Remember that LA Times article from a couple months back where they revealed that the average American family pays about $20,000 for health care every year? And then ran the article with a picture of a Hyundai sedan, because they are charging $20,000 for a Hyundai sedan these days? Anyway, turns out that's only true for Americans who have insurance.
Sadly the ACA could incentivize insurers to negotiate <em>higher</em> rates, because of the implementation of the MLR cap (if you spend more on actual care, the 15% you&#039;re allowed to skim on non-medical expenses is a bigger amount).
That&#039;s not to say I oppose the MLR cap, just wish it&#039;d either been written differently or accompanied by other measures to offset the perverse incentive it creates. I suppose the theory is competition for enrollees on the Exchange will fix it, but I&#039;m skeptical about that.
Also, what they don&#039;t mention is that if you fail to actually <em>ask</em> for the superdiscount cash rate, they&#039;ll charge you the megascary &quot;full price&quot; rate that the insured see next to the negotiated rate to make them feel better about the assfucking they&#039;re about to take because it wasn&#039;t with the <em>biggest</em> dildo available.
Asked why he always worked alone, Will Sutton said &quot;It&#039;s the people in the business. You just can&#039;t trust &#039;em.&quot;
In NYC, the First Commandment is &quot;Thou shall not pay retail,&quot; but still -- US healthcare must be the brokenest &quot;market&quot; in the history of mankind.
BTW, good luck finding an &quot;in your network&quot; doctor in NYC. Any doc or dentist worth his Park Avenue shingle takes no insurance whatsoever.
It&#039;s hard to negotiate for the cash price with that damned plastic tube down your throat. I think that&#039;s why it&#039;s the first thing they do in the ER.
&quot;He&#039;s trying to negotiate ... intubation, STAT!&quot;
First order of business is to get the hell out of Texas, before it kills you. The One-Star State is ranked somthing like 48th in the country when it comes to health care.
When I step out onto the street, it looks like a fucking United Nations convention (or a Benetton ad, without the weird clothing), and <i>nobody</i> thinks twice about it. The family next door is Jewish, the lady across the hall is black, the people downstairs are Chinese. Hard to believe that racist goobers live on the same planet, let alone in the same country.
Some countries have mandatory military service; maybe the U.S. needs mandatory urban residency. A year or two of immersion could do wonders, for all but the most boneheaded teabaggers.
Shopping for price and service? Can&#039;t have that! That would be, like, a free market! You can&#039;t have that in Americ.....uhhhhh, wait a minute...
Maybe your sister can start a raffle to buy that house. &quot;Ten dollars to buy a house to keep our block white&quot; or something like that. Should get plenty of publicity.
Sadly the ACA could incentivize insurers to negotiate <em>higher</em> rates, because of the implementation of the MLR cap (if you spend more on actual care, the 15% you&#039;re allowed to skim on non-medical expenses is a bigger amount).
That&#039;s not to say I oppose the MLR cap, just wish it&#039;d either been written differently or accompanied by other measures to offset the perverse incentive it creates. I suppose the theory is competition for enrollees on the Exchange will fix it, but I&#039;m skeptical about that.
Also, what they don&#039;t mention is that if you fail to actually <em>ask</em> for the superdiscount cash rate, they&#039;ll charge you the megascary &quot;full price&quot; rate that the insured see next to the negotiated rate to make them feel better about the assfucking they&#039;re about to take because it wasn&#039;t with the <em>biggest</em> dildo available.
I believe it was Susan Orleans (she wrote the new book about Rin Tin Tin) who said during a recent NPR interview she took her sick chicken to the Vet.
He said &quot;Most people don&#039;t treat sick chickens. They eat them.&quot;
Asked why he always worked alone, Will Sutton said &quot;It&#039;s the people in the business. You just can&#039;t trust &#039;em.&quot;
That too.
I dunno ... is it possible to rob a GOP superPAC?
In NYC, the First Commandment is &quot;Thou shall not pay retail,&quot; but still -- US healthcare must be the brokenest &quot;market&quot; in the history of mankind.
BTW, good luck finding an &quot;in your network&quot; doctor in NYC. Any doc or dentist worth his Park Avenue shingle takes no insurance whatsoever.
It&#039;s hard to negotiate for the cash price with that damned plastic tube down your throat. I think that&#039;s why it&#039;s the first thing they do in the ER.
&quot;He&#039;s trying to negotiate ... intubation, STAT!&quot;
First order of business is to get the hell out of Texas, before it kills you. The One-Star State is ranked somthing like 48th in the country when it comes to health care.
When I step out onto the street, it looks like a fucking United Nations convention (or a Benetton ad, without the weird clothing), and <i>nobody</i> thinks twice about it. The family next door is Jewish, the lady across the hall is black, the people downstairs are Chinese. Hard to believe that racist goobers live on the same planet, let alone in the same country.
Some countries have mandatory military service; maybe the U.S. needs mandatory urban residency. A year or two of immersion could do wonders, for all but the most boneheaded teabaggers.
Shopping for price and service? Can&#039;t have that! That would be, like, a free market! You can&#039;t have that in Americ.....uhhhhh, wait a minute...
For preventive medicine, hold it between your knees.
I&#039;m glad every time this gets posted again.
America needs Romneycare.
BUT BUT BUT BUT WE HAVE THE BEST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD GODDAMNIT!!!!*
*actual conservative talking point
Maybe your sister can start a raffle to buy that house. &quot;Ten dollars to buy a house to keep our block white&quot; or something like that. Should get plenty of publicity.