Not a great day for Luigi

[Hards Alumni]

Agree that there is a ton of room for improvement.  Don't need the hyperbole, though. 

There are a ton of reasons for it, from waste to lifestyle, to the cost of medical research, to....

Patent law, tort law, price gouging...

But mostly the inherent nature of running a for profit company that is designed to make money... and more of it every year.  Eventually, there is no more juice to squeeze.

[real chili 83]

No, it literally is. 

I don't have a narrative.  Our health care system is broken and gets worse every year.  We outspend everyone else in the world (it isn't remotely close either) and get results similar to third world countries.

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/#Health%20expenditures%20per%20capita,%20U.S.%20dollars,%20PPP%20adjusted,%202022

I could go on about this for days.  Again, I'm happy for your outcomes, but the US health care system is the laughingstock of the world.

You've said before that you are a small business owner.  Your insurance must be a huge issue.  Probably fully funded, and subject to premium increases due to experience ratings.  Guessing you have to make tough choices between getting good coverage and the cost of good coverage based up the experience (and medical trend) of your employees.  You probably need to get quotes almost every year.  It's a real b1tch.  I've managed fully funded and self funded plans.  That's not a lot of fun.

In my experience, the companies I have worked with really value the customer experience our employees got from the insurance companies.  Some of the vendors I used were subsidiaries of UHG.  all provided good experiences.

[Hards Alumni]

You've said before that you are a small business owner.  Your insurance must be a huge issue.  Probably fully funded, and subject to premium increases due to experience ratings.  Guessing you have to make tough choices between getting good coverage and the cost of good coverage based up the experience (and medical trend) of your employees.  You probably need to get quotes almost every year.  It's a real b1tch.  I've managed fully funded and self funded plans.  That's not a lot of fun.

In my experience, the companies I have worked with really value the customer experience our employees got from the insurance companies.  Some of the vendors I used were subsidiaries of UHG.  all provided good experiences.

YES, now imagine all of that nonsense going away forever!!!  It is a waste of everyone's time and energy!  And for what?  So some investor's portfolio can increase and some downtrodden employee can have care denied?

I will never understand how some people can be so against government bureaucracy, yet defend an entire industry that is ONLY bureaucracy.  A bunch of actuaries behind desks trying to squeeze every dollar of value from a human being.  They provide no actual service except to increase profit margins.  Essentially, we're paying the people who will later deny us the coverage we are owed.

We're so stupid.

[real chili 83]

Just because an entity is non profit, like an insurance company, a clinic, a hospital, ect., doesn't mean they aren't interested in making nice profits. Trust me, they are VERY interested in being profitable as heck.

There is a very nice ortho clinic system where I live that does some amazing charity work in central america.  That said, they are doctor owned, and are super interested in their bottom line. 

The improvements to be made in health care go way beyond UHC. 

[Jay Bee]

Nonsense.  UnitedHealthcare denied one out of every three claims last year.  And in that same year they made $33 billion (!) in profits. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2024/12/05/unitedhealthcare-denies-more-claims-than-other-insurers---angering-patients-and-health-systems/

Not to mention, small businesses employ 50% of Americans, and 75% of small businesses employ less than 50 people, and are therefore exempt from having to provide health insurance for their employees.

If you're not having problems with your health insurance that's great for you, but entirely anecdotal.

#FakeNews #Lies

[#UnleashSean]

What kind of person actually defends our healthcare system? It's clearly the worst in the Western world. We spend the most by far on healthcare, yet have the highest infant mortality rate, and one of the lowest life expectancy's. 

[Hards Alumni]

#FakeNews #Lies

#ignoranceisbliss

[Uncle Rico]

What kind of person actually defends our healthcare system? It's clearly the worst in the Western world. We spend the most by far on healthcare, yet have the highest infant mortality rate, and one of the lowest life expectancy's. 

It's why insurance companies and healthcare providers are able to laugh all the way to the bank, the ignorance and compliance of our society.

[#UnleashSean]

It's why insurance companies and healthcare providers are able to laugh all the way to the bank, the ignorance and compliance of our society.

