tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post6167985806144881987..comments2023-10-14T09:10:22.357-07:00Comments on Shearer Insanity: Health insuranceJames B. Shearerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13452342984383895221noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post-12379514696491214422009-08-08T17:52:01.953-07:002009-08-08T17:52:01.953-07:00The uninsured and the underinsured do get gouged, ...The uninsured and the underinsured do get gouged, true. Many people just can't afford to have good health insurance on their own. But when they buy a health care policy they can afford, and have a major illness, their share of the costs are higher. This can leave them without assets, a bankruptcy, and eventually, after assets have disappeared, they are picked up by Medicaid and Social Services for their living expenses. Taxpayers still end up paying the whole thing anyway.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14830629701752556960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post-86206115470993169322009-08-05T19:36:16.711-07:002009-08-05T19:36:16.711-07:00And here is a 2004 USA Today article on how the ...And <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2004-02-24-hospital-bills_x.htm" rel="nofollow"> here </a> is a 2004 USA Today article on how the uninsured are gouged.James B. Shearerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452342984383895221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post-73669639505196314002009-08-05T19:21:54.702-07:002009-08-05T19:21:54.702-07:00Here is a 2001 NYT article on how the uninsured g...<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/02/us/medical-fees-are-often-higher-for-patients-without-insurance.html?scp=3&sq=medical+bills+uninsured+discount+charity&st=nyt" rel="nofollow"> Here </a> is a 2001 NYT article on how the uninsured get gouged.<br /><br />Around here generally the first time you see a doctor you find out if they will accept your insurance companies rates. If not you find another doctor if you aren't willing to pay extra.James B. Shearerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452342984383895221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post-1178911354705630672009-08-05T15:04:17.675-07:002009-08-05T15:04:17.675-07:00A self-employed member of my family has a congenit...A self-employed member of my family has a congenital heart condition and skeletal damage caused by a pituitary adenoma; so he cannot at present obtain health insurance. He once had an individual policy, a conversion obtained when he became too old to be covered by his parents' group policy. He eventually had to give it up when it became too expensive; its premium was rising 60% every year, compounded.<br /><br />My own group policy once covered fee-for-service. My experience was that no negotiation occurred between the insurer and the provider. Instead I would get a bill from the provider, which the insurer would declare "unreasonable" and then base their payment on a smaller figure, leaving me to cover the difference, in addition to my co-payment. My current group policy is with a Kaiser HMO, which is essentially a single-payer plan. It has worked just fine. Medicare is a government-sponsored single-payer plan that I find also works well.<br /><br />In short, Drum's view of insurance companies is much closer to my experience (and that of many others) than are those of Shearer and oTUHV59....noknot-googlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18309109906526296035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291287351469784668.post-63929779401810886162009-08-04T06:07:13.303-07:002009-08-04T06:07:13.303-07:00Amen.Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com