The point you are missing Paul is that (most- not all) Doctors/Hospitals and health care providers generally are in it for the right reasons, but INSURANCE companies are where the inherent conflicts of interest lie, and that only is compounded when they operate in the HMO format because that essentially pits the interest of shareholder profits (not paying claims) against the interest of the client (paying whatever is needed for treatment) and since profits are the companies primary concern, the patient loses- the program is forced to operate that way.

In the end of course, everyone dies eventually, but once the HMO bean counters decide you will cost more to fix than you will return in premiums, they have to be realistic, you're worth more to them dead, so they find it easy to deny coverage.

Excellent service and results will certainly increase the demand for that provider, possibly even to the point where they destroy any "competition" in their market- but there are limits to what can be done, so they'll eventually need to either deny some customers or set their prices in a manner which balances their workload with their resources.

The problem with our current arrangement is that unless you are in a community with a strong charitable network, (for example, the Mormon church runs a lot of the hospitals in Utah, and they tend to be very generous in terms of care for the indigent) -if you don't make the "cut" for the top line places, there isn't much in the way of alternatives.

I still think there has to be room for a few tiers of health care options- while some sort of universal care when it comes to basic wellness and injury really needs to be available regardless of a person's income, those that can afford additional insurance for procedures and alternatives not covered under the universal plan should have a right to that as well, and for the 90201 folks needing their liposuction, implants and face lifts- well I'd say they can damn well pay for that themselves.

There certainly are no easy solutions

or nobody at all? ....in that case I'd probably settle for the ho-hum doctor regardless of his pricing structure...

 

I'm going to have to disagree with this for the most part on Hospitals. I'd be willing to say most Hospitals rely on the current health care system or risk huge cuts. Hospitals these days aren't designed to work without the current health system.

Imagine a group of good-willed “Patch Adams” physicians opening a cash only operation where they could only charge you retail for tylenol instead on a tank of gas other hospitals do. They’d have to rely on broken bone patients without insurance to survive.

 

Come to think of it maybe a cash only operation isn't such a bad idea. This may prove why most doctors are in it for the money.

 

Doctors and hospitals hate the current system. They get paid minimally while not being allowed to provide the services they see fit. Ask any of them, they will agree that our current health insurance system sucks.

The ONLY people that like the current system are the insurance companies, their shareholders, and people who cling to the current system for political reasons.

 

Psoper is right on with this one; the insurance companies take the profits, so even the great doctors get paid the same as the crap ones under our current system, while the shareholders profit and people get ignored/undertreated.

I'd rather be treated by a doctor who is a doctor because he wants to treat people, rather than be treated by a doctor because he will get paid. They exist, and a not-for-profit health care system selects for them.

 

the only reason why the salary for that job is so low is because the illegals will work for that price. illegals drive down the wages of of jobs like these. if there werent illegals doing these jobs, employers would have to pay higher wages to americans.


BTW there are many americans who aren't white.......

actaully, if the prices went up because of higher wages, the governemtn would un-subsidize farms that are lying fallow to drive the price back down to normalcy

 

you understand that has nothing to do with insurance....and would not be fixed by universal healthcare. this is merely negligence on the doctor's part.

 

capatalism is all about ME ME ME. and honestly i dont think i should have to pay for anyone else's medical bills wihout my own consent. if YOU want to donate money to a charity or fund that pays other people's bill by all means kudos to you. i have very good insurance that i work hard for, and so far it has worked perfectly for me. people need to take care of them selves and be less dependent on others. as of late the trend in this country seems to be "lets blame our problems on others" and "we cant take care of ourselves". people need to be responsible for themselves and maybe get jobs with better insurance.

i know that was a rant, but i get so frustrated by this whole "scarp the system" approach. i wouldnt mind a little reform of the healthcare industry, but universal healthcare is not the answer in our country


i loved that quote......

 

because they want to make more money

since when is 6 figures minimal?

 

Like I said...

everybody else, after all that IS the american way.