Health Care Costs

[Glorious Tortoise Soup]

Several of my colleagues have been debating what has caused health insurance costs and insurance premiums to rise so dramatically over the past 20 years. We have spent a significant amount of time researching and scouring the internet for possible answers without any success. Today I stumbled onto your forums and it appears that this community has many insights that may be helpful in identifying a resolution to our debate.

I submit:

What is causing health care costs to increase so significantly in the U.S.?

[Bobby-Joe]

Re: Health Care Costs

Several of my colleagues have been debating what has caused health insurance costs and insurance premiums to rise so dramatically over the past 20 years. We have spent a significant amount of time researching and scouring the internet for possible answers without any success. Today I stumbled onto your forums and it appears that this community has many insights that may be helpful in identifying a resolution to our debate.

I submit:

What is causing health care costs to increase so significantly in the U.S.?

Do you live under a rock?
Socialism and government regulation.

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Health Care Costs

What is causing health care costs to increase so significantly in the U.S.?

Whining seems to be the trend nowadays. All kinds of fake diseases like "depression" we didn't have 50 years ago. I only go to a doctor myself when there are actual broken bones.

[Glorious Tortoise Soup]

Re: Health Care Costs

Do you live under a rock?
Socialism and government regulation.

Actually, I did inhabit a cave once, which is technically *surrounded* by rock, so I guess I was living under it as well.

Perhaps it would help if I quoted one of my colleagues in order to provide context:



"In fact, I believe the democrats have done a hell of a job over the
last 2 years cleaning up the mess created by the Republicans. I'm
convinced now more than ever that the health care legislation was the
right thing to do, and will ultimately bring about the needed pricing
restraints needed in a system that is so infected with greed. My
favorite lie during this election cycle is how we need tort reform to
reduce costs of insurance - LOL. Great idea, allow insurance
companies to continue with unfettered price gouging while limiting
recovery for patients that are irreparably harmed by the negligence of
their doctor. If we don't make the doctors and insurance companies
pay, guess who ends up paying for the care of injured patients - you
guessed it - the taxpayer.

I also find it funny that so much money is being poured into the
Republican party by the Aristocracy of this county as nameless
donations to try to swing the tide to bring back tax breaks for the
rich. It's too bad that we have so many bigots and religious zealots
in this country that go into the election booths and figuratively cut
their own wrists by blindly voting for the party ticket.

I'm just hoping that Dick Cheney doesn't have a heart attack before
the election because that will really bring the nazis out of the wood
work before the election.


Does this help? What would Jesus think?

[Bobby-Joe]

Re: Health Care Costs

BLAH BLAH I AM A LIBERTARD BLAH!

I'm just hoping that Dick Cheney doesn't have a heart attack before
the election because that will really bring the nazis out of the wood
work before the election.


Does this help? What would Jesus think?

Jesus would think you are a communist and rebuke you for you viscous attack on the Godly Dick Cheny.

FACT: the free market works. It has been proven over and over again with housing, food and energy.

We remove the regulatory straitjacket the government has on the health industry health care costs will plummet in the country. Only things like employer mandated health care support the high costs right now.

Your post is pure class warfare tripe.

[Pastor Isaac Peters]

Re: Health Care Costs

Does this help? What would Jesus think?

What did Jesus actually do about health care? Did He set up health-care cooperatives, or did He cast out the demons of sickness?

[Glorious Tortoise Soup]

Re: Health Care Costs

What did Jesus actually do about health care? Did He set up health-care cooperatives, or did He cast out the demons of sickness?

Are you asking me? I'll take that as a yes.

Since historical records are spotty at best from that time period, we cannot rule out the possibility that JC set up a few heath care co-ops in order to pad his linen pockets. I mean, let's be honest, the guy was jet-setting across the Middle East like a Kim Kardashian minus the big ass and sex tape, AND he had a posse of 12 to support. JC was a play-ah.

I also will acknowledge that we cannot rule out the possibility that he cast out a few demons here or there. With all of the Egyptian ganja that was proliferating throughout the area during that time frame, it is reasonable to think that Hey-Soos was rolling some fatties and pulling some tubes with the peeps. Get a few mentally fragile people high and you can do a lot more than cast out demons - heck, I bet he had *them* walking on water.

[James Hutchins]

Re: Health Care Costs

Maybe I am a simple country man, but healthcare costs? To me, healthcare is a band-aid and a Bible. If God cannot cure what ails you, no one can. God only wants you to give what you can to the Church in return for an eternity of bliss. 'Doctors' want a fee to send you to another 'doctor'. I go straight to the top, God and pray for what ails me. If He will not fix what is wrong, it must be deserved punishment and I need to suck it up and be a man.

