Be nice to people. This changes the whole environment.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
No. of Recommendations: 1
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-mark-cu...When Cuban asked what healthcare should look like, his answer was intentionally retro. "Hypothetically, it should look like 1955," he wrote. "Patients go to providers for care. Providers provide that care. Patients get a bill and if they can afford it, they pay that bill. That's it."
In his view, everything else is secondary. "The ONLY question in healthcare should be ‘How should care for people who can't afford to pay for their care be paid?'" he wrote. The rest, he suggested, is noise layered onto a transaction that used to be straightforward.
No. of Recommendations: 2
When Cuban asked what healthcare should look like, his answer was intentionally retro. "Hypothetically, it should look like 1955," he wrote. "Patients go to providers for care. Providers provide that care. Patients get a bill and if they can afford it, they pay that bill. That's it."
Talked to some friends who are currently working in Singapore. They say health care is commoditized over there with transparent pricing.
No. of Recommendations: 2
That’s disappointing. So folks pay until everything they have is gone, then they might get help? Not a society I want.
No. of Recommendations: 0
So folks pay until everything they have is gone, then they might get help? Not a society I want.
Remember "Plan Steve to save Medicare and Social Security"? The essence of the plan is only people too broken up and feeble for the "JCs" to extract any more work from should be allowed to retire. Anyone who is able bodied does not receive an SS pension, regardless of age, and able bodied people are required to continue working to receive Medicare coverage, regardless of age.
The right wing nutters have been reading my posts again!
From the net sifter, because I don't find a link that summarized Shapiro's statements:
Yes, Ben Shapiro has stated that "no one in the United States should be retiring at age 65," viewing retirement as generally "stupid" unless due to health issues, arguing it's fiscally unsustainable for Social Security to support decades of retirement and suggesting people should work longer, reflecting conservative views on re-engineering entitlement programs
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Key Points from Shapiro's Stance:
Retirement is "Stupid": He believes that working until 65 and then stopping is a flawed concept, especially given increasing lifespans.
Fiscally Unsustainable: Shapiro argues it's not financially feasible for Social Security to pay benefits for 20+ years after a 45-year career.
Health-Dependent: He suggests that significant retirement should only occur if someone has a health problem, not as a standard life stage.
Work Longer: His position aligns with efforts to adjust retirement ages to ensure program solvency, encouraging people to work well past traditional retirement age.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 1
Talked to some friends who are currently working in Singapore. They say health care is commoditized over there with transparent pricing.
Compulsory health savings, mandatory insurance, and a safety net. Everyone's covered. Expensive place to live.
No. of Recommendations: 1
What work will people be doing in the future, given advances in automation and robotics? Sure there will be many jobs/professions that remain, but many others will be gone.
Yes, Ben Shapiro has stated that "no one in the United States should be retiring at age 65," viewing retirement as generally "stupid" unless due to health issues, arguing it's fiscally unsustainable for Social Security to support decades of retirement and suggesting people should work longer, reflecting conservative views on re-engineering entitlement programs
No. of Recommendations: 1
I didn't read Cuban's comments that way. Perhaps I was being generous. It seemed to me that he was saying that people that can afford care pay their own, and the rest of us get treatment anyway (via government, most likely).
I use Cost Plus Drugs. I have a script that costs something like $135 with insurance. At Cost Plus, it's about $35 including shipping. No insurance.
Medical services are incredibly opaque here, as Dope alluded to. Very difficult to determine what you have to pay, and some places don't take you if you don't have insurance (i.e. no "non-insurance price"). Our system is a mess.
No. of Recommendations: 2
“ I didn't read Cuban's comments that way. Perhaps I was being generous. It seemed to me that he was saying that people that can afford care pay their own, and the rest of us get treatment anyway (via government, most likely).”
You and I would be ones that can afford it, would we not? Until we couldn’t…
A friend is on a “last resort” chemo pill. Costs about $27k/month. He retired from a state gov job, so he’s covered.
No. of Recommendations: 5
You and I would be ones that can afford it, would we not? Until we couldn’t…
I get your point. However, so far, Cuban has wanted to make it affordable. That's what he did with Cost Plus. I didn't see a detailed plan laid-out in that article. I'm speculating as to his plan (if he has one). A guess, get rid of insurance, establish criteria for which people get government care. Or perhaps make it a progressive criteria, like taxes. A $100 doctor's visit, you and I pay our own. A $27K pill, assuming the drug company is able to charge that under a new system, it would be paid for us. Again, just a guess.
When I see stuff like the $27K pill, I always remember my situation. In 2019 I had a serious procedure. I managed to come out mostly intact. I saw the bill the hospital submitted to insurance. It was something like $165K. The first thing insurance did was to apply the "contracted discount", and brought it instantly to around $39K. Right there, there's a problem. Did the hospital just eat $126K?? I don't think so. They would never have contracted to that. The hospital was able to accept $39K and still be in business. Somebody just made up that $165K number. That's a big part of what's wrong with care today.
Get insurance companies out of it, and they'd never submit such a bill because they know only people like Bill Gates could pay it.
No. of Recommendations: 2
A partial future?
https://youtu.be/pxmgcvAOfIw?si=eQjKy5pkrCLeHG15NBC news:
What was a niche aspect of medical care just a few years ago has exploded to thousands of practices across the country. In direct primary care, medical providers don’t take insurance. Instead, their patients pay a monthly subscription fee. In exchange they get easier access, longer appointments, and continuity of care from the same provider. NBC News’ Anne Thompson reports on the doctor, and his patients, who says it’s a better way to practice medicine.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Medical services are incredibly opaque here, as Dope alluded to.
When I got hired by the Gov, it was easy to determine the best health plan, they even distributed a spreadsheet comparing the different plans with references to attached explanations after 10 years it got harder, no simple spread sheet was offered, you had to dig, then it became impossible to compare them. You might spend hours on the phone trying to ascertain answers and the answers weren't clarifying. The health plans didn't like us shopping for the best plan it seems, and obscured it.
I once tried to determine if any of the plans would cover my existing meds, and could not determine that, and compare plans.
Before I retired I visited a health fair to determine if any plans would cover me overseas. I was surprised that most plans didn't seem to, or the reps didn't know, and couldn't explain. I kept my plan because if you left after retirement, you couldn't get back on. I still have that plan.
No. of Recommendations: 3
A friend is on a “last resort” chemo pill. Costs about $27k/month. He retired from a state gov job, so he’s covered.
And what's chagrining to us is that we took Gov jobs for the stability vs higher pay in the private sector. Now, retired, having that medical plan gives my wife a huge boost up with a reasonable charge. But who knew when I started out that would become that valuable? The AMA screwed everyone.
No. of Recommendations: 3
That’s disappointing. So folks pay until everything they have is gone, then they might get help? Not a society I want.
Right on. Totally irrational system. The care should be available and affordable so that nobody can go broke paying for it.
"Hypothetically, it should look like 1955,
This is simply a statement without any moral, social, or economic center of gravity. A freestanding declaration without which he has no case.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Gosh this makes so much sense.
There was no Medicare nor Medicaid in 1955 so we can definitely save a lot of money by eliminating those programs.
Depending when in 1955 he's talking about, there might not be any polio vaccine available, since that was first announced on April 12, 1955.
No MRI machines, no CAT scans, no PET scans. Gonna save a ton of money there, too.
Miraculous life saving cancer drugs that cost tens of thousands per infusion? Great--none of those, we save even more money!!!
No AIDS treatments that society has to pay for either, they didn't exist in 1955. (Of course neither did AIDS oh well so sad too bad.)
Weight loss drugs? No mas.
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of medical services? Nope again, that will save lots of money too when minorities can't even get in the door!!!
Gee Mark Cuban...WOTTA GENIUS.
No. of Recommendations: 2
“ When I see stuff like the $27K pill, I always remember my situation. In 2019 I had a serious procedure. I managed to come out mostly intact. I saw the bill the hospital submitted to insurance. It was something like $165K. The first thing insurance did was to apply the "contracted discount", and brought it instantly to around $39K. Right there, there's a problem. Did the hospital just eat $126K?? I don't think so. They would never have contracted to that. The hospital was able to accept $39K and still be in business. Somebody just made up that $165K number. That's a big part of what's wrong with care today.”
That’s why currently no matter how expensive it gets and how large are the deductibles, we have to buy an insurance policy. Otherwise we will be bankrupted by the ridiculous overcharging.
Yes, get insurance companies out of it. You realize that’s the GOP plan, though? Tax breaks to fund an HSA. Pay all bills yourself. Us rich folks will be fine. Guess I should stop worrying about it.
I am absolutely determined to stay under 400% FPL in 2026. Looks to be a great year for long cycling trips.
