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Old 08-06-2009, 10:36 AM   #102 (permalink)
rahl
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Location: Ohio
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rekna View Post
Here are a couple of questions.

Is health insurance primarily about helping people afford health care or primarily about making profit?

Are hospitals primarily about helping people or are they primarily about making profit?

Like any good business both are providing a service in which they are entitled to make a profit. I can't speak to what Insurance executives or hospital administrators are primarily about, but as an insurance agent I am about consulting with clients and making recommendations as to what would best benefit them and their families. Alot of my clients get into an "insurance poor" situation in which case I will try to disuade them from having their entire paycheck go towards insurance. I advise them to cover the basics: Health dental vision insurance first, Income protection in the form of short term Disability Ins, Life Insurance. If they feel they need additional protection I offer a variety of products from cancer to long term care(nursing home) ins. My number one concern is the clients well being, my second concern is commission. Admittedly not all insurance agents have this mindset but most do.

---------- Post added at 02:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:27 PM ----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by biznatch View Post
No, no, don't give me that victim stuff. You did not get bashed. You put your own self on a pedestal and told us you had more expertise/knowledge about the industry, and therefore knew better than us why it couldn't change.
I'm telling you, fine. For you, it pays your bills, because its your job, and I can understand you liking the status quo, or fearing major change, or whatever.
But I've lived my life without being able to afford a dentist or a visit to the doctor's, for more than three years now. Is that fair? Was I lazy? No, I needed food, and my boss gives me less and less shifts. Last time I went to the doctors, I had to pay 450 dollars just for blood tests.
The system is broken because tens of millions of people live in daily fear of becoming ill, or injured, and becoming a financial burden on their entire family.

So while I might not know how your employers work, administration-wise, I can tell you I've lived in France, where I had a family doctor. Who my parents had known for more than 15 years. Who knew all of my family's conditions, and knew how to treat them, and who would be able to prevent a lot of things from happening to us, just because we had one doctor we could trust with our health, and it was covered. And had we decided he wasn't good enough, we could have gone somewhere else.

Don't tell me it can't work. I've seen it work, and I'm sure there's more than just France who has gov't healthcare. The reason you think so is because you've only lived in a shitty for-profit system, where the MO is "make money."
The main objective should be to keep the people healthy, for the least amount of money possible. It's not something anyone should gamble and profit from.

I never once stated that it couldn't change, only that I don't know how to change it. Nor did I say if you don't have health insurance you are lazy. I agree things can't stay the way they are, I agree things need to change. I'm just hoping they change in a way that won't leave me unemployed that's all. And your right I've never lived anywhere else the here, and I have no idea what any other countries system of healthcare is like.

I'm just stating my opinion that I don't think that we could switch to a single-payer system, totally abolishing insurance companies and all their employees, and have the government tell doctors and hospitals what they are allowed to charge for the services they provide without having serious drawbacks and consequences
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