Health care reform and OSA

[Bearcat42]

I was curious how this new health care reform is going to impact the diagnosis and treatment of Obstruvtive Sleep Apnea. Personally I am not a big fan of this hugely expensive Bill and I am thankful my treatment is done through the VA.

Many people have heard the stories of other countries that have tried this form of heathcare and how slow the system really is but I also wonder just how many new problems this going to create. Many people already have problems with insurance companies, Doctors, and DME's so what is in store for cpap patients in the future? Who will be their advocate?

[Autopapdude]

I was curious how this new health care reform is going to impact the diagnosis and treatment of Obstruvtive Sleep Apnea. Personally I am not a big fan of this hugely expensive Bill and I am thankful my treatment is done through the VA.

It might cover some of the people who aren't as lucky as you to have treatment covered by existing insurance. So, I guess one might say the impact would be positive.

[timbalionguy]

Is it going to force the online people out of business? Is ALL healthcare going to be at the hands of government? Is it going to be a crime to self-treat? Will a black market for health care arise? Will this crazy proposal bankrupt EVERYONE?

[cv66er]

Is it going to force the online people out of business? Is ALL healthcare going to be at the hands of government? Is it going to be a crime to self-treat? Will a black market for health care arise? Will this crazy proposal bankrupt EVERYONE?

Probably not. Stuff like that is more designed to scare you into supporting someone’s agenda.

Many like Bearcat42 may be thankful their treatment is done through the government. Some unscrupulous DME's or sleep labs may find it harder to scam people with more regulation. The bankruptcy issue is a problem, but we can be bankrupt because of the cost to our government, or bankrupt because of continued abuse by healthcare and insurance companies to increase their profits.

The current system just isn't working. Something needs to be done.

[hobbs]

Government hands off my Medicare!

[roster]

Government hands off my Medicare!

Good one Hobbs!

[Slinky]

What I remember thru all this is that I have always been blessed w/good health care. We paid our own office calls, other than that everything else was always covered - except TV in the hospital room (which I never wanted anyway). Then I came of age for Medicare.

Hey, not so bad. My previous primary insurance became my secondary insurance so everything was covered except now I only had to pay 20% of my doctor office calls.

THEN came to "crash". I watched our political "friends" in Washington bail out, was it AIG? and when those HUGE, OBSCENE bonuses, etc. were paid out our political "friends" couldn't stop them BECUASE they were legal contracts. So our political "friends"' bailout paid those bonuses.

BUT - when it came time to bail out my source of secondary insurance, General Motors, GM's legal contracts w/the UAW to provide our health, vision and dental care benefits COULD be broken. And were.

Now, if we hadn't had those legal contracts all those years we would have provided differently for our retirement. But, of course, we had those legal contracts. You know, like the ones AIG had w/their upper echelon regarding bonuses. So, now here we are retired - and it turns out that our political "friends" CAN break legal contracts if they want to. And they wanted to. So they did.

So, those who could have best weathered broken legal contracts, the financial wizards at AIG who contributed so greatly to getting us into this mess, got their bonuses, etc., didn't have their legal contracts broken despite the bailout by our political "friends" got off not just scott-free but w/all their promised "benefits" intact - whilst those who could least afford to have their legal contract for their health care benefits broken had their legal contracts broken.

Where are our political "friends" any better than the politicos of all these third world countries where the politicos and their cronies sap the rest of the populace dry??

[Gerryk]

I am worried about this insurance thing too. I was concerned before with medicare after I found out what my parents were going through. I dont know why medicare or any insurance thinks they know more than a doctor. If a doctor says the pt need this med not a generic why should insurance deny the coverage or say take the generic or take nothing. There is a difference and in some people generic won't work or may have something else in it that a person could be allergic to. Oh well, I guess that's how the old game of which medicine will I take game or is it medicine or food this month got started.
Yes, I have seen that happen to many folks and they are usually too proud to ask for help. The system sucks but it's better than most and better than what these crooks are going to push down our throats.

Gerry

[Autopapdude]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RB4pRZNeh8E/R ... ld+Map.jpg

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without some form of universal health care. That is a disgrace, and demands attention, even if it ruffles a few partisan feathers. End of story!

