layout of universal health care
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You really don't understand how universal health care works, do you?
Under universal medicine, the government has f*ck-all to do with the actual care. All they do is pay your bills. The only people involved with your health care are health care professionals; Doctors, receptionists, nurses, etc.
The way it works is like this:
1. You get sick.
2. You go to the hospital or doctor.
3. The doctor treats you based on what you need to get better. He doesn't have to get pre-approval from anyone (unlike the free-market insurance system, in which the insurance companies decide what procedures you are allowed to have.)
4. Once you're better, you take your sign-out sheet (basically an invoice) to the billing office, show them your ID and sign a form verifying you are who you say you are.
5. The billing department checks and then files the sign-out sheets. They enter the following into the government-linked computer:
* Your name, address, phone number, social security number, etc.
* The doctor's diagnosis.
* The treatments & itemized costs (reduced because insurance companies aren't inflating them artificially)
6. The government workers who deal with these things check the computer information, make sure it matches what they know about you, and verify that the doctor/hospital are legitimate and licensed. There is no "decision" made at this level. They simply authenticate the data and then process it. All medical decisions lie with the doctors and patients, not with the bureaucrats or government clerks.
7. The government sends verification of the pay-out to the department that handles transferring the money from the U.S. Treasury to the hospital, in much the same manner that they transfer money for tax refunds (And if you never noticed, they're pretty efficient at processing refunds for many millions of people every year at tax time, very quickly).
8. The hospital gets a direct deposit to their bank account, and the accounting department makes sure everything is as it should be.
9. The hospital payroll department disperses funds to the doctors, nurses, and other people who played a role in your recovery.
10. You go home healthy, able to work and pay your taxes, so that you'll have the safety net of tax-funded health care the next time you suffer an unexpected illness or injury.
The only time the government is involved is when they're verifying there's no false data in the claim, and dispersing funds directly to the hospital or doctor's office.
You don't need to get the government's opinion when you seek medical attention. You don't need their approval for a specific treatment. You don't need to be pre-approved, or see the doctor they want you to see.
The government is ONLY there to allocate taxes to the health care system, verify that you're a tax-paying American citizen, certify & regulate health care industry standards (such as making sure hospitals are clean and safe), and to pay the medical facility and staff. The government does not profit from keeping you sick-- They profit from getting you well so you can work and continue to pay taxes.
With an insurance company, the profit-motivated corporate executives decide what treatments they'll allow you to have. They make more money if you remain ill. They find any excuse to deny coverage, and they can cut you off (taking all your premiums for the past however-many-years with them) without notice, without reason, and without consequence. With insurance companies, your medical decisions are largely in the hands of corporate executives who see you as a profit-margin digit, and not a person, and they will tell the doctors that you aren't to be given a particular procedure under your insurance policy.
I do insurance billing. I've seen it. Insurance companies are sick.
I've also watched and learned how other countries do their NHS billing, and it's the model of efficiency and sanity. You're a fool to fight against it.
The government doesn't "take care of you" -- The government just pays your bill by taking the tax money you paid to them and applying it toward your health care needs in exactly the same way they efficiently handle clean air, clean water, fire departments, national parks, libraries, highways, law enforcement, and everything else. They don't make decisions about what these institutions do from day-to-day: They just allocate your fund to pay the bills, and regulate the departments to make sure they're not abusing the system or breaking the law.
If you're worried about the government screwing up "taking care of you" then you had damn well better tell the fire department to stay away if your house is on fire.
You really don't understand how universal health care works, do you?
Under universal medicine, the government has f*ck-all to do with the actual care. All they do is pay your bills. The only people involved with your health care are health care professionals; Doctors, receptionists, nurses, etc.
The way it works is like this:
1. You get sick.
2. You go to the hospital or doctor.
3. The doctor treats you based on what you need to get better. He doesn't have to get pre-approval from anyone (unlike the free-market insurance system, in which the insurance companies decide what procedures you are allowed to have.)
4. Once you're better, you take your sign-out sheet (basically an invoice) to the billing office, show them your ID and sign a form verifying you are who you say you are.
5. The billing department checks and then files the sign-out sheets. They enter the following into the government-linked computer:
* Your name, address, phone number, social security number, etc.
* The doctor's diagnosis.
* The treatments & itemized costs (reduced because insurance companies aren't inflating them artificially)
6. The government workers who deal with these things check the computer information, make sure it matches what they know about you, and verify that the doctor/hospital are legitimate and licensed. There is no "decision" made at this level. They simply authenticate the data and then process it. All medical decisions lie with the doctors and patients, not with the bureaucrats or government clerks.
7. The government sends verification of the pay-out to the department that handles transferring the money from the U.S. Treasury to the hospital, in much the same manner that they transfer money for tax refunds (And if you never noticed, they're pretty efficient at processing refunds for many millions of people every year at tax time, very quickly).
8. The hospital gets a direct deposit to their bank account, and the accounting department makes sure everything is as it should be.
9. The hospital payroll department disperses funds to the doctors, nurses, and other people who played a role in your recovery.
10. You go home healthy, able to work and pay your taxes, so that you'll have the safety net of tax-funded health care the next time you suffer an unexpected illness or injury.
The only time the government is involved is when they're verifying there's no false data in the claim, and dispersing funds directly to the hospital or doctor's office.
You don't need to get the government's opinion when you seek medical attention. You don't need their approval for a specific treatment. You don't need to be pre-approved, or see the doctor they want you to see.
The government is ONLY there to allocate taxes to the health care system, verify that you're a tax-paying American citizen, certify & regulate health care industry standards (such as making sure hospitals are clean and safe), and to pay the medical facility and staff. The government does not profit from keeping you sick-- They profit from getting you well so you can work and continue to pay taxes.
With an insurance company, the profit-motivated corporate executives decide what treatments they'll allow you to have. They make more money if you remain ill. They find any excuse to deny coverage, and they can cut you off (taking all your premiums for the past however-many-years with them) without notice, without reason, and without consequence. With insurance companies, your medical decisions are largely in the hands of corporate executives who see you as a profit-margin digit, and not a person, and they will tell the doctors that you aren't to be given a particular procedure under your insurance policy.
I do insurance billing. I've seen it. Insurance companies are sick.
I've also watched and learned how other countries do their NHS billing, and it's the model of efficiency and sanity. You're a fool to fight against it.
The government doesn't "take care of you" -- The government just pays your bill by taking the tax money you paid to them and applying it toward your health care needs in exactly the same way they efficiently handle clean air, clean water, fire departments, national parks, libraries, highways, law enforcement, and everything else. They don't make decisions about what these institutions do from day-to-day: They just allocate your fund to pay the bills, and regulate the departments to make sure they're not abusing the system or breaking the law.
If you're worried about the government screwing up "taking care of you" then you had damn well better tell the fire department to stay away if your house is on fire.