Two days ago I had to go to Drs office to pick up a prescription for my wife. While there a gentleman, I would guess was in his 70's told me about just coming back from Walgreens to have a prescription filled. The medication had a price of $7000 but his insurance brought it down to $640. I don't know how many days this was for but would guess 90. He was there to see if there was something else that could be prescribed that cost less then $640 out of pocket. There are some that are on this forum that would say too bad but I'm having a hard time with this healthcare discussion now going on. The problem with healthcare is costs, costs, costs not lack of insurance. The only affordable healthcare is healthcare that is paid for by someone else. We have Medicare, Medicaid, VA, military, public sector employees, numerous others getting subsidized by tax payers. These groups for the most part feel the for profit system is working. The private sector has some fortunate groups that have coverage that pays for most healthcare but only those who make or supply a product that have no competition and can past cost to consumers. How do we get the costs down for healthcare?

Your insurance premium MUST be greater than what you will/are anticipated to use in a lifetime. Since we average about $1 million per person...it comes out to over $1,000 per month for 960 months...or 80 years. There is NO CHOICE other than $1,000 a month+ payments without someone else subsidizing you.

How do you bring the costs down? EVERYTHING gets cut in price. Material, equipment, salaries...all must come down. Malpractice insurance costs ARE high...because doctors get sued a lot...because doctors make mistakes. The medical industry is the 3rd leading cause of death.

what percent of deaths due to medical - Google Search

Originally Posted by Guest

Two days ago I had to go to Drs office to pick up a prescription for my wife. While there a gentleman, I would guess was in his 70's told me about just coming back from Walgreens to have a prescription filled. The medication had a price of $7000 but his insurance brought it down to $640. I don't know how many days this was for but would guess 90. He was there to see if there was something else that could be prescribed that cost less then $640 out of pocket. There are some that are on this forum that would say too bad but I'm having a hard time with this healthcare discussion now going on. The problem with healthcare is costs, costs, costs not lack of insurance. The only affordable healthcare is healthcare that is paid for by someone else. We have Medicare, Medicaid, VA, military, public sector employees, numerous others getting subsidized by tax payers. These groups for the most part feel the for profit system is working. The private sector has some fortunate groups that have coverage that pays for most healthcare but only those who make or supply a product that have no competition and can past cost to consumers. How do we get the costs down for healthcare?

I walked in to Walgreens a few months back to pick up a script for Zegrid which is a generic drug. In the past when I required this drug it was affordable but taking 2 90 day courses put me into the donut hole. This time I went to pick up the script the cost to me was $624 and the charge to the gap was $7000.00. I told them NO THANKS! I could create the prescription strength by walking over to the anti acid section an picking up 2 drugs.

The problem is the Big Pharma...they have our political leaders in their pockets.

Originally Posted by Guest

I walked in to Walgreens a few months back to pick up a script for Zegrid which is a generic drug. In the past when I required this drug it was affordable but taking 2 90 day courses put me into the donut hole. This time I went to pick up the script the cost to me was $624 and the charge to the gap was $7000.00. I told them NO THANKS! I could create the prescription strength by walking over to the anti acid section an picking up 2 drugs.

The problem is the Big Pharma...they have our political leaders in their pockets.

That's just ONE part of the medical INDUSTRY...a for profit industry. Yes, cut those costs too. ALONG with the rest.

Medicine is the 3rd leading killer...it's also been diversified. Go to the hospital...look around...full of minorities, much above their population percentage. Why so many? They DON'T work as well/hard/efficiently as whites. Not EVERY black is a slacker, not EVERY white is the greatest...but on average...statistically...whites are better employees. Quotas...they're everywhere and in medicine, it could kill you. They should wear a badge that says...I got my job via a quota.

Originally Posted by Guest

That's just ONE part of the medical INDUSTRY...a for profit industry. Yes, cut those costs too. ALONG with the rest.

Medicine is the 3rd leading killer...it's also been diversified. Go to the hospital...look around...full of minorities, much above their population percentage. Why so many? They DON'T work as well/hard/efficiently as whites. Not EVERY black is a slacker, not EVERY white is the greatest...but on average...statistically...whites are better employees. Quotas...they're everywhere and in medicine, it could kill you. They should wear a badge that says...I got my job via a quota.

Getting the gist of your reply, I would say you probably want to bring back the ovens.

How do the Canadians and Brits do it.. We need to:

1. Get rid of lobbyist.
2. Get rid of "lobbyist" pay for play congressmans

walaaa....... Universal coverage (Medicare)

Originally Posted by Guest

Getting the gist of your reply, I would say you probably want to bring back the ovens.

Nope...slave ships...going in reverse...sending them back to the jungles from whence they came.

