Politics

[cwpayton]

Regarding costs of medical and dental services in the US - I smashed a lot of teeth in a diving accident in a pool at age 27. Bridges and crowns lasted 25+- years and were replaced. They lasted another 25 years and I was looking at $22,000 to $25,000 in dental implants and crowns according to several specialists I consulted with in the US. On advise of PH, I had the work done in South Africa by the most competent dentist I have ever met who utilized the most advanced German and Swiss equipment and facilities I have ever seen. Total cost, excluding money spent on safari, cape buffalo and transportation - $6,000.00!!

Regarding costs of medical and dental services in the US - I smashed a lot of teeth in a diving accident in a pool at age 27. Bridges and crowns lasted 25+- years and were replaced. They lasted another 25 years and I was looking at $22,000 to $25,000 in dental implants and crowns according to several specialists I consulted with in the US. On advise of PH, I had the work done in South Africa by the most competent dentist I have ever met who utilized the most advanced German and Swiss equipment and facilities I have ever seen. Total cost, excluding money spent on safari, cape buffalo and transportation - $6,000.00!!

 

[cwpayton]

Thats great, well done. care to share any names or at least towns where this took place. I paid 1250 for 1 molar extraction.

 

[cwpayton]

I celebrated the election with a gun purchase a couple of days after the election, put the purchase on Bank of America card, but was denied 3 times with no explanation, got a call about 8pm same evening from Bank of America , they said it was denied due to fraud suspicions, " the name on the purchase was GUNS and ARCHERY. B of A said it was out of my ordinary purchases, not so I replied .Give me a list of my purchases, they were all different from airlines to magazines. the conversation devolved into stern accusations from me. cc card of BOF A is shredded.

 

[cwpayton]

Healthcare in the USA is the finest in the world. The problem is Healthcare finance is not. Lots of problems. Some of which are the health insurance carriers fault some not. For years, they have been fighting "community rating.' Well they won that battle and lost the war and end up with Obamacare instead.

Another problem, is physician groups. Those have been purchased by Carriers and private equity firms. The ones that are private equity, the carriers have voided their contracts and and balance bill. The patient does not see the balance bill, as those go to arbitration. And an Arbitrator decides the payment. The Physician groups load up on Nurses (NP's) and Physician Assistants move patients to the lower paid employee and bill at the physicians rate.

Medical bill is another problem. The hospitals "Charge Master" which has about 20 different rates for the same service depending on who paying.

Single payor is not the answer. My solution, get rid of Group Insurance and move everyone to an individual policy. Have several policies for individuals to pick from (basic to deluxe), using community rates. The employers can provide a stipend for their employee to purchase their individual policy and make sure all policies are regulated by state Department of Insurance and not ERISA. That will subject the carriers to that states "bad faith" laws. That's a start.

HUM I would have to disagree with you on that, health care in America is run by THE big pharma companies, cooperate or loose your license to practice. for Example how great is our cancer cure rate. dismal to say the least but the profits, great. How about arthritis same. How did covid go, Badly , a nightmare, And dont you dare mention Ivermectin a drug used world wide, Nobel prize to I think ,or you are done. You may have a heart attack so get on statins , and don't ever stop, forget the side effects. PTSD here take this bag of pills. Flu season GET YOUR SHOT, what type of flu, there are a 100. doesnt matter just get a shot . You get my drift. healing is an art, dispensing pills is a business. Just my 5 worth.

 

[cwpayton]

Trump invites Xi Jinping to his inauguration. WTF Donald????

What is the old saying ,hold your friends close , hold your enemies closer. Theres almost 40,000 illegal chinese here now, and lots of them with engineer degrees want to join the military for certain mos,s so one more commie wont matter.

