Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

CaptainKirk — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:04:32 GMT

Back to the point of the cost and what is going to happen.

First, companies will stop providing insurance as a benefit.

Second, people will simply stop being insured.

Third, even people like me will stop paying for insurance. Right now, for the three of us, we pay over $1,300/month for insurance. The prescriptions for my daughters asthma are ridiculous. We have cut

out and replaced what we could (at 9 years of age, she takes 2 grams of Vitamin C, plus 6 other supplements every single day, divided doses).

In december, we are considering dropping our health insurance. At this price, it is 15,600/year.

Because of our beliefs, we would never use the conventional (covered) treatment for MOST SERIOUS illnesses... So, other than pure tragedy, why do we pay so much? Our daughter sees her doctor twice a year. Me, maybe once a year. My wife is twice a year.

Financially, we think it is a BIG WASTE of money to get pretty low-quality (and SLOW because of FL)

service. I am crunching the numbers. We are calculating what we can get the doctors fees for without

insurance, as well as any prescriptions and blood work. So far, we think it will cost us about 2,500 out of pocket over what we pay right now (out of pocket)...

But I like the HSA/Catastrophe Idea people mentioned. I will factor that in.

THANKS to all.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

nutritionpower — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:13:49 GMT

I see a lot of indication about "heatlh personaly responsbility" in this blog, but NONE about the doctors stuck with the "pharma guidelines." There are perfectly healthy people like my husband who go to the doctor and have an LDL of over 100 who are put on statin drugs which are expensive. (My husband was not put on plain old Simva but on Vytorin because it of course is still on patent). My husband won't listen to me in spite of the big expose on it on the news because " if it wasnt' safe, his doctor wouldn't give it to him." My husband eats right and exercises daily. Very few people have an LDL under 100 without drugs. (Depending on the doc, the current LDL goal is 70-100. Perfectly healthy people are given boniva and other bisphosphonates for "osteopenia' or "osteoporosis" My perfectly healthy mom was given bisphosophonates (foxomax) 20 years ago just because she was too thin to "prevent osteoporosis" You can imagine what happened. This perfectly healthy woman who never got sick and never got sick at all, is now debiliated with horrible scoliosis and osteoporosis . Then they gave her an IV bisphosphonate and it nearly killed her. Without alternative medicine,she would be dead today. All of these treatments were not because of poor self care but because of "pharmaceutical prevention." I would imagine that all of us would pay much less for health insurance without all these expensive drugs. Insurance in many cases won't pay for even one hour of nutrition ed (what I do), and many patients are never referred even if eligible. So they don't know what to really do. Yes, people are going to pay the price for living on fast foods and bologna sandiwches, but what is running up health insurance are these megabuck medicines. Many patients are not even given the chance to pursue diet and exercise. Lastly, I spend 500 bucks a month on supplements and an organic food diet, but I still need health insurance in case I have a car accident, am shot etc etc. Sad but true.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Dulu — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:04:26 GMT

This is in responce to Tom T. Save the political b.s. for another forum. I subscribe to this forum and website for health information not Left Wing b.s. that I feel you people cannot substantiate without lies and half truths.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

ET — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:03:05 GMT

Maybe Business should just join the rest of us in trying to get the FDA, and Big Paharma off our backs about alternative health care, and the herbs and other organic items we try and use to be healthier.

Go to the lunch room in any company to see the candy machines, pop machines, Coffee pots, and microwave ovens. They can't *** too much, as they contribute to the problem. Hell I see the same thing in the cafeteria of hospitals. Fast food crap, and all the diet soda you want. Then they will be happy to cut something out because it's not working right any longer, or give you a script for some Big Pharma poison that will attack your body else where. DUH!

