Who says we can't afford tax cuts.....

[valvano]

and who wants a nationalized govt run health care system?

$20 billion down the toilet...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6710328/

[Schmeltz]

Twenty billion dollars wasted helping people, one hundred and fifty billion dollars wasted killing them. (http://www.costofwar.com/) Affordable tax cuts indeed.

[valvano]

a bunch of egghead elitist left wing ex hippies:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/aboutus/bios.html

i wonder how many of these people have had a real job outside of academia and/or advocacy groups.....

:D

[Echewta]

Real jobs like in the timber, mining, or construction business?

I had no idea being a teacher was a worthless job. But then again, the current administration thinks teachers are terrorist so...

[STANKY808]

and who wants a nationalized govt run health care system?

$20 billion down the toilet...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6710328/

Uh, the story says that it was "...private companies that process health claims from its beneficiaries made nearly $20 billion in erroneous or questionable payments last year, an error rate of 9.3 percent."

Oh and this little nugget..
"The review found that doctors and other providers were paid $900 million less than they should have received because of errors made by insurers. By contrast, there were $20.8 billion in questionable overpayments, Medicare said."

So the service (I'm guessing the billing part of the business) is privatized and a private company screws up, it's still the government's fault?

[valvano]

Medicare is a mess. Private companies take advantage of that mess. But the root cause is that it is govt run and the taxpayer is who is hit with the final bill.

(y)

[STANKY808]

Medicare is a mess. Private companies take advantage of that mess. But the root cause is that it is govt run and the taxpayer is who is hit with the final bill.

(y)

How is it the government's fault?

I guess your solution is to privatize the whole thing and the "free market" will sort everything out? Just like KBR ran the food and fuel supply of the invasion of Iraq.
At least with government run healthcare, if there are problems you can vote for change (in theory).

[DroppinScience]

i wonder how many of these people have had a real job outside of academia and/or advocacy groups.....

:D

What exactly is your problem with people who have an IQ of more then 49 points? :confused: :rolleyes:

I guess my mom has never found real work, you know, being a high school teacher and all. If she were smart, she'd have been a hooker and selling crack. :eek:

[ASsman]

I know were we can get 1.7 Billion in "erroneous" payments. Also, nice job making this an completly exclusive problem. Which has no bearing on other things like Military budget.. etc. And vice versa.

[yeahwho]

The Insurance Companies are just trying to help....themselves to your $$$!

According to Weiss Ratings Inc:


The nation's HMOs nearly doubled their profits during 2003, earning $10.2 billion, an 86% increase over the $5.5 billion reported in 2002.

For 2003, the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan reported a $1.1 billion increase, which represents one-fifth of the industry's net profit improvement.

Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, as a group, produced a $5.4 billion profit, which is a $2.1 billion, or 63 percent, increase compared to the $3.3 billion profit recorded in 2002. The nonprofit Blue Shield of California experienced a 220% increase -- or $314.2 million in 2003, up from $142.6 million in 2002.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Bush has received $29.3 million from insurers and related contributors. Senator John Kerry has received $9.2 million.

In the U.S., 44 million people are uninsured -- as many as 80% of whom are members of working families. In 2002, the largest increase in uninsured rates occurred for middle income families.

Nationally HMOs and health insurers spend up to 25% or more of the health care premiums they collect on profit and overhead, including advertising and executive salaries. HMOs and health plans claim that skyrocketing premiums are the result of increasing medical costs, however, in 2002 the Kaiser Family foundation found that the cost of health insurance for a family of four increased 250% more than the rate of medical inflation.

I always try to not think about this when I watch the Mariners play Baseball at Safeco Field.

[paulk]

"If someone ever comes up to you and says 'I'm with the government and I'm here to help,' hold on to your wallet and run!"

--Big Steve (security guard at Sunrise Library)

[Schmeltz]

Dang, now why would anybody suggest that academics know anything? I mean, just because they spend their lives studying a subject doesn't mean they know as much about it as Joe Meatball on the Beastie Boys message board. He knows way more about how complex things like war finance and statistics work, that's for sure.