Real Opinions? Who Do You Vote For And Why? Topic

Life is less dangerous if you never leave the house.  

As I said, every tiny cut doesn't require medical attention.  People with insurance are far more likely to seek it because "I paid for my insurance."  People who don't have insurance are far more likely to say "It's not too bad.  Where are the band-aids?"

It's a simple fact.  I have no issue with life-threatening issues being treated at emergency rooms for the uninsured.  I do have a problem with saying "If you have a headache for 3 hours, go to the doctor.  You have insurance."
10/31/2012 9:06 AM
Even in the case of a headache, something much more serious could be going in. My mother in law had a bad headache for a couple hours. Turns out she had a brain aneurism. The ER first diagnosed her with a migraine and was ready to let her go when the CT scan came back. She ended up having brain surgery and spent two weeks in the ICU. Had she not had insurance she may have tried to tough it out and would have died. She could have been responsible and not spent the last 40 years drinking and smoking, but when she finally got sick, she did the responsible thing and saw a doctor.
10/31/2012 10:05 AM
For every story like that, there are billions of headaches that are just alcohol-induced headaches.  Thank God, when Obamacare goes into full effect, that everyone will be going to the doctor after a night of heavy drinking.   After all, if could be an aneurism.
10/31/2012 10:09 AM
That's the point. In the long run, it's much more expensive for everyone if people put off preventative care and treating small problems before they become big problems. Insurance that covers preventative care and small problems is good for everyone. Not covering preventative care or small problems encourages people to skip the doctor and try to tough it out. In some cases, that leads to bigger much more expensive problems.

Like I said before, treating small issues is short money for the insurance companies. They pay it gladly knowing that it is helping them avoid paying much larger bills down the road.
10/31/2012 11:56 AM
On a related topic, Obamacare has impacted the amount of pre-tax money that can be funded into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses.  The max limit is dropping from $5000 to $2500 a year, starting in 2013.

This will impact those with high out-of-pocket medical expenses as they will now have up to $2500 more taxable income to report on their 1040's.
10/31/2012 12:07 PM
OK, that sounds like swamp's "Fat people aren't a health issue" comment.

Are you seriously implying that insurance costs/healthcare service will be BETTER if thousands of people are diagnosed daily with a hangover headache in order to catch the odd aneurism once a week?
10/31/2012 12:08 PM
Posted by MikeT23 on 10/31/2012 12:08:00 PM (view original):
OK, that sounds like swamp's "Fat people aren't a health issue" comment.

Are you seriously implying that insurance costs/healthcare service will be BETTER if thousands of people are diagnosed daily with a hangover headache in order to catch the odd aneurism once a week?
No. I'm saying that costs are reduced if people get regular preventative care and then take advantage of the coverage they have when they have a medical issue.
10/31/2012 12:16 PM
I actually agree that regular check-ups are a good thing.    I'll try to be more clear.   

More people with insurance = more unnecessary visits to the doctor

Do you agree?
10/31/2012 12:18 PM
Posted by tecwrg on 10/31/2012 12:07:00 PM (view original):
On a related topic, Obamacare has impacted the amount of pre-tax money that can be funded into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses.  The max limit is dropping from $5000 to $2500 a year, starting in 2013.

This will impact those with high out-of-pocket medical expenses as they will now have up to $2500 more taxable income to report on their 1040's.
Basically its a tax increase on those with higher medical bills. I easily spend over $2500 a year, and spent over 5k this year and maxed out. So now I am waiting until January 1 for anything that is not necessary. The reduction will have the effect of less preventive visits. Also, I believe that non prescription drugs are no longer eligible for flex.

The 1099 rule that was originally snuck into obamacare is a joke also. Extremely burdensome for small business to have to create 1099 for over $600. That had no business in a healtthcare packages.
10/31/2012 12:26 PM
Non-prescription drugs were removed from FSA's by Obamacare starting in 2011,.
10/31/2012 12:36 PM (edited)
Posted by MikeT23 on 10/31/2012 12:18:00 PM (view original):
I actually agree that regular check-ups are a good thing.    I'll try to be more clear.   

More people with insurance = more unnecessary visits to the doctor

Do you agree?
Sure. But in the long run, everyone is better off (financially and morally) if more people have insurance.
10/31/2012 12:39 PM
Morally, maybe.  Financially, unlikely.

Just throwing out fake numbers.  
20 people in every state go to the doc for hangover headaches every week.  Every week they catch 1 aneurysm in the country.  1 in 1000(a ridiculously high percentage).   $25 co-pay on a $100 visit.  3.9m to catch 52 aneurysms per year while "curing" a fuckton of hangover headaches.   
10/31/2012 12:45 PM
Your fake numbers have no basis in reality.

More people with insurance realistically leads to more physicals, more cholesteral tests, and more STD screenings. Diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are all caught earlier and the cost of care is reduced.

Less people with insurance means more small problems get ignored. A few of those small problems will turn into big problems that are much more expensive to treat.

Some people may go to the doctor for things that could have been treated at home, but in general, going to the doctor sucks and people avoid it naturally. The insurance companies have actuarial tables that tell them this stuff. They WANT people to go to the doctor for minor issues because paying a thousand of $300 bills is still significantly cheaper than paying just a couple $800,000 bills.




10/31/2012 12:58 PM
You've already agreed that more people with insurance = more unnecessary visits to the doctor.   You can't back up on that.   I'm sure you agree that most headaches are just headaches.   Sometimes a cut needs a band-aid and not professional treatment.   With more people going to the doctor for bullshit reasons, people with actual issues have to wait longer.   The cost of unnecessary visits because "I have insurance" will be astronomical.    No one can plan for the onslaught of people who suddenly have healthcare rushing to the doctor because they now have healthcare. 
10/31/2012 1:06 PM
Honestly, my concerns are quelled if the out-of-pocket expense is $125 instead of $25.  That stops a lot of unnecessary visits right there.
10/31/2012 1:08 PM
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