Comments on: How to Fix Costs of Health Care? Let’s Do the Math http://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/ Politics, Opinion and Culture, for Texas and Beyond Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:14:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Cherylhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Cheryl Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:51:14 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-79 TJP is right. Cost are outrageous and probably unfounded in most cases. MRIs in Paris, France run $80! I would suggest you find a doctor who does not keep his hand on the door knob and who spends enough time to resolve your issues. There are such people. TJP is right. Cost are outrageous and probably unfounded in most cases. MRIs in Paris, France run $80!
I would suggest you find a doctor who does not keep his hand on the door knob and who spends enough time to resolve your issues. There are such people.

]]> By: John Johnsonhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-69 John Johnson Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:13:41 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-69 How about physician gouging? A dermatologist's assistant burns three patches of dry skin with liquid nitrogen (approx. 3 minutes in the room with me). I notice that they charge my insurance company almost $500 and classify it as surgery. No M.D., nothing invasive, no dressing, possibly no need for it. I complained and was told that the insurance company allowed it to be classified this way. I talked with the insurance company and their rep asked me why I was complaining. "Your policy will cover it", she said. What she didn't say was, " ... and your policy will got up 8 to 10% next year to cover this sort of stuff." How about physician gouging? A dermatologist’s assistant burns three patches of dry skin with liquid nitrogen (approx. 3 minutes in the room with me). I notice that they charge my insurance company almost $500 and classify it as surgery. No M.D., nothing invasive, no dressing, possibly no need for it. I complained and was told that the insurance company allowed it to be classified this way. I talked with the insurance company and their rep asked me why I was complaining. “Your policy will cover it”, she said. What she didn’t say was, ” … and your policy will got up 8 to 10% next year to cover this sort of stuff.”

]]> By: Brandon Jhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Brandon J Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:45:59 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-53 My bad David... It is trillion. My bad David… It is trillion.

]]> By: Brandon Jhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Brandon J Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:13:14 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-51 Actually David the math is right on point in the article... We don't do cardiac testing on pediatric patients or really adults under 40. This doctor's article is aimed at cardiac testing for adults. Age and gender specific screening should never be abandoned as it is the only way to ultimately lower costs. Actually David the math is right on point in the article… We don’t do cardiac testing on pediatric patients or really adults under 40. This doctor’s article is aimed at cardiac testing for adults. Age and gender specific screening should never be abandoned as it is the only way to ultimately lower costs.

]]> By: Glenn W. Smithhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-49 Glenn W. Smith Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:54:44 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-49 Good catch. Billions. Trillions. Pretty soon we're talking about real money. The annual cost of cardivascular disease is $475.3 billion, and, as you say, the savings of preventive care is still substantial, in the short and long terms. Good catch. Billions. Trillions. Pretty soon we’re talking about real money. The annual cost of cardivascular disease is $475.3 billion, and, as you say, the savings of preventive care is still substantial, in the short and long terms.

]]> By: TJPhttp://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-48 TJP Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:46:00 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-48 As a consumer, I push back on the idea that an annual or 18 month physical cost of $2000 is reasonable. Given that the physician spends maybe 5 minutes with me, and that the lab work is processed mostly by automation at this point, it would seem that cost containment needs to be applied across the board.This of course applies to diagnostic testing as well. There is no way an MRI cost of $1500 for the 5 minutes you spend in the machine is reasonable or rational, even given a generous pay-back schedule on the capital cost of the device and a very reasonable profit margin on the operation of the equipment.The reason costs are so inflated is precisely because there is no real price discovery/transparency/competition in the health care business domain. As a consumer, I push back on the idea that an annual or 18 month physical cost of $2000 is reasonable. Given that the physician spends maybe 5 minutes with me, and that the lab work is processed mostly by automation at this point, it would seem that cost containment needs to be applied across the board.

This of course applies to diagnostic testing as well. There is no way an MRI cost of $1500 for the 5 minutes you spend in the machine is reasonable or rational, even given a generous pay-back schedule on the capital cost of the device and a very reasonable profit margin on the operation of the equipment.

The reason costs are so inflated is precisely because there is no real price discovery/transparency/competition in the health care business domain.

]]> By: David D.http://www.dogcanyon.org/2009/09/10/how-to-fix-costs-of-health-care-lets-do-the-math/comment-page-1/#comment-47 David D. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:35:15 +0000 http://www.dogcanyon.org/?p=291#comment-47 Actually the math at the end of this article is off by a factor of 1000. $45,000 x 305 million comes out to $13.725 TRILLION over 30 years, which is a far smaller amount of savings. That being said, that amounts to an annual expense of $457.5 billion on preventative care, which is roughly equivalent to the annual cost of cardiovascular care alone. Not as large a savings as stated in the article, but still a savings. Otherwise, some very valid points. Actually the math at the end of this article is off by a factor of 1000. $45,000 x 305 million comes out to $13.725 TRILLION over 30 years, which is a far smaller amount of savings. That being said, that amounts to an annual expense of $457.5 billion on preventative care, which is roughly equivalent to the annual cost of cardiovascular care alone. Not as large a savings as stated in the article, but still a savings. Otherwise, some very valid points.

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