American healthcare system and wasted dollars

[Pete Harcoff]

Health care's six money-wasting problems - Aug. 10, 2009

Interesting story on money being wasted in American health care. What's really eye opening is the $210 billion wasted due to simply processing of claims. One of the consequences of "choice" it seems.

 

[lemmings]

$1,200,000,000,000 wasted each year? Congratulations if you have health insurance, your company is throwing away $4,500 of your money each year.

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

Well, those dollars aren't wasted...they help Bill Gates afford a fifth LearJet, and George Soros to get another gold-plated limousine, and the Walton heirs to buy another mansion, and so on.

These are actually essential to Truth, Justice and the American Way!

 

[nolongerhome]

Well, those dollars aren't wasted...they help Bill Gates afford a fifth LearJet, and George Soros to get another gold-plated limousine, and the Walton heirs to buy another mansion, and so on.

These are actually essential to Truth, Justice and the American Way!

The right for the rich to get richer - something for which we should all be prepared to make sacrifices.

 

[allhart]

I'm sick of you guys demonizing people for being wealth. Being wealth doesn't make you a greedy person. Get a life! My net-worth isn't based on my self-worth. Ya'll have a personal problem. I have never worked for a poor-man neither. Also personal virtues aren't good policy's for governing the people. Empathy discriminates........

 

[nolongerhome]

I have no problem with people being wealthy. Many people work hard and deserve the fruits of their labour.

I do have a problem with the obscenely rich getting more obscenely rich while (and often directly because of the fact that) the obscenely poor continue to be obscenely poor, though.

You don't think that there is any problem with the distribution of wealth throughout the world?

 

[rambot]

Being wealth doesn't make you a greedy person. Get a life! My net-worth isn't based on my self-worth.

Being a nice person doesn't make you not greedy.

 

[allhart]

I have no problem with people being wealthy.

I have a problem with the obscenely rich getting more obscenely rich while (and often directly because of the fact that) the obscenely poor continue to be obscenely poor.

You don't think that there is any problem with the distribution of wealth throughout the world?

Where do you think anothers money towards your virtues of life, should stop or anyone else virtues for that matter. Is this a hand up or a pull down? How many are poor in America #? How many are middle class #? How many are semi rich, rich and filth rich###? Now ask your self this Question, If 50% of Americans don't pay taxes. Then the one's that don't pay now, have no stake in the out come! Now who is paying for the social programs that are already exist and don't you think it isn't grossly over burdened by the tax payer or does your virtues only count because it's all free and clear? Now where is the incentive to work in that?

 

[lemmings]

Where do you think one's money towards what you think your owed for your virtues of life, should be enough or anyone else virtues for that matter. Is this a hand up or a pull down? How many are poor in America #? How many are middle class #? How many are semi rich, rich and filth rich###? Now ask your self this Question, If 50% of Americans don't pay taxes. Then the one's that don't pay now, have no stake in the out come! Now who is paying for the social programs that are already exist and don't you think it isn't grossly over burdened by the tax payer or does your virtues only count stake in it or not? If not where is the incentive to work?

Allhart are you happy that your health insurance costs have doubled over this last decade? What about the next decade when they are expected to double again? Do you think your job will give you a 7% raise every year between now and when you get on Medicare just so that you can keep up with the rate the health insurance costs are raising?

Health care reform is not going to give people a free ride for them to be lazy like your pseudo-apocalyptic fantasies about future generations being lazier than you. It will come by introducing a little competition, Capitalism if you will, into an existing monopoly to keep them in check.

 

[allhart]

Let's look at another way. Lets say I make and average 65 thousand a yr. Sacrificed my time and money through school. Now that I've found a good job and now pay up to and beyond 16500 ,but lets say ya'll are sitting around gaming and working at 7-11, Making only 12000 yr. with a take-out in taxes of Zero.... I should pay up to 40-50% in taxes, so you can sit around and game? And be health and happy or debt free!

 

[allhart]

Allhart are you happy that your health insurance costs have doubled over this last decade? What about the next decade when they are expected to double again? Do you think your job will give you a 7% raise every year between now and when you get on Medicare just so that you can keep up with the rate the health insurance costs are raising?

