Retirement savings ....Yikes !

[NorTracNY]

Thanks for the link to the Times article. It was a Beautiful example of why government should have nothing to do with medical insurance.

 

[newbury]

The USA needs to plan for a future where there are not enough jobs of any kind for the population. If you ignore the unemployment numbers and look at how many people are actually working, only 58.6% of the population has a job of any kind, and that number has generally trended downwards for the last 30 years. The non-working population includes children, the elderly, mentally or physically unfit, criminals and the unemployed. The new jobs being created are low wage, menial service jobs. High value production jobs are being automated out of existence.

For the 41.4% not working - How many are:

The elderly - which includes a lot of retired people, including myself and my wife. Presently drawing about 4 times the median income for the area we are in.

The unemployed - which includes a lot of retirees who looked for a job in the last year

As far as "jobs being automated out of existence", as I've warned before - the robots are coming

The Robot Reality: Service Jobs Are Next to Go

 

[dave1949]

The Koch bros element in our country would rather see a civil war here than to emulate europe.

The idea that doing something sensible is "emulating europe"
and
europe = socialism
and
socialism = the government taking all your money
and
Oh, but wait, you don't have any money
and
you can't afford to retire
and
you can't afford to get sick
is
all part of the ruse.

 

[dmccarty]

The government also creates monopolies in the healthcare industry. There is very little competition, if any...

And the reduction in competition is getting worse. Both UNC and Duke hospitals have been gobbling up other hospitals and medical practices in central NC. There was a report just today on another county hospital being merged.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

I did not say I did not request an estimate or ball park estimate. This applies to vehicle costs as well as health costs. I have seen people go ballistic both in medical facilities and vehicle repair locations when the ACTUAL bill exceeded the estimate.

All Doctors bill for services rendered by using codes. The codes they use are ICD-9,ICD-10, CPT or HCPCS. You can purchase a Code Book, the same one used by doctors, right off the Internet.

Coding for procedures is a good paying field to be in, in the medical profession. Coders take information from doctors and staff, complete the necessary form and submit to either, Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance carriers.

Each carrier negotiates the amount they will pay for a specific procedure. So asking a doctor to provide an exact penny cost for a procedure is something they can not answer until they hear back from your insurance carrier, Medicare or Medicaid.
...

Car repairs are done by a code book as well. Should I buy THAT code book as well to get an estimate? What none sense.

We just had a major car repair done. Two estimates were easily given by the two companies. I did not need a code book. The hospital can do the same. Will it be 100% accurate? Did I ask for "an exact penny cost?" No. I asked for an ESTIMATE. Stuff happens. When the car was being fixed they found a problem which cost more money. The hospital can certainly tell me what a procedure costs. PERIOD. I KNOW what my copays and percentages I am responsible. I just need to know what the procedure costs. It really is simple. Frankly, in the numerous surgeries we have had over the last few years there were NO unexpected problems. An simple estimate of the bill should have been in the ball park.

The FACT that one cannot easily get an estimate for a procedures is symptomatic of the US health care mess.

Later,
Dan

 

[Travelover]

And the reduction in competition is getting worse. Both UNC and Duke hospitals have been gobbling up other hospitals and medical practices in central NC. There was a report just today on another county hospital being merged.

Later,
Dan

This is important. The price charged by a hospital is negotiated between the insurer and the hospital. Big insurer, little hospital system - lower prices. Big hospital system, little insurer - higher prices.

 

[300UGUY]

Car repairs are done by a code book as well. Should I buy THAT code book as well to get an estimate? What none sense.

We just had a major car repair done. Two estimates were easily given by the two companies. I did not need a code book. The hospital can do the same. Will it be 100% accurate? Did I ask for "an exact penny cost?" No. I asked for an ESTIMATE. Stuff happens. When the car was being fixed they found a problem which cost more money. The hospital can certainly tell me what a procedure costs. PERIOD. I KNOW what my copays and percentages I am responsible. I just need to know what the procedure costs. It really is simple. Frankly, in the numerous surgeries we have had over the last few years there were NO unexpected problems. An simple estimate of the bill should have been in the ball park.

The FACT that one cannot easily get an estimate for a procedures is symptomatic of the US health care mess.

Later,
Dan

Most of your money is going to be spent on procedures that you need right NOW! Shopping is a luxury. And if you are having a stroke, do you really want the cheapest doctor in town?

 

[Travelover]

Most of your money is going to be spent on procedures that you need right NOW! Shopping is a luxury. And if you are having a stroke, do you really want the cheapest doctor in town?

Of course, anyone wants competent medical care in an emergency. But if I have a stroke or heart attack, it shouldn't bankrupt me just because the hospital can get away with it. We know what their costs are to treat any number of common problems because Medicare has negotiated rates to pay that amount plus a profit. Hospitals fight over Medicare patients in places like Florida, so they are making money on Medicare patients. Yet it is common to charge a non medicare patient 10 times as much for the exact same procedure. To me, that is the injustice.

 

[ultrarunner]

I was told the forfeit reverts to the plan... thing is my Hospital has not offered that plan since December 1998.

Pulling out my stack of papers, I have a letter from 1999 denying my roll over request citing IRS Same Desk Rule...

Seems like the deck is even more stacked against working folks...

At least I can vent with my TBN friends...

 

[ultrarunner]

Out patient surgical procedures should be easily quoted... most will offer pricing to anyone claiming to be uninsured otherwise know as CASH pay.

Where the insanity rules is the ER and prolonged Hospital stays... Day Surgery has actually stemmed the rise in costs for many procedures.

Car repairs are done by a code book as well. Should I buy THAT code book as well to get an estimate? What none sense.

We just had a major car repair done. Two estimates were easily given by the two companies. I did not need a code book. The hospital can do the same. Will it be 100% accurate? Did I ask for "an exact penny cost?" No. I asked for an ESTIMATE. Stuff happens. When the car was being fixed they found a problem which cost more money. The hospital can certainly tell me what a procedure costs. PERIOD. I KNOW what my copays and percentages I am responsible. I just need to know what the procedure costs. It really is simple. Frankly, in the numerous surgeries we have had over the last few years there were NO unexpected problems. An simple estimate of the bill should have been in the ball park.

The FACT that one cannot easily get an estimate for a procedures is symptomatic of the US health care mess.

Later,
Dan