Do you think healthcare is a right?

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I worked in healthcare for about ten years and during the span for two different health insurance companies including in the area of paying medical claims submitted by doctors, labs, clinics, pharmacies, hospitals and durable medical equipment DME providers. I'll call all of these "Providers".

"Providers" enjoy a reciprocally beneficial relationships with health insurance companies.

Many of you are probably aware that health insurance companies pay "contracted rates" for services to "Providers" that are in their "network". It would seem on the surface that health insurance companies want those "contracted rates" to be as low as possible. They care, to a degree, but not much. Why? Higher rates means health insurance companies simply have to pass the increased costs onto consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums. It's not really the health insurance companies money so keeping healthcare costs from skyrocketing in the last few decades is not a big concern.

Here's an example of how the game is played in relation to most all charges which are routine and established (strip out the experimental "new" charges start start very high and then get a bit lower over time):

"Provider" bills $400 for an office visit.

Insurance company says they'll only pay $100 for an office visit with "Provider" writing off the other $300 as a loss.

"Provider" negotiates the next time around with the insurance company to now pay a rate of $200 for an office visit and the insurance company agrees.

"Provider" then starts billing $500 or $600 for an office visit (an exorbitantly and unrealistically high charge).

The game continues in that cycle and the costs continue to go up and up and up and up.

That game is applied not only for office visits, but anything. We've all heard of the $50 tablet of Tylenol the hospital bills for. That kind of thing isn't a joke and it's done for the same reason the office visit is billed that high on purpose. The health insurance company won't pay $50 per Tylenol, but perhaps they'll end up paying a contracted rate of $10 per Tylenol tablet. Something that should have cost .10 cents.....

https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/1024238486541484032

Bernie Sanders proposal is to kick 150 million people off their totally free health insurance (employer-provided, Medicaid, ACA subsidized), and another 100+ million people off their cheap health insurance (Medicare, retiree-provided, ACA marketplace) , and make them pay his proposed new health insurance tax.

If asked properly, people would resoundingly say "no".

Medicare for all's unpopular or are people being fooled?

it's a bit off-topic but yesterday there was a interview with a presidential candidate (he is somehow our version of trump) and he said something on the lines that people should get jobs so they will stop spending too much time going to hospitals

Medicare for all's unpopular or are people being fooled?

Sanders's plan is to move everyone to government insurance and make them pay new health care taxes.

Very unpopular.

Sounds like a heartless douchebag.

And people being allowed to suffer and die due to lack of access to medical care is popular?

Who are these mythical people?

We have Medicaid, ACA-subsidized, Medicare, ACA-marketplace, CHIP, Employer insurance ...

The ACA subsidizes people who make under $47,000 adjusted gross modified income so that easily subsidizes people making a pre-deduction income of $60,000-$80,000.

A family of four can have $100,000 adjusted gross modified income and still receive some subsidies, which means they could be making a pre-deduction income of $150,000.


Heck, even millionaires can get ACA subsidies ...

They're millionaires, and they get Obamacare subsidies
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/27/theyre- ... idies.html

People like a friend of mine who can't afford the subsidized premiums but who makes too much for medicare.

People who have health insurance and can afford the premiums but can't afford any out of pocket cost.

People who lost their health insurance because they lost their job, can't afford COBRA premiums, and made too much the previous year to qualify for subsidized insurance or medicare, but wouldn't be able to afford subsidized premiums anyway.

Who are these mythical people?

We have Medicaid, ACA-subsidized, Medicare, ACA-marketplace, CHIP, Employer insurance ...

The ACA subsidizes people who make under $47,000 adjusted gross modified income so that easily subsidizes people making a pre-deduction income of $60,000-$80,000.

A family of four can have $100,000 adjusted gross modified income and still receive some subsidies, which means they could be making a pre-deduction income of $150,000.


Heck, even millionaires can get ACA subsidies ...

They're millionaires, and they get Obamacare subsidies
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/27/theyre- ... idies.html

No one has a "right" to anything that others must produce, and for the same reasons that a group of thieves does not have a "right" to anyone's wallet.