

[ICEE]

I think healthy competition between medical services would be more beneficial to the economy and the patients than the reform we've got planned... but thats just me.

[Warsaw]

^Indeed. The reform is effectively a "solution" to a problem we don't have. That's not to say US healthcare isn't borked, but they targeted the wrong thing, and I'm still not sure what exactly that is. Should have just made efforts to promote competition, including an OPTIONAL government plan as the baseline for all the private industries to live up (down?) to.

[Cojafoji]

I totally agree, unfortunately, and we can blame James Madison here, the health care lobby was too strong to fight against, hence the crippled, and useless package we have now.

[ICEE]

I heard that part of the bill is a fine for lacking health insurance, which can be up to 696$ for the individual. How much of an assfuck is that?



The accuracy of that may or may not be entirely... accurate. I haven't read the damn thing myself.

[Cojafoji]

Well, it's not a fine exactly, but you get a tax break if you have health insurance. If you have health insurance, that means that your taxes stay the same pre-legislation, but if you don't have it, you lose that much to federal withholding, which your employer usually does for you. All in all it might end up being thirty or so dollars you lose a pay period (that is if you go by a standard two week pay period).

[Dwood]

They shouldn't be taxing us for not having Healthcare in the first place??? And there's no way I'm forking over 30 bucks every pay period for not having healthcare, that's just wrong.

[Warsaw]

But you have to pay for everyone else's healthcare, too, remember? They can't get the taxes from the bums not willing to find work so they'll take it from you instead!


Like I said in the old health care thread, if the bill needs a patch on release, it wasn't done yet.

[sdavis117]

But you have to pay for everyone else's healthcare, too, remember? They can't get the taxes from the bums not willing to find work so they'll take it from you instead!

A lot of those "poor bums" work longer hours and in more grueling work conditions than you could imagine, all to make just minimum wage.

[Warsaw]

They can't get the taxes from the bums not willing to find work so they'll take it from you instead!

When I say "bums", I really am talking about the bums, not the people working for less than minimum wage. You know, the ones who mooch off of welfare, or the ones who spend all the money they can scrape together on booze or other drugs?