 

[cwpayton]

Just watched an INTERVIEW with a MR. Angel an investigator for the state AG in Guatemala, they are investigating the child trafficking to the US. 200,000 missing children , traced back to NGO,s operating in Guatemala one of the largest is a Catholic help for families , and JILL BIDEN sits on the board. Second time I heard this from different sources, not to offend any of you Catholics but this is bad and why I call them out.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Regarding medical care and the high cost thereof, there are various reasons for the situation. But the first thing I think we must not do is to confuse the high cost of health insurance as the reason health care cost is so high. The high cost of health insurance is a reflection of the high cost of health care.

In my opinion this was the primary reason Obamacare was a failure. Obama wanted everyone to have health insurance, perhaps a noble goal, but it ignored the fact that the reason so many were uninsured was because health care was and is still so expensive. Coming up with some gimmick to ensure more people got some health insurance coverage without actually doing something to truly get health care costs under control was treating the symptom and not the disease.

From the perspective of someone in the medtech industry at a company that sells products worldwide, a few thoughts on some of the reasons for our exorbitant health costs in comparison to other countries.

First, Americans like to sue like no one else in the world. When someone sues a doctor, hospital, nurses, or anyone else involved in a situation gone awry, who do you think pays for this? It's likely not any of the defendants, and certainly they don't pay first. Their malpractice insurance company does. And who pays ultimately for the malpractice insurance, regardless of whether their doctor/provider has ever been sued? The patient of course.

Making matters worse is the impact on demand for care in this highly litigious environment we find ourselves in. Doctors will order up tests and procedures that are not necessary for patient care, but they do so to provide cover from being sued and risk losing their malpractice insurance. This puts higher demand on the system and raises costs. If you're so inclined do a Google search on "defensive medicine." There was a study done years back in Massachusetts that estimate the costs to that state along with something in the billion dollar range for just one year IIRC. Expand that out assuming similar costs on a per capita basis for the entire US population....staggering number.

So do you support TORT reform, or do you want to keep the ability to sue for malpractice as we can today?

Next up, the FDA. The FDA governs everything my company does. I know of no other regulatory agency that has the requirements that the FDA puts on the pharmaceutical and medtech companies. Is this a good or a bad thing? I won't say, but I will say it costs money, lots of it. These higher costs are incurred both during development of new products and continuing on during a products lifecycle. Who do you think in the end bears these costs?

In Europe, they have the CE mark of approval that we must receive to sell our products there. But the requirements are not as high. It's the primary reason why new drugs and medical devices are released for public use well before they're released in the USA.

Do you see this as a good or a bad thing?

 

[Newboomer]

I'm no fan of big Pharma or the U.S healthcare system. It's greed driven.
I support capitalism and a fair profit, but the healthcare & pharmaceuticals cost has gotten ridiculous.
I forgot what company it was, but that new CEO that took over one of the big Pharma's immediately quadrupled the price on EpiPen's, causing a big outcry.
I can go to Thailand and get world class healthcare for a small fraction of the cost here. I know a few guys that have done it.

took over one of the big "Pharma's" what? Apostrophe indicates possessive. No apostrophe indicates plural.

 

[Newboomer]

Just watched an INTERVIEW with a MR. Angel an investigator for the state AG in Guatemala, they are investigating the child trafficking to the US. 200,000 missing children , traced back to NGO,s operating in Guatemala one of the largest is a Catholic help for families , and JILL BIDEN sits on the board. Second time I heard this from different sources, not to offend any of you Catholics but this is bad and why I call them out.

Should be a comma after Mr Angel. Period after Guatemala. Capital T in "they" to start a new sentence. No comma in NGOs. Period after second Guatemala. Capital O in "one" to start a new sentence. Period after"sources". Capital N in "not" to start a new sentence.
Basic high school grammar and punctuation.

 

[Newboomer]

Regarding costs of medical and dental services in the US - I smashed a lot of teeth in a diving accident in a pool at age 27. Bridges and crowns lasted 25+- years and were replaced. They lasted another 25 years and I was looking at $22,000 to $25,000 in dental implants and crowns according to several specialists I consulted with in the US. On advise of PH, I had the work done in South Africa by the most competent dentist I have ever met who utilized the most advanced German and Swiss equipment and facilities I have ever seen. Total cost, excluding money spent on safari, cape buffalo and transportation - $6,000.00!!