[H. Montague Worthington]

Re: Health Care Costs

Health care costs are a giant myth propagated by liberals in order to scare ordinary people into conforming to their Big Government anti-Freedom agenda--- just like Global Warming, Evolution, and Gravity.

[Brother Temperance]

Re: Health Care Costs

Several of my colleagues have been debating what has caused health insurance costs and insurance premiums to rise so dramatically over the past 20 years. We have spent a significant amount of time researching and scouring the internet for possible answers without any success. Today I stumbled onto your forums and it appears that this community has many insights that may be helpful in identifying a resolution to our debate.

I submit:

What is causing health care costs to increase so significantly in the U.S.?

People not praying enough. If people prayed more, they wouldn't need health care.

"In fact, I believe the democrats have done a hell of a job over the
last 2 years cleaning up the mess created by the Republicans. I'm
convinced now more than ever that the health care legislation was the
right thing to do, and will ultimately bring about the needed pricing
restraints needed in a system that is so infected with greed. My
favorite lie during this election cycle is how we need tort reform to
reduce costs of insurance - LOL. Great idea, allow insurance
companies to continue with unfettered price gouging while limiting
recovery for patients that are irreparably harmed by the negligence of
their doctor. If we don't make the doctors and insurance companies
pay, guess who ends up paying for the care of injured patients - you
guessed it - the taxpayer.

I also find it funny that so much money is being poured into the
Republican party by the Aristocracy of this county as nameless
donations to try to swing the tide to bring back tax breaks for the
rich. It's too bad that we have so many bigots and religious zealots
in this country that go into the election booths and figuratively cut
their own wrists by blindly voting for the party ticket.

I'm just hoping that Dick Cheney doesn't have a heart attack before
the election because that will really bring the nazis out of the wood
work before the election.


Does this help? What would Jesus think?

No one cares about all that secular materialist communist mumbo jumbo about whether certain "economic policies" will leave us with "more" or "less" money in our "wallets" at the end of the day. I stick to caring about the important issues: can a man legally kiss another man? Does the law allow them to do rude things to each other? Can they get married? All this stuff about money is a distraction, our God-given duty to control other people's sex lives is what matters.

Health care costs are a giant myth propagated by liberals in order to scare ordinary people into conforming to their Big Government anti-Freedom agenda--- just like Global Warming, Evolution, and Gravity.

And "rights".

[barton]

Re: Health Care Costs

We have spent a significant amount of time researching and scouring the internet for possible answers without any success.
...
What is causing health care costs to increase so significantly in the U.S.?

There are two major areas to explore here.

First is the very important distinction between per-treated-patient costs and per-paying-patient costs. As more and more people are treated without proper payment, more and more burden is shifted to those that actually do pay. The socialization of our healthcare system has been happening slowly for decades, current rapid changes notwithstanding. Many different things contribute to the problem: over-regulation, medicare underpayments, etc.

The other area involves the abject extravagance found throughout the entire field. There are many, many examples of this involving unnecessary treatments, medications, operations, studies, insurances, equipment, etc. Even Obamacare recognizes this somewhat but, in typical communist fashion, seeks to deny everyone via death panels.

[barton]

Re: Health Care Costs

deleted

I hadn't read this hateful post of yours prior to replying to your original. You are clearly not here to do anything except mock Jesus and insult Christianity.

Repent now or come Judgment, you will stand in utter shame and terror before God. It will be too late for forgiveness then and you will be cast down to burn forever in Hell.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: Health Care Costs

GTSoup -

Since you already have your own long-winded answer, why are you asking us?

If you want a real answer, here you go:

1. Obesity. People sit on their fat behinds, eating garbage, and staring at the TV all day. They have low income, thus have no insurance. Our liberal laws require hospitals to eat the cost when these lazy slobs waddle in for an emergency bypass operation, to the tune of $100K or more, and then immediately declare bankruptcy so they don't have to pay the bill. Those costs get passed along to everyone else.

2. Frivolous lawsuits. People sue every chance they get, for as much as they can get, always looking for a free ride. They, like you, think that overworked doctors are "negligent" because they made a mistake, and should be responsible not just for correcting an error but for setting the litigant up for life with millions in "punitive damages". Malpractice insurance costs a fortune.

3. Regulations. The new health care disaster has INCREASED health insurance costs for small businesses. Instead of offering a catastrophic care policy, they're now forced to offer comprehensive health care. Some companies, like McDonald's, are simply DROPPING health insurance coverage for their part-time employees, because these plans are no longer acceptable under Obamacare . . . and full coverage would cost more than the employees earn in wages.

