We are all health care consumers.

[Atticus]

Doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics---these are health care providers.

We need insurance companies to act as go-betweens because_________________?__________________.

I'll wait-------------

[Barack_America]

Corporations need to suck blood from us at every turn?

And if we deny them one feeding, the whole house of cards might collapse?

:shrug:

[dschis]

2. We need to de-personify these organizations

These paper entities are killing us and trying for the whole world. Maybe the Chinese have it right

[Captain Hilts]

1. True. And it's NOT a free market at all. Not even close. nt

[kenny blankenship]

17. What's wrong with being a consumer? This arrangement looks pretty cozy:

[dschis]

3. for one thing. I hate the word consumer

I and the other here are people. Consumer started as pretty decent word, but it has been bastardized by the goons on Wall Street.

I remember the days when doctors worked with a lot less staff and worked a lot longer hours because they cared. There are a lot medical professionals in the business just for profit and put thier oath way down the list. Call it insurance, lawyers or bad patients.

I have a list of what's wrong, but insurance companies, for a start, should not be for profit organizations.

Eliminate that and Blue Cross could get it's rates back in line. If you wanted private entiites to handle health care.

Britain, France and Germany have the right idea. I've to some hospital over there and they aren't bad at all. I don't like the ones the Church runs though

[kenny blankenship]

18. You have a job, you have a role in this system. It's been carefully worked out for your benefit

You just elected the people who designed this for you. What right have you to complain?
Know your place.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

4. Who told you that you needed them as a go between?

[Atticus]

5. Obviously, I don't think we do. Thus, let's just enact single-payer and get on with

economic recovery.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Sounds like they may have something by 2015.

[Atticus]

7. Obviously, I don't think we do. Thus, let's just enact single-payer and get on with

our economic recovery.

[Atticus]

8. Dupe , please delete

[Fumesucker]

14. Umm.... Congress just passed mandates..

Seems like insurance companies as "go betweens" is about to become law.

BOHICA

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

15. Possibly. In the future. I was speaking about the current situation.

[slipslidingaway]

6. Profits for investors ....

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/transcript2.html

"...DR. SIDNEY WOLFE: Here's an example of what David's talking about. Over the last 30 plus years there have been maybe two and a half, three times more doctors and nurses. Pretty much in proportion with the growth in population. There are 30 times, 3-0 times more health administrators. These people are not doctors. They're not nurses. They're not pharmacists. They're not providing care. Many of them are being paid to deny care. So, they are fighting with the doctors, with the hospitals to see how few bills can be paid. That's how the insurance industry thrives by denying care, paying as little out as it can, getting the healthiest patients, and yet getting reimbursed as though these patients were sicker than they really are.

So, it's a system that is guaranteed to waste a lot of money. And what we've said is that the amount of money that's just being wasted in one year is enough to pay for more than enough of the premiums for those that are uninsured and the people that are underinsured. So, it's not a matter of bringing more money. I mean, the industry is now saying, "We could save $2 trillion over the next ten years. Let us. Trust us. We will lower our costs and everything." The amount that can be saved over the next ten years by just eliminating the health insurance industry is $4 trillion, in one fell swoop..."

[kath]

16. Great quote - you should post it as an OP.

[Sinti]

10. Well, it depends on how you define "insurance company"

An insurance of any kind is based on a simple principle. Many people put some of their money together, and when one person needs it it's there, combined with other people's money, to take care of the problem. In this system there is basically always a little surplus of cash - it's like a group emergency fund. It's not a 20th, or even a 19th century invention, they had different names back in the day - often ending in "society".

The problem is, PROFIT and lots and lots of it. A non-profit insurance company would be the perfect answer, if everyone who was able was willing to toss in just a bit more for those who can't afford to. Given that almost every American needs this service (only the very rich don't need it), the government is probably the best place to organize this kind of cooperative action.

[Atticus]

11. Agree. nt

[dschis]

12. Very elegant...n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

13. Somebody has to donate to the campaigns of the people who sell us out.