Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I got good health insurance pretty cheap as part of my retiree plan, fortunately.

I never understand why some things are billed to me, and some are not.

Greedy fooks are trying to see if fine,honest folks can be chiseled out of more - I got raked over the coals in '18/'19 with over 8,000.00 out of pocket.Those two hospitals bent me over.They tried screwing me yet again I told them where they can go and how long they can stay there. I still get a reminder of 285.00 for facility charges. I shot back for what?wiping my feet on the walk off mat when i entered? Also pointed out it didn't appear they upgraded the parking garage from my last visit so why these fraudulent charges? Wasn't the response they were looking for.Sothey threatened me with small claims court. I shot back i eagerly await the summons - cricketts

Ah but if you can't speak English or even Spanish well then "come right in we'll take care of you and just charge schleppers like Nubbz more when he stops by next" - the sytem needs to be fixed

Whoor,got snow to plow,see y'all later

Health insurance is a muddled mess of rules, regulations, and profit-driven behavior. Make no mistake about it, the insurer's coverage decisions are driven by their bottom line, not your health outcomes. That doesn't make them bad people, it makes them corporations with a fiduciary duty to their shareholders, not their subscribers.

All insurance, including health insurance, is about pooling risk, so we're all paying for each other's health care one way or another. The only real question is what's the best way to deal with pooling risk when it comes to health care. And if the answer to that were easy, we would have done it already. One thing that many people think would make it easier would be to remove the profit incentive, but there are a lot of people who's careers depend on that. So that's not easy, either. And, there is a reasonable argument to be made that the profit incentive has driven a lot of the advances in modern medicine, which--generally--have been positive for society. So, again, it's not an easy nut to crack.

Well, I suppose greed is one of those seven deadly sins, or some such thing. But it's also a human characteristic. So maybe we need to revisit the Lord of the Flies and whether Golding is correct that humans are inherently evil?

As noted, many are "for profit companies", so yes, they value profit, it's inherent.  There are some nonprofit insurers like Kaiser Permanente and most of BC/BS, but they aren't materially different in costs and coverage.  There are small coops that are nonprofit also.  I think the primary issue is what they cover, and don't, which is spelled out in obscure detail in the policies, which are subject to interpretation.

Greed is what drives our economy, it's the basic underlying motive force.  

It's not just the health insurance companies, it's also the medical facilities and community. Let's be real. Our family welcomed another child into the family and when we looked at the insurance bill, we simply laughed. To get admitted to the hospital, we had to spend 20 minutes in a "triage" room because the birthing rooms were all full and they needed to determine if she was actually in labor. 20 minutes.. the bill broken down for that specific room was over $2,000.. 2 Colace pills.. $16.. 1 Ibuprofen.. $8..

So it made us curious, how much was the weekly visits to the OB..$650 a visit and the last few weeks were a matter of the doctor coming into the office, listening for a heartbeat asking if things were fine and walking out. And we really like this OB and very professional, but $650 for 10 minutes of her time. It's not just insurance. The entire system has absurdly priced. 

My daughter has been in Vancouver, BC for 2+ years now and is still waiting to get assigned to a primary care doctor.  

One reason hospitals charge ridiculous amounts for an Aspirin is that a lot of folks don't pay their bills, or pay only part, so they skin those who can pay, and will pay.

The insurance companies moderate this with their "plans".  

I think we could do with more nurse practitioners out there for PCP stuff.