"on advice, not advise, of PH"

 

[Newboomer]

But I dont, and I can still go to Thailand and not get gouged as a foreigner.
They don't pay Hospital administrators and CEO's ridiculously bloated salaries, bonuses & comps.

Apostrophe in CEOs indicates possessive. CEOs what? No apostrophe to indicate plural.

 

[Newboomer]

Thats great, well done. care to share any names or at least towns where this took place. I paid 1250 for 1 molar extraction.

Needs apostrophe in "Thats" to clarify "that is".

 

[Newboomer]

I celebrated the election with a gun purchase a couple of days after the election, put the purchase on Bank of America card, but was denied 3 times with no explanation, got a call about 8pm same evening from Bank of America , they said it was denied due to fraud suspicions, " the name on the purchase was GUNS and ARCHERY. B of A said it was out of my ordinary purchases, not so I replied .Give me a list of my purchases, they were all different from airlines to magazines. the conversation devolved into stern accusations from me. cc card of BOF A is shredded.

I refuse to deal with BofA. I've had several bank accounts and credit cards with them over the years and every single month there was a problem. It was with their figures or questions about my purchases.

 

[flatwater bill]

Schiff repeatedly said he had proof of Russian Collusion in our 2016 election. Then he could not produce it. Jail him for lying to Congress. Whether you call him "Piece of Schiff" or "PIle of Schiff".....this man needs to go. ....get the pooper scooper ready.....FWB

 

[Tanks]

Schiff repeatedly said he had proof of Russian Collusion in our 2016 election. Then he could not produce it. Jail him for lying to Congress. Whether you call him "Piece of Schiff" or "PIle of Schiff".....this man needs to go. ....get the pooper scooper ready.....FWB

He was not under oath testifying to Congress when he made those statements. Plus, if you jailed politicians for lying, there wouldn’t be any left on either side of the aisle.

The way to punish politicians is to vote them out. Schiff just got rewarded by being elected to Senate.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Regarding medical care and the high cost thereof, there are various reasons for the situation. But the first thing I think we must not do is to confuse the high cost of health insurance as the reason health care cost is so high. The high cost of health insurance is a reflection of the high cost of health care.

In my opinion this was the primary reason Obamacare was a failure. Obama wanted everyone to have health insurance, perhaps a noble goal, but it ignored the fact that the reason so many were uninsured was because health care was and is still so expensive. Coming up with some gimmick to ensure more people got some health insurance coverage without actually doing something to truly get health care costs under control was treating the symptom and not the disease.

From the perspective of someone in the medtech industry at a company that sells products worldwide, a few thoughts on some of the reasons for our exorbitant health costs in comparison to other countries.

First, Americans like to sue like no one else in the world. When someone sues a doctor, hospital, nurses, or anyone else involved in a situation gone awry, who do you think pays for this? It's likely not any of the defendants, and certainly they don't pay first. Their malpractice insurance company does. And who pays ultimately for the malpractice insurance, regardless of whether their doctor/provider has ever been sued? The patient of course.

Making matters worse is the impact on demand for care in this highly litigious environment we find ourselves in. Doctors will order up tests and procedures that are not necessary for patient care, but they do so to provide cover from being sued and risk losing their malpractice insurance. This puts higher demand on the system and raises costs. If you're so inclined do a Google search on "defensive medicine." There was a study done years back in Massachusetts that estimate the costs to that state along with something in the billion dollar range for just one year IIRC. Expand that out assuming similar costs on a per capita basis for the entire US population....staggering number.

So do you support TORT reform, or do you want to keep the ability to sue for malpractice as we can today?

Next up, the FDA. The FDA governs everything my company does. I know of no other regulatory agency that has the requirements that the FDA puts on the pharmaceutical and medtech companies. Is this a good or a bad thing? I won't say, but I will say it costs money, lots of it. These higher costs are incurred both during development of new products and continuing on during a products lifecycle. Who do you think in the end bears these costs?

