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The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:01 pm
by elklindo69
$77 for a gauze pad
$84 for a bag of saline (salt)
$24 for a tablet of niacin
$106 for a tube of bacitracin
$18 for a test strip for diabetes

And so on....

This article from Time is one of the best that have I read in a while....................

http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/b ... -us/print/

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:06 am
by RealJustme
Not sure what you're getting at?

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:29 pm
by Leroy
This is another one of those BULLSHIT stories....

Note this, the important part:

"
Because Stephanie and her husband had recently started their own small technology business, they were unable to buy comprehensive health insurance. For $469 a month, or about 20% of their income..."

So, they, stupidly, of their own choice, not being forced, decided to start a small business that only generates an income of $2400 a month, and they chose to do it anyway, without insurance.....

How fricking stupid can you be? Oh, that's right, as stupid as any liberal.

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 12:42 pm
by Leroy
One more thing - the man had cancer, but, even knowing that, chose to start a new business without insurance....

I had a surgery last year, 5 hours to reattach muscles to my shoulder, the doctor was paid about $2000 for his time, before, during, after, the surgery. The hospital billed about $30,000 and was paid about $4,000.... Total payment for 5 hours of surgery and 1.5 days in a private room, $6,000. They physical therapy lasted 4 months and I have 100% ROM, and the PT place was paid $39/visit by the insurance company.... I went 3 times a week during that period.

The sad part of this is that if I had not had insurance I would not have been able to negotiate those prices, I've tried.

We pay about $12,000 per year for family insurance that includes dental and vision. I when I started my business I never once considered not having insurance, not once, it was a business expense, and I cared enough about my family to ensure that it was paid first, each month. Only a moron idiot liberal would knowingly not carry good insurance while knowingly having cancer or, even worse, start an small business that can't afford to cover the insurance costs.

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:07 pm
by BilboBagend
Follow the profits, they all flow to insurance companies, hospitals, and medical manufacturers.

It's easy to see when you have free market capitalism, you have commodity prices. It's easy to see when you have monopoly/oligopoly power, you have excess profits far above commodity prices. It's easy to know who is exercising monopoly/oligopoly power, they are getting the excess profits.

The full cause of the expansion of medical costs is due to monopoly/oligopoly power being allowed to flourish outside any real free market.

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:16 pm
by RealJustme
Follow the profits, they all flow to insurance companies, hospitals, and medical manufacturers.
Bilbo, the guy didn't have insurance, there was no insurance companies involved...you're getting as bad as Obama.

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:21 pm
by Leroy
BilboBagend wrote:Follow the profits, they all flow to insurance companies, hospitals, and medical manufacturers.

[deleted crap]

The full cause of the expansion of medical costs is due to monopoly/oligopoly power being allowed to flourish outside any real free market.
All of the rules that allow it, and prevent competition, were put in place by Politicians that keep getting re-elected by morons.

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:38 pm
by BilboBagend
Like you

Re: The $21,000 bill for diagnosing heartburn

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:44 pm
by RealJustme
We also like you.