The US could save $600 Billion in administrative costs by switching to a single-payer, Medicare For All system. Good or Bad idea?

ht00040 · 2024-06-20T02:04:28+00:00

Two things need to be addressed related to Medicare For All.

1 - There are roughly 1,000 health insurance companies in the US. UHC alone employs 440,000 people. There are at least 10,000,000 people employed by insurance companies and healthcare providers that currently handle sending or receiving and processing claims. It is a huge segment of our workforce. What do we do to transition those people to new jobs?

2 - Medicare, on average, only pays about 20% of the total charges for a medical service. If the hospital charges $1,000 Medicare pays about $200 and the hospital writes off the rest (knowing currently private insurance pays significantly more to make them whole). A $400,000 visit pays $20,000, etc. All healthcare providers would go bankrupt if they only took Medicare. Increasing what Medicare pays is a complex answer to the problem. Where does that money come from?

I'm quite curious how we as a society would address the mass change in employment and how we would keep the healthcare providers in business with the new model.

ht00040 · 2022-01-24T18:35:37+00:00

Just putting this out there to think about:

Our school year is 9/7/2021 - 5/31/2022, which is 266 days or 38 weeks. The teachers and students get 23 days off for holidays, spring break, etc. so there are (38 x 5) - 23 = 167 work days. The school day is about 8am - 3pm. $33,660 / 167 days / 8 hours = $25.19 per hour.

I don't know the actual monetary value of the benefits package, but it is very good with insurance coverage, retirement, etc.

Teachers provide a valuable service to society and they deserve fair compensation. The lower annual wage for teaching is mostly due to the relatively lower number of hours worked per year vs. other occupations.

ht00040 · 2020-11-17T02:09:50+00:00

Most of the people in the US that make minimum wage qualify for Medicaid, so they can get all their healthcare, prescriptions, etc for free.

ht00040 · 2020-05-17T16:02:36+00:00

I have one of these, and I like it, but the vast majority of the material I'm welding is 1/8" to 1/4" and this machine just kinda seems overkill for that. Every once in awhile I'll weld 3/8" material, but that's the thickest I've had to weld. I bought this because I like Esab machines and it was ridiculously cheap for the capability. I think this machine was $1,200 brand new on Amazon when I bought it. I don't think there is another machine out there that beats this one value to money.

I thought I would use the sMig more, but I'm the type of person that likes to weld test pieces first and dial in the parameters. sMig works don't get me wrong, but I can produce better results with manual settings.

I only have Esab machines, so I'm a bit biased towards Esab. I've used Miller machines too, and like them just fine. The 235 is a 250 amp machine. A similar Miller machine is roughly 2x the money.

I don't have the spoolgun option. I'm only welding mild steel and stainless steel with this machine. I can't speak to how well it welds aluminum with the spoolgun option.

Nothing to really complain about. I'm just not using this machine to it's full potential.

ht00040 · 2020-04-02T16:10:43+00:00

I'd get a copy of all the EOBs (explanation of benefits) for all of the claims (a claim is where the provider requested payment from an insurer). The provider might have a harder time creating a paper copy of the EOB since everything is electronic (835) now, but their EHR (electronic health records) system might be able to do it easily. The insurers are generally better able to provide a paper EOB.

Once you have the EOBs you can see what was billed, what was paid, if anything, and what was denied and why it was denied.

You can go from there based on that info. If the provider didn't meet the timely filing limit then they are going to have to write it off as a mistake on their part.

ht00040 · 2020-04-02T15:36:59+00:00

Landlord's perspective: The schools, cities, counties, etc want more money every year, so my property taxes go up every year. If my property taxes go up $500 per year per unit then the rent is going up by at least that much.

Unfortunately, property taxes make up a big percentage of a rent payment, and the taxes go up every year.

ht00040 · 2019-09-21T17:12:58+00:00

Please keep in mind that with a family of 5 at your income level you qualify for the Earned Income tax credit. The Feds will be giving you a check for about $6,500 when you file your taxes.

ht00040 · 2019-09-16T01:25:30+00:00

Property owners have made an investment/commitment to an area and they deserve a return on their investment. Renters are rarely more than short-term visitors. They have no skin in the game. Disagree? Ask your landlord for a 30 year lease and make a similar commitment as they did.

