Alabama congressman: “People who lead good lives” don’t have preexisting conditions

[Dill]

(05-04-2017, 03:06 AM)RICHMONDBENGAL_07 Wrote: Sorry I hate when I don't know something that I feel like I should know...but what the hell is a coop? 

You put chickens in them. Sell the eggs to pay for insurance. Works very well in Europe!

LOL, no, a Cooperative is what we are talking about. For example, I had family health insurance from a coop in Germany for 10 years.

The customers or clients actually own the insurance company and elect a board and regional managers to manage it.  It is totally non profit. Once a year we elected people to positions and we got yearly reports on budgets.

So in Germany it was mandated that people below a certain yearly income had to have insurance. Coops were then available to these people.  For the rich, there was what Americans would call private insurance. No exclusions at any level for pre-existing conditions.  That was the norm everywhere in Europe.

When I arrived in 1983 I was astounded. I, my wife, and my daughter were covered for everything, plus eye care and dental, for half the price of our Blue Cross back in the states (which required us to pick and choose what the company would cover). My son was born in Germany, my daughter went through two years of chemotherapy, and I had two gall stone operations--all covered without question.  Germans would ask us questions about healthcare horror stories they heard from the US--sadly all true. And as I mentioned above, we were never swamped with bills.  We went to the doctor, were treated, went home. No bickering and endless calling to understand what we were charged for.

When we returned to the states in '93, it was insurance hell.  No one would cover our daughter for a year. Emergency room visits were 400 dollars! (in '90s dollars).  My daughter had an MRI that cost 1,000 dollars. We were no longer covered for dental and eye care--and our rates doubled.  This was about the time Bill and Hillary were pushing for healthcare reform. Everyday in the news we had to hear how the US had the best healthcare in the world and the best system, etc.  Every conservative I knew had a friend in Canada who came to the US for treatment, etc.  People who could not afford any health care were worried about losing their FREEDOM TO CHOOSE plans and doctors because of a GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER.  The free market was keeping prices down in the US!   LOL Poor Europe.

[Dill]

(05-04-2017, 10:15 AM)michaelsean Wrote: They would only think that if they saw the "quote" in the title, and not what he actually said.  

Does the Congressmen say people without pre-existing conditions are paying for people who have them, and so are being penalized for making good choices?

Is he saying that the Republican healthcare bill will ease that situation by making those with pre-existing conditions pay more?

[*michaelsean*]

(05-04-2017, 11:23 AM)Dill Wrote: Does the Congressmen say people without pre-existing conditions are paying for people who have them, and so are being penalized for making good choices?

Is he saying that the Republican healthcare bill will ease that situation by making those with pre-existing conditions pay more?

He's not saying God is taking care of it which I was speaking to.

[*wildcats forever*]

(05-04-2017, 11:23 AM)Dill Wrote: Does the Congressmen say people without pre-existing conditions are paying for people who have them, and so are being penalized for making good choices?

Is he saying that the Republican healthcare bill will ease that situation by making those with pre-existing conditions pay more?

http://www.theonion.com/article/gop-promises-americans-will-be-able-keep-current-m-54995?utm_content=Main&utm_campaign=SF&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing

[RICHMONDBENGAL_07]

(05-04-2017, 11:16 AM)Dill Wrote: You put chickens in them. Sell the eggs to pay for insurance. Works very well in Europe!

LOL, no, a Cooperative is what we are talking about. For example, I had family health insurance from a coop in Germany for 10 years.

The customers or clients actually own the insurance company and elect a board and regional managers to manage it.  It is totally non profit. Once a year we elected people to positions and we got yearly reports on budgets.

So in Germany it was mandated that people below a certain yearly income had to have insurance. Coops were then available to these people.  For the rich, there was what Americans would call private insurance. No exclusions at any level for pre-existing conditions.  That was the norm everywhere in Europe.

When I arrived in 1983 I was astounded. I, my wife, and my daughter were covered for everything, plus eye care and dental, for half the price of our Blue Cross back in the states (which required us to pick and choose what the company would cover). My son was born in Germany, my daughter went through two years of chemotherapy, and I had two gall stone operations--all covered without question.  Germans would ask us questions about healthcare horror stories they heard from the US--sadly all true. And as I mentioned above, we were never swamped with bills.  We went to the doctor, were treated, went home. No bickering and endless calling to understand what we were charged for.

