GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic Gaps’ in Health System Showing Up in Crowdfunding • Hacker News Board

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

#241

Post by adsadadsad » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 1:12 AM UTC

Gpetrium wrote: post #201

adsadadsad wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just an example I found. There's a new one everyday usually Thailand, Vietnam or Bali. Do you really think this guys close friends and family couldn't pony up $6000? It's not doxxing, no copy and paste, I've linked a random public shared GofundMe page of yet another someone begging for money, put in search term accident in gofundme whatever. I could easily choose the next result in the list but I don't see th…

GoFundMe is a way for people he knows to come together and donate without having to figure out where/how to wire the money directly to him. That includes auntie Jane, the one you haven't spoken to for 3 years but still cares about your well-being, whether you made stupid decisions or not. Raising this guys' specific Fund is similar to the media defaming you on international tv. Chances are you would call a lawyer and…

Err lol no. Begging pitches would be private (private link) then rather than publicly promoted and searchable, I think you're getting confused with Facebook or email. Not always, but GoFundMe is actually the opposite of what you suggest, these people don't want to hit their own pocket, immediate family (auntie Jane) or close friends - although they are happy for them to "raise awareness" . GoFundMe has reach beyond your private social network. And no one is going to sue anyone, people want their campaigns shared, I wouldn't be surprisd if GFM have affiliate promotions.

>Raising this guys' specific Fund is similar to the media defaming you on international tv.

:facepalm:

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

#242

Post by refurb » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 4:46 AM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #188

refurb wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part C is not an upgrade, it’s soup to nuts. The gov’t just writes the check to the insurer. A type of Medicare health plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide you with all your Part A and Part B benefits.

We’re splitting hairs. It’s an upgrade in the sense it replaces primary Medicare coverage while also including supplements (vision, dental, and other such coverage).

You're original comment says you prefer government run insurance and give Medicare as an example, but neglect to note that 36% of Medicare is privately run.

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

#243

Post by taxicabjesus » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 6:26 AM UTC

raesene9 wrote: post #186

taxicabjesus wrote: post #12

In America health care is supposed to be as expensive as possible. People demand the system spare no expense on their care. I have some notes to write about "the predicaments of old people". Both my grandfathers lived an extra few years thanks to the pacemakers Medicare paid for. But they just suffered for those final years. A lot of old people's problems are related to excess alcohol consumption. IMHO, there would b…

When you say "People demand the system spare no expense on their care." is that really all americans? So there's no market for cheaper but somewhat less effective health care? Given that medical bills are the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in the USA[1], it seems really odd that all those people who's lives are getting seriously messed up by this wouldn't want some form of cheaper health care, even if it was…

> When you say "People demand the system spare no expense on their care." is that really all americans?

There are nuances. The insurance model trains people to not care about the cost of the services they receive.

> So there's no market for cheaper but somewhat less effective health care?

I think healthcare that focuses on actual problems instead of downstream problems is more effective in addition to being cheaper.

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

#244

Post by arcticbull » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 6:42 AM UTC

arcticbull wrote: post #209

conanbatt wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

(1) How is universal care going to reduce the shortage of primary care doctors? I don't know enough about the reason for the shortage of doctors but I'd go out on a limb and say its probably not because they don't get paid enough. (2) How is universal care going to eliminate patents for pharma? It won't, and it shouldn't. Patents for pharma don't preclude successful implementations of universal healthcare anywhere el…

Further to (2) by affording preventative care to everyone, people in the early stages of serious diseases can obtain preventative care and coverage thereby eliminating expensive treatments later on. In the US if you walk into a hospital near death they're required to look after you -- not so much if you walk in seeking preventative care. Imagine if they spent the $5 early on to treat you instead of the tens of thousands when you're near death? It's yet another reason why universal healthcare is a good, cheaper thing to have.

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

#245

Post by arcticbull » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 6:45 AM UTC

conanbatt wrote: post #232

arcticbull wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I see, having a conversation here probably won't be very productive. "If you want to save people, you should just let people try any old untested medical device, procedure or supplement, and wish them the best if that's what they want." That's how you kill people. There's a reason we have an FDA approvals process and it's not because the barbershop surgeons and snake oil salesmen were doing so well that big gover…

> That's how you kill people. You also kill people by not giving them the medication they would want to get, or making it to expensive for it to exist. There is no "clean-hands" solution on this. > here's a reason we have an FDA approvals process and it's not because the barbershop surgeons and snake oil salesmen were doing so well that big government needed to step in and ensure we didn't save so many. Yes, the 1920…

Imagine if every late-night "male enhancement" pill was instead a cancer treatment. That's what the world of snake oil salesmen was like. That's the world you're advocating for. God help us all if you get your way. It's like how the rivers dont catch fire anymore so we don't need an EPA I bet you the costs of disposing of dangerous waste products went up exponentially after the EPA was established, and yet, nobody cares because it's better all around.

