Industries Hurt Most by Soaring Health Costs

Why is the author still using the number of 47 million uninsured Americans???? By now, we all know this number not only is inaccurate but it purposefully reported even though authors' know it is incorrect!

Jason of NC 1:15PM December 24, 2009

RE: Healthcare Workers overpaid? by, HN of NJ:

Quote:

"Using professional athletes or entertainers for comparison is fallacious. To start with, a pro athlete has a certain natural talent. A pro athlete is one that makes it to the top floor that has very limited room."

-It's hard to disagree with the natural talent of pro athletes or the fierce competition for limited room. However, using athletes and entertainers is actually a perfect comparison. Heaven forbid you or any loved one ever is in need of surgery, has to consult a Doctor about an illness, or anything in between. Life doesn't always go as planned however, and if you needed to deal with any medically trained staff, I think you will often find(Not always, but there are some less than impressive athletes and entertainers too, drawing the comparison closer) that they are talented people dedicated to helping others, and if you think that a cardiac surgeon doesn't need natural talent, then maybe you or I should consider performing some triple bypasses?

"The room for doctors is only restricted by the bogus roadblocks placed by AMA. "

-I'd have liked at least one example of a "bogus roadblock" placed by the AMA(American Medical Association). Assuming that you are referring to the difficulty of becoming a licensed physician allowed to care for the ill and prescribe powerful drugs, you must realize that an incompetent doctor could ruin the lives of dozens, if not hundreds of families. Malpractice insurance rates should attest that many people already think too many doctors are incompetent. The AMA is trying to make sure you or I get the best.

"A pro athlete provides a auxiliary service (entertainment) that is voluntarily consumed while a doctor provides a basic necessity.

A more apt comparison is with a skilled technician (training and licensing aspects) or with Teachers, Policemen and Firefighters (public good, basic necessity aspects)."

-The best way to prove a bad comparison IS to find a better one, but you didn't. There are literally dozens, if not hundreds of professions that could fall under the title "skilled technician" depending on your criteria. None of them are caring for people's lives or cause such harm when they fail. I wouldn't use those public servants you mentioned in your comparison: public opinion is already that they're grossly UNDER paid for their services. Using them as example that someone else is OVER paid doesn't make sense to most people.

"Finally, Can someone explain to me why a crummy bed in a small shared room a hospital costs over 5 times that of a suite in a 5 star hotel? Mind you, this is only hospital cost (not costs of any tests conducted or any physician service cost which are billed separately)."

-A common complaint I'm afraid. Basically, insurance providers fight to not pay, and patients denied coverage can't pay. So other already burdened patients have to cover for it in the room charge. A good example of costs from the system itself.

A. Webb of MO 3:06PM October 28, 2009

I pay for health insurance. The costs have gone up so much, that we can't afford to pay the co-payments. The percentage owed from illnesses has been a pain on my family to pay for.

I have not been to a doctor in two years. I can't afford to go. We are paying for care we already received and follow up cancer care for my wife. Who knows if there is a condition that is not being dealt with.

I have a family history of glaucoma and early diagnosis. Yet, I can't afford to treat it. I know that if this does not change, I will go blind.

Hospital trauma centers are threatening to close because so much expensive care is not paid for.

Even with insurance, medical care is too expensive. A lot of people are not getting the care they need and I am one of them.

The care th

Walter of WI 5:02PM September 15, 2009

For partmary of MT: Only doctors have to be 100% right 100% of the time. Imagine if you could be sued every time you made even a minor mistake at your job. Malpractice award caps are only a first step. States or the feds need to make it harder for lawyers to bring frivolous lawsuits. In many states, licensing agencies look at the number of suits against an individual, not just judgment amounts. A doctor with 3 lawsuits that were baseless and decided in favor of the doctor are nonetheless 3 black eyes, whereas another doctor with a gross error and significant judgement only suffers one black eye to his or her reputation and ability to earn a living. To get a criminal conviction, a prosecutor must get 12/12 jurors (100%) to say guilty. A plaintiff's lawyer only has to offer a theory that is more reasonable than that of the defendant doctor's attorney (51%). Caps alone don't reduce the jeapordy doctors face.

For John of FL: The assertion that healthcare workers are overpaid while others suffer is preposterous. Have you looked at the salaries of professional actors and athletes lately? What would happen if we took a budding quarterback out of high school, made him spend 8 years and take out over $100,000 in loans before he could play a single moment in a professional game. Then make him play over 40 hours a week (not counting practice) and limit his pay to about $125,000/year for a primary care physician. Then tell him that he can be sued by fans for every interception, sack, loss of yardage, or incomplete pass. How many QBs would you have then? Take most doctors' salaries and divide by the number of hours they ACTUALLY work in a year (many work 60 or more hours a week) and you'll see that some doctors make less per hour than an assembly line worker. When you have your heart attack at 3 in the morning, you'll be glad that most healthcare workers are in it to help people and not for the pay!!!

Tom of PA 12:42AM September 10, 2009