A peek at government run health care.

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Phokus

Lifer
Nov 20, 1999
22,994
779
126
Originally posted by: bamacre
Originally posted by: Evan
The amount of anecdotes are endless and also pointless; my poor experiences with private healthcare doesn't at all make me believe that UHC would be better or worse, only that there are clear flaws that need to be addressed in private insurance, and only free market lackies would argue otherwise.

Yeah because free market lackies want to keep things as is.

Yeah it's not like there's an incentive to not provide healthcare in a free market program or anything.
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
61
Originally posted by: Phokus
Originally posted by: bamacre
Originally posted by: Evan
The amount of anecdotes are endless and also pointless; my poor experiences with private healthcare doesn't at all make me believe that UHC would be better or worse, only that there are clear flaws that need to be addressed in private insurance, and only free market lackies would argue otherwise.

Yeah because free market lackies want to keep things as is.

Yeah it's not like there's an incentive to not provide healthcare in a free market program or anything.

Exactly. Like Intel has an incentive to make processors faster? Please.
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: newnameman
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: newnameman
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: newnameman
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Originally posted by: senseamp
Which is what? That government run health care is not perfect? Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

This doesn't happen with private insurance. PM your telephone # to me and I'll have her call you if she goes into withdrawal so you can tell her just how lucky she is.

Oh of course it never happens with private insurance.

I just got off the phone with UPMC furious. My uncle takes a persciption to prevent grand mall seizures (epilepsy). He was perscribed a medication in which the dose is very very important to his stability.

A generic drug was released, if you dont already know, generics are allowed to have up to a +/- 20% in actual medicine. .

That's BS. Generics have the same amount of active ingredient as the name brand.

Wrong. Generics have relaxed regulations from the FDA on dosage.

No, they don't.

http://www.gphaonline.org/issues/bioequivalence
Based on FDA analysis of hundreds of bioequivalence studies, FDA has determined that small differences in blood levels -- less than 4% -- may exist in some cases between a brand and its generic equivalent. But FDA has repeatedly pointed out that this minor difference is no greater than the difference that may exist between two different manufactured batches of the brand drug.

There is a frequent misstatement regarding the bioequivalence of generic drugs, which asserts that blood levels of the active ingredient in generic drugs may vary from minus 20% to plus 25% compared to the brand. This simply is not true and any generic with a difference that dramatic would never be approved by the FDA. The 20% to 25% margin is one part of a complex statistical calculation used to help measure the bioequivalence. In no way does it represent the actual difference in the amount of active ingredient a patient?s bloodstream, which FDA has determined is typically less than 4% between generic and brand or between two different batches of a brand drug.

The grounds for the Neurologists decision... Whom you are arguing with... For the specific medication he takes in question. hmm

Does he need exact doses? hmm

And? Nothing in those articles contradicts what I posted.

You post attempted to relegate the seriousness of the situation that the ins company is trying to deny the patient benefits that can prevent a life-threatening situation.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Longtime Elite member Engineer has a lengthy thread in Off Topic about the wonderful private health care insurance industry.

We have private health care insurers outright denying claims for necessary surgery, and the best "peek" Hayabusa Rider could come up with is a Medicare patient who will have to wait a week to get her prescription because of a snafu.

Obama's health care reform can't come soon enough.

LOL, I brought up something (one thing) that happened that day. You seem to think I'm a fan of everything that private insurance does. No, it's a PIA too, but I deal with both, and government run programs are less responsive than private. I spend more hours trying to get government programs running for patients than private. Are you sure that baby isn't Palins?
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
It's also sad that people think that government programs don't require dispensing of generics. They do, at least as much at private insurance. Tegretol? Generic. Can't get your narcs early? That's three issues. First, a pharmacist dispensing narcotics early is subject to action against his license. Second, if you are on a government program you think you are going to get them any earlier? Nope.

A curious thing is that people seem to feel that a government run program will do away with all that government run programs do. In fact, private insurances tightened their policies after the government ones did.

Yes, government insurance will give you everything you want and bring world peace and love.

If it wasn't tragic, it would be amusing.

Certainly the old saying applies "No one knows your job better than someone who never has done it". Oh, we'll get government run UHC OK. I'm sure of it. I'm just wondering how all those who want it without accountability will spin it all when the reality strikes.
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,161
7
0
Originally posted by: senseamp
Originally posted by: Budmantom
Originally posted by: senseamp
Originally posted by: OCguy
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Since the OP seems to enjoy sharing anecdotes, here's a peek at privately run health care.

Oh, I like this game? Can I play?



Here is a peak at Government run healthcare

Notice how it is a scandal. When millions of uninsured are completely neglected by the system, there is no scandal, for some reason.

What system?
Our current health care system of private insurers.
The US government currently pays around HALF of all medical costs in the US.

Also, of those uninsured about half of them can either afford insurance and go without or could qualify for low income health insurance. Which means only about 9% of Americans do not have and can not get health insurance. That does not mean that they lack healthcare though, they can always go to the emergency room etc.
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,161
7
0
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider
Originally posted by: senseamp
Which is what? That government run health care is not perfect? Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

This doesn't happen with private insurance. PM your telephone # to me and I'll have her call you if she goes into withdrawal so you can tell her just how lucky she is.
Oh of course it never happens with private insurance.

I just got off the phone with UPMC furious. My uncle takes a persciption to prevent grand mall seizures (epilepsy). He was perscribed a medication in which the dose is very very important to his stability.

A generic drug was released, if you dont already know, generics are allowed to have up to a +/- 20% in actual medicine. The NEUROLOGIST said that he cannot go on the generic. UPMC will not pay for the name brand because a generic has been released. We appeal and pay $404 out of pocket twice for 2 months of medication. Appeal denied. I call them, they tell me to send a letter from the neurologist stating why he needs the name brand. He does so. $404 out of pocket again for a 3rd month. UPMC recieves letter, denied again. Call them... talked to supervisor. After lots of fighting they agree to pay for the medication and retroactively pay for the previous 3 months they denied us. They send us a check for 2 months, $808. We call to ask about the other $404. UPMC says they made an error in sending us the money back, and that they will not pay for his medication.

So back to square 1 we go.

Dont fucking tell me about private insurance. They are arguing with the NEUROLOGIST about what medicaiton he needs.
Do you think you won't experience the same thing with government run healthcare??

BTW we have not even started to talk about Universal RX coverage. In Canada drugs are not covered as part of their healthcare system. So we could get the best UHC in the world and your uncle could still end up fighting over drugs.
 

theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
126
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: senseamp
Originally posted by: Budmantom
Originally posted by: senseamp
Originally posted by: OCguy
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Since the OP seems to enjoy sharing anecdotes, here's a peek at privately run health care.

Oh, I like this game? Can I play?



Here is a peak at Government run healthcare

Notice how it is a scandal. When millions of uninsured are completely neglected by the system, there is no scandal, for some reason.

What system?
Our current health care system of private insurers.
The US government currently pays around HALF of all medical costs in the US.

Also, of those uninsured about half of them can either afford insurance and go without or could qualify for low income health insurance. Which means only about 9% of Americans do not have and can not get health insurance. That does not mean that they lack healthcare though, they can always go to the emergency room etc.

Which is government mandated health coverage. So what are you arguing against?