In Europe, they have the CE mark of approval that we must receive to sell our products there. But the requirements are not as high. It's the primary reason why new drugs and medical devices are released for public use well before they're released in the USA.

Do you see this as a good or a bad thing?

This same dilemma exists in the college and university education system. Instead of driving down costs. They grant ever increasing scale loans to cover incompetent or political hack professors (Tort reform for medical).



When politicians discuss the high cost. It usually revolves around what doctors charge. Not factored in is the 12 years in education and fellowships. Malpractice insurance costs.


The answer from government is to mandate coverage and subsidize the mess. Notice how liberals want to cap what a doctor can make. But never discuss capping professors or university staff pay.

There are many ways to cut healthcare costs. Driving away the best and brightest is not the place to do it. I prefer to have someone competent wrenching on me.

 

[sgt_zim]

Regarding medical care and the high cost thereof, there are various reasons for the situation. But the first thing I think we must not do is to confuse the high cost of health insurance as the reason health care cost is so high. The high cost of health insurance is a reflection of the high cost of health care.

In my opinion this was the primary reason Obamacare was a failure. Obama wanted everyone to have health insurance, perhaps a noble goal, but it ignored the fact that the reason so many were uninsured was because health care was and is still so expensive. Coming up with some gimmick to ensure more people got some health insurance coverage without actually doing something to truly get health care costs under control was treating the symptom and not the disease.

From the perspective of someone in the medtech industry at a company that sells products worldwide, a few thoughts on some of the reasons for our exorbitant health costs in comparison to other countries.

First, Americans like to sue like no one else in the world. When someone sues a doctor, hospital, nurses, or anyone else involved in a situation gone awry, who do you think pays for this? It's likely not any of the defendants, and certainly they don't pay first. Their malpractice insurance company does. And who pays ultimately for the malpractice insurance, regardless of whether their doctor/provider has ever been sued? The patient of course.

Making matters worse is the impact on demand for care in this highly litigious environment we find ourselves in. Doctors will order up tests and procedures that are not necessary for patient care, but they do so to provide cover from being sued and risk losing their malpractice insurance. This puts higher demand on the system and raises costs. If you're so inclined do a Google search on "defensive medicine." There was a study done years back in Massachusetts that estimate the costs to that state along with something in the billion dollar range for just one year IIRC. Expand that out assuming similar costs on a per capita basis for the entire US population....staggering number.

So do you support TORT reform, or do you want to keep the ability to sue for malpractice as we can today?

Next up, the FDA. The FDA governs everything my company does. I know of no other regulatory agency that has the requirements that the FDA puts on the pharmaceutical and medtech companies. Is this a good or a bad thing? I won't say, but I will say it costs money, lots of it. These higher costs are incurred both during development of new products and continuing on during a products lifecycle. Who do you think in the end bears these costs?

In Europe, they have the CE mark of approval that we must receive to sell our products there. But the requirements are not as high. It's the primary reason why new drugs and medical devices are released for public use well before they're released in the USA.

Do you see this as a good or a bad thing?

You're not wrong there, but it's also not accurate to say it's THE driver for increased health care costs.

Price signals which work so well in the rest of the marketplace are skewed by healthcare regulation and regulatory compliance carries a huge cost. Take the role of "billing specialist" for one example. The one and only reason for the proliferation of that craft is to deal with Medicare and Medicaid requirements, which the health insurance companies all too happily require as well. With the blessings of the US congress as well as the state legislatures, they exist in a market closed to competition. Then there's regulatory capture and the revolving door between places like NIH/FDA and Phizer, GSK, Bayer, and all the rest.

Ever heard of a concierge medical practice? Average cost of annual membership is somewhere between $2000 and $5000. Not cheap. But you also generally get unlimited visits with your doc, and they actually take the time to sit down and discuss your concerns with you. In standard internal medicine practices, many of those docs need to see 40 or 50 patients per day to make their nut.