Well not anymore. Now they need armed guards. So our rates will go even higher!

[Uncle Rico]

Well not anymore. Now they need armed guards. So our rates will go even higher!

Our rates always go up.  Our healthcare service always goes down.  Eat the rich, baby

[jesmu84]

Reading this thread, you would think almost ALL medical insurance claims are denied.

The fact is, many, many plans are self funded by employers.  It's employers who dictate what is covered and what isn't, outside of what is legally required to be covered.  Health coverage is one of the largest costs employers face.  They are constantly balancing what they can afford to cover with offering a competitive benefit package.

You can debate that better coverage will allow for lower costs long term if you can get healthier  employees.  There is also the issue of lifestyle is a choice...

In self funded plans, the insurance company does not dictate what should be paid, it is the plan design.  Insurance companies get paid to process bills, and draw funds out of your account to cover them.

I have Anthem BCBS, and couldn't be happier with them.  I've had some ongoing stuff over the past few years, which includes a couple of surgeries.  They have been awesome.  Do I wish they would cover Wegovy so I could lean on that crutch to shed some extra pounds?  Heck yes, but I realize I own the root issue (too many Marquette specials with cheese and onions).

Sure, there are people with bad stories/experiences with their insurance.  Some are well founded, but many are not...those people usually aren't telling you the full story.  My point is that the generalizations going on here about ALL insurance companies being bad is just BS.

Wegovy is a crutch?

[Not all scoop users are created equal apparently]

Mine is not anecdotal.  It just doesn't fit your narrative.

I'm not sure you understand what anecdotal means

[jesmu84]

By nearly any metric, US healthcare is abysmal compared to peer nations. Insurances, among other variables, play a role in the rankings.

Is it a good idea to have a sector of society - healthcare - with inelastic demand be run using market principles?

[Not all scoop users are created equal apparently]

By nearly any metric, US healthcare is abysmal compared to peer nations. Insurances, among other variables, play a role in the rankings.

Is it a good idea to have a sector of society - healthcare - with inelastic demand be run using market principles?

If you ask the market, yes!

[Lennys Tap]

one of the lowest life expectancy's. 

That's because we're FAT and people of a certain persuasion have insisted that we have to approach our FAT problem with FAT is beautiful and there's nothing wrong with being FAT. Everyone knows better, of course, but if you don't go through with the kabuki dance you're a bigot, a FAT shamer, etc.

[Uncle Rico]

That's because we're FAT and people of a certain persuasion have insisted that we have to approach our FAT problem with FAT is beautiful and there's nothing wrong with being FAT. Everyone knows better, of course, but if you don't go through with the kabuki dance you're a bigot, a FAT shamer, etc.

I'm glad we're for banning extra large drinks now and providing healthy meals for kids.  GTFOH blaming fat shaming fear you raging hypocrite

[#UnleashSean]

That's because we're FAT and people of a certain persuasion have insisted that we have to approach our FAT problem with FAT is beautiful and there's nothing wrong with being FAT. Everyone knows better, of course, but if you don't go through with the kabuki dance you're a bigot, a FAT shamer, etc.

Yea, no.

It's much more likely due to the lack of accessible medical care in our country.

[Lennys Tap]

I'm glad we're for banning extra large drinks now and providing healthy meals for kids.  GTFOH blaming fat shaming fear you raging hypocrite

Nobody forces anyone to eat a double whopper or a big gulp. And when schools offer healthy choices a lot of the kids want nothing to do with them. We pay for people's bad choices - and I'm OK with it because I think everyone should have choices. But for one at least be honest about it. And if you can't - Go f**k yourself.

[Hards Alumni]

Nobody forces anyone to eat a double whopper or a big gulp. And when schools offer healthy choices a lot of the kids want nothing to do with them. We pay for people's bad choices - and I'm OK with it because I think everyone should have choices. But for one at least be honest about it. And if you can't - Go f**k yourself.

I'm sure you're fine with most things until it happens to you or your family.

I certainly hope that never happens.

