Serowbot wrote on 08/18/13 at 22:09:22:This is most encouraging...
I do consider both WD and Midnight to be conservative in principal... (but, obviously not sheep)...
It is time,... and it is an issue that everyone should be able to find some measure of commonality...
You shouldn't need to be a millionaire, to survive a serious illness without going bankrupt and losing everything...
...and, a person fighting for their life,.. shouldn't have a dining table overflowing with bills foremost in their mind...
And death, shouldn't take everything you've worked and saved for with you...
There are people in this struggle today,.. that are wishing they could die faster,.. so that their spouses, and families won't lose all they have sacrificed to leave for them...
I remember Skatergirl too... and she had a job, and health insurance... got sick, got fired, lost her insurance, and her home,.. and her life...
This is an almost uniquely, American experience...
Seems like, protecting families,... and respecting dignity in life and death,... and all that people have have worked their entire lives for,.. would be a conservative ideal... but it ain't...
It's not good for profits...
It's not a topic of universal agreement,.. but it does cross some divides...
Peace,
Serow
I guess there are millionairs and then theres really rich people. Cause even millionaiers cant afford the current system. Case in point:
A coworkers brother-in-law was/is a surgeon.. in CA.. and very well off. He got brain cancer. So did what everyone does, he went through the system, got tests, got diagnoses, got treatment. Things were not looking good. Bills racked up, but he paid them. But he could not work... so he could not earn and the zero income and mega outflow... could not go on indefinitely.. yet that seemed to be where he was headed. He applied for benefits and was turned down. They said that while he could not work in his profession, he could work... say at McDonalds.
At that point he started calling markers. He got short-listed on a research program that insurance would not pay... so he paid. It worked. He's "cured enough" to go back to work as a surgeon. Which is good as he was pretty much wiped out financially. This was several years ago.. probably 2006.. co-work has moved on, so I have not heard any recent news.
I agree the system is broke.
Other horror stories abound. My neighbor, nearly lost their house. The husband had bad diabetes and got too bad for her to care for him at home. So what happens then. They could not afford to put him in a nursing home.. not at $3000 per month. But in order to get the government to pay... the one going in has to be destitute. What about the spouse? She has to be destitute as well? When we moved, they were still going through the dance of paying for in-home care... and watching their bank account empty out.
And then there is my own mother. My sister told me that I scared the hell out of her. ( certainly not my intention) My mom was a school teacher, she has a $200k house ( patio home) and really nothing else. Gets gets her retirement, and has state insurance( $800/month come out of her monthly check).
I told her long ago to spend down her money. She wanted to leave a little some to the grandkids. I said it aint gonna happen. At some point if we are lucky, she will live long enough to go into a nursing home. At that point the government will take everything... Mom is 79 and still at home, near blind.. cant drive... in fear of falling. I do her shopping each week. My son does her yardwork.
But theres pleanty of other common practice that I completely disagree with:
If you have insurance, the hospital and insurance contract for a low price. But if you don't have insurance you pay "full price" except "full price" includes the cost of those that might not pay.. so its really full price plus. That's were you get $5 Tylenol.
One hospital here was taken to court... the name of the hospital St. Dominics.. you know a Catholic hospital. IT seems they had adopted a policy of turning over any patients to a collection agency on day one, if the patient did not have insurance. You could be a billionaire.. didn't matter, policy was to turn over the account on day one. They did get slammed for that.
Unfortunately... the list of problems is much longer than the list of solutions. Trust is my biggest issue.