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Post by speedergurl68 on May 28, 2009 7:56:27 GMT -4
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Post by deputy on May 28, 2009 9:36:42 GMT -4
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Post by dude on May 29, 2009 8:51:51 GMT -4
when's enough gonna be enough...good ol gov't breaking the back of the workin people again...instead of paying for the deadbeat loafs in the world, and breaking my a$$ in the process cuz i can afford to have a drink...make these f'ers get a job. kick em off welfare, have them join the military...something. but stop taxin my a$$ to death to pay for the lazy f'ers. who wants to go to ram's head? hehehehehehe
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Post by Frank on May 29, 2009 11:13:35 GMT -4
who wants to go to ram's head? hehehehehehe Well........it is free wing night!
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Post by funnel101 on May 29, 2009 11:58:28 GMT -4
I'm willing to pay extra tax on my bottle of wine to help others get health care they need.
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Post by bchevy on May 29, 2009 13:51:51 GMT -4
I'm willing to pay extra tax on my bottle of wine to help others get health care they need. That's the problem today, a little here, a little there. we already pay way too much in taxes for what we recieve back. Times are tough and money is tight EVERYWHERE but our government is still spending like there's no tomorrow. It's time to tighten up, and tighten up HARD on SPENDING.
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Post by RobMoore on May 29, 2009 15:41:59 GMT -4
I'm willing to pay extra tax on my bottle of wine to help others get health care they need. Then donate to a charity. Convince others to do so. Don't cast a vote that requires ALL OF US to follow suit.
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Post by funnel101 on May 29, 2009 16:11:42 GMT -4
Unfortunately, I believe there are costs so large that nothing short of federal government (or big business) can cover them. Healthcare is one of those things (and big business has no incentive to fix health care in a way that will detract from their profits).
I do donate to charities, but expecting charities, who are being hit harder than most in today's economy (more people need help, fewer people can donate), to fix our healthcare crisis is an unreasonable expectation.
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Post by bchevy on May 29, 2009 19:14:37 GMT -4
Unfortunately, I believe there are costs so large that nothing short of federal government (or big business) can cover them. and right now neither one of them can afford all this stuff either, you can't build government with declining revenues. Why do people want the government to do everything for them? I don;t want them doing anything for me, I do fine without them. Every time they get involved it runs up the cost and delays any finish time.....
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Post by bchevy on May 29, 2009 19:21:43 GMT -4
Healthcare should not equate to health insurance, I'll say it till I'm 6 feet under, Health insurance is nothing more than a middleman and a middleman does nothing for anything but drive up the cost to the customer.
I agree that it's broke and I don't have a fix. I'm still pretty sure that putting government in charge of healthcare is a huge mistake.
Q: If our system is so bad why do people in countries that already have government healthcare come HERE for treatment?
A: BECAUSE OUR BROKE DOWN SYSTEM IS BETTER THEN WHAT THEY HAVE AT HOME.
You can't fix everything with money.
The tax well is drying up, I'm thinking about becoming a hermit.
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Post by - on May 29, 2009 20:08:50 GMT -4
BChevy! What a wonderful, thoughtless statement that you did not know a da*n thing about as it appears. I am a health insurance broker. I help people every single day. I believe that your health insurance should be what you need it to be, not what some insurance company says you need to take. I believe that everyone's needs are different. Why should everyone have the same plan? As a 60 year old, I don't need a pregnancy rider in my plan but you might. I have the ability to offer all major insurance company plans that are available here in the state. It costs nothing extra for my clients to do business with me. Whomever I place them with that insurance company pays me. That insurance company pays for nothing for towards benefits for me, much different than corporate america does. That being said, I can actually offer coverages to my clients at a more competitive cost then if they were to contact an insurance company directly and speak to one of their agents. You see BChevy, that agent works for the insurance company and he/she is offered benefits that the insurance company has to pay for them. That being said they have to increase the cost of doing business as the agent is being covered by health insurance, 401K's, vacations, holiday pay and on and on and on. If the government tries to take over health care, they are going to be in a worst situation then they are today with Medicare. In case you are not aware, Medicare came to the health industry and said, " we do not know how to handle our situation and can you help as it is so overwhelming"......Now BChevy, isn't that interesting. If the rest of the world's health programs are so darn good, why I ask do they come here to American to seek medical attention for their serious needs?
Funnell 101, Hi honey. We spoke in the past and I had just a suggestion for you to contact MHIP run by the state. Today things have changed dramatically as now ( I have been a broker now for over a year) I can offer assistance to you and if you would like to discuss this and all your options please feel free to contact me at 240-381-1494.
You see BCHevy, we do good things for people and do not line our pockets. Our clients come first and foremost.
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Post by island tech on May 29, 2009 20:36:08 GMT -4
I'm willing to pay extra tax on my bottle of wine to help others get health care they need. Good idea but bad results! The problem is that the money they make on tax revenue never seems to go where they "say" it's going to go. We should tax all the hot air b.s. ideas that they come up with that don't pan out!
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Post by linda712 on May 29, 2009 20:38:01 GMT -4
Excellent idea Island Tech......
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Post by RobMoore on May 29, 2009 21:40:09 GMT -4
Regardless of stance on health insurance vs health care, this tax is Congress's way of getting what they want with as little impact on their public opinion as possible. If they were REALLY behind socialized medicine, they'd tax EVERYONE instead of trying an end-run by taxing Alcohol and Soft drinks.
But no, they'd lose votes trying to tax everyone, and votes are what they REALLY care about.
