Just got this e-mail from my company President/CEO

[CarmelHP]

... But you don't see much of that here because people aren't on here blatantly pushing the Democratic Party.

I could think of one, though he would deny it. Sorry that you got lumped in with him.

 

[Indy317]

Socializing medicine is not the answer, free market competition across state lines and tort reform would be a better idea.

I agree that socializing medicine isn't the answer, but tort reform won't do much for costs. Much of the costs is due to greed that is spread out over shareholders, insurance companies, healthcare system executive management, healthcare employees, the education sector, and government who provides the higher ed lending. For decades, prices have seemed to have done nothing but go up, along with wages of many of those involved, especially those at the very top of these entities. Look at the executives at Wellpoint and IU Health, just as examples, making at least a million dollars a year, some making multiple millions. Imagine making that year after year, it is amazing the amount of money one can accrue. Seriously though, how many millions do people need? Hell, if I could work those jobs just a few years I and most of my family would be good for life. I have no problem with people making a ton of money, but there is a large % of the healthcare industry, from the school to treatment to insurance companies, that is paid for with taxpayer dollars. The system is quasi socialist already, but the politicians don't want to control the system too much because those rich folks, and the companies they control, donate, and politicians have themselves, their associates, and relatives rewarded with nice paying jobs within these industries.

The problem is that too many people thought they should have a system where everyone else pays for the bulk of their $65-$200 doctor office visit. Healthcare should be for things like cancer only, and people can pay out-of-pocket for a basic off visit.

That's why this BS of cutting hours and raising rate to accommodate Obamacare is just a load of BS.

How large of a company are you running? How many employees, if any, do you provide healthcare to? I know my quasi-public employer absolutely had costs associated with Obamacare. Why should they eat it? Why should only the executives eat it? Why should only the lower paid employees eat it? Should they pass it on to the customers? Maybe you are lucky that as a business owner, your company is small enough to be exempt, but not every company will get an exemption. I think the reason they are cutting back is that the business community has finally had enough of providing healthcare. It was something that could be easily done in the past, but it has become too political, too costly, too regulated.

I never understand when folks complain about publicly traded companies, especially unions. If unions are upset with the way the company is being ran, why don't they take as many assets as they can and do nothing but buy as much of the company stock. They can gain control of the board, who can then appoint the CEO, CFO, etc. who will run the company the way the union wants it to be ran.

 

[John Galt]

I see all of this as the natural culmination of decades of conditioning that someone else is responsible for paying for our healthcare, i.e. - third party payer system. Too many people wanting the absolute best of everything but wanting someone else to pick up the tab. This system is too easy to exploit, with each party involved in providing the payment/services always pointing the finger at someone else because "costs" are going up, therefore, constant price increases. Why do you think hospitals charge $20 for Tylenol or $500 for IV bags of saline (salt water)? Until we get back to a free market system where the actual "consumer" is actually paying for the bulk of the service that THEY are receiving, this unsustainable system will only get worse until it breaks. Spend some time and do a little research regarding the cost of healthcare BEFORE government/insurance got involved (1940's and before).
Simple math!

 

[tatic05]

We just had our yearly insurance meeting and our rates are staying the same. The only thing different now is that short-term disability can pay up to $300 a week instead of just $100.

 

[RugerRog]

I'm at $340 a month for a family of 4, and Dental is a reasonable $26 a month. Our health insurance has gone up 566% in the last 8 years, unlike my salary.

 

[jamil]

I see all of this as the natural culmination of decades of conditioning that someone else is responsible for paying for our healthcare, i.e. - third party payer system. Too many people wanting the absolute best of everything but wanting someone else to pick up the tab. This system is too easy to exploit, with each party involved in providing the payment/services always pointing the finger at someone else because "costs" are going up, therefore, constant price increases. Why do you think hospitals charge $20 for Tylenol or $500 for IV bags of saline (salt water)? Until we get back to a free market system where the actual "consumer" is actually paying for the bulk of the service that THEY are receiving, this unsustainable system will only get worse until it breaks. Spend some time and do a little research regarding the cost of healthcare BEFORE government/insurance got involved (1940's and before).
Simple math!

I agree with some of what you're saying, but I'm not ready to go back to 1940s healthcare.

