The AMERICAN HEALTHCARE ACT is Replacing the Affordable Care Act - aka Obamacare.

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: TinfoilTP

Medicine is always going to be very expensive.

If nothing ever changed then you would be correct.
Things did just change though, and his name is Trump.

Ever go for a checkup, see the actual doctor for all of a few brief minutes and get charged a few hundred dollars? That is 6000 dollars an hour. At 40hrs a week/52 weeks a year, your average doctor, not surgeon or specialist, is billing 12.48 million a year at those charged rates. Now the doctor isn't taking that home, but we the people are getting screwed at that rate when we walk in the office for mundane routine checkups. If they screw you before they find something wrong, the rest is going to be a screwjob guaranteed if they find something wrong with you.

Health care is a scam in this country and everybody knows it. Instead of the government legalizing this scam it should be protecting the people from this scam. Everybody needs coverage but rates need to go down also, same with the cost of prescriptions.

a reply to: carewemust

Well for your sake, I hope you are never down on your luck or get seriously ill.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

Yes health insurance is a scam as is medical equipment... the best remedy for it? Single payer.

a reply to: carewemust

I see you continue to comment and opine on a program you have not taken the time to read, let alone comprehend or understand.

originally posted by: Kali74
I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in Feb. 2016... I've been unable to work since then. My FMLA has run out and it is unlikely that I will ever be able to return to work. Luckily, my state has amazing state healthcare that I really hope won't be effected by this nonsense, because I will literally die without it.

During my 1st treatment last year, I was put on 4 rounds of chemo... each round consisted of 3 days of infusion, the 1st day was 1 6 hour drip of Cisplatin and Etoposide plus steroids, anti-nausea drugs and the fluids the chemo had to drip through. Day one of each round was 30,000 dollars... not a typo. Can anyone tell me what a 14,000 dollar tax credit is supposed to do towards that?

Cisplatin = $19.67 per 50ml.
Etoposide = $6.11 per 50 ml.
Prednisone (chemotherapy steroid) = $49 per 30 ml.
Zofran (anti nausea) one 4mg pill = 0.80 cents.

... but not in the US.

For example, the cost for eight weeks of chemo treatment in New Zealand is between $100 to $30,000 NZ.

This is equivalent to $69 US to $20,973 US.

I suspect that the US 'healthcare' industry needs to be regulated.

a reply to: chr0naut

It very much does need to be regulated but good luck with that conversation.

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: carewemust

A vast majority of Trump voters voted to repeal Obamacare but wanted to keep the Affordable Care Act.

Huh?

Is that one of those racist dog-whistle thingies?

a reply to: Bone75

Why? Did you hear something?

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: TinfoilTP

Yes health insurance is a scam as is medical equipment... the best remedy for it? Single payer.

Let's imagine an analogy,

If your State only offered one car insurance provider, made it illegal to shop out of State, and forced you to have insurance, then subsidized the cost with tax payer money, guess what that would do to premium cost...factor in that every auto repair facility was going to be guaranteed paid by this one insurance company at prices they set into the government insurance act.

Could you compare that cost to changing to a system of open market competition pricing and believe it would cost the same?

Would the Insurers find auto repair shops willing to charge less to gain more business and in turn to drive down insurance prices so that insurers can beat their competition to gain more customers?

The Market needs to be an important factor not pure Socialist structure. Take the market out and you get crap, take all social programs out and you get crap, there needs to be a balance and Obamacare tipped it too heavily towards socialism.

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: carewemust

Heartless pieces of sht. The only thing I agree with is removing the mandate.

They should do what Japan does, everyone pays into the the national health plan. It's based upon their gross income. No one pays over 7000 US dollars a year. It has a 30% patient cost and the govt. picks up the 70% balance. NO DEDUCTIBLE like you have in the States. All people must join. If you are over here short term, maybe 90 days or less, one might be exempt, but you have to pay for any services upfront. Yes, far as I know they ( doctors or hospitals maybe don't have to treat you) kind of a sticky issue on this. Some hospitals will say, language, or even no beds. Whatever, one should have travel insurance anyway when going out of their country. AIU is probably the most famous one.
Anyway, tax credits don't mean nothing. Just have everyone pay based upon their gross income. And have a backup system to. Also you have private insurance that one can buy for the 30% deductible. Not a perfect system, but it works. My income is next to none and I only pay about $22USD a month for the national health insurance and that also includes dental coverage. (some exclusions apply).

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: carewemust

Well for your sake, I hope you are never down on your luck or get seriously ill.

Other than wishing me good tidings, why do you say that, Kali74?

a reply to: musicismagic

I think the standard of living in Japan is higher than here in the USA... Over here, paying 30% of their medical bills would bankrupt a lot people.

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
Way to be a f-ing jerk you heartless piece of shiz. I normally don't say things like this but I hope your next trip to the store involves a car wreck.

Thanks. You just reminded me to go apply my #BlackLivesSplatter bumper sticker.

originally posted by: chr0naut

originally posted by: Kali74
I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in Feb. 2016... I've been unable to work since then. My FMLA has run out and it is unlikely that I will ever be able to return to work. Luckily, my state has amazing state healthcare that I really hope won't be effected by this nonsense, because I will literally die without it.

During my 1st treatment last year, I was put on 4 rounds of chemo... each round consisted of 3 days of infusion, the 1st day was 1 6 hour drip of Cisplatin and Etoposide plus steroids, anti-nausea drugs and the fluids the chemo had to drip through. Day one of each round was 30,000 dollars... not a typo. Can anyone tell me what a 14,000 dollar tax credit is supposed to do towards that?

I suspect that the US 'healthcare' industry needs to be regulated.

Obamacare TRIED to regulate part of the U.S. healthcare industry, by cutting pay to doctors and hospitals, for services provided. Those doctors and hospitals merely stopped accepting patients who had/have Obamacare.

Here in the Chicago area, 40% of doctors, and (roughly) 25% of hospitals won't see/accept you, if all you've got is ObamaCare health insurance.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

Obama tipped it toward corporatism (the GOP plan makes it worse) not socialism.

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: musicismagic

I think the standard of living in Japan is higher than here in the USA... Over here, paying 30% of their medical bills would bankrupt a lot people.

There are reasonable caps on everything here. Other then major surgery, most people seem to get by, even me with a very limited income. So far anyway. Example: cost about 5 bucks for 3 months of medication for me due to my income. Wife is about 60 bucks a month for her medication and about 60 bucks a month for a hospital visit including some test.
Really, the only way it works is if the govt. says, this is all a doctor can charge. And them charges are set by the govt. In this rare case, the govt here is actually the peoples friend and not so much on the big businesses friends side.

a reply to: carewemust

I think I would rather pay 2.5% of my income to the government than 30% surcharge on top of my premium.

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: TinfoilTP

Obama tipped it toward corporatism (the GOP plan makes it worse) not socialism.

Ok then, you are delusional I will leave it at that.

a reply to: musicismagic

In theory, price controls would work. In practice, America will not go that route. I can't even envision Democrats telling Dr. Welby that he can only charge $25,000 for heart-bypass surgery.

Am I understanding this correctly...?

I have no healthcare. I do not plan on signing up for healthcare in the near future, many years hopefully.

Until I do sign up I will not be penalized?

No stances or fighting with anyone intended. I just want to know if that's how this is being interpreted.