When we returned to the states in '93, it was insurance hell.  No one would cover our daughter for a year. Emergency room visits were 400 dollars! (in '90s dollars).  My daughter had an MRI that cost 1,000 dollars. We were no longer covered for dental and eye care--and our rates doubled.  This was about the time Bill and Hillary were pushing for healthcare reform. Everyday in the news we had to hear how the US had the best healthcare in the world and the best system, etc.  Every conservative I knew had a friend in Canada who came to the US for treatment, etc.  People who could not afford any health care were worried about losing their FREEDOM TO CHOOSE plans and doctors because of a GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER.  The free market was keeping prices down in the US!   LOL Poor Europe.

LOL...I actually thought about that after I typed it.

Anyway, that's interesting I've never experienced having been insured in  Europe.  I know Americans immediately shun anything European as the first road to socialism.  However IMO their approach to medical care should not be one of them.

[Dill]

(05-04-2017, 03:00 PM)RICHMONDBENGAL_07 Wrote: LOL...I actually thought about that after I typed it.

Anyway, that's interesting I've never experienced having been insured in  Europe.  I know Americans immediately shun anything European as the first road to socialism.  However IMO their approach to medical care should not be one of them.

I was also a resident of the state of Qatar for 5+ years too, where I had basically FREE health care. I did have to pay the equivalent of $1.26 per month for high blood pressure medicine.

A colleague of mine's appendix ruptured and spent four weeks in the Doha hospital, a week of that in a coma in intensive care.
His (German) doctor told me that similar treatment would be $10,000 a day in the US. He didn't have to pay a penny.  You need a small population with gulf-state wealth to support a system like that though.

On the downside though, if you are not white, expect long lines.

I have been hospitalized in US military hospitals too, so I can compare the systems a bit, just based upon personal experience.

[Dill]

(05-04-2017, 01:33 PM)michaelsean Wrote: He's not saying God is taking care of it which I was speaking to.

Understood.

[fredtoast]

Same old same old.

Pre-existing health conditions are the result of personal choices (not living "good"), just like being unemployed or underemployed is the result of personal choices (lazy).

It is true that some pre-existing conditions are the results of poor personal choices and some unemployment is the result of being lazy. Even though many pre-existing conditions are not based on personal choice and lots of unemployment is due to the fact that there are not enough jobs conservatives try to demonize the unemployed and people with pre-existing conditions to get the public to back programs that deny assistance to ALL of the unemployed and pre-existing conditions even the ones who are in those positions through no fault of their own.

It is a political version of victim blaming. Divert the attention from the real issues by blaming children for getting cancer and blaming employees who lost their jobs because their employer sent their jobs overseas,

[fredtoast]

(05-04-2017, 05:16 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Same old same old.

Pre-existing health conditions are the result of personal choices (not living "good"), just like being unemployed or underemployed is the result of personal choices (lazy).

It is true that some pre-existing conditions are the results of poor personal choices and some unemployment is the result of being lazy.  Even though many pre-existing conditions are not based on personal choice and lots of unemployment is due to the fact that there are not enough jobs conservatives try to demonize the unemployed and people with pre-existing  conditions to get the public to back programs that deny assistance to ALL of the unemployed and pre-existing conditions even the ones who are in those positions through no fault of their own.

It is a political version of victim blaming.  Divert the attention from the real issues by blaming children for getting cancer and blaming employees who lost their jobs because their employer sent their jobs overseas,

Wow.  Talk about perfect timing.  Here is a post from LeonardLeap made in another thread less than a half hour after I posted the above

http://thebengalsboard.com/Thread-ACHA-Passed-the-house     Post #8

 "People shouldn't be burdened with paying for other people's decisions. It's not their fault that someone else decided to live off a diet of Pepsi and candy and got diabetes. It's not their fault that they were responsible and used contraceptives while other people pump out two or three children they can't afford."

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cancer-patient-wonders-will-government-still-back-090024209.html

Eventually, everyone will need to use their health insurance. If not you personally, a parent, spouse, or child. High risk pools or denial of coverage based upon pre-existing will wreck a family financially.

[Benton]

(05-20-2017, 01:17 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: https://www.yahoo.com/news/cancer-patient-wonders-will-government-still-back-090024209.html

Eventually, everyone will need to use their health insurance. If not you personally, a parent, spouse, or child. High risk pools or denial of coverage based upon pre-existing will wreck a family financially.

At this rate, the problem will collapse itself in a few years as people get treatment they can't afford. Hospitals will continue raising costs to cover loses until it gets to the point no one can afford treatment and everyone refuses to pay.