History of Health Care

reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Originally Posted by zman1
http:///forum/post/3119406
I had this link saved on 2-25-08 and forgot all about it. It is an interesting timeline. Your thoughts on periods/events that stands out to you?
http://whatifpost.com/heath-care-his...beginning-1929
Time lines are interesting but unfortunately we can't undo what has lead to what we are stuck with now.
You gotta keep in mind a lot of the increase in the percentage of GDP we spend on health care is a direct result of advances in medicine. 50 years ago you got cancer and most likely you died rather quickly. Now we have treatments available that will extend life and even cure many conditions and diseases that lead to a rather quick end back in the good ol days. That costs money
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
One of many that I found interesting 1900 - 1909
Almost all hospitals are non-profit institutions founded by religious organizations or wealthy donors; they now begin charging for services.
Beginning of modern hospital system.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
There are still a lot of "non profit" hospitals around but it doesn't seem to decrease the costs much if any.
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3119422
Time lines are interesting but unfortunately we can't undo what has lead to what we are stuck with now.
You gotta keep in mind a lot of the increase in the percentage of GDP we spend on health care is a direct result of advances in medicine. 50 years ago you got cancer and most likely you died rather quickly. Now we have treatments available that will extend life and even cure many conditions and diseases that lead to a rather quick end back in the good ol days. That costs money
Reef it is just a reflection of history --
You have always said, government can't run anything without huge cost and overruns, based on history. With your new revelations (bolded). I guess the Government shouldn't be held by its past performance, Correct? That cost money.
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member

Originally Posted by zman1
http:///forum/post/3119426
One of many that I found interesting 1900 - 1909
Almost all hospitals are non-profit institutions founded by religious organizations or wealthy donors; they now begin charging for services.
Beginning of modern hospital system.

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3119430
There are still a lot of "non profit" hospitals around but it doesn't seem to decrease the costs much if any.

I don't understand the connection you are making here
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
Another interesting one:
1919
Illinois study reports that citizens lose four times more wages due to sickness than the amount they spend treating the illness; people purchase “sickness” insurance to replace their wages rather than health insurance to cover costs of medical treatment.
Health care spending rises, demand for workmen’s compensation rises
- Before short and long term sick leave of fulltime employees...
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
I know where Reef was going. At West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho(a for-profit hospital), it cost my friends $4300 for standard delivery child birth. Within 3 months of that, it cost my wife and I $5200 for a standard delivery child birth at St Alphonsus Hospital in Boise, Id. St Alphonsus claims to be nonprofit, why does it cost the same or more at a nonprofit hospital?
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
The post I made was the time that Hosiptals started charging for services.. We all know they charge for services NOW....
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
2007
Congressional Budget Office estimates that Medicare could save $40 billion over next 10 years if subsidies to Medicare Advantage insurers for doctor and hospital reimbursements were limited to levels of the rest of the program (or save $54 billion in 5 years if eliminated altogether). About 1/5 of elderly Medicare enrollees are in private plans - 8.3 million across 604 contracts (see 2003).
Medicare privatization expands
Same year
In State of the Union address, President Bush proposes citizens pay taxes on their employer-provided health care benefits, presumably paving the way for increased demand for tax-protected Health Savings Accounts with high insurance deductibles.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Originally Posted by zman1
http:///forum/post/3119435
Reef it is just a reflection of history --
You have always said, government can't run anything without huge cost and overruns, based on history. With your new revelations (bolded). I guess the Government shouldn't be held by its past performance, Correct? That cost money.
What I am saying is it doesn't matter how we got here. What matters is that we are here. You can't snap your fingers and eliminate the reasons for some of the high costs. If a person spent a couple hundred grand for school with the goal of earning a 6 figure income you can't just say "sorry, you now make 70K a year". We can fix some of the problems like HIPAA and legal costs but you really can't kick the table over on people who have invested time and energy to create a business or career.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member

Originally Posted by zman1
http:///forum/post/3119475
2007
Congressional Budget Office estimates that Medicare could save $40 billion over next 10 years if subsidies to Medicare Advantage insurers for doctor and hospital reimbursements were limited to levels of the rest of the program (or save $54 billion in 5 years if eliminated altogether). About 1/5 of elderly Medicare enrollees are in private plans - 8.3 million across 604 contracts (see 2003).
Medicare privatization expands
Same year
In State of the Union address, President Bush proposes citizens pay taxes on their employer-provided health care benefits, presumably paving the way for increased demand for tax-protected Health Savings Accounts with high insurance deductibles.
Medicare advantage provides MUCH better coverage and also take over Part A coverage which is the part of Medicare you don't have to pay for, the hospitalization.
You wanna know how stupid our government is? I was going to drop medicare part B (the coverage I pay for) and go with my wife's insurance. The medicare people informed me that if I dropped medicare now once I picked it back up my premium would be increased by 10% for each year I was eligible but didn't participate in the system.
Now if these Medicare advantage accounts are such a bad deal for the government why are they resorting to mob tactics to force people like me to stay in the Medicare system?
 
zman1

zman1

Active Member
Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3120045
Now if these Medicare advantage accounts are such a bad deal for the government why are they resorting to mob tactics to force people like me to stay in the Medicare system?
Perhaps a conserative nanny state - take care of private insurance companies...
Told you before - The high dollar power behind insurance lobbies aren't just going to rollover and give up...
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
Originally Posted by zman1
http:///forum/post/3120512
Perhaps a conserative nanny state - take care of private insurance companies...
Told you before - The high dollar power behind insurance lobbies aren't just going to rollover and give up...

Well for all the Democrats demonizing of the evil insurance companies it turns out they are in the mid 30's when it comes to return on investment as far as their profit margins which is something like 2.5%.
 
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