Out of interest, how do you feel about vaccines?

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

#246

Post by arcticbull » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 6:47 AM UTC

conanbatt wrote: post #233

arcticbull wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. At some point making tiny adjustments to an overwhelmingly backwards and world-leadingly inefficient system is going to be harder than starting fresh.

Okay, but if the small changes were disastrous, whats the guarantee that the big ones will not be?

Totally different things. It's like saying if I tweak this nob and it goes bad, well, why should I switch to a completely different system three counties down? Especially when that totally different system three counties down works for every other developed nation in the entire world. And also some of the developing ones. You should be defending why the American system is better than every other country in the world in spite of their lower costs, better access and better healthcare and better outcomes across the board. Private care in the US costs two times as much per capita as socialized care in Canada, doesn't cover everyone, and yet Canada's outcomes are better and Canada places higher in WHO rankings.

Making small adjustments to a doomed system is just akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.

I'm suggesting maybe fixed-wing aircraft that aren't full of Hydrogen.

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

#247

Post by arcticbull » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 6:52 AM UTC

conanbatt wrote: post #226

arcticbull wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Government officials in the US are afforded socialized medicine. "The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is a system of 'managed competition' through which employee health benefits are provided to civilian government employees and annuitants of the United States government."

Strange contradiction: you are show a case on how federal workers have an undue benefit in comparison to the population, which is what my original argument was. This program seems to be about selecting insurances tho, not an actual insurance. It's tangential.

No, I'm saying it's strange having the people in charge of the government touting a privatized health program for the entire nation except themselves. If private care was so much better than socialized government care, why are the senators, the house members and everyone in the armed forces so staunchly in favor of keeping their socialized care? Don't you think if socialized medicine was murder and death panels and bad outcomes and high costs, that the senators and house members would be on private plans? Why are they so in favor of staying on the government's program? Is it because socialized medicine is in fact better than private care?

Further if they don't want to get off the socialized program because it's better than the private plan, why don't they work towards extending that to the average citizen like every other developed country in the entire world? Political expediency probably.

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

#248

Post by Shacklz » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 7:59 AM UTC

jpernst wrote: post #136

badfrog wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The show Undercover Boss is kind of like that. Every episode some CEO realizes that all of their employees are underpaid, picks one with an especially sad story, and gives them some money to pay for their kid's surgery or college tuition.

There's an interesting book on this topic of individualized philanthropy by the powerful and its effect of masking the deeper systemic problems. It's called "Winners Take All" by Anand Giridharadas. I'm only about halfway through, but the central thesis appears to be that the powerful, even if they truly want to make a good-faith effort to improve the world, will naturally gravitate towards forms of social change tha…

For those interested, he held a Talk at Google about this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_zt3kGW1NM

I thought it rather interesting that he was able to hold this kind of talk at Google - after all, his audience there probably consists of people that are probably part of the "winners" he is talking about.

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

#249

Post by dmitriid » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 9:10 AM UTC

conanbatt wrote: post #237

dmitriid wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Give an example

It wasn't an example. Instead of answering, you moved goalposts and asked "why don't you import stuff from Canada".

However you look at your "example", it's not good for the US.

- Canada has universal healthcare

- Canada has government regulations

- Despite all that, insulin in Canada costs less than in the US

So the original question still remains and is valid: why is insulin in the States so damn expensive? Given that the US is one of the largest insulin manufacturers in the world. And it's produced by literally the same companies.

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

#250

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet » Mon, Mar 11, 2019, 12:16 PM UTC

acpetrov wrote: post #150

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I agree. I don't want kids myself, so it would be easy for me to say it isn't important to a meaningful life, but it is a significant biological drive and, in a way, denying someone the ability to bear children is condemning them to a form of death.

Should an infertile couple have a right to a surrogate mother

It's a little annoying that it is so impossible to argue that maybe we should consider an issue more deeply without being pegged to an extreme opposite of the consensus.