Originally Posted by janmcn (Post 935116)

Its interesting that the majority of people on Medicare like Medicare.

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 935407)

Sorry, 1) I thought the heading of the article sounded too political 2) I'm not good at providing links unless the address is short and 3) I figured someone would recognize the issue and eventually provide a link.


If it might help the conversation stay focused, I'll provide the proper search phrase now so that someone can provide the link:

This is it: Democrats borrow a GOP idea in proposal to help control health care costs

Originally Posted by Rags123 (Post 935428)

"Borrowing a Republican idea, a group including former senior Obama and Clinton advisors is unveiling a novel proposal to let states take the lead in controlling health costs"



Democrats Borrow a GOP Idea on Health Care Costs - ABC News

Originally Posted by Tennisnut (Post 935240)

Sounds like the Mayo clinic needs to implement some cost controls since other facilities can provide services under the MediCare fee schedule. I know for example, a MRI can run from $1500 to $5000. Why is there that much variation in cost?

Originally Posted by Bavarian (Post 935519)

I want to be able to go to the top of the line Mayo Clinic. I do not want a Government at any level control where I or my wife can go for treatment. If cost exceeds Insurance levels, we should be able to pay the difference if we want.

The Canadian Single Payer does not allow it. In Germany, socialized and Private Insurance are both available.

If Canadian so good, why do they come to US for treatment. There are hospitals and clinics built right along the US Canadian border. They must pay cash as we would do out of US, but we can put in a claim for some reimbursement later, can the Canadians? What do you do when you are in US and need a Doctor?

Originally Posted by Bavarian (Post 935519)

If Canadian so good, why do they come to US for treatment. There are hospitals and clinics built right along the US Canadian border. They must pay cash as we would do out of US, but we can put in a claim for some reimbursement later, can the Canadians? What do you do when you are in US and need a Doctor?

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 935536)

[/B]
I would like to see some facts to back up your statement about Canadians flocking to the US for medical care. Because according to this site, that is the #1 myth about Canadian healthcare. Canada vs. US Health Care Systems - Debunking Canadian Health Care Myths - AARP
I will quote part: 99.39% of Canadians do not come to the US for medical care.

Originally Posted by Rags123 (Post 935363)

Her complete statement IN CONTEXT...

"Exxon Mobil and other oil giants continue to run up record profits to maintain the status quo even as Americans struggle to pay the high costs of heating their homes, fueling their cars, and meeting the mounting challenges of a growing economic crisis. And too many in Washington have stood in the way of the changes we need to chart a new energy strategy for our nation that breaks our dependence on foreign oil, reduces global warming pollution, and creates millions of new green collar jobs. I have proposed that we eliminate the tax breaks for big oil companies like Exxon Mobil and use that money to establish a Strategic Energy Fund to speed development of clean energy technology, put more efficient cars on the road, create new jobs, and provide immediate energy relief for the middle class as we head into what could be a difficult winter."

Read more: Clinton Blasts Exxon Mobil's Record Profits | TheHill
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Originally Posted by Pointer (Post 935452)

I believe Vermont is having great success with its single payer state run programs. Having lived by the Canadian boarder for many years and having had a child who spent 6 years going to school there, I can say that I knew a lot of people who preferred that system to ours. Especially when it came to catastrophic care. ie pregnancy or birth complications and cancer. Canadians sure don't want to get rid of their medical system for ours. I'm benefiting from Obama Care now that I'm here in Florida and know many others who are as well. My attitude was and is still a wait and see how it works one. And so far so good. So I'm willing to entertain a state by state single payer system as a possible improvement. With so many more people now having coverage I'm looking forward to the reduced costs of the now preventative health care vs the more costly emergency care.

Originally Posted by tedquick (Post 935567)

She did indeed say exactly what you said, however those were not the only words that she has ever spoken with regards to Exxon. The statements I quoted were not made up, in fact, they were copied from my referenced article. BTW, here are some other facts about Exxon in 2011 and I copy: Often ignored fact: ExxonMobil makes pennies per gallon on gasoline, diesel and petroleum products it refines and sells in the United States. In the first and second quarters of this year, ExxonMobil made 7 cents and 8 cents, respectively, on the gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products it refined and sold in the United States. Comparatively, local, state and federal gasoline taxes average nearly 49 cents per gallon nationally, with a high of 67 cents in states such as California and New York.

Another way of saying it is that Exxon pays more in local, state and federal gasoline taxes to the tune of 6 to 7 times as much as is their profit. With that being the case, this question must be asked: Who is the greedy one, the one who makes 7 cents per gallon in profit or the entity who takes 49 cents a gallon from you and me in taxes?

A correction here -- Exxon does not pay more in taxes than is its profit, instead you and I pay those taxes to the tune or 6 to nearly 10 times (in some cases) what Exxon's profits are. Sorry for my mis-statement. But, who is greedy?

Originally Posted by tedquick (Post 935226)

LoriAnn, you wrote: WellPoint had a profit of 38%.

I question the veracity of your informational source. In 2008, WellPoint had an after-tax profit of 4.1% of revenues. That same year the healthcare insurance industry as a whole ranked 35th (out of the 53 identified industries) with a profit of 2.2% of revenue. They were surpassed by both the healthcare facilities industry (34th) and the pharmaceutical industry (ranked 30th) with a meager 3.0% of revenue profit, hardly an enviable number. The before -tax profit of WellPoint in 2013 was 5.4% of revenue, down from 6.2% in 2012. Those numbers seem quite modest to me.

You are proposing a single-payer system. Allow me to offer the following example as one of dozens that could have been chosen: the Department of Energy was formed in 1977, in a large part to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. At that time we imported around 40% of our oil needs. 35 years later, in 2012 we still imported about 35% of those needs and yet, that year, for the first time ever, we produced as much oil as we used. Our oil industry has been able to create those kinds of resources in spite of the government’s contrarian attempts to slow production down.

So I must ask you: do you really want your healthcare needs to be handled by such incompetence? And we must never forget that the efforts driving us to a “single-payer system” are being orchestrated and propagandized by that same inefficient and ineffective bureaucracy.

Remember a few years ago when a politician thought that Exxon’s $40 billion profits were obscene and should be turned over to the government for redistribution? What was never mentioned was that Exxon had paid over 110 billion dollars in taxes that same year or nearly 3 times as much as they made in profit, but that important fact was ignored. That was politics and it was dirty because it misled those who were unaware.

This is not a political statement. Instead it is a statement of facts. It is a statement based on real numbers and it is intended to show that propaganda pieces only sell to those who are unaware.

As Ayn Rand said, “we can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality”.

Originally Posted by zcaveman (Post 935419)

You do realize that since 1965 you have been paying into Medicare as part of your FICA taxes? Don't you think that you should get your money back?

If the government had invested all of the money that they have taxed out of us for SS and Medicare into the right places and not stolen it for other programs, these programs would be solvent for ages.

Z

Originally Posted by Tennisnut (Post 935656)

And what does this have to do with health care costs?