Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss 10 day's till the MRI...

I'm thinking gravity will prevail, but I'm hoping the aircraft remains aloft for a time yet. Quite informative exchange, and I'm hopeful the pot and the kettle will reconcile their differences.

Google: "Medical tourism Mexico" It’s a thriving business and for years many US citizens have been taking advantage of the world class services. Laser eye surgery and dental implants are among the more popular services offered.

Also, a multitude of seniors are going to Mexico and Canada in order to purchase the exact same prescription pharmaceuticals sold here, but at a much lower price. In fact, Charter bus services to Canada are being offered with which to make these drug runs.

Yep, I have a close friend who went to Mexico for dental care. It was a first class clinic in a nice border town. The major work he had done cost about 30% compared to here. That still happens.

I have a friend who takes cruises. When they annually went to Mexico, he stocked up on prescription drugs at an extremely low cost. They were available without a scrip. That recently changed and now take a prescription.

I never did like Social Security. Now that I'm drawing it, I'm finding that it is now considered an entitlement which has turned into a nasty word. No way I will live long enough to ever even get back the $ I paid in.

Fair enough. But I'm not advocating the country become socialist and certainly not like a country that has had the horrible leaders and economy like Argentina has.

I'm simply advocating everyone pay ther own way via taxes and bargaining for lower rates via numbers that will bring prices down, cut out the middle man, and stop feeding the monstrosity we have presently that keeps charging more and giving less. For all we pay in this country no longer have the best medical care. Some european countries put us to shame. (Of course our congress critters have the best medical care money can buy).

As far as free medical school, and even college, I think my mother's side of the family's country has it figured out well. In Germany the state pays for it but you have to prove you're qualified, and only the cream of the crop gets it. The kids are seperated early on whether they will go to university or a trade school. Unlike here kids aren't told they will be a failure if they don't get a degree. Europe has economic issues but Germany still has the highest wages in the world and a powerhouse economy.

I don't understand all the angst about single payer universal health care. Seems to me a lot of businesses would be overjoyed to have the health insurance monkey off their backs. I know I'd hire if I didn't have to deal with it. As a business owner you obviously know how expensive providing health care to your employees is.

Some American medical schools are in poor countries or offshore in carribean countries. I wonder why that is? Does Grenada ring a bell? My former doctor got his degree from a medical school in Mexico. And no he's not hispanic.

Cecil, you have to pay for the single payer system. I don't want to pay, I know my kids don't want to pay. An employer shouldn't have to pay for their employees if they don't want to provide that benefit. Health care is not a right, pursuing it is a right.

If people can't get jobs with health insurance then they should have studied harder in high school. Life is about choices and some choose poorly.

Our nation has very little socialism built into it and that amount of socialism allowed is spelled out so clearly in the US Constitution that even an utter moron can understand it. Health care is not one of the social programs that the feds are allowed to provide. The founders also provided a tool to change that, it's called a Constitutional amendment. The votes to get such an amendment are not there though are they? Instead we circumvent the greatest single document ever written by man and simply say that the interstate commerce clause now applies to health care, good grief. I do not trust the federal government or any man to decide what the limits of my health care should be. There are many more free minded people out there just like me, we've had it!

This is where people of a free mind differ. I will not have my government telling me what I can and cannot study based on their idea of if I can perform. The free market knows best in EVERY scenario. There is no instance where decisions based on what's right for the government are also right for me. When government controls anything we end up with the "trajedy of the commons" scenario.

Yep, my BIL and his family once hosted an exchange student from Germany, and she said the same thing. Talk about some serious motivation to do your best, that was it.

When I had my shop, my premiums were really decent, under $3K/yr, but I was paying close to $18K/yr for one of my guy's. I paid every ones premiums 100%, plus covered their yearly deductible as part of a bonus plan. They also got decent year end bonuses to boot!

When I closed the shop I personally carried their insurance until they got hooked back up, which wasn't too long as these guy's were the very best of the best!!!

I've been out of touch with them for a couple years now, but they would always ask when I was going to fire the shop back up again? IMO, the economy never recovered from what it once was, and doubt it ever will. Those day's are long gone.

If fortune favors me, I will be able to close this shop soon. I'm ready to go back on someone else's payroll.