They're literally cave me...50,000 years of evolution behind us...made from different stock.

Originally Posted by Guest

Your insurance premium MUST be greater than what you will/are anticipated to use in a lifetime. Since we average about $1 million per person...it comes out to over $1,000 per month for 960 months...or 80 years. There is NO CHOICE other than $1,000 a month+ payments without someone else subsidizing you.

How do you bring the costs down? EVERYTHING gets cut in price. Material, equipment, salaries...all must come down. Malpractice insurance costs ARE high...because doctors get sued a lot...because doctors make mistakes. The medical industry is the 3rd leading cause of death.

what percent of deaths due to medical - Google Search

Yes, doctors do make mistakes. Mistakes usually do not equal malpractice. Malpractice is doctors intentionally not doing their best for a patient but to benefit themselves either financially or convenience. I know of such instances. My friend back home had a GP tell her that everything was in her head. I finally talked her into going to my GYN doctor. The first thing he did was a PAP smear. She had cancer. The other doctor had never even bothered. That is malpractice.

The biggest problem with malpractice insurance are those who will scream malpractice when something unavoidable goes wrong or they don't get the desired outcome. My husband suffered a stroke after surgery through no fault of the doctor. He knew going in that it was a possibility, but was a surety without the surgery. No way would I file a lawsuit on that, contrary to what someone told me about how 'rich' they guessed I was after suing the doctor. Didn't take me long to straighten her out.

Take out the unscrupulous lawyers who file frivolous lawsuits and outrageous awards and that will most certainly help. Not a cure all, but a help toward the equation.

As to this thread we really have to speak separately as to 1) and health care costs and 2) insurance costs and coverages.

Its become apparent that Obamacare if it continues will bankrupt this nation.

The Republicans are making a mistake by trying to pass through "Obamacare Lite".

The government has a role in all of this but to what degree is the basis for serious and separate discussion.

There are abusers with both health care and insurance. I include medicare, medicaid, etc as insurance.

We can't have a universal health care system because as it stands now we see a high frequency of fraud and abuse by lawyers, patients, providers.

Malpractice insurance costs are staggering and you can thank lawyers for that one. Recall John Edwards use of voodoo sciences that were rendering huge verdicts and as a result many doctors left the state. Well that is happening nationwide.

One issue that over rides all of the discussion concerning health care and insurance is that there are no free rides. you can't eliminate pre-existing conditions without increasing insurance costs. You can't cut providers fees to the bone and expect decent care.

You can't expect every thing to be covered under an insurance plan without paying a high premium, deductible and co-pays

Personal Best Regards:

Originally Posted by Guest

As to this thread we really have to speak separately as to 1) and health care costs and 2) insurance costs and coverages.

Its become apparent that Obamacare if it continues will bankrupt this nation.

The Republicans are making a mistake by trying to pass through "Obamacare Lite".

The government has a role in all of this but to what degree is the basis for serious and separate discussion.

There are abusers with both health care and insurance. I include medicare, medicaid, etc as insurance.

We can't have a universal health care system because as it stands now we see a high frequency of fraud and abuse by lawyers, patients, providers.

Malpractice insurance costs are staggering and you can thank lawyers for that one. Recall John Edwards use of voodoo sciences that were rendering huge verdicts and as a result many doctors left the state. Well that is happening nationwide.

One issue that over rides all of the discussion concerning health care and insurance is that there are no free rides. you can't eliminate pre-existing conditions without increasing insurance costs. You can't cut providers fees to the bone and expect decent care.

You can't expect every thing to be covered under an insurance plan without paying a high premium, deductible and co-pays

Personal Best Regards:

Right on. Everyone wants the gold standard when it comes to health care at bargain basement prices. They complain about the doctor fees, hospital cost, etc., yet insist on the best of the best for next to nothing. Just like any other business, there are so many associated costs that nobody seems to consider. Did the same ones complaining complain when they were compensated at decent wages with benefits included? No. Yet they would also champion a higher minimum wage for all workers working at minimum wage level, but expect it not to raise prices on anything, including healthcare. Should the RN's be paid at the same level as housekeeping staff? Not in my book.

There is going to be some cost to us as consumers for insurance. Those talking about Medicare seem to forget that they are paying for that both while working and when they begin to withdraw funds from Social Security. We have a Medicare PPO Advantage Plan and the premium is paid by those monies deducted for Medicare. We have co-pays both for medical care, hospital, ambulance, drugs, etc. The drug portion even has a deductible.

As you stated, there is no free ride. I, for one, would like to have had all the money I and my employers were forced to pay into the system. I could have had plenty of money for all my healthcare between investing and drawing simple interest even. It would not have been squandered by the government, either, to support some of their ridiculous expenditures such as the mating habits of shrimp.