Healthcare in 21st Century America
Jan 22nd, 2007 at 2:26 pm by Dr. S
Here’s the reality the Bush approach to healthcare ignores. Bob Herbert:
A disturbing new report shows that with health care costs continuing their sharp rise, low- and middle-income patients are reaching for their credit cards with alarming frequency to cover treatment that they otherwise would be unable to afford.
This medical debt, to be paid off in many cases at sky-high interest rates, is being loaded onto consumer debt that is already at dangerously high levels. Many families have been crushed by the load, driven from their homes, forced into bankruptcy, and worse.
Imagine for a moment the seriously ill patient who needs to be hospitalized. In the cold new world of health care, the primary message to such patients is often “Show me the money!â€
In many instances, of course, the patient does not have the money. What the report found is that even people with health insurance are being drained by health care costs to the point where the credit card seems the only option.
“In recognition of the evolving payment landscape and the risk of hospital bad debt, health care providers are more aggressively seeking upfront collection of co-pays and deductibles. A component of this strategy is to encourage patients to use third-party lenders such as credit cards to pay for medical expenses they cannot afford, which families frequently do to meet high medical bills.â€
It’s one thing to reach for your Visa or MasterCard to pay for a Barbie doll or flat-screen TV. It’s way different to pull out the plastic because you’ve just learned you have cancer or heart disease, and you don’t have any other way to pay for treatment that would prevent a premature trip to the great beyond.
A society is seriously out of whack when legalized loan sharks are encouraged to close in on those who are broke and desperately ill.
Yes, the Bushies must sit up all night, every night, to figure out the best ways to stick it to folks with jobs.
I’m in awe.
Does anyone reading this blog really believe this all goes away if we turn our healthcare over to the Government? We all have seen how Government sets at least 2 sets of rules, one for themselves & one for the rest of us pleebs. Anybody out there remember the House banking scandal? I know I don’t want to see one member of ANY branch of Government
get any more invoved in this then they already are. Why do you think Hillary-care died?
Much as you may not wanna hear this, more Government involvement is not the answer. Tell me, honestly now, how many times has more Government worked? I sure don’t remember any.
Hmm, social security comes to mind, as do environmental regulations, back when they were enforced. The FDA once was a useful body, too.
How about Medicare and the VA? Both provided medical care at a fraction of the overhead that private insurers do.
If people are using credit cards to pay medical bills they can’t afford to pay any other way … oh brother.
The middle class is becoming the permanent debtor class. Declare bankruptcy today and beat the rush!
This used to be a country with a future.
Private health insurance is much worse than dealing
with bookies.
Bookies only take about 5% of the action for themselves.
The private health care industry takes 30% vigorish,
and uses much of that money to hire people to figure
out ways to deny you service.