Chart Of New Health Care Law

[Thailandnotes]

Re: Chart Of New Health Care Law

Is it typical to pay cash for medical services in Thailand, or is it predominately insurance based?

Most hospitals in Thailand are “public” which means most of the patients are not paying. The taxpayer/government is paying. However, most of the Thais I know are middle class. They either buy insurance or pay cash to go to “private” hospitals where the waits are shorter, rooms are less crowded, etc.

For Thai people, the decision about whether to buy insurance or not is based on age, employment, and health. A big factor in deciding is that much of catastrophic care (bad car wreck) is already covered by basic public healthcare policy.

Foreigners cannot opt into this system and so the choice for expats is whether to roll the dice and always pay cash or buy insurance. I’m in my late 50’s and currently buy insurance for approximately 1400 dollars per year from a French company. It has worked well. It also covers me in the US for up to 7 weeks.

What I know from interacting with foreigners and Thais, is that most everyone who is paying cash or buying insurance knows or can quickly find out the prices for procedures… knee replacements/MRI’s/comprehensive physicals.

That, just by itself, is huge.

[Raz]

Re: Chart Of New Health Care Law

...But this really misses the whole point of Raz's quip.

In order to control legal costs we should create some LMOs for managed legal representation. All congress has to do is pass a bill forcing everyone in America to sign up for a legal plan of some sort, but it can't be a good one or they will have to pay a penalty. You'll never be paid directly and so your clients won't care how much of your time they use since it is all the same to them. It will be great for you because you'll be very busy. Don't worry about getting paid, the LMO will send you a token check every once in a while. This is assuming you can hire an office full of people to navigate the maze of new legal billing codes. I'm sure you'll be ok with that, its not like you have a business to run.

You see how ridiculous this situation is if you apply it to another profession.

Thank you, radon.

[c1ue]

Re: Chart Of New Health Care Law

No it is the result of spending several years speaking to hospital and private practice staff. And endless hours designing, coding and rolling out practice management solutions in the 90s. This is exactly the sort of thing that happens to recoup capital expenditures. It illustrates perfectly some of the inherent conflicts of interest in the American medical system.

So in other words, since you're part of the system, you think all is fine.

Unfortunately as can be seen in the rest of the world - the system is not fine.

I noticed you still haven't explained how an insurer with a rising medical loss ratio can remain profitable without raising premiums or seeking government subsidies.

Who has said premiums cannot be raised?

Who has said that premiums have not been raised?

You're still avoiding the question.

I'll also note that despite your self-interested tunnel vision, the reality is that rates were going up pre-ObamaCare despite despicable practices like booting out customers who actually used to insurance they paid for.

I'll note that I do not have any issue with a company making money - but the problem is that in the process of making this money, the health insurance companies are driving millions of people into the ground. This should be unacceptable, yet somehow the only alternative that can be mustered is to enshrine the existing system. This is no exaggeration given the 2 health care insurance workers per doctor in the entire US - the grinding of provider/payer bureacracies is exceedingly wasteful and stupid.

It is quite transparently obvious that the profit motive in health care delivery - at least without a public option - is disaster.

As ThailandNotes shows anecdotally above and as I've experienced firsthand in several continets - you can get affordable health insurance anywhere else in the world or even go on a cash basis.

You can do neither in the United States.

[think365]

Re: Chart Of New Health Care Law

Originally Posted by radon
...But this really misses the whole point of Raz's quip.

In order to control legal costs we should create some LMOs for managed legal representation. All congress has to do is pass a bill forcing everyone in America to sign up for a legal plan of some sort, but it can't be a good one or they will have to pay a penalty. You'll never be paid directly and so your clients won't care how much of your time they use since it is all the same to them. It will be great for you because you'll be very busy. Don't worry about getting paid, the LMO will send you a token check every once in a while. This is assuming you can hire an office full of people to navigate the maze of new legal billing codes. I'm sure you'll be ok with that, its not like you have a business to run.

You see how ridiculous this situation is if you apply it to another profession.

Thank you, radon.

Agreed. Nevertheless, Germany now has universal, single-payer "legal insurance" under the guise of "affordable legal care" for all (Uber alles?).

This is just another example of a Frankenstein Economy (EJ's term) who's goal (IMO) is to disintermediate risk from reward (promoting the liberal illusion that one can have it all: All of the benefits, and none of the risks). The FIRE economy tried that with sub-prime mortgages (aka, liars loans, no-doc loans, substandard loans, NINJA loans, etc.) and how did that work out? As it always happens, the mythology gives way to reality and reverts to the mean with a vengeance; leaving a swath of financially destroyed bodies in its path. Obama Care is no different and not immune to economic reality.

In another post, HERE , I suggest that we are also moving towards a Frankenstein Social Structure.