[Uncle Rico]

Nobody forces anyone to eat a double whopper or a big gulp. And when schools offer healthy choices a lot of the kids want nothing to do with them. We pay for people's bad choices - and I'm OK with it because I think everyone should have choices. But for one at least be honest about it. And if you can't - Go f**k yourself.

Too bad we don't have affordable health choices.  Blame the fat people, well, the fact we can't shame them anyway.  Or some other BS culture war talking point. 

[Lennys Tap]

I'm sure you're fine with most things until it happens to you or your family.

I certainly hope that never happens.

Lots of struggles in my family - cancer, drug abuse, alcoholism/depression, obesity, learning disabilities and many more. My older brother couldn't beat his, committed suicide more than 20 years ago. I still mourn him, but if I held anyone other than him responsible for what happened he would haunt me from his grave. My younger brother quit drinking almost 30 years ago and still goes to meetings 4 or 5 times a week. I gave up the Budweiser 24 years ago and couldn't be happier. My wife has (at least up to now) beaten breast cancer and melanoma. I could go for several paragraphs but enough. Most of our challenges (and gifts) came from our gene pool. We celebrated the latter and tried our best to deal with the former without complaint. We thought (and still think) of ourselves as incredibly lucky. And that hurdles overcome are what people are ultimately judged by. So I'm fine with what life's brought me, the happy and the sad.

[#UnleashSean]

Lots of struggles in my family - cancer, drug abuse, alcoholism/depression, obesity, learning disabilities and many more. My older brother couldn't beat his, committed suicide more than 20 years ago. I still mourn him, but if I held anyone other than him responsible for what happened he would haunt me from his grave. My younger brother quit drinking almost 30 years ago and still goes to meetings 4 or 5 times a week. I gave up the Budweiser 24 years ago and couldn't be happier. My wife has (at least up to now) beaten breast cancer and melanoma. I could go for several paragraphs but enough. Most of our challenges (and gifts) came from our gene pool. We celebrated the latter and tried our best to deal with the former without complaint. We thought (and still think) of ourselves as incredibly lucky. And that hurdles overcome are what people are ultimately judged by. So I'm fine with what life's brought me, the happy and the sad.

You do realize if companies like uhc get their way, your going to die right? Everything you listed will be used a pre-existing condition and they will deny claims.

Luckily for you, the federal government CURRENTLY makes this illegal.

[Not all scoop users are created equal apparently]

Nobody forces anyone to eat a double whopper or a big gulp. And when schools offer healthy choices a lot of the kids want nothing to do with them. We pay for people's bad choices - and I'm OK with it because I think everyone should have choices. But for one at least be honest about it. And if you can't - Go f**k yourself.

Do you support subsidizing healthy choices for our country's extensive food deserts where grocery providers have left due to it being unprofitable and regulating ultra processed foods that are the significantly lower cost option than a fresh bag of tomatoes? I bet not.

Those families should just not feed their kids at all vs a Burger King or something but also not be able to go to the doctor because their inability to provide a healthy diet is too expensive on the health care system.

[Not all scoop users are created equal apparently]

Lots of struggles in my family - cancer, drug abuse, alcoholism/depression, obesity, learning disabilities and many more. My older brother couldn't beat his, committed suicide more than 20 years ago. I still mourn him, but if I held anyone other than him responsible for what happened he would haunt me from his grave. My younger brother quit drinking almost 30 years ago and still goes to meetings 4 or 5 times a week. I gave up the Budweiser 24 years ago and couldn't be happier. My wife has (at least up to now) beaten breast cancer and melanoma. I could go for several paragraphs but enough. Most of our challenges (and gifts) came from our gene pool. We celebrated the latter and tried our best to deal with the former without complaint. We thought (and still think) of ourselves as incredibly lucky. And that hurdles overcome are what people are ultimately judged by. So I'm fine with what life's brought me, the happy and the sad.

"I got mine, f all the rest of you"

[Mutaman]

Nobody forces anyone to eat a double whopper or a big gulp.

 they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They're eating –

Fucking fat people. Thank God Trump will soon deport them all. That'll booster the life expectancy.