It can be favorable if you get the right job.

Tony, from a pure selfish reason, I hate to see you close up but with healthcare and the other regulations that they put on small businesses it is making it super hard to stay self employed. Wish you the best of luck.

Appreciate that, Ken.

Not to mention the resulting boon to the economy if we were to simply implement a single payer system, such as Medicare For All. (which btw was the original intent for Medicare) People on average would have more disposable income due to the savings realized from not having to pay high insurance premiums. Not only would employers be free of the hassles associated with providing insurance, they would be able to hire more employees, as well as pay higher wages. People would no longer be job locked in order to receive healthcare. Entrepreneurs would be free to quit their jobs and explore their options without fear of losing healthcare. Many could retire before reaching the age of Medicare eligibility, thereby freeing up jobs for others. More people would seek medical care, thereby increasing the amount of jobs in the medical profession, etc, etc, etc...........The multiplier effect on the economy would be tremendous.

Medicare currently has administrative costs of about 4% compared to the insurance companies costs of 20% - 40%. Therefore the elimination of profits in the medical insurance sector alone would produce a very significant overall savings, and medical providers would realize a significant reduction of costs associated with billing and collection. As in other countries with single payer systems price controls would produce savings as well........... It's painfully obvious that we are being screwed when we are paying $4,000 for a CTscan which can be had in Mexico for $75............. No doubt, the insurance and healthcare industries are in collusion.

The most important reason for a healthcare plan would be just knowing that all of us and our families and friends would not have to be concerned about losing everything or not being able to get needed treatment in the case of injury or illness. (Over 50% of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical costs, and many of these people have insurance) And while living in the richest country in the world it really p**s’s me off when I hear of a fundraiser to collect money to pay for a little girl’s heart operation.

Any form of governance that does not provide for the affordable and available health care, welfare, safety, and education of it’s citizens is sorely lacking, for these are the building blocks of a civil and prosperous society.

Currently, the 8 most prosperous, safest, freest countries in the world are governed with a strong social agenda.......... Google it!

BTW, the USA IS a product of socialism, and a few examples of OUR social constructs are: Ben Franklin’s Post Office, which built this nations economy..... Abe Lincoln’s national railroad..... FDR’s National and State parks, along with SSI, and rural telephone and electricity...... JFK’s NASA..... Eisenhower’s federal highway system....... Police and fire protection, along with the courts system..... And among many more of our social constructs is the largest social construct the world has ever seen, the US military.

Sorry 'bout the long post, but that's about as short as I could summarize.

He could keep it open as a gig on the side with select customers that have been reliable in the past. I would think they would be appreciative of Spark's skills knowing they are going to get the best!

I did a few on the side, which I got well paid for, but it can be demanding if you're working for a concern that's under the gun to perform and scheduling meetings becomes an issue. Don't need to do that.

I'm sitting out in the woods on battery power working on a control system for a small pipe mill from one of the bosses favorite customers. If you can get a contract like mine...

We have a single payor,universal coverage healthcare system in this country, specifically designed for the needs of a group that our polititions purport to single out for special care--the VA medical system. It is completely government funded and managed. It is not a paragon of either efficient or cost effective care. If the government cannot meet the needs of our veterans, what faith should we have that it can care for the rest of us? [There are a lot of truly wonderful physicians, nurses, and others who work in the VA system--this is not meant as an attack in any way on anyone who works there, but rather an observation that the system as a whole is not necessarily an improvement over the present civillian system.]

In England, their universal NHS system is the target of constant criticism .....lots of their own citizens are very unhappy with the care their receiving there. Did you know that modern studies of the natural history of a perforated appendix were done in England, on patients who ruptured because they did not receive timely care, despite full knowledge of the diagnosis?

The Canadian system seems to work better, but it is still designed to provide care within the limits of budgeted constraints, at which centralized, sigle payor systems excel. We can trade anecdotes all day, but two years ago I set up a consultation with a neurosurgeon here in TN for an acquaintance in Canada who was having terrible headaches and couldn't get scheduled for an MRI for 10 weeks. She was ultimately diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor, couldn't see a neurosurgeon up there for six weeks after the diagnosis was made. Her mother, who lives in England, is in a wheelchair now because she was on a waiting list for a decompressive laminectomy for spinal stenosis for 18 months, and lost the ability to walk during this time.

