tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post3549158009214647188..comments2024-03-28T00:18:25.641-07:00Comments on Calafia Beach Pundit: Thoughts on the failure of Obamacare reformScott Grannishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-38309705722146992452017-03-29T16:18:01.795-07:002017-03-29T16:18:01.795-07:00Health Care reform, Pharmaceuticals: Pass a one pa...Health Care reform, Pharmaceuticals: Pass a one page law stating that a drug company cannot charge any more for their products than the weighted average of what they charge the top ten countries. (PS did you know there is a law on the books prohibiting the US government from negotiating drug costs.)NormanBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05986709079442388236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-59991755425098698482017-03-29T10:52:12.641-07:002017-03-29T10:52:12.641-07:00My monthly premium is $1,100 and my deductible is ...My monthly premium is $1,100 and my deductible is $12,000. That means I must first spend $25,200 (per year!) before the insurance company kicks in the first dime. Waiting for Obamacare to collapse is a noble goal, but I am wondering if my family finances might very well collapse first.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10819253169752929031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-65763867372188684062017-03-27T10:28:15.034-07:002017-03-27T10:28:15.034-07:00Scott
Honestly, the GOP's healthcare reform wa...Scott<br />Honestly, the GOP's healthcare reform was not about healthcare reform, it was about a giant tax cut. It was doom to fail from the very beginning, none of the interested parties were included in its drafting. At any rate, it doesn't matter, healthcare (aside from the basic services) is almost certainly too complicated for the market where the interests of the participants are Frozen in the Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04901959687094626879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-17008258128923431642017-03-27T10:15:05.996-07:002017-03-27T10:15:05.996-07:00Border Tax ? Guaranteed disaster that hobbles the ...Border Tax ? Guaranteed disaster that hobbles the US and allows the command economies and their oligarchic kelptocrats to dominate the global playing space. Richard O'Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10484251192705743078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-50561772371879516062017-03-27T10:11:45.490-07:002017-03-27T10:11:45.490-07:00Obamacare; Once given, never to be taken away. Fre...Obamacare; Once given, never to be taken away. Free market healthcare may be the most dollar efficient but demographics and the less self reliant lower middle class( who, it seems, are alert enough to their own needs to vote) are now on the and tit will not let it go. Richard O'Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10484251192705743078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-40381926030012818462017-03-27T09:35:03.132-07:002017-03-27T09:35:03.132-07:00It's refreshing to see that the market is alre...It's refreshing to see that the market is already moving to replace Obamacare with private sector solutions based on cash, out-of-pocket payments. See this great post on the subject by Mark Perry:<br /><br />http://www.aei.org/publication/an-antidote-for-obamacare-cash-only-medicine-with-transparent-pricing-and-no-insurance-the-future-of-medicine/<br /><br />It's hard to over-estimate theScott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-66344901271035202312017-03-27T00:29:19.757-07:002017-03-27T00:29:19.757-07:00OT fun fact:
Quick, which company has a bigger ma...OT fun fact:<br /><br />Quick, which company has a bigger market cap: Ford, which has radically improved the engineering of its vehicles in the last 15 years and makes terrific pick-up trucks, or Tesla, which is largely yet unproven? <br /><br />Well, yes, Ford has a bigger market cap, but by a smidge. <br /><br />Interesting times! Benjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-39503792742684959252017-03-27T00:13:02.515-07:002017-03-27T00:13:02.515-07:00Scott Grannis: I am all in for a consumption tax, ...Scott Grannis: I am all in for a consumption tax, or a national sales tax. I would add in a gasoline tax, and (with less resolve) Pigou taxes. Yes, eliminate all income taxes, and get federal outlays down to 15% of GDP. Well, I can say these things, but the public has shown no inclination. <br /><br />Friends of mine have used the VA and been satisfied, certainly with the price, ha-ha. Any Benjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-58515102003375012272017-03-26T18:45:06.113-07:002017-03-26T18:45:06.113-07:00Scott I'd imagine you are familiar with the Fa...Scott I'd imagine you are familiar with the Fair Tax plan. Basically a sales tax with a substantial "pre-bate" to everyone to make it progressive. No forms to fill out, just pay sales tax when purchasing. A shortcoming I see is that at some point, those with large incomes simply don't spend all their income. For that reason, I think it would need to be accompanied by a "randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368254229927808998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-68104701388463877022017-03-26T18:09:07.540-07:002017-03-26T18:09:07.540-07:00Benjamin: I suspect you haven't been following...Benjamin: I suspect you haven't been following the numerous scandals surrounding the VA medical system. I shudder to think of the consequences if VA care/single payer were applied to all. Monopolies never work. Free markets always work, if allowed to operate freely. I want my doctor to take care of me as best he can, and I can only trust that he will if he has skin in the game: if he wants myScott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-18534211802253857002017-03-26T17:53:22.458-07:002017-03-26T17:53:22.458-07:00The voting public and our elected officials appear...The voting public and our elected officials appear to like the VA, which is third-party pay. Complete healthcare is provided by the federal government in federal hospitals staffed by federal doctors and nurses, for former federal employees.<br /><br />There is much less free enterprise in the VA than in the Medicare system. 19 million vets out there, 345,000 VA employees.