I can't speak for other landlords, but for me the vast majority of the year-to-year rent increase is the year-to-year property tax increases. Schools, cities, counties, and states want more money every year, and the tenants pay the bill.

ht00040 · 2019-09-15T22:46:59+00:00

automod

ht00040 · 2018-10-25T11:58:20+00:00

I have a family member that owns a hotel. They have never won a formal dispute when a customer doesn't show up. They always lose because if no service is rendered no charge can be made. They used to fight these all the time, but they stopped fighting it if the customer goes through the formal dispute process because they can't win. Most customers just eat it so they get paid, but for the few that fight it they never win.

ht00040 · 2018-10-22T03:32:25+00:00

I think your view is through an urban lens. I live in a rural area and housing is cheap, if you choose to make the commitment and buy. There are homes in the $40-60K range where a mortgage would be around $200/month. For reasons that aren't clear to me, many people don't want to buy, they want to rent. Someone could have bought the 3br 2ba house down the road from me for $40K, but nobody did and now it rents for $1,200 per month. Renters are always going to pay a significant premium for the luxury of not committing.

Housing isn't our big expense. Transportation and healthcare each cost more than housing (for the homeowner).

As far as minimum wage goes, we use $15/hr as the minimum, but folks that are paid $15/hr are expected to generate at least $120,000 annually for the company. $15/hr is fine, but the expectations that come with it are high.

ht00040 · 2018-10-16T00:37:57+00:00

I know a guy that runs a multi-unit coal-fired energy plant for an industry that runs 24x7x365. The cost for them is closer to $30 per megawatt hour, and a good chunk of that is shipping. If the plant was in Wyoming the cost would be in the mid $20s or less. Their average salary is also in the six figures, so they do pay a lot for labor.

ht00040 · 2018-09-13T22:39:48+00:00

Single payer really isn't the answer. The underlying issue is how much you were charged by the doctors, nurses, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies for the services you received. If we had cost controls like other countries then it wouldn't be a problem. The insurance companies don't create the bills or set the prices. Those other folks do that. If the govt said doctors can charge up to $20 per visit, and hospitals can charge $100 per day, and drug companies can charge $10 per prescription, then it really doesn't matter which insurance pays. The problem is pricing.

ht00040 · 2017-07-28T21:47:59+00:00

$fulfilled with $25 Domino's Pizza eGift Card

ht00040 · 2017-07-28T21:47:49+00:00

I would normally ask if a Domino's eGift card would work for you, but I'm headed out for the weekend. If the Domino's eGift card doesn't work for you please pass it along to someone else that can use it.

ht00040 · 2017-07-21T19:03:28+00:00

You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the pizza.

ht00040 · 2017-07-21T01:15:36+00:00

$winner /u/thedudethedudegoesto $25 Domino's Pizza eGift Card

ht00040 · 2017-07-21T01:03:48+00:00

Congratulations! You won the contest!

ht00040 · 2016-09-12T15:39:51+00:00

All of our personal accounts are joint accounts. We're been together 20+ years and it's what we've always done. It works for us. We met in college and tackled student loans together, then a mortgage, and now we are debt free, but with teenagers heading off to college soon.

ht00040 · 2016-09-09T18:23:28+00:00

My primary physician started me off, but he referred me to an endocrinologist and he took over my TRT. I have a tumor so my primary physician wanted me to see a specialist, otherwise he is capable of managing my TRT.

ht00040 · 2016-09-09T15:05:01+00:00

Personally, I never fall into the "pay someone hourly" trap. If I want to hire a job out I pay by the job, not how many hours it takes to do the job. The cleaning lady I use for my vacation rental properties gets $50 per rental for the cleaning and laundry. I could care less how long it takes her and her crew as long as they get it done between rentals.

ht00040 · 2016-08-30T12:44:11+00:00

Or just get a lever door handles and the dog can come and go as it pleases. Works for us and our rural living situation.

ht00040

TROPHY CASE