I've come to believe that most of the chronic issues people have are diet-related - food being another heavily regulated industry suffering from massive regulatory capture. Eat meat and greens to your heart's content; complex carbs sparingly; simple sugar and processed food not at all - to include ultra-processed seed and vegetable oils like canola, corn, saffron, and the like. Poly-unsaturated fats are just poison. Stick with animal fats like hog lard, beef tallow, butter, duck fat, bear lard, and mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil. IOW, shop the outer edge of the grocery and skip the rest.

Since I went near total carnivore about 3 years ago, my HDL has gone up from about 45 to 74, my triglycerides are down from over 200 to 75, and LDL down from over 200 to 120, and I no longer need to take blood pressure meds; and I'm down from 265 to 225. My doc did a full body ultrasound on me last year, my pipes are as clean as a healthy 30 year old, and I was 55 at the time. My heart's ejection fraction is 72% - normal for men is 52 -72%. Since I gave up all the processed shit, my knees, hips, and shoulders rarely hurt anymore. I used to take a lot of daily ibuprofen for all of that. I don't remember the last time I had to take any for joint pain. I've had a torn labrum in one of my hips since HS. Even all the walking and crawling and what-not on my safari back in August didn't cause me any discomfort. The acacia thorns tearing at my flesh are another matter.

Ever heard of the Warburg Effect (discovered nearly a century ago)? Most cancers require a steady stream of sugar for the purpose of fermentation, even when O2 is already abundant . When they grow cancer cells in vitro, many of them have to be bathed in insulin so they can absorb enough sugar, otherwise the cancer cells die.

People don't get Type II diabetes from a lifetime of abusing animal fat and protein, they get it from a lifetime of punishing their pancreas with a steady diet of sugar, causing all cells to become insulin resistant over time. Type II diabetes comes along with a number of other comorbidities - obesity, cardiovascular disease, generalized inflammation, metabolic syndrome, etc. Obesity is a non-trivial risk factor for quite a lot of cancers as well.

And of course, the answer for all of this from Big Medicine and Big Pharma is pills. And of course, they and Big Ag have a vested interest in NOT looking at the dietary angle on any of this.

Apologies, I didn't intend to turn this into a rant. Malpractice insurance is certainly a contributing factor to increased health care delivery costs, but it isn't a big one.

 

[skydiver386]

He was not under oath testifying to Congress when he made those statements. Plus, if you jailed politicians for lying, there wouldn’t be any left on either side of the aisle.

Sedition is a crime. Unfortunately it is not clearly defined in our system, and can easily become a slippery slope where prosecuting political enemies gets out of hand.

The way to punish politicians is to vote them out. Schiff just got rewarded by being elected to Senate.

You are entirely correct. The people in California evidently don't mind politicians that straight up lie to them.

 

[fourfive8]

Needs apostrophe in "Thats" to clarify "that is".

I could care less but use of the Oxford comma remains a mystery.

 

[WAB]

HUM I would have to disagree with you on that, health care in America is run by THE big pharma companies, cooperate or loose your license to practice. for Example how great is our cancer cure rate. dismal to say the least but the profits, great. How about arthritis same. How did covid go, Badly , a nightmare, And dont you dare mention Ivermectin a drug used world wide, Nobel prize to I think ,or you are done. You may have a heart attack so get on statins , and don't ever stop, forget the side effects. PTSD here take this bag of pills. Flu season GET YOUR SHOT, what type of flu, there are a 100. doesnt matter just get a shot . You get my drift. healing is an art, dispensing pills is a business. Just my 5 worth.

I don’t know what your investment return expectations are, but pharma doesn’t meet mine. Pharma R&D returns have rebounded to a whopping 4.1%, up from a low of 1.2% in 2022. The ‘huge’ profits in pharma and insurance are a myth propogated by media and left wing politicians. If you trace the problem back you will find those same
people at the root of it, driving inefficiency through regulation. Look at the cost to have a new drug approved. These companies have between half and four and a half billion dollars invested before they start making a dime. You have to look at ROI and capital deployed to understand their performance. Revenue and EBITDA do not tell the story.