Tax Penalty to Hit Nearly 6M Uninsured People

[Angel]

Profit for who? Are you going to put doctors on a salary scale also? Answer that.

Why not? Our doc's get $65 for a patient visit, specialists get twice that. A patient visit is approx. 20 minutes. That gives gp's $260/hr and specialists $520. Pretty damn good wages if you ask me...

[Nitro Express]

That's really the trick is the pricing. I mean if our utilities weren't regulated we would be taken to the cleaners on those. The problem with healthcare is you just aren't paying for one thing that a meter can measure. So it gets very tricky.

[Angel]

That's really the trick is the pricing. I mean if our utilities weren't regulated we would be taken to the cleaners on those. The problem with healthcare is you just aren't paying for one thing that a meter can measure. So it gets very tricky.

That it does, especially for patients that require additional time, such as trans-gendered and AIDS patients. Most Dr's here will only allow you to bring up one health concern per visit, because they end up spending too much time on a patient if they allow more. It's a tough balancing act, but we still spend less on healthcare than you do...

[FORD]

Profit for who? Are you going to put doctors on a salary scale also? Answer that.

Doctors actually provide health care and should be well paid for it. As opposed to insurance corporations, who produce nothing, much like Wall Street bankers and vulture capitalists like Willard Mittens Romney.

[Seshmeister]

That gets rid of the greed motivator but who manages it? Incompetent management will still ruin it.

There will be waste but even incompetent management is much cheaper than insurance companies keeping a third of all your healthcare funding.

[Seshmeister]

Profit is one step... fully standardizing electronic records for all medicare/medicaid and house it in a centralized database... then run similar programs that credit card companies use to detect fraud. That would curb a few billion in fraud out of the system.

It's a great idea but I fear too many people would go nuts about the privacy issues.

[Angel]

It's a great idea but I fear too many people would go nuts about the privacy issues.

We've got it here on a provincial basis. It's a great tool. Dr's immediately see what meds you're already on already, etc.

[Nitro Express]

Maybe they show up at the ER... but today nobody is subsidizing them. They show up, get treated and walk out with a big assed bill. They don't pay they get sued or collection agencies, etc...

Unless you are Mexican and the hospital is in San Diego. If you are a white citizen and can't pay, the collection agency will be on your ass.

[Nitro Express]

Doctors actually provide health care and should be well paid for it. As opposed to insurance corporations, who produce nothing, much like Wall Street bankers and vulture capitalists like Willard Mittens Romney.

Like I said, providing the care is cheap compared to buying the insurance. Doctors will still make good livings. What has happened is the insurance companies have become the middle man. We need to pay the medical people directly and pay a fair price.

[ZahZoo]

It's a great idea but I fear too many people would go nuts about the privacy issues.

Our HIPPA laws are actually pretty darn effective on protecting privacy issues. What most people don't realize is much of this information is already stored electronically especially in insurance programs. The issue is lack of standardization and cross-communication among disconnected medical firms.

[BigBadBrian]

Our HIPPA laws are actually pretty darn effective on protecting privacy issues. What most people don't realize is much of this information is already stored electronically especially in insurance programs. The issue is lack of standardization and cross-communication among disconnected medical firms.

I agree. Most medical info IS stored electronically whether people like it or not. People having a good knowledge of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...for those that don't know what it stands for) and Electronic Medical Records are in strong demand for employment. You're right, of course, Zah: standardization within the industry is key and i feel it's just a matter of time before it happens. I don't mean just within the US either, though that is the immediate goal. Think of how a doctor in Chicago can look at the British NHS record of someone needing care that is there on vacation from London.

[ELVIS]

For $1200, I'll take the penalty...

Seems like a good deal for emergency healthcare...

[ELVIS]

Like I said, providing the care is cheap compared to buying the insurance. Doctors will still make good livings. What has happened is the insurance companies have become the middle man. We need to pay the medical people directly and pay a fair price.

No dude, these doctors are used to lavish lifestyles and they game the system...

It's an open door for a doctor to get away with ordering all sorts of tests and procedures and medication that they were wined and dined by Big Pharma to prescribe...

And they bill the insurance companies, so nobody gets hurt, right ??

There needs some oversight in the care administered by physicians...

But I still think this should be at the state level as are all of my healthcare ideas...

[Hardrock69]

If I work for some company in 2014 (like the one I am at) who pays for my insurance, fine.

If not, and I do not have insurance, no, I will not pay a fucking fine. There will be opt-outs for religious reasons, financial hardship or "other" reasons.

I'll be goddamned if I am going to pay a fine because I refuse to be forced to pay for something by the fucking government.

[jhale667]

But I still think this should be at the state level as are all of my healthcare ideas...

That's flawed logic...why would Louisiana be better at healthcare than California, or Ohio or any other state? There should be Federal oversight and equal care/coverage for the entire nation.