darthtang aw
Active Member
Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/3221123
I can agree with this statement to a point, but the increase in premuims doesn't seem to follow the same scale as those of healthcare costs. Like I said, my wife is an ICU Nurse, and she knows what items are used on a daily basis. I don't see the cost to produce an aspirin, morphine, or a bag of saline to rise that much from year to year. My wife can attest her salary hasn't gone up 40% over the last 5 years. That MRI machine may have cost the hospital a couple million to buy, but they write most of the cost of that off with depreciation tax reductions. Not to mention, the unit probably pays for itself in a couple of years. Maintenance for those devices are high, but not astronomical. My wife told me her hospital charges $750/night to stay in a semi-private room. She said just a few year's back, that same rate was around $500/night. The room hasn't changed any in those couple of years - same bed, same TV, same bedside equipment. Yet the cost to stay in that room has gone up by $250/night.
And yet, the current cost of a semi private room in most other countries runs 250 a night and less....
But I won't lay blame at the feet of the hospitals.....as of sept 2009 70% of hospitals were only operating at a 3% profit margin, if that....30% of hospitals were operating in the red all year (meaning losing money). These numbers are better than the numbers from 2008, where 50% of hospital operated in the red, and only 50% were able to make any sort of profit.
MOST OF hospital revenue comes from investments (since many people don't pay their bills) The hospitals did have 21 massive layoffs though from 08 through 09. The cut costs (wages) by about 2%. They also increased some pricing as well....
Now, if the sole entity that ultimately dictates everything with in the market can barely make a 1% profit with the "ridiculously" high costs they are charging....how can you expect any sort of cost reductions....
Now, I have been doing some research, and every major country with state sponsored heath insurance places a cap on SS. In some cases the cap is at around 400 dollars a month (if I am understanding this correctly) yet they put in around the same percentage we do......meaning they get back less at retirement than we do. How many here would compensate their social security benefits to include some form of health insurance? How many of you would be willing to cut your social security monthly retirement check by atleast half. Because this is essentially what other countries have had to do. Do you think the currently retired would go for this or those soon to retire....What about those on dissability? re you willing to cut their income in half?
Just questions, I do not have an opinion on this either way at the moment.
See healthcare reform will affect EVERYTHING. Not just your healthcare bills, but your entire "quality" of life at some point. It will affect the entire system as well, and with out nation facing a budget deficit of over 8 trillion dollars for the next ten years as things stand NOW can health care truly be paid for withot cutting other "social" programs. Every other nation has had to, why would we be an exception?
Oh and then couple this with the fact most Canadian GP's only take home just under 100,000 a year after taxes.....all that schooling and upfront cost to make that little? sounds like a lot to most, but when you factor in the time in colege and the cost....it seems to a bit under their worth....also factor many come to the U.S. for their schooling....have to do a minimum 3 year residency and work an average of 60 hours a week....this is about 75,000 less than they make in the states...
http:///forum/post/3221123
I can agree with this statement to a point, but the increase in premuims doesn't seem to follow the same scale as those of healthcare costs. Like I said, my wife is an ICU Nurse, and she knows what items are used on a daily basis. I don't see the cost to produce an aspirin, morphine, or a bag of saline to rise that much from year to year. My wife can attest her salary hasn't gone up 40% over the last 5 years. That MRI machine may have cost the hospital a couple million to buy, but they write most of the cost of that off with depreciation tax reductions. Not to mention, the unit probably pays for itself in a couple of years. Maintenance for those devices are high, but not astronomical. My wife told me her hospital charges $750/night to stay in a semi-private room. She said just a few year's back, that same rate was around $500/night. The room hasn't changed any in those couple of years - same bed, same TV, same bedside equipment. Yet the cost to stay in that room has gone up by $250/night.
And yet, the current cost of a semi private room in most other countries runs 250 a night and less....
But I won't lay blame at the feet of the hospitals.....as of sept 2009 70% of hospitals were only operating at a 3% profit margin, if that....30% of hospitals were operating in the red all year (meaning losing money). These numbers are better than the numbers from 2008, where 50% of hospital operated in the red, and only 50% were able to make any sort of profit.
MOST OF hospital revenue comes from investments (since many people don't pay their bills) The hospitals did have 21 massive layoffs though from 08 through 09. The cut costs (wages) by about 2%. They also increased some pricing as well....
Now, if the sole entity that ultimately dictates everything with in the market can barely make a 1% profit with the "ridiculously" high costs they are charging....how can you expect any sort of cost reductions....
Now, I have been doing some research, and every major country with state sponsored heath insurance places a cap on SS. In some cases the cap is at around 400 dollars a month (if I am understanding this correctly) yet they put in around the same percentage we do......meaning they get back less at retirement than we do. How many here would compensate their social security benefits to include some form of health insurance? How many of you would be willing to cut your social security monthly retirement check by atleast half. Because this is essentially what other countries have had to do. Do you think the currently retired would go for this or those soon to retire....What about those on dissability? re you willing to cut their income in half?
Just questions, I do not have an opinion on this either way at the moment.
See healthcare reform will affect EVERYTHING. Not just your healthcare bills, but your entire "quality" of life at some point. It will affect the entire system as well, and with out nation facing a budget deficit of over 8 trillion dollars for the next ten years as things stand NOW can health care truly be paid for withot cutting other "social" programs. Every other nation has had to, why would we be an exception?
Oh and then couple this with the fact most Canadian GP's only take home just under 100,000 a year after taxes.....all that schooling and upfront cost to make that little? sounds like a lot to most, but when you factor in the time in colege and the cost....it seems to a bit under their worth....also factor many come to the U.S. for their schooling....have to do a minimum 3 year residency and work an average of 60 hours a week....this is about 75,000 less than they make in the states...
