Bankruptcy Reform vs Healthcare Reform Similarities

[dakota112]

After approaching the one year anniversary of this process of when I first contemplated bankruptcy, I have come to the conclusion that the experience will be similar when they pass the healthcare reform bill. I appreciatew the opportunity it offers to change your life but it is a nightmare of a year especially dealing with attorneys, trustees, arcane laws and the ambiguity and arbitrariness and unfairness of the process. Imagine having to go through this on a regular basis to get your healthcare, when you are physically in pain or very ill and facinf death and suddenly now you are dealing with the same kind government people to require permission to have this or that done. It will be agonozing for you and your family. I suspect that this is all done to so that lawyers and connected people can continue to make a good living. There is no tort reform in this bill so you can still file frivolous law suits. Yes they cost alot of money. 75 % of bankruptcies are due to cost of healthcare. This helps feed the lawyers and trustees whio have work forever. Will there be less bankruptcies with healtcare reform?

[Logan]

After approaching the one year anniversary of this process of when I first contemplated bankruptcy, I have come to the conclusion that the experience will be similar when they pass the healthcare reform bill. I appreciatew the opportunity it offers to change your life but it is a nightmare of a year especially dealing with attorneys, trustees, arcane laws and the ambiguity and arbitrariness and unfairness of the process. Imagine having to go through this on a regular basis to get your healthcare, when you are physically in pain or very ill and facinf death and suddenly now you are dealing with the same kind government people to require permission to have this or that done. It will be agonozing for you and your family. I suspect that this is all done to so that lawyers and connected people can continue to make a good living. There is no tort reform in this bill so you can still file frivolous law suits. Yes they cost alot of money. 75 % of bankruptcies are due to cost of healthcare. This helps feed the lawyers and trustees whio have work forever. Will there be less bankruptcies with healtcare reform?

So that's what Medicare recipients are going through. Wow, I had no idea.

[kornellred]

I must say, dakota112 - you have posed an extremely provocative and interesting question - will there be less bankruptcies with healthcare reform?

You could write several very long books about why the answer to that question could be either more or less. Bankruptcy is pretty much cut-and-dried as to purpose and results. It is also cleverly encoded in the US constitution and it's rightfulness is beyond question.

Health care, on the other hand, is not guaranteed by the US constitution, or any other document anywhere. The physical integrity of a human organism and it's ability to survive and enjoy being alive depends upon an enormous number of factors, most of which are situational and cannot be controlled. I see so-called health care "reform" as an attempt to enforce a general situation whereby the greatest number of people can receive the greatest benefit. It is a fine idea in theory. The trouble is that health care is not a "thing", so there is really nothing to reform. Whatever bill the legislature enacts will be nothing more than a set of restrictions and requirements imposed upon the providers of health care services. A certain amount of social upheaval is inevitable. I see bright young Americans eschewing the medical professions entirely because of the potential lack of freedom and limited earnings potential associated with needless legislation. But there will be a lengthy time lag associated with a healthcare reform bill to give everyone the chance to make adjustments.

What really makes the whole thing so difficult is the fact that we are all going to die no matter how healthy we might be. Now life itself just cannot accept this, and that's why we have a survival instinct and reproduction. And laws and lawmakers.

I say that bankruptcies will increase slightly as time goes on. Medical debt will not decrease on account of any conceivable health care reform - at least not for the foreseeable future.

[dscurlock]

Anything that has reform in it is basicly saying:

The people deserve a reform...

You might as well be saying:

The people deserve a new tax

Reform = New Taxes

Since when does a reform help anyone but
those that are writing the reform...?

[jtallerie]

I am about to file BK. My family lost our health insurance, we could not afford Cobra. No one is telling us how much the Health Insurance will cost with the new Bill. If a family does not aquire Health Insurance under the new Bill they will be fined up to 2.5% of our income. Under the new HC Reform Bill to get Medicaid you have to make less than 28,000.00 gross income per year for a family of 4.

This tells me that my family will be falling through the cracks and I might be Bankrupt again in 8 yrs.

My Stepson is a Dr. and I have been told that, any time someone is in an accident a certain hospital in my area bangs out the insurance companies for 10,000.00 for unnecessary tests. If I am not mistaken that might be the max in my area that the insurance will pay. When the patient seeks out my Stepson for care the hospital has already banged out the insurance. The Patients cannot get treatment for their injuries. I have a feeling that this is normal for most hospitals.

My Stepson has a policy that if someone is in pain he would never turn them away. He treats many patients at no cost. What choice does he have? He just tells these patients that if you know someone that needs a good Dr. send them to me.

He is very blessed b/c, he does not advertise he get new patients by recomendations.

Someone needs to put a cap on what a hospital can charge for services. They are out right stealing as far as I am concerned. They run up the insurance bill to the max and then stop b/c they know the limit and they don't stop until they have reached it.

I don't think that anything will be done about it in my life time.

I am going to go back to school. I am going to learn how to do the some of those tests that do not need to be done so I can make a good living.
B/C guess what, once we all have health care, potentially millions more people will be having tests done that they don't need. I will not have to worry about having food on my table.

Everyone who has had insurance and lost it knows that if you are sick and you are not insured you are not charged the same amount of $ as someone who has insurance. Doctors and hospitals charge you much less (the hospitals work with you and lower the price.

And further more, if you don't have insurance you will find a Dr. with a good heart if you call around and say you only have 40.00 to pay someone will see you.

That is why insurance is so expensive to begin with. Someone has to stop the hospitals from charging crazy prices for nothing. You have to sign on the dotted line when you are admitted to a hospital or to to a Dr's office, AND THAT'S IT, they can charge whatever they want and get away with it. If they say the bill is 1,000,000.00 than you have to pay or go B/K. Whatever the insurance does not cover you are responsible for.

My friend went to the ER and did the paper work. After 3 hours of waiting he left and went home saw no Dr., Nurse no one. He got a bill for 1200.00, I guess for breathing the air in the waiting room. This person has no insurance, he is not going to pay a bill for nothing.

THE HOSPITAL WILL WRITE THIS OFF AS A LOSS!

They will get tax credit for that.

That is part of the problem.

I am going back to school and I want to get a job with some hospital, I will be the teck. that runs tests and make a living.

After that I will have to work for my Stepson as a Volunteer, to make up for my sins!