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GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

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Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#191
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It reminds me a bit "Running Man" by Stephen King. I think King probably had the better idea by having the audience be able to punish wrongdoers instead of helping the downtrodden. If you could add some good mob rule hurt-the-bad-guys to your mix, it could be a hit. And that's messed up.

I think the reason a reality show for funding healthcare is so plausible is that it would be filling a gap left by a corrupt and failing system. I don't think anyone believes that there is a gap in the administration of law enforcement and punishment in the US.

> I don't think anyone believes that there is a gap in the administration of law enforcement and punishment in the US.

Take it up a level; I think quite a lot of people believe there's a serious gap in the oversight of law enforcement agencies in the US. Where's the public accountability?

So - a reality show that follows police units, and lets the audience vote on which officers should be promoted, sacked, or jailed....

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#192
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How, exactly, has regulation driven the price of a drug we've had for decades up hundreds, even thousands, of percent, most of which increase happened after it was out of patent protection?

Who stops you from buying insulin outside the US and re-selling it in the domestic market?

As far as I know the FDA will stop you.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except even on a high-deductible plan, the provider bills the insurer, they play their games with the price, and eventually you get a bill. There is no up-front price. There is no market pressure. You still don't know what you will need to pay until weeks or months later.

That's why I called it a hack and not proper implementation. While what you described is true - patients are hit with "real costs" instead of $10 co-pays and rising premiums. ideally - yes, most minor stuff would be paid out of pocket - market forces would immediately put things in a right place. And for emergencies - leave that to insurances.

Switzerland does this right: there is an annual excess (which patients can choose, typically between $500 and $2500, and which is reflected in reduced premiums if you choose a higher excess) which is paid entirely by the patient, and after that the insurance kicks in for 90% of costs up to another threshold, after which the insurer covers everything.

In this way the insurance is actually an insurance like a car insurance, and not some bastardized medical payment plan where incentives of different parties aren't aligned.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#194
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spent a few years in Belize and sadly this is the de facto public health insurance program there. Everyone who gets cancer or has a major accident has local fundraisers to get help from the community.

This is essentially what single-payer is, except people are free to determine who the actually want to cover. A bunch of normal folks setting aside money. Unless people just expect 'the rich' to pay for everything.

You have an astonishing lack of understanding of what single-payer is.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they absolutely are fixed by universal healthcare, as they are everywhere else on earth.

How is universal care going to reduce the shortage of primary care doctors? How is universal care going to eliminate patents for pharma? How is universal care going to make non-profit hospitals cheaper? How is universal care going to eliminate fee-for-service, which has the administrative costs that are the woes of care providers? How is universal care going to reduce healthcare spending?

Countries with universal care also usually have tight regulations on what can be charged and how.

A first step would be to make all prices transparent so people can actually compare.

In my view the biggest problem in the US is that the billing aspect of health care is intentionally opaque.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#196
post #58

I like to write short stories in my free time. One that I’ve been working on over the last year is one where the concept of “crowdfunded healthcare” evolves into a dystopian game show where people go on TV and share their sob story on why they need money. Then the viewers at home get to choose who gets the show’s prize money each season through a bracket style voting system that crowns a champion at the end. I had to…

> On that note, I find it supremely fucked up that people have to turn to crowdfunding to get their unexpected healthcare costs covered by benevolent internet citizens. So who should pay for it? All taxpayers instead? All countries that have tried that are now in the red. The only good solution, I think, it to work to make healthcare a lot cheaper in the long run.

The US is deeply in the red and has per capita the highest health care expenditures by far. Universal care saves money.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#197

I like to write short stories in my free time. One that I’ve been working on over the last year is one where the concept of “crowdfunded healthcare” evolves into a dystopian game show where people go on TV and share their sob story on why they need money. Then the viewers at home get to choose who gets the show’s prize money each season through a bracket style voting system that crowns a champion at the end. I had to…

check out https://watsi.org/

Came here to post this. Go Fund Me for health, best sob story gets the cash!

YC funded too.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#199

GoFundMe is comical, every day there is a new idiot asking for money for not buying (or invalidating) their travel insurance . Little Fred is sitting in hospital now with bills over $xx,xxx due to a motorbike accident whilst backpacking in XYZ, please give generously so Little Fred can keep his iPhoneX and his large family don't have to put their hands in their pocket. e.g. https://www.gofundme.com/injured-by-scooter…

The example you have given seems to be targeted to close friends and acquaintances he may have or individuals that connect to his cause like others that had similar issues before. A place like GoFundMe allows this community to come together to help the individual without having to figure out how to wire money to him.

We don't know if a large portion of the fund comes from the family or not, neither do we know whether he has the latest generation foldable cellphone or not. You have to make your decision whether a GoFundMe like this falls under your profile or not, it does not mean others have the same profile as you.

Re: GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

conanbatt: you don't get clinical research from universal healthcare HN: wrong, here's why conanbatt: but medical tourism HN: doesn't apply, here are reasons conanbatt: the price goes up because of regulation HN: wrong, here's why conanbatt: what stops you fro buying in Canada --- I haven't seen such blatant shifting of goalposts on HN in a while.

You need to work on your reading skills. Focusing on the last: > conanbatt: the price goes up because of regulation > HN: how did regulation make insulin expensive > conanbatt: what makes you unable to import cheap insulin? > HN: Law

Yup. Instead of answering the question “how did regulation make insulin expensive” you did what?
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