[Slinky]

What I see is that political greed in these other industrialized countries hasn't driven up the cost of health care so much as it has in this country. I drew up always so sure that ours was THE BEST country in the world. I'm not so sure of that any more. Jack Kennedy said "beware the gnomes of Zurich". I think he got the city wrong. Beware the "gnomes of Wall Street and Washington" is more accurate.

[TWW]

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without some form of universal health care. That is a disgrace, and demands attention, even if it ruffles a few partisan feathers. End of story!

The United States is the only industrialized nation that has not yet gone over to Socialism.

Not coincidentally, we are also the source of approximately 95% of all the technological and medical advances of the past century.

Preserving that distinction demands attention, even if it ruffles a few partisan feathers.

End of story.

hey, at least I am plagiarizing honestly!

[PST]

Hey, I love it here in the U.S. too, but those two statements won't wash.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that has not yet gone over to Socialism.

Slinky was just talking about Zurich, to take one example. Do you really consider Switzerland a socialist country? I don't think anyone else does, especially all those Swiss bankers and insurers.

Not coincidentally, we are also the source of approximately 95% of all the technological and medical advances of the past century.

We've certainly done our share and more. But what are the four greatest advances in medicine of the last century? A good list would be the development of insulin as a treatment for diabetes (Canada), the discovery of penicillin, leading to all the antibiotics (the U.K.), unravelling the structure of DNA, the foundation of molecular medicine (the U.K.), and the invention of the CPAP flow generator (Australia).

[Autopapdude]

The United States is the only industrialized nation that has not yet gone over to Socialism.

Why don't you give the Socialism thing a rest? Hey, it has run the gamut from McCarthyism to Socialism on threads as of recent. Talk about massive overreactions...lolol. All I did was question the motives of some DMEs. Why can't opponents of Universal Health Care (that is what it is, not some odious "ism") just deal with the issues and verbalize their fears, as opposed to engaging in political hysteria? Are you afraid of being "forced to see a doctor?" No "Are you being forced to abandon YOUR doctor?" NO, "Are some people in need incapable of paying for health care due to financial or preexisting conditions?" YES. Why not discuss it like that, instead of using polarized political "hysteria-mongering?"


Okay, I will be partisan in a polite way tonight--congratulations to the 60 Senators who had the guts to at least have health care discussed in open forum, as opposed to a nonsensical fillibuster on the most important issue of our time.

[Slinky]

*sigh* One totally fair criticism I've heard and read repeatedly is that there are little to no provisions for containing, much less curtailing, health care costs.

I wish they had been this concerned about "costs" before they voted to invade Iraq. *sigh* And that they had added some strong "strings" in place before voting approval of the TARP and bail out monies.

Ah, if wishes were horses .... there would be even more pooh available to sling at each other. *sigh*

[diboja]

Is it going to force the online people out of business? Is ALL healthcare going to be at the hands of government? Is it going to be a crime to self-treat? Will a black market for health care arise? Will this crazy proposal bankrupt EVERYONE?

In Canada we have a Universal Medicare system - No one here has gone out of business whether it be an internet or Brick & Mortar supplier as the Government system contracts out to the privates businesses.

My sleep Apnea testing, CPAP equipment was covered completely and we are followed up on an annual basis. New Mask, hose, filters are supplied annually through the private contractor (free) and the private business owners have a flourishing business.

It is not socialism, we do have longer waiting periods for procedures than the USA and it is certainly not perfect but I have not put out a dime out of my pocket for many decades for my family. If a medical procedure is deemed urgent we go to the front of the line.....and are treated promptly.

It shocks me that such a wonderful, industrialized, rich and powerful country as the USA does not have universal Health Care. It is the only country in the industrialized world that does not have Universal Health Care.

If I did not have our system I would be fearful of losing my home and assets if I had to pay for health care. Particularly in the event of a serious accident or long term illness.

What goes on in the USA is none of my business but I thought I would just state my observations. I believe the US has 31 million people not covered by any health plan - what a predicament to be in! As an outsider I sincerely hope that all citizens of your Great Country can have access to Health Care!