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What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:21 pm
by thegreekdog
So, people might be getting frustrated by the back and forth between the proponents of the current healthcare plan circiling around and opponents of the plan. For purposes of this thread, let's acknowledge that improvements should be made to the healthcare system in the US. So, what exactly what you do...

Here are mine:

(1) Provide government-run health insurance for those who cannot afford health insurance. Provide guidlines on these income levels that increase with inflation. Permit illegal aliens to enroll in public health insurance without fear of prosecution for being illegal.
(2) Mandate that private health insurance providers provide health insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions and other factors (such as lengthy stays in hospitals). Scrap state restrictions.
(3) Provide for stiff penalties for attorneys and plaintiffs who bring frivolous medical malpractice law suits.
(4) And, to piss off everyone, mandate that insurance must cover abortions, but provide an exception for healthcare providers (such as Catholic hospitals) for religious reasons.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:23 pm
by Night Strike
I thought you already made a thread for this.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 7:58 pm
by PLAYER57832
thegreekdog wrote:So, people might be getting frustrated by the back and forth between the proponents of the current healthcare plan circiling around and opponents of the plan. For purposes of this thread, let's acknowledge that improvements should be made to the healthcare system in the US. So, what exactly what you do...

Here are mine:

(1) Provide government-run health insurance for those who cannot afford health insurance. Provide guidlines on these income levels that increase with inflation. Permit illegal aliens to enroll in public health insurance without fear of prosecution for being illegal.
(2) Mandate that private health insurance providers provide health insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions and other factors (such as lengthy stays in hospitals). Scrap state restrictions.
(3) Provide for stiff penalties for attorneys and plaintiffs who bring frivolous medical malpractice law suits.
(4) And, to piss off everyone, mandate that insurance must cover abortions, but provide an exception for healthcare providers (such as Catholic hospitals) for religious reasons.
I agree, except that either a minimum level of insurance has to be offered universally to everyone, or there has to be a public option to set the "ground floor" of options. (forcing insurers to do better).

While I like the humor expressed in #4, the problem is that most people who claim to be opposed to #4 don't realize how many procedures or the nature of all the procedures included. I have gone into this before, so I won't repeat the details here. Anyway, even Catholic hospitals, if they are public hospitals need to offer true care. Them refusing on religious grounds is no different than if I Jehovah's Witness doctor refused me a blood transfusion because it went against his beliefs. The answer is if you have those beliefs, then you should not be practicing in that field.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:02 pm
by Phatscotty
bantha fodder. It's a much bigger discussion to have about what we want for health care. It's extra simple about what we DONT want. Let's deal with what is in front of us, since the government automatically bypassed OUR IDEAS TO FIX HEALTHCARE in the first place

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:09 pm
by PLAYER57832
Phatscotty wrote:bantha fodder. It's a much bigger discussion to have about what we want for health care. It's extra simple about what we DONT want. Let's deal with what is in front of us, since the government automatically bypassed OUR IDEAS TO FIX HEALTHCARE in the first place
No, sounds too much like its a lot easier to criticize than to come up with something constructive. Sometimes the reason no one listens toi the "peanut gallary" is because everyone in the "peanut gallary" is too busy putting their fingers in their ears and shouting "nya.. nya... stupid ideas."

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:14 pm
by Phatscotty
I will do this with you. But may I ask you, WHAT is the REFORM that is before us NOW. And you can't use what someone "said".

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:17 pm
by PLAYER57832
Phatscotty wrote:I will do this with you. But may I ask you, WHAT is the REFORM that is before us NOW. And you can't use what someone "said".
I cited the original bill, I also paraphrased it in my own words. You choose not to believe me.

As for NOW.... I can cite the original bill, but since Obama has come out dropping the public option... I have no real idea.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:32 pm
by Phatscotty
george soros is loving all this division. the whole thing is ridiculous. I'm sorry but I'm gonna say that the Iraq kool-aid and the Health care cool aid are the same flavor. politics as usual

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:38 pm
by SultanOfSurreal
Phatscotty wrote:since the government automatically bypassed OUR IDEAS TO FIX HEALTHCARE in the first place
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/2 ... 64375.html

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:59 pm
by pimpdave
pimpdave's perfect plan:

1) All people with guns surrender them to all people without guns.
2) All people without guns summarily executed by all people who now have guns.
3) Utopia.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:31 am
by stahrgazer
thegreekdog wrote:Permit illegal aliens to enroll in public health insurance without fear of prosecution for being illegal.
I strongly disagree with any option that provides benefits of any type to illegal aliens. If they want benefits, they should work to become legal and pay taxes like everyone who was born or became citizens must do. Otherwise, statutes like this simply promotes more illegal entries and less motivation to work on correcting that status.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:52 am
by pimpdave
4) Hire this guy to just walk around handing stuff out.

