Expertise

[texaslawchick]

My first job was filing charts in my dad's office when I was twelve or thirteen. I'd go to work with him a few days a week and help his secretary with lite office work. When I was sixteen, I worked a summer for an oncologist doing more or less the same thing. I also worked for a rhumatologist answering phones and helping out the rest of the very

Comments

[samtosha]

"Nearly half the attendees raised their hands, failing to note the irony."

Between this and the fact that the elected officials who are so opposed to the reform have absolutely amazing health care benefits, I too am so pissed off that I am not letting myself get pulled into those debates and conversations.

[lovelypoet]

And while I think they have a total right to be a pain in the ass at public events, they're wrong. Factually, wrong. And that bothers me. I think the version of this that I said to my father last night was "If they want to have bad opinions, fine. That's their deal. But, oh my god, have bad opinions about things that are at least based in reality

[momwolf]

Its amazing how much money the insurance lobby is throwing at this. It all goes back to the old adage "Follow The Money". Unless and Until all political elections are publicly funded, politicians - and people are bought and they stay bought.

The Republicans and Insurance loby are incredibly well organized right now. There is virtually NO CHANCE at all of this ever getting passed as long as we, the people, put up with "The Way Things Are".

[jasheffe]

OK...since you brought it up...
How will government sponsored health care affect people like me who already have really good insurance through an employer? Will I lose benefits? Will I lose my ability to go wherever I want (I have very good PPO insurance) for a specialist without a referral from another doctor? Will it cost me more?

I have been following the debate and issue casually but I tend to tune it out. To many talking heads and no one really listening so that people can make real sense of what is on the table.

[texaslawchick]

As it currently stands, it really wouldn't impact you at all. To qualify for the public plan you have to be in the exchange, to be in the exchange, you'd have to be unemployed or otherwise uninsured. Your employer would continue to provide you with insurance. There's a slight possibility that you'd be either taxed on the insurance benefit you already receive tax free (you freeloader, you), but that's not really on the table. The PPO wouldn't change at all, though it's possible that they'd offer MORE services to adequately compete with the insurance market.

[jasheffe]

I don't see how people who are insured have a problem with this then. OK, maybe the being taxed part, I'm taxed enough already but as long as it's not outrageous, it's a win/win for the public.

I can see why Big Business has an issue, but I really do believe that we need some kind of National Health Care program in place for people who need it. I'd actually be more for full government regulation of health care to stop the gouging on procedures that seems to happen. The difference in cost between having the same MRI at USC, UCLA and the radiology place down the street from my house is obscene.

[texaslawchick]

Well, people who are insured are happy with what they have and worry that they're either going to a) pay more to maintain the status quo, or b) going to lose something.

And, under the current system, you are royally fucked if you don't have a job that provides insurance for you. Given your medical history, there is no insurance company in the world that would write you an individual policy that would provide the sort of coverage that you need that wouldn't cost an absolute fortune. Your monthly premiums would probably be well over a couple thousand dollars a month in the individual market.

[buffys_beasley]

Insurance companies take your money and on average never give it all back. They provide it for profit not altruism. They decide which doctors you can use, which hospitals you can go to and whether your bleeding ankle warrants a trip to the emergency room. The young and/or healthy people in an insurance plan pay for the old or infirmed. With several different plans in place and the need of employers providing some or all of the insurance cost, most people have to change providers more often than they'd wish. Neither they nor the doctor ever knows what's going to be covered or not covered. The doctor has to have several employees to send in all the necessary different information that all these different insurance companies are demanding in order to get payment. If you don't have insurance but miraculously can pay the bill up front, you still don't get a cash discount. How could the government as a central all inclusive insurer make it any more expensive or complicated or out of the reach of more people?