re: #515 quickjustice

Medicare as currently constituted is great, because it’s a free lunch. Doctors and hospitals lose money on every Medicare and Medicaid patient. They make up for it by charging more to privately-insured patients. That’s called a “cross-subsidy”.

Obama’s proposal will end private health insurance, which cannot compete with a government “public” plan. That will put doctors and hospitals out of business. What will Obama do then?

They make the most charging the uninsured for emergency care. I’ve had essentially the same proceedure twice as an emergency patient. Without health insurance, at a public hospital for a laproscopic surgery, no hospital stay, my bill was 18k. 3 years later, with insurance, private hospital, full open surgery, 3 day stay, 3 follow-up visits, my insurance co was billed 12k and I paid ~$300 in co-pays.