Cost of Health Care Continues to Rise

[merrylander]

Before the cataract surgery I had to do the usual, cardiogram,BP, etc. So a while back I needed some other checkup and called for an appointment. He said it is about time, it has been five years since the last one. I did not tell him that at the first checkup I had with him sixteen years had elapsed since the one before.

[whell]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Interesting, at none of the companies that I have worked for since coming here in 84 was I offered a choice among plans, there was a single plan, take it or leave it.

I'm not sure where you have worked, but this is a fairly common practice in the small group market. The fewer employees, the fewer plan options that are offered, which allows the carrier to better predict the risk / cost for a particular small group.

Originally Posted by merrylander

Perhaps insted of closing down the insurance companieas we should close Mickey Ds

We can certainly agree on this, though my daughters might object!

There you go again - deregulation, deregulation, was not this last crash sufficient for you? Every recent derugulation has been a disaster. They did it to the airlines - you can't pay me to climb on a commercial flight. They deregulated electricity providers, last year ours hiked their rates 72%. Actually power generation should not be in the hands of private industry, but that is another thread.[/QUOTE]

Yes, our perspective differs on this. Deregulation a many industries produce change, but I'd submit there are