But I'm sure you won't consider any of those issues. It's all rich people being greedy, right?

By the way, the US has the most advanced medicine in the world because the people who put up billions of their private dollars for research and development -- much of which goes down the drain when drugs fail -- are able to earn a return on the investment.

[WilliamJenningsBryan]

Re: Health Care Costs

Health care costs are rising as a punishment from God for turning to Darwin, atheism, and secularism. They will eventually bankrupt our once great God Fearing country unless we turn back to Jesus and the Bible (KJV1611).

The only real HMO is God, and the only true healer is Jesus - not Obama.

The Proposed U. S. ‘Health Care’ Law: A Triumph of Darwinism

by Dr. Paul M. Elliott, President, TeachingTheWord Ministries

A well-known newspaper columnist rightly observes, “This is the triumph of the humanistic, atheistic worldview. We are all to be regarded as products of evolution in which the fit and the powerful will decide our survival and worth.”

“Health Care” — Deciding Who Lives and Who Dies

We don’t agree with Evangelical syndicated columnist Cal Thomas on everything, especially on some critical Biblical matters. Also, we don’t usually reproduce secular newspaper columns in this space. But we’re making a rare exception today. In his November 24, 2009 column titled “U. S. S. A.”, Thomas gets to the heart of the issue on the proposed so-called “health care” legislation now moving through the United States Congress.1 The heart of the issue is the heart of sinful man.

Thomas pinpoints the role of postmodern, Darwinian thinking in the present conflict, which is, quite literally, a struggle over life and death. The essence of this so-called “health care reform” is arrogant man’s assertion that he, not God, should determine who lives and who dies. The decision will be based on cold, bureaucratic calculation of which human lives have “value” and which ones do not. Thomas points out that the march toward this day began decades ago:

Not all revolutions begin in the streets with tanks and guns. Some advance slowly, almost imperceptibly, until a nation is transformed and the public realizes too late that their freedoms are gone.

Such is the revolution now taking place in America. The ’60s crowd has emerged from the ideological grave and is about to impose on this country a declaration of dependence in the form of government-run health insurance and treatment. It matters not what facts are known about this “coup,” because to those from the ’60s — whether they lived in that decade or were born later and adopted its ideology — only feelings and intentions matter, not truth and results.

He then describes how this will work:

If you are a doctor who has spent a lot of money and time becoming a responsible and caring physician, the government will tell you how much to charge your patients and, in fact, whether you will be allowed to treat them at all. Bureaucrats, having given themselves the power of God, will decide whether a patient is worth the cost of treatment, thereby deciding who lives and who dies [and]…taxpayers will be forced to underwrite abortions in violation of the consciences and faith of the majority.

He then pinpoints the true, Darwinian nature of what is about to happen in America, apart from God’s mercy:

This is the triumph of the humanistic, atheistic worldview. We are all to be regarded as products of evolution in which the fit and the powerful will decide our survival and worth. . . .

We’ve only just begun with this. The new breast and ovarian cancer screening guidelines may soon become mandatory as health care rationing kicks in. The unwanted, the inconvenient and the “burdensome” could soon be dispatched with a pill, or through neglect.

Great horrors don’t begin in gas chambers, killing fields, or forced famines. They begin when there is a philosophical shift in a nation’s leadership about the value of human life.

God’s Warning to the Nations

Clearly, that philosophical shift began long ago. As we have said many times before, the Word of God lost its influence in society and government because it first lost its influence in the church. The ’60s crowd, as Thomas describes them — people who grew up without the influence of the Bible because of the decline of the church — are now on the verge of having life-and-death power over the entire United States population, shaking their puny fists at the God of the universe.

God warned Israel against turning away from His Word. As Israel disobeyed God it descended into a pagan disregard for human life, even to the point of sacrificing its own children, to say nothing of its neglect of the poor, the needy, and the aged. The warning still stands for America today. We are seeing God’s hand carry it out in many ways, but most Americans, even most Christians, do not seem to grasp what God is doing:

So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them. But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. (Deuteronomy 28:14-20)

…

http://www.lehighvalleyconservative.com/health-care-what-does-the-bible-say/

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: Health Care Costs

We’ve only just begun with this. The new breast and ovarian cancer screening guidelines may soon become mandatory as health care rationing kicks in.

We can only pray that women will not be forcibly screened for breast and ovarian cancers. They only have cancers because God wills it to be so; who are we to detect and treat these cancers early by force?