Obamacare is trying to solve just one problem that I don't think is even the major contributor to high health care costs.

Giving everyone insurance isn't going to fix it. So before the Obamacare train wreck, we had uninsured people who were not paying out of their own pockets for services, and then spreading that cost over everyone else. So once everyone is insured, you'll still have people who are not paying out of their own pockets for services, and then spreading the cost over everyone else. That's kinda what insurance does. ****ing geniuses I tell you.

Our healthcare system suffers from enough individual problems that it needs, not individual train wrecks to solve each problem, but an overall solution. I think if there's a major contributor to high healthcare costs it's that health care is not a free market. Insurance companies and healthcare providers have no real market forces other than what they negotiate between themselves and the government and pharma. Consumers are largely left out of the transaction. I don't get to tell my doctor I'm shopping elsewhere because he's charging too much. I no longer have any real idea what he's charging. That transaction is between him and my insurer. How in the heck can that keep the cost of healthcare in check?

 

[steveh_131]

Insurance companies and healthcare providers have no real market forces other than what they negotiate between themselves and the government and pharma. Consumers are largely left out of the transaction. I don't get to tell my doctor I'm shopping elsewhere because he's charging too much. I no longer have any real idea what he's charging. That transaction is between him and my insurer. How in the heck can that keep the cost of healthcare in check?

This is exactly the problem, which is why ObamaCare is the exact opposite of the solution.

The plan is quite genius, in my opinion. The government continues to provide a disconnect between services and the consumers' wallets. It has happened in a lot of different areas. Income taxes are a wonderful example. If every single one of us received an itemized bill for the government services we were paying for each year, and then had to cut a check to Uncle Sam to pay for it, things would change. Instead, they have it set up so that they take a bunch of our money automatically, and then graciously return a small portion of it to us. And we get excited!

Health care is exactly the same. If there was a $4,000 price tag hanging from the MRI machine, we would be asking much harder questions of our doctors' choices of tests. And the hospitals obscene prices for them.

This disconnect is the heart of the problem. If consumers are disconnected from paying for services and goods, the free market can never function.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

This is exactly the problem, which is why ObamaCare is the exact opposite of the solution.

The plan is quite genius, in my opinion. The government continues to provide a disconnect between services and the consumers' wallets. It has happened in a lot of different areas. Income taxes are a wonderful example. If every single one of us received an itemized bill for the government services we were paying for each year, and then had to cut a check to Uncle Sam to pay for it, things would change. Instead, they have it set up so that they take a bunch of our money automatically, and then graciously return a small portion of it to us. And we get excited!

Health care is exactly the same. If there was a $4,000 price tag hanging from the MRI machine, we would be asking much harder questions of our doctors' choices of tests. And the hospitals obscene prices for them.

This disconnect is the heart of the problem. If consumers are disconnected from paying for services and goods, the free market can never function.

I've been saying something similar to this for years.

Can you imagine the paradigm shift for all us but in particular for the medical providers if their customers dealt with them like they do when they feel like they deserve a better deal from a cell phone or cable tv provider or a car salesman?

 

[AtTheMurph]

Insurance premiums have been going up steadily for many years now, without Obamacare. Even without the ACA they would have likely gone up anyway. Even though the ACA will be having an impact on prices, it's not the only factor, by a longshot. Pleasing the shareholders comes first for the insurance companies.

The ACA is the largest driver of current cost increases. I'd be happy to direct you to a actuary that would be happy to explain why and also how much more costs are going to rise in the next two years as the whole thing is implemented.

A family of four can expect $20,000/yr costs for health insurance in Indiana by 2015. Whether or not that is paid by your employer or not you're going to end up paying one way or the other.

 

[steveh_131]

I've been saying something similar to this for years.

Can you imagine the paradigm shift for all us but in particular for the medical providers if their customers dealt with them like they do when they feel like they deserve a better deal from a cell phone or cable tv provider or a car salesman?

I honestly don't think I could even imagine such a paradigm shift.

A world where we can haggle with doctors over the prices of operations? Where we can read up on frank reviews of their performance and their prices, like we would a mechanic or any other type of professional? A world where doctors were actually directly accountable to their customers for crappy service?