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Originally Posted by kathyspear
Seriously? Do you think that when the govt takes over you will be able to get any treatment or procedure or medication that your doctor wants you to have? Medicare doesn't do that now. (i.e. They pay for the cheap single-vision lenses after cataract surgery, not the more expensive multi-focal ones I got.) Medicaid/MediCal doesn't do that now. They have a list of drugs that you can have. If your drug is on the list, great. If it is not, oh, well ...
I know insurance companies don't pay for everything either, because (unlike the govt) they have to make money, whereas the govt just prints what it wants. But anybody who thinks universal healthcare will provide everything for everybody is not being realistic. Personally, I would rather fight with an insurance company over a treatment or a bill than fight with the govt, but that's just me.
kathy
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I don't think, I know.Medicare is simply the government acting as a insurance company that pays for profit healthcare providers to provide healthcare. That system is doomed eventual for the reasons you mentioned and more.
In a single payer system, if modeled after the VA (which I think it should be) the for profit is removed, completely (currently the VA system is experiencing budget cuts and some services are provided for by for profit agencies (like glasses) and my experience with those services is that they suck. However, all of the services within the VA Healthcare system are excellent. When my doctor wants something I get it, and normally the same day.
Remember the VA is motivated to cure you and keep you well so you do not cost them more than necessary. For profit is motivated to treat you as long and as expensively as possible, so the insurance companies, and you constantly have to fight. They want to keep costs down and have entire departments dedicated to finding ways to NO PAY for your treatments. You on the other hand want to do what your doctor says, and have to fight with your insurance company to spend a little of the money you hang been paying them to spend.