<br /><br />Maybe we needBenjamin Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001038338873263877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-18313959285566680532017-03-26T13:04:17.558-07:002017-03-26T13:04:17.558-07:00Shane: I would argue that capitalism has never had...Shane: I would argue that capitalism has never had a chance to work in the healthcare market, not that it is not designed to work. Unfettered, capitalism and free markets are capable of coming up with lots of innovative (and as yet even unheard of) solutions to the most intractable of healthcare problems. In short, show me a "failure" of free markets and I will show you a market that Scott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-88507913504692088192017-03-26T10:40:22.332-07:002017-03-26T10:40:22.332-07:00Obamacare is not failing because gov't is invo...Obamacare is not failing because gov't is involved. It is failing because Capitalism is not designed to work for something like healthcare where life and death choices (not profit choices) must be made. Open your mind (and heart) and read this: http://www.pragcap.com/why-capitalism-cant-fix-healthcare/Shanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18351212644599139587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-301808735669547722017-03-25T20:13:09.152-07:002017-03-25T20:13:09.152-07:00Scott, Your article highlights perverse tax incent...Scott, Your article highlights perverse tax incentives and gets no argument from me. My comments are toward the only segment of the economy in which there is no price discovery or competition available. <br /> A system of price competition/discovery will be required should we ever rid ourselves of third party payer. <br /> Medical insurance is the only area I am aware of that a claimant cannot Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16542011129307830453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-5065198105908691732017-03-25T15:28:57.192-07:002017-03-25T15:28:57.192-07:00BTW thanks for the 3/2010 link, that was interesti...BTW thanks for the 3/2010 link, that was interesting and informative.randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368254229927808998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-61951989641939016672017-03-25T15:27:29.701-07:002017-03-25T15:27:29.701-07:00There is another angle to the price interference a...There is another angle to the price interference argument that explains my experience (above), but that I don't fully understand. The tests were supposed to be "trivial" costs because it was in-network. But, in the few days between ordered and executed, the third party lab became out of network. Since my insurance plan had no contractual agreement for prices for services, the labrandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368254229927808998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-46483760568702152812017-03-25T14:56:42.638-07:002017-03-25T14:56:42.638-07:00Here's another post of mine that covers both t...Here's another post of mine that covers both the third-party payer problem and how it is that the government decides how much to pay doctors for various services:<br /><br />http://scottgrannis.blogspot.com/2010/03/npr-reveals-roots-of-our-healthcare.html<br /><br />Highly recommended<br />Scott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-28626394574185207232017-03-25T14:49:35.930-07:002017-03-25T14:49:35.930-07:00You need to find a new doctor. You need to find a new doctor. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611472157980344120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-62878544943789853482017-03-25T14:47:48.753-07:002017-03-25T14:47:48.753-07:00I think it's time to revisit one of the main r...I think it's time to revisit one of the main reasons why the healthcare market is so screwed up. I first mentioned this years ago, here: http://scottgrannis.blogspot.com/2010/11/problem-with-healthcare-cont.html<br /><br />The problem is that the vast majority of healthcare expenditures are paid for by third parties. The latest data reveal that a mere 10.5% of healthcare expenditures are paidScott Grannishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14028519647946868684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-82678354871331593812017-03-25T14:24:42.733-07:002017-03-25T14:24:42.733-07:00Reforming medical malpractice law might reduce num...Reforming medical malpractice law might reduce numerous tests done simply out of an "abundance of caution" would also reduce malpractice premiums.<br /> A search engine that allows doctors and patients price transparency on routine tests like MRI's CAT scans, you name it.<br /> Giving insurers a financial incentive to arrange cost savings , remember they are dis-incentivized to makeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16542011129307830453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-17211521171426834682017-03-25T06:10:18.157-07:002017-03-25T06:10:18.157-07:00Side note - I recently went to orthopedic doctor f...Side note - I recently went to orthopedic doctor for counsel on basically tendonitis. He asks to run a routine blood panel to which I ask why but agree. The bill came, over $8000. The provider knocked it down to $3000 of which insurance paid $2500 (against my objection) and I refused to pay my copay. For a completely unnecessary test. randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368254229927808998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-24559186104447452272017-03-25T04:26:55.815-07:002017-03-25T04:26:55.815-07:00The first two comments were SPOT ON, especially th...The first two comments were SPOT ON, especially that you can NEVER take away an entitlement once given so riddle me this; how the HELL do you deal with the "guarantee issue", that is the mandate of forcing insurance companies to sell low cost coverage to preexisting conditions? Answer; you can't. It's tantamount to being 80 yrs old with terminal cancer and being sold low cost stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07387986994469835875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-32709224925671717652017-03-24T18:34:00.491-07:002017-03-24T18:34:00.491-07:00Entitlements are given, not taken away. Health ca...Entitlements are given, not taken away. Health care has been made available to those that can't afford it, and that's here to stay. The only practical path to reduce costs is... the cost. Beneficiaries that don't pay are not going to follow market forces to reduced cost. Fee for services is the problem to solve. randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16368254229927808998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6616959642391988608.post-92098089194251413052017-03-24T16:28:34.176-07:002017-03-24T16:28:34.176-07:00"Here's my recommendation: Let's put ..."Here's my recommendation: Let's put this intractable problem on the back burner; let's let Obamacare continue to fester; and let's wait until the Democrats beg for a solution and join in supporting new and better legislation."<br /><br />Ain't gonna happen.John Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10670015527620779417noreply@blogger.com