Healthcare Reform

Danny Bateman

Danny Bateman

Donor
I realized we didn't have an actual thread to discuss healthcare reform - just attempts to upend the current law.

So I figured I'd make one. I'll start it off with a story I found very interesting, but feel free to discuss whatever else you think is worth talking about.

This is a good idea on the part of this group. I wish there was a way to address trade name drugs, since they are by far more expensive, but I'm all for driving down the prices of generics, too. I didn't know others had copied Shkreli's model of jacking up prices of generics to make a quick buck. Shameful. 

Intersting to note that Bob Kerrey is on the list of advisors.


 
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Thus continues the trend of member of Trump commissions attacking the work of the very commissions they find themselves on.

There are a lot of issues that fly under the radar & don't get the coverage they deserve in the era of Trump. Their failure to do anything to address the opioids crisis is one of the most important. This is one of those issues where the typical Trump pronouncements & big speech in front of a camera followed by virtually nothing simply won't work. It's also one where Congress being stingy isn't going to accomplish anything. Austerity cannot fix this issue.


 
TGHusker said:
^^^ just saw that, here is another link also on the subject.  sounds like it is just for their employees but it is affecting the

stock prices of other health care companies in early trading - new competition.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-30/amazon-berkshire-jpmorgan-to-set-up-a-health-company-for-staff
Click to expand...


Yes, for right now, it appears it's for their employees.  Which, there are one heck of a lot of employees for these three.  I would assume this would go out to all employees of Berkshire Hathaway's holdings.

This appears to be an effort to eliminate the profit insurance companies add to the costs.  However, I'm also interested in seeing how they reduce costs of actual care and procedures.

 
I started a thread like this back in November.  It was called: "Real Efforts to reduce Healthcare costs".  Basically the same topic, and there was some decent discussion in there.  I like your title better as a catch-all.  I wonder if it would make sense to merge, or add the old posts to this thread?

One of the themes I have seen with articles discussing the causes of high healthcare cost in America is a lot of finger-pointing between Healthcare providers(hospitals), Insurance companies, Drug companies, medical equipment companies, and government entities.

All of them are to blame, I think.  The entire system needs fixed.  The efforts discussed above are all positive things, but at the end of the day, Governmental regulations and oversight would be the most effective at controlling prices charged for healthcare.  That would create a domino effect that would force prices down for insurance, drugs and medical equipment, I think.  The "free market" model just shouldn't apply to healthcare, IMO.

 
Kiyoat Husker said:
I started a thread like this back in November.  It was called: "Real Efforts to reduce Healthcare costs".  Basically the same topic, and there was some decent discussion in there.  I like your title better as a catch-all.  I wonder if it would make sense to merge, or add the old posts to this thread?

One of the themes I have seen with articles discussing the causes of high healthcare cost in America is a lot of finger-pointing between Healthcare providers(hospitals), Insurance companies, Drug companies, medical equipment companies, and government entities.

All of them are to blame, I think.  The entire system needs fixed.  The efforts discussed above are all positive things, but at the end of the day, Governmental regulations and oversight would be the most effective at controlling prices charged for healthcare.  That would create a domino effect that would force prices down for insurance, drugs and medical equipment, I think.  The "free market" model just shouldn't apply to healthcare, IMO.
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Also throw in the litigation - General Liability issues.  We want patient rights enforce & redress protected but provider (doctors) liability insurance is excessively high

 
TGHusker said:
Also throw in the litigation - General Liability issues.  We want patient rights enforce & redress protected but provider (doctors) liability insurance is excessively high
Click to expand...


I haven't thought much about that.  Would that be considered "tort law"?  It would be interesting to see if that is different in other developed countries that provide health care.

People should always have a legal pathway to protect their rights, though.  It would be interesting to see how tort litigation affects the bottom line in other industries.  One would think that a public service, like law enforcement, would be different from a company that sells its services.  In other words, is it harder or easier to sue a police department, a hospital, or Toyota for damages, and how does that affect those entities financially?

isn't @RedDenver involved in law?...... *sends bat symbol*

 
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Kiyoat Husker said:
I haven't thought much about that.  Would that be considered "tort law"?  It would be interesting to see if that is different in other developed countries that provide health care.

People should always have a legal pathway to protect their rights, though.  It would be interesting to see how tort litigation affects the bottom line in other industries.  One would think that a public service, like law enforcement, would be different from a company that sells its services.  In other words, is it harder or easier to sue a police department, a hospital, or Toyota for damages, and how does that affect those entities financially?

isn't @RedDenver involved in law?...... *sends bat symbol*
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No I'm not, but I know several people including one of my brothers that are, so I try to keep up with it.

Edit: As for your question, there are sovereignty issues where under certain cases the government can't be sued (I'm not sure of the specifics), but other than that I don't know of any reason that public services would be harder to sue than private ones.

 
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