Health care reform is not going to give people a free ride for them to be lazy like your pseudo-apocalyptic fantasies about future generations being lazier than you. It will come by introducing a little competition, Capitalism if you will, into an existing monopoly to keep them in check.

Well All I can say is the Gov. "Us" can work on reform/ remodel, not a breakdown or over haul with a Gov take over!

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

Let's look at another way. Lets say I make and average 65 thousand a yr. Sacrificed my time and money through school. Now that I've found a good job and now pay up to and beyond 16500 ,but lets say ya'll are sitting around gaming and working at 7-11, Making only 12000 yr. with a take-out in taxes of Zero.... I should pay up to 40-50% in taxes, so you can sit around and game? And be health and happy or debt free!

And if you actually think your level of wealth in America depends on how hard you work...

I've got this new machine I've developed--well, almost--that eats child molesters, toxic waste, and losing lottery tickets, and spits out uranium, gold and light sweet crude oil at the other end. All I need is some startup capital to produce the first run. Please send cash to my PayPal account, and I'll share my profits with you--honest I will!

 

[explodingboy]

so pay your workers more, and then they'd be able to pay their share of taxes too..

sounds like a good argument for reducing the earnings gap really to me.

 

[allhart]

so pay your workers more, and then they'd be able to pay their share of taxes too..

sounds like a good argument for reducing the earnings gap really to me.

Funny and half of you get out of school thinking you now how it all works together. The real world you can't get out of a book. It's a start, but only a start! Skilled labor only comes with time. You have to crawl before you walk and walk before ya run.....

 

[lemmings]

Well All I can say is the Gov. "Us" can work on reform/ remodel, not a breakdown or over haul with a Gov take over!

So why are you against reform then? You've made it quite clear that you don't want the government putting all those insurance carriers out of business but that isn't what is even happening.

 

[allhart]

And if you actually think your level of wealth in America depends on how hard you work...

I've got this new machine I've developed--well, almost--that eats child molesters, toxic waste, and losing lottery tickets, and spits out uranium, gold and light sweet crude oil at the other end. All I need is some startup capital to produce the first run. Please send cash to my PayPal account, and I'll share my profits with you--honest I will!

Personal virtues aren't for government policy's, Nor is it a Constitutional right!

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

I'm sick of you guys demonizing people for being wealth. Being wealth doesn't make you a greedy person. Get a life! My net-worth isn't based on my self-worth. Ya'll have a personal problem. I have never worked for a poor-man neither. Also personal virtues aren't good policy's for governing the people. Empathy discriminates........

Look, most of the highly rich in America got that way by one or more of the following:

1) being born into money

2) just happening to be in the right place at the right time (perhaps leveraged with some hard/smart work at a key moment)

3) screwing over poor people to amass a fortune at the expense of the rest of the country.

4) getting somewhat wealthy by 1, 2, or 3, then manipulating the political process to get even MORE money (bailouts, anyone?)

5) Just plain luck.

Sorry, but I don't believe any of those makes anyone worthy of their backside being kissed by the public. In fact, there's really no reason they shouldn't be taxed highly, since they're not really performing any "service" other than having a bunch of money, and there are plenty of people who work hard but only have a small fraction of the money the elite who spend the day playing golf have. Indeed, only #2 is, perhaps, worthy of a degree of respect.

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

Personal virtues aren't for government policy's, Nor is a Constitutional right!

So, you're saying government should have no virtues? So basically it only exists to protect the fortunes of the elite?

 

[allhart]

So why are you against reform then? You've made it quite clear that you don't want the government putting all those insurance carriers out of business but that isn't what is even happening.

Lemming most of your response I'm not against. I'm for reform just not a miss guided passion, my friend.... I don't see all rich people as evil, nor do i see all poor people as lazy, However; the middle class are over burden with personal virtues of both, the very poor and corporate/ lobbyist of America.....

 

[allhart]

So, you're saying government should have no virtues? So basically it only exists to protect the fortunes of the elite?

So Hitlers personal virtues of ethnic cleansing was righteous and for the Jews? As Gov. rationing of resources in our health care economy shows. Who do you think will get the budget cut? In the Real world, People!