To borrow a line from a Tom Hanks movie, "I don't get it"

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

fredh — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:41:36 GMT

Health care insurance is very expensive, if you are lucky enough to get it, not all small companies can afford health care insurance. one of the problems in this country is we have to many government employees, and they get fabulous health care benefits plus all there perks. So those who can not afford health care, every time you pay taxes, weather it income ,home, sales taxes, you are supporting government employees. If uou work for the private sector you can not retire till you are 62 years of age, government employees can retire after 20 years foe the military and cops, school teachers after 25 years and federal employees . There pensions start the day they retire,we the private sector is 37 trillion dollars in debt on government pensions (fed, state, and local ).In the county I live in we have a county commissioner who retire from the postal service ,his pension is 60,000$ per year, his salary as commissioner is 60,000$ per year,we are paying him 120,000 dollars per year . If you can not afford health care, aren't you glad they can.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

springolife — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:34:33 GMT

Health insurance costs ARE a problem for companies and employees. My husband has been stuck in the same bad company for 10 years because all the better salaried/better companies offer worse insurance. In our situation (special needs kids and other special health issues for he and I that are NOT able to be treated with exercise and good diets) we cannot do without medical insurance and private policies charge more then is possible to pay (for lousy policies!!) At one point our health insurance went up more then %100 from one year to the next! thankfully the company did not re-sign with them and found better rates with a new company.

I do hope that the new president helps the US to get a better system of healthcare/health insurance. If he/she does, it will put this president in the books as one of the most influential presidents in US history.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Music7ed — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:10:10 GMT

Hi! I'm new to this forum and wanted to comment on health care in Canada. My husband comes from the province of New Brunswick, from near the capital, Fredericton. Most of his family is still there. Gerry and I have been married for 32 years, and for all those 32 years I have been appalled at the quality of health care in that area. Many years ago, on one of our visits, we saw that my sister-in-law 's legs were very swollen. We insisted she see the doctor. Well, the doctor wanted blood tests, and my sister-in-law had to go to the hospital for that; she couldn't get an appointment in under two weeks. She has been tryiing to find the source of pain in her side for more than 2 years. She has to wait for months to get X-rays, more months for a CT scan, and even more for an MRI. And still no diagnosis. Doctors are leaving for more lucrative practices in the United States. Half the rooms in the hospital in Fredericton are closed, and the hospital is being run primarily by nurses. Many of the doctors who remain are not taking new patients, so people wait for 12 hours or more in the emergency room. I also saw a video about a man in -- I think -- Ontario who was told he had to wait something like four months for an MRI of his brain. He made his way to the United States to get an MRI right away. Good thing, too. Had he waited four months, he would have been dead of a brain tumor. Now, I realize that there are areas in this country that experience some of these problems, and I recognize that our medical system needs to be overhauled. However, I am in no way in favor of universal health care, certainly not government-run universal health care. Perhaps we should go back to the really olden days, when people paid doctors what they could afford -- maybe even chickens and apples.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Celo78 — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:05:10 GMT

My thoughts...

-The biggest problem is that we are all one crisis away from being bankrupt....that is why we should have insurance.

- If we let government take over health care, than we are truly going to have a lot of problems.

- INSURANCE companies are slime...they are one of the biggest reasons our health care is the way it is. They charge people more and more EVERY year, yet doctors get payed less and less and less for what they do. The best doctors in the world are shutting their doors because they can't afford to keep their doors open. This is a disgrace.

- Someone needs to stop these insurance companies..they are OUT of control. There is no reason the CEO's of these companies make 60+ million dollar BONUSES on top of their salary, while these companies are busy denying people the care they need. It's all about the $$$. It always is.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

curious7 — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:04:44 GMT

If these giant companies would give things like health spa memberships, and make stress management apart of what they are all about, and like Google if they offer a cafeteria on site go to the employees for good suggestions and offer the same. Fresh whole fruits, vegetables, etc. Make work pleasant instead of the horror that it is today whereever possible, and healthcare spending will go down. Now here is the rub, we have to allow the consumer to choose how his/her healthcare dollars will be spent. Regular, of alternative.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

KelleyEidem — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:55:15 GMT

Asking health care to fix this huge problem is a bit like a rabbit asking a hawk to not clamp down so hard. It might be time to stop asking the 'hawk' not to devour us.

One of the reasons health care costs so much is that the treatments are dangerous...and unhealthy. These factors make health care costs extremely high.

If we want to reduce your health care costs, we need to use treatments that are not dangerous. That means excluding FDA-approved drugs, etc.

Time and again, I've seen people rid themselves of their health problems for well under $100. I cured my own stage 4 cancer for about $10.