I don't have the answer to fixing the system, but increased involvement by the government doesn't guarantee improved results.

Gully, I went to a fundraiser about a month ago for a guy I grew up with. He had lung cancer, but they fixed it. The cancer came back and is in another organ and bones now. Not too good.

He worked for a huge corp in the USA, but the insurance he had backed off, therefore the fundraiser to pay medical bills.

Not going to get too deep in gub things.

Ah, some light!!!

I was on my way to work this morning and get a cell call. (I pulled over on the side of the road)

It was from the ER hospital in Muskegon I went to asking if I paid this bill for just under $1600.00. Said I paid one bill to your hospital, but never saw that one. She said it was actually never sent to me. Then, how in the hell do I know I even have the bill!!!

Anyway, what they are trying to do is make this a workers compensation claim where they can get the full price for services, and apparently it don't matter who pays the bill. They talked to my boss first, then called me a few minutes later to see if I would accept it. I was told today they always try to pull this WC first. I told her to run it thru my insurance, and motored on to work.

Total bills for this shouldn't be that bad at all. Once it get's straightened out and sparring with insurance is over.

BTW, Love this illuminated keyboard while out in the dark woods at night.

Sheesh...

Get another bill in the mail, which already went thru insurance, which they paid and I paid my part.

Now they are saying I do not have insurance and this is a workman's compensation claim, which no one will take responsibility for and demand immediate payment from me, even tho it went thru the insurance and I kicked in my part.

Emails were sent.

About the VA. It may have it's issues but i know lots of vets that sing nothing but praises about it. I guess it depends on who you talk to. Same goes for health care in England and Canada. I know Canadians that love their system and are quick to not overstay their Florida wintertime visits so they won't be stuck with ours. Some here say they have to wait for procedures up there. I've done my share of waiting here too. And no one is left to die up there if it's an emergency.

We could take the best of all the different country's health systems and do a bang up job if we put our heads together. We could really bring down the costs too with such a large market. But it won't hapen until both sides of the aisle start working together and stop the oneupmanship.

My apologies Phil for diverting from the original theme of this thread. Hope you get a reasonable conclusion to your bills.

One thing fior sure: no one goes bankrupt in those countries trying to cover their medical bills.

"One thing fior sure: no one goes bankrupt in those countries trying to cover their medical bills."

Roger that, Cecil!!

They just get dead.

I sat down this morning for my first cup of coffee of the day and came to this site because it's a good way to start my day. I like anything that has to do with fishing and water. I And I have learned it's not so easy to grow fish in ponds. But I like a good challenge.
it did not take much reading before the talk of health care came up.
Some one here mentioned,
Raise Taxes to pay for health care :(, Some of us here pay more than our FAIR SHARE, while others pay little to no Taxes. I have to pay more because I worked harder or smarter than most people would have. And that is not fair. I would like to see consumption Tax, that way Every One pays their fair share. It's the only way everyone pays!!
Employee health cost to a business, I pay 100% of the health care premiums. It's what I do for my employees as part of their benefits, along with yearly bonus they also receive. The employees can walk across the street and get a job but most stay. I do wish it would stop going up every year. And I thought the health care that was forced on us was supposed to reduce health care cost. Haha
And lets talk about what the GOBERMENT does that's good, ANYTHING? I can't think of anything, other than overpaid for poor quality. And with that as my experience, I sure don't want the government controlling my family health care.
Social Security is not an entitlement when someone has paid into it from the age of 14 to 66. Or when the maximum deducted amount has been paid out for 30 yr's.
And Sparkie, my plane has not declared an emergency, it's flying high. I just wished it had pontoons on it, like I said I like anything that has to do with water. And that reminds me, I am going to the pond

Tracy

Thanks for the hyperbole Sunil.

Lots of folks die here of cancer that could have been prevented, if caught early enough, because they can't afford a colonoscopy, breast exams, and other cancer screenings, and that's with insurance. I can't imagine not having insurance.

Sometimes the pilot is the last to know he's on a collision course. Until the controller tells him or her otherwise.