They go after certain products because they know those products aren't as defensible in the media as others. They don't go after stereo equipment, or jogging shoes, or baby food. They tax cigarettes, alcohol, soft drinks, probably fatty foods next. Its them passing judgment on how you live your lives, and using the proceeds to feed how THEY THINK you should be spending your money.
How can they claim they are ANYTHING but Socialists? I didn't vote for them to begin with, but I'll bet those who did, for the most part, weren't openly asking for Socialism. They just didn't know what they were getting.
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Post by bchevy on May 30, 2009 6:27:37 GMT -4
HB, I know that after 25+ years of paying for health insurance I've paid way more into the system than the system will ever pay me back. The costs keep going up (MIDDLEMAN), and I can't get a voice on the phone that knows what's going on with thir own company.
Insurance comanies are a price hiking middle man, and when the stinky stuff hits the fan and it comes time to payout they want to pay pennies on the dollar.
I think your questions was the same as mine....... and I could figure that out without questioning what you know.
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Post by bluecrabber on May 30, 2009 8:46:07 GMT -4
To post or not to post, that is the question.... Hmmm... seems the thread has taken a turn to health care.. I think we all know the major reason health care costs are so high is because of malpractice and lawsuits... But, one problem I see with health care from personal experience is just plain bad bookkeeping and probably a lot of fraud. Here's some examples: 1) Insurance company and policyholder billed for surgery on a dead person. The details: Dead person was an organ donor. Surgery was performed the day after legal death by students at Johns Hopkins... many thousands of dollars! Somehow, this doesn't seem .. ethical. 2) Billed by Cardiologist $1800 for a 3 minute room visit at Chestertown Hospital. During the visit, Cardiologist argued with staff Physician about why he ordered a stress test for patient. Patient laid in bed and listened to two Doctors disagree only to receive above mentioned $1900 bill two months later from the Cardiologist! Somehow, this feels like highway robbery!. 3) Wife falls and cracks upper humerous. Goes to hospital and gets xrays... soft sling.. Since this was same shoulder she had surgery on a year before, thought it might be good idea to go to Orthopedic Surgeon for sanity check. Five minute office visit with Ortho results in $1400 office visit including a line item in the bill for "surgery".. When questioned, admin staff states this is normal procedure.. ? Somehow, this seems like fraud. 4) Wife broke a tooth. It was part of a dental reconstruction program anyhow, so it just needed remains pulled. Dentist reached in and yank.. remains of tooth out. Billed later for almost $500. Procedure took less than 30 seconds.. Somehow, this seems like an excessive charge. I could go on, but these are only a few examples from my own personal file. Seems to me that a good audit capability would reduce health care costs significantly. I know a fella who several years ago had a lengthy illness. To keep himself entertained over the several months he was convalescing at home, he researched the medical procedures and tests he was given, and kept detailed records of charges. He discovered that many of the tests he was given were not necessary for his illness, multiple tests were conducted which produce the same results, and billing errors and double billing was common.. almost always in the favor of the doctors and hospitals. He put together a detailed report and gave it to his insurance provider. As a result, the insurance company was able to dispute and recover about 1/3 of the total charges which at that time exceeded $100,000.00! Enough of a tirade.. I apologize. Best regards, BC
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Post by funnel101 on May 30, 2009 15:30:11 GMT -4
First, I do want to acknowledge that having health insurance allows me to get the prescriptions, surgeries, etc., that I need. Not always without a fight, sure. But the thought of where I would be now without health insurance is scary. (You think I can get oversensitive now? Without health insurance, I'd be on Prednisone all the time.)
Having said that, the only people who should be able to make decisions about a patient's care is the patient (*or the patient's family, if the patient is unable) and the patient's doctors. Period. And it is up to the patient* to question their medical team about the necessity of certain tests and procedures and do their own research when they have doubts. No one else, not insurance companies whether private or government-run, should have any say, much less a deciding vote.
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Post by moosie on May 31, 2009 5:43:44 GMT -4
Regardless of stance on health insurance vs health care, this tax is Congress's way of getting what they want with as little impact on their public opinion as possible. If they were REALLY behind socialized medicine, they'd tax EVERYONE instead of trying an end-run by taxing Alcohol and Soft drinks. But no, they'd lose votes trying to tax everyone, and votes are what they REALLY care about. They go after certain products because they know those products aren't as defensible in the media as others. They don't go after stereo equipment, or jogging shoes, or baby food. They tax cigarettes, alcohol, soft drinks, probably fatty foods next. Its them passing judgment on how you live your lives, and using the proceeds to feed how THEY THINK you should be spending your money. How can they claim they are ANYTHING but Socialists? I didn't vote for them to begin with, but I'll bet those who did, for the most part, weren't openly asking for Socialism. They just didn't know what they were getting. on the other hand, you can correlate cigarettes, alcohol, etc., to illness = greater health care need, so perhaps those who use those products should be the first to pay for the consequences.
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Post by speedergurl68 on May 31, 2009 7:35:44 GMT -4
You can also correlate the sun, environmental conditions, food, not getting enough exercise, not getting enough sleep, stress at work and heredity to illness...should those be taxed as well?
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Post by bluecrabber on May 31, 2009 9:25:18 GMT -4
Touche'
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Post by moosie on May 31, 2009 18:05:52 GMT -4
i wasn't adopting a position or starting an argument--just stating an obvious point of view for those making decisions, when a statement is made that they don't go after baby food or stereos.
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Post by speedergurl68 on May 31, 2009 18:48:56 GMT -4
oh I understood dear really i was merely making the counterpoint to THEIR thoughts you know i just love ya to pieces
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