Open Thread

Why Medicine Costs Alot:

#1 reason: Government allowed Healthcare Companies to insert themselves between the doctor/patient and the government in Medicare and Medicaid which make up a huge chunk of the healthcare field.
e.g. before the doctor submitted the bill to medicare and got paid.
now the doctor submits the bill to medicare-HMO and gets peanuts while the HMO pockets big bucks. Doctor then raises prices to make up for loss.

#2 OUT OF CONTROL MALPRACTICE LIABILITY:
Start serious tort reform and you will end defensive medicine. Everyone who complains of a back itch gets an MRI at $1,000 a pop. Doctors can’t practice basic medical judgement for fear that they’ll be sued out of their pants.

#3 Medical malpractice insurance industry greed/cost. This is directly linked to the explosion of malpractice cases. The more doctors get sued the higher malpractice costs go up. Doctor fees thus go up.

#4 Medical insurance monopolies. Why is it that in NY you have a choice of about three insurers? GHI, BC/BS or United/Oxford. Allow interstate competition.

#5 Pharmaceutical company costs: this has to be handled on a micro basis with each insurer negotiating cost with the supplier. If Target can offer $4 dollar a month prescriptions why can’t Medicare?

There are more reasons but that’s enough for now.

Finally, the US public has to be educated on what the expectations are of our healthcare system. If every person expects to have the latest bionic leg or organ transplant, they will have to realize that there is a larger out of pocket cost burden expected. Higher copayments or deductables for instance.
By the way, it was recently announced that our life expectancy here in the US has increased again.

The chong quing spicy chicken is spicier than the ma po tofu. That’s the dish that’s about 50% hot peppers.

If you can’t make it to the West Village McDonalds you can use the terlet at the police station near the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop.

My brother (the teacher) ans sister-in-law (the republican) always had cats with beer names…Killian, Murphy, Foster and Porter.

They just adopted two new kittens, Fergal & Murray. Anyone know the relevance without googling?

What was that spicy dish that we had today DIBS? I think I’m going to have to go to the West Village McDonalds

“What was MM’s topic yesterday? ”

i didn’t read the whole thread, but it was basically about that book that talked about the regentrification of brownstone brooklyn – but only really talked about park slope and white “brownstoners” and didn’t touch on bed stuy, crown heights, etc and the role of the black homeowners in those neighborhoods.

(correct me if i’m wrong, bxgrl)