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Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

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Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#61

Post by chaosbutters »

cletus wrote: post #34

In Australia the Leftist government of Gough Whitlam introduced health-coverage-for-all in 1975 with a scheme called Medibank. In 1984 after a couple of governments, Bob Hawke's Leftist government created the Medicare scheme (Medibank became a government provider of private health insurance), which exists to this day. The most interesting stat I ever heard about Medicare was this: prior to Medicare the number one cau…

doesn't matter who is president in 2020, if the senate isn't blue. And right now, it doesn't look like the senate will even hit 50/50.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#62

Post by cushychicken »

zawerf wrote: post #9

I think that's just a corollary of "63% Of Americans Don't Have Enough Savings To Cover A $500 Emergency": https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2016/01/06/63-of-... EDIT: My comment is in reference to the old thread title, which was something like "More than 42 percent of the 9.5 million people diagnosed with cancer from 2000 to 2012 drained their life's assets within two years"

Certainly, but the person in the article was a woman with enough savings that she had planned to retire early.

If it can hit her that hard, it would be devastating to someone without $500.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#63

Post by lars512 »

deisner wrote: post #23

"But none of these is her most gnawing, ever present concern. That would be the convoluted medical bills that fill multiple binders, depleted savings accounts that destroy early retirement plans and so, so many phone calls with insurers and medical providers." Is it like this in other OECD countries? I ask because I'm told that we in America have "the best health care system in the world."

No, this side of it is definitely better in other countries.

My late wife passed away of cancer a few years ago, we lived in Australia. She went through rounds of intensive treatment. We had private health insurance which kicked in, limiting our up-front costs. Not all was covered, but what wasn't covered was capped through public health care. It might have cost us $10k AUD, but not more.

We spent little to no time worrying about paperwork and billing, it was almost all auto-handled for us.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#64

Post by duxup »

>Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

Hell that's just insurance in America... if you just use it.

I've been dealing with a bill where the insurance company decided that my kid's pediatrician was out of network all of a sudden. All the other visits to the same pediatrician have been covered, but they can't seem to fix this one bill....

There's no incentive for the company to be helpful as what am I going to do? Change insurance companies? That's not my choice.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#65

Post by JamesBarney »

cletus wrote: post #34

In Australia the Leftist government of Gough Whitlam introduced health-coverage-for-all in 1975 with a scheme called Medibank. In 1984 after a couple of governments, Bob Hawke's Leftist government created the Medicare scheme (Medibank became a government provider of private health insurance), which exists to this day. The most interesting stat I ever heard about Medicare was this: prior to Medicare the number one cau…

I'm all for universal coverage too. But reducing the profits of pharmaceutical companies well reduce the money they have for r&d dramatically.

This will slow down the speed of pharmaceutical development. So I think it needs to be paired with reforms to the FDA to reduce the go to market costs for drugs.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#66

Post by corbet »

OnACoffeeBreak wrote: post #17

This is a 2019 article covering a study that covers 2000 to 2012 and doesn't mention the Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010. Insurance landscape has changed quite a bit in the USA since ACA, which makes this not very interesting. What I would be interested in is repeating the study now and comparing results.

I would expect the results to be no different - the article was talking about people who already have insurance. I've been through the incredible medical-bill maze that results from cancer treatment since then; it's just the same. The ACA was explicitly designed to perpetuate the current insurance system, why would you expect the situation to have improved?

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#67

Post by viburnum »

triplewipeass wrote: post #13

When I was in my early 20s, I got myself a beefy life insurance policy that covers suicide after some waiting period that has expired many years ago. I know that in case of crippling illness I can always take the easy way out while preserving my assets plus the life insurance payout. My family would be taken care of.

This a good solution that scales.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#68

Post by komali2 »

pastor_elm wrote: post #44
swarnie_ wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important distinction. Most western countries don't bankrupt you for getting old or sick. Oh boy, did i say something which wasn't Pro-'Merica?

Most western countries are subsidized by US pharmaceutical innovation.

Huh, I've never heard this before. What makes you say that?

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#69

Post by duxup »

vamos_davai wrote: post #4

It's such an absurd expense that I wonder if I get diagnosed with cancer, I would just deny treatment, accept death, and hand my assets to loved ones. Not sure if anyone else thinks the same way.

If you've got kids and a family, they may not agree. It's a terrible situation to be in.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#70

Post by mbostleman »

porphyrogene wrote: post #18
ucaetano wrote: post #5

More than 42% of 9.5M people with cancer drained life's assets within 2 years in the US .

The publication is NPR so that it is US news goes somewhat without saying. However, this is something that Americans need to understand is exceptional for a nation of its resources.

So what is the solution? More than 42% went all in with the constraint being their personal assets. If that constraint was lifted, then what would the next constraint be? Obviously the additional assets would come from other people, and probably not voluntarily (which is a different issue), but what would be the limiting factor then? Also, I assume the new pool of assets would be available not just to the 42% that were willing to put all of their own in but to the remaining 58% as well. The US may be a nation of relatively high resources, but they aren't infinite. What do the rules look like for this in other nations?
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