The answers are obvious...unless we want to hang out with the hawk...he can eat you slow or eat you fast, but in the end the hawk will eat you.

The best to you.

Kelley Eidem, author

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

discuss2understand — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:43:36 GMT

I try my best to follow Dr. Mercola's and others' prescription (good food, sleep, sun, especially meditation, etc.) for good health and it works! I see a doctor for routine maintenance only so my insurance company will be happy, however, I pay an outrageous insurance premium. Where is the benefit to those of us who follow good habits? All the alternative health solutions I use are not covered.

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Heather Marsh — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:13:37 GMT

Health Insurance in Australia is quite different obviously.

Above a certain level of income every income earner pays a medicare levy of roughly 1.5% of their taxable income, and if they have no private health insurance and their income exceeds another level they pay an additional percentage.

For more complete coverage and the lower rate of medicare levy we need to obtain at least private coverage for hospital care. (and I still do not understand why dental care is an optional extra!!)

A few Private Health Insurance companies now offer alternative health care and preventative medicine in the electable options in 'extras'.

I believe they are finally getting the message that the mainstream approach is not neccessarily the best one. The fact that preventative medicine and dietician consults are not part of the main coverage simply means that it is not yet fully accepted that 'a stitch in time saves nine!'

Once more consumers and the health care industry accept that message there will certainly be more emphasis on building better health- and a less heavy need for 'Unhealth Care'

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Jinny — Sat, 31 May 2008 12:46:29 GMT

I don't care for our systems either, but until each person takes full responsibility for their own health how can it change? We all know the average American does not exercise, eat whole foods, sleep enough, get sun exposure, or reduce stress in their lifes. The key is responsibility, education and prevention.

www.sharethecause.com/reducetoxinsnow

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

MITCHIND — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:16:37 GMT

in the USA your government at state and federal level do not care. Your givernment and thus you also alow you to be screwed. Do a web search on the the " PBS scheme Australia" , that the pharmaceutical beneftis scheme and you big pharma guys hate it.

Here the government says if we are subsidising drugs then we want a good price. Our taxes are much the same as yours, so dont say only high tax countries can have good health care. Your nedicaid is stupid enough to pay full price for drugs whilst private hospitals chanin get good deals. in a time article 2-3 years ago, it said this stupidity cost just through medicaid around usd 700,000

We are a high ltigiating country too, but many operations here are 1/2 the cost of in the USA

Socrates 2500 years ago said people get the government they deserve and your peak presidential vote is 63% turnout, so scare the pants off them and everyone vote.

Get a few rcealls going like what happened to Grey davis is CA at as many levels as you can.

you spend 14% of gdp on healthcare and live 2-3 years shorter than the vaerage australian does, and we spend 8% of gdp.

wake up, write and complain to the local politician, snow them under with communicatiosn and thye will start to wake up if thye want to stay in.

Encourage all to vote in elections and give the outisders ago. I see doctor mercola likes Ron Paul, if he got a high % then that would send big signal

You are being screwe on healthcare and so much else. reagan screwed education, also screwed the CARTER MILAGE TARGETS. iMAGE IF THYE HAD STAYED IN HOW MUCH MORE FUEL WOULD BE IN THE WORLD.

WE HAVE TO BEHAVE IN A SAPIENT WAY TO BE HOME SAPIENS

re: Health Care Costs Threaten American Businesses

Yonatan777 — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:17:12 GMT

I think health care costs are out of control, but still has anyone weighed the difference in taxes from these countries with good health care compared to the United States? I mean in Canada, you get taxed 45% alone. In the end, you still pay less or the same in the USA, even with the health insurance costs. However, seeing what a mess our country is with visiting a doctor and having certain thigns not covered, the high expense of medicine, and just the general complacency of money hungry doctors, I don't believe our system is working for our benefit. Perhaps, the greedy cycle is bound to oblivion, where costs just keep rising with lack of competition and the mentality of get as much as you can from the patient, rather than do what you can do to heal the patient. I am actually sick of the mentality of most doctors, there attitude usually shows themselves more eager for the golf game then the next patient. Of course, I am not sayign all American doctors are like this yet. I just met my share.