Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

kingsley.sh

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 294 posts

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#231

Post by lifeformed »

only_as_i_fall wrote: post #180
AlexandrB wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if any other market operated like this. You walk into BestBuy and the price of a TV is $50,000. But if you take it to the cashier you will be charged some lesser amount based on what your credit card company negotiated with BestBuy. Madness.

Actually the situation is a bit worse than that. It'd be like if you bought the $50k TV and you only knew what your price was once it showed up on your cc statement. Also the purchase is non-refundable...

Also, if you don't buy the TV, you will die.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#232

Post by maccolgan »

_huayra_ wrote: post #2

I don't understand how people can be so anti-universal healthcare in the US. When you have an $8k deductible, your insurance is basically a gift to the CEO's yacht fund.

AFAICT, Universe healthcare is akin to a single monopolist insurer who bases the premium on your income, not your medical profile. (Plus the hospitals and pharma industry self-organizes into a cartel) I don't understand how anyone rational can agree that's fair.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#233

Post by refurb »

_huayra_ wrote: post #2

I don't understand how people can be so anti-universal healthcare in the US. When you have an $8k deductible, your insurance is basically a gift to the CEO's yacht fund.

The reason universal wouldn’t work is cost is an issue. You can’t just say, sure, we’ll pay for everything. Recipe for exploding healthcare costs.

So how to reign costs in? Cut physician salaries? Not likely. Limit procedures? Maybe. Stop paying for the latest cancer drugs the day the FDA approves them? Probably.

Not exactly easy to accomplish.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#234

Post by refurb »

shados wrote: post #76
_huayra_ wrote: post #2

I don't understand how people can be so anti-universal healthcare in the US. When you have an $8k deductible, your insurance is basically a gift to the CEO's yacht fund.

Because in the US, if you're reasonably healthy, employed, live in a city with good hospitals and have private insurance, it "feels" better. It's easier to get better care. I'm Canadian, now living in the US, and I'll be honest: for the first couple of years, where I had some medium sized health issues, the US system felt so much better. The hospital I was treated at was leagues better than anything I saw in Canada.…

Having experienced both system as well, the Canadian system is much less burdensome, but if I had serious cancer I’d take the US system any day. They throw the kitchen sink and more at you in the US and insurance will pay for most of it.

My grandmothers neighbor is in her 70’s and not great health. She needs a hip transplant and the doctor is basically like “nope, you don’t have many years left, better to prioritize a 50 year old”. Which makes perfect sense from a population perspective but sucks balls at an individual level.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#235

Post by iammisc »

EvRev wrote: post #214
gruez wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can't get health insurance on healthcare.gov?

There are two options after losing your job. Cobra or healthcare.gov. Cobra will allow you to keep your current plan, for my family that would have been ~$800 per month. Healthcare.gov rates are based on your income, or what it was, or what you expect it to be. Which for me was ~$700. So there is no way to get affordable insurance to cover the gap in employment in a way that preserves cash reserves.

You're contradicting yourself by claiming it's tied to employment and then saying you can buy it for a price.

It's one or the other.

Or you can claim the price makes it effectively tied to employment.

I agree the cultural ties it has to employment ought to end, but that's a peculiarity of the american system, not a fundamental feature of a private healthcare system.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#236

Post by Y_Y »

cloudfifty wrote: post #184
Y_Y wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a big fan of universal healthcare, and have made great use of both public and private hospitals in Europe and the US. Everywhere I've lived (except the US) has had a totally free public system, and every time I've still paid for private insurance. I'm not rich by any means, and I don't have any particularly special requirements. I'm not even looking for better doctors or machines, since they are mostly shared or…

> On the private system, I can see a consultant in one month instead of six, or get a surgery in three months instead of three years. This is all for non-emergency care of course. Have you considered that you are essentially jumping in line just because you have a larger wallet than other people?

Yes. I find it difficult to deal with morally. Fwiw, I'm not particularly well-off, and I only spend about two weeks' worth of take-home pay a year on my insurance.

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#237

Post by maccolgan »

hi41 wrote: post #93

Most important parts of human existence have been colonized. I don’t know how we will be able to recover our freedom. Who would have thought 50 years ago that drinking water is something we would pay for. Healthcare which citizens need most has also been colonized. I read a sad story where a devout husband had to divorce his very sick wife so that she could get medicaid payment to pay her bills.

Do you think drinking water is free?

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#238

Post by iammisc »

stackbutterflow wrote: post #136
shados wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because in the US, if you're reasonably healthy, employed, live in a city with good hospitals and have private insurance, it "feels" better. It's easier to get better care. I'm Canadian, now living in the US, and I'll be honest: for the first couple of years, where I had some medium sized health issues, the US system felt so much better. The hospital I was treated at was leagues better than anything I saw in Canada.…

What if you want to start a business and have no significant other? Do American entrepreneurs bet that they won't fall sick before they strike gold?

This is due to the tying of healthcare unnecessarily to employment with discounts if negotiated that way, not a fundamental part of private healthcare.

Said entrepreneur can also buy a plan from an exchange

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#239

Post by iammisc »

gruez wrote: post #129
Rucadi wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are countries with private healthcare that works (And IS better than public healthcare). The problem is specific to USA.

>There are countries with private healthcare that works list them?

Israel has a private system with lots of regulations. It is private though

Re: The cost of two weeks in an pediatric/infant ICU

#240

Post by iammisc »

js2 wrote: post #51
IG_Semmelweiss wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are really bad things with the current system, but you asked a question. People are exposed on a regular basis to the DMV, the SBA, to Social Security or to Medicare. Then they compare that experience with the avg experience with a commercial insurer, and it does feel like a better experience (of course, if their employer can afford it) Worse, there are stories of friends in places like CAN, where insider docto…

> People are exposed on a regular basis to the DMV, the SBA, to Social Security or to Medicare. Then they compare that experience with the avg experience with a commercial insurer, and it does feel like a better experience (of course, if their employer can afford it) That’s not what surveys show: > Americans' satisfaction with the way the healthcare system works for them varies by the type of insurance they have. Sat…

Selection effects. The poor and elderly are likely to be on Medicare and other public programs. If you can't afford healthcare and get it for free of course you'll be happy

It's like my charcoal Weber. I found it on the side of the road. Its dirty, dinged, and the wheels are falling off. But it was free and I can grill on it, so I'm extremely happy with it

On the other hand if I paid for a Weber and got that, I'd be pissed.

Post reply on HN