Image
Image

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/08 ... crack.html

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:18 pm
by thegreekdog
So, it's been one day and I've gotten no real serious response. Some intelligent and probably humorous responses and criticisms of my own "plan," but no one has come up with anything else. I'm not sure if no one cares, no one has the time, or no one knows. Probably a combination of those three, although I figured with the amount of healthcare posts in these threads, you guys had the time and energy; and everyone on this site (including myself) think they know best, so... come up with some freaking ideas already.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:24 pm
by mpjh
Medicare for everyone. Tell the insurance companies to find other work.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:14 pm
by sailorseal
mpjh wrote:Medicare for everyone. Tell the insurance companies to find other work.
Right on!

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:08 pm
by Hologram
Slaughter the young and elderly. They'll only serve as liabilities and slow us down. Also, don't be afraid to shoot those you love if they start behaving oddly, especially if they have any unexplained bite marks.


That'll take care of our zombie doctors for sure.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:17 pm
by pimpdave
yes, thanks for reminding me, Hologram, of:

5) Always leave enough room in my inventory screen for the shotgun ammo I'll need to save for welcoming the zombie hordes.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:21 pm
by mpjh
Dementia setting in early, is it?

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:56 am
by PLAYER57832
Simple --
1. have the government set a base line level of care available to everyone, covered by increases in taxes roughly equivalent to the average premium now paid, for middle income people. Wealthier people would pay a bit more, poorer people a bit less. Employers removed from the system.

2. Insurers can offer premium policies. Employers will have the option of providing this, but the benefit will be taxed. Because care is covered by taxes, premium care (not covered by state insurance) will no longer be deductible.

3. Set up a system to collect data on the true effectiveness of various treatments. Use this is form reccomendations

4. Along with #3 set up an on-line disease "key" complete with photos, video when appropriate. It will be modeled after keys used by biologists to help doctors diagnose various issues. Just as in biology, some education will be needed to be able to effectively use the key. However, in time, doctors will spend less time diagnosing and more time curing/preventing.

5.Set up a no-fault insurance system to cover medical errors. Treatments would be fully covered. Some additional funds for things like job losses would be included, but based on a formula set by an independent board (independent of hospitals and patients, but including medical people, ethicists, economists, etc.), not juries.

6.Pay primary care doctors more of a flat rate. Have tests, etc done and processed externally (doctor does not profit). Do pay the doctor a little extra for referrals to specialist. Tie the payment to early diagnosis. If the patient is referred very early, the doctor gets more money. Also have penalties, but reasonable ones (don't blame the doctor if you refuse to see him for 3 years and then wind up with end-stage cancer). They need to be tied in legitimate ways to failures to diagnose, but leave room for the fact that no one is perfect. The idea is to pressure/encourage doctors to improve, not to make good doctors leave or order extra tests because they fear being penalized.

7. Reward doctors, nurses, rather than penalizing them for finding problems.

8.Leave it to the profession to establish what constitutes true negligence and criminality. Those people should be run out of business/ put in jail.

9. Tax certain items directly tied to medical problems. Tobacco, of course. However, also sugar and certain fats. The taxes should be low. The idea is to provide a balance so that the taxes paid help compensate for the costs those items encure. ELIMINATE all subsidies for these products.

10. Expand #9, in some cases to industrial outputs, vehicle emissions, etc. Again, the tax needs to be tied to the damage caused.

There is more, but list is long enough already.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:03 am
by Caymanmew
free heathcare

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:20 am
by jay_a2j
Keep it out of government hands. The rest is cake. ;)

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:58 pm
by PLAYER57832
jay_a2j wrote:Keep it out of government hands. The rest is cake. ;)
Except you need to rephrase that "take it OUT of government hands". The government is already well entrenched in healthcare.

(Research, Medicare, Medicaid, requirements to treat emergencies without proof of payment, regulation of doctors and hospital standards, etc....)

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:47 pm
by jonesthecurl
i suggest just chopping off all the voters hands.

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:46 am
by thegreekdog
Player, one question I have regarding your list... what's the difference between "baseline" and "premium" insurance? I guess my question is a little tongue-in-cheek because baseline insurance, as I understand it, means that a lot of the preventative medical care that those with "premium" insurance get would not be covered under baseline insurance. Kind of defeats the purpose, does it not?

Re: What is YOUR Ideas to Fix Healthcare in the US

Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:11 am
by mpjh
You get a painless death with premium.