Are You Concerned That The Health Care Industry Isn’t Cutting Back Like Other Industries?
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/200…http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/…http://www.modbee.com/business/story/578…
The first two articles are about how the health care industry is hiring massive amounts of workers, while the third is about families that can't afford to pay for insurance, or health care period.
I think the health care industry in this country is delusional. When it inevitably crashes, I think you will start to see real pain. They think they can bill whatever they want, pay for whatever help they need, and get away with it.
If you thought Canada was bad, wait for what will happen when the cutbacks to health care comes to America!
Tags: Back, Care, Concerned, Cutting, Health, Industry, Isn't, Like, Other, That
September 12th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
There are many, many unqualified people in the medical industry now. Schools pass anyone, just to fill positions. We are going to see a lot of deaths because of this in the near future.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
They are hiring health care professionals because there is a need for them. Supply and demand? I know too many people who say they can’t afford insurance who spend fifty dollars a month on pet food, another 75 on cigarettes, 40 on bar tab, about fifty on fast food and hundred on cell phones and yet they can’t make health insurance a priority. I think people who want to be taken care of and have no responsibilities are delusional. IT will crash when the Dems force socialized care on us. Speaking of Canada, where will they get care when we have the same inefficient system as they have.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:28 am
One of the main reasons the healthcare industry is hiring so many people is because the amount of MD’s retiring over the past 3 years and over the next 5 years. It is an unprecedented amount and this is because of the baby boomers. They have created a huge hole in the personell department and have created a larger demand for elderly care and other healthcare. I think we are in line currently with what the demand calls for. It is all personal opinion and we will know for sure in the next five years.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:21 am
they are already cutting back honey, the positions to give hospital workers lunch breaks and breaks are all on freeze, so yeah i am scared if i get or a loved one gets sick they will end up with a employee who is stressed out of there mind they haven’t had lunch or a break and have been working 10 straight , i am seen it happen with my own eyes hospital staff need breaks and less patient load
September 13th, 2009 at 5:49 am
The rich will always be able to afford health care. The clinics that serve them will weather the crisis. It is the clinics that serve the poor that will suffer, but they are the ones who least want to cut back as cutting back means hurting the poor.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:55 am
No. And as much as I agree with you that health care costs are rising at a rate that cannot be maintained and things must be brought under control, I’m afraid you do not have a grasp on how things work in the health care system and you are blending many things together.
First, the fact that the health care industry is hiring massive amounts of workers is a good thing the way the economy. That means there are possible jobs for people that are now unemployed if they are able to get the proper training. Second, many jobs in the health care industry are considered “recession proof” because you always need health care. Similar jobs are in education, sanitary work, and morticians. And the first two articles you reference aren’t even negative about the fact that the health care industry is hiring.
And yes, it is unfortunate that so many people cannot afford health insurance. But you are now blurring health insurers with health providers which are typically not the same entities. People that cannot get health insurance are trying to seek individual insurance in the private market. These costs are much higher than a group trying to get insurance because 1) the total costs of insuring a group from year to year vary less then the total costs of insuring an individual from year to year, meaning that individuals are more risky than groups, and 2) groups can throw around their collective weight so that there is no underwriting done. Underwriting for individual insurance increases administrative costs drastically, thus increasing your premium.
Things in the health industry certainly need to change, no arguement there. But the fact of the matter is there are some great ways of reducing costs in health care. The problem is they are politically charged because they include things such as: universal insurance funded from increased taxes to the wealthy, restrictions on amount of health care utilization in non-urgent situations, reduction in the amount of end-of-life care, forcing all physicians to be salaried, and the list goes on. In fact if there were universal health coverage for at least some care, particularly huge unexpected costs such as accidents, you wouldn’t need added insurance for your home in case someone with no insurance gets hurt there or for your car in case you are in an accident with someone with no insurance. These insurers certainly don’t want that because it is less money for them.
***edit***
Wow, you didn’t listen to a word I said did you? I’m saying costs can be reduced. The US as a whole has the belief that anything should be done to prolong life. The vast majority of health care costs come after retirement. End-of-life care is staggering. What’s the point of spending hundreds of thousand of dollars to save the life of a 95 year old man admitted to the ICU who has had a great life only to have him die in his sleep 1 week after being discharged? It’s our culture that presses us to spend that money. The family should stand up and say, “hey, it sucks that grandpa is in respiratory arrest, but we should let him go and not do anything and everything to save him”. Stop these costs and you’ve taken care of a huge chunk of the problem.
And again you are blending insurance and care together. Insurance is a hedge for those that are risk averse. Many people are over issured and could get their premiums down be not having as much covered.
The US is the only industrialized country without some form of universal coverage. Most others fund it by an increased tax rate to the wealthy and healthy. Because they believe that society is better off when everyone is healthy and insured.
If physicians are salaried then they don’t do procedures simply to make more money. If a doctor is paid fee for service they have a financial insentive to do more work, regardless of whether it is cost-effective. Make them salaried and less is done. If less is done demand goes down and hence prices go down. It’s called supplier induced demand.
Do yourself a favor and please read these links.
***edit 2***
in reading one of your other rants on health care in a different section, one person’s comment reminded me of another thing that could reduce health care costs. Malpractice law suitse. Some times doctors mess up and bad things happen due to negligance. When that happens a law suite is warranted. But sometimes bad things happen and are unavoidable. Way too many law suites happen because things went wrong during a procedure that has risks, it’s no one’s fault, but the patient wants someone to pay. Typically hospitals would rather settle than go to court. And the premiums hospitals pay for malpractice insurance is unimaginable. Get rid of that and you have another big cost down the tubes, which would then reduce medical fees.
***edit 3***
And one last thing. It has occured to me that you do not understand economics enough to know what happens in a labor shortage. If supply does not meet demand then suppliers can demand a premium price. In terms of a labor shortage that is overtime pay. There has been a nursing shortage for years. Nurses work 10, 15, sometimes 20 hours or more a week in overtime. That adds up to a lot of added expenses for hospitals, which translates to increased bills for patients. If there were enough workers to take care of the overtime issue that brings down payroll expenses which inturn would lead to lower patient bills.
September 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am
TAT..since you do not live in Canada and I do..the health care is wonderful ..the poor get the care they need,everyone and it works and it is a part of your tax dollars that do the paying …how many people in the .us. don’t have a doctor or even been to a doctor..your poor folks has to die or beg this is not right…
when you work the medical benifits you tax with is what pay for it so you don’t have to get insurance if you can’t afford it..also the government pay the rest of the bill..this is your right as a free human being ..tell you what give it a try and see what happen..see how it feels..you will get treated,tested,and operated on without worry..things like cancer and plastic operations are not covered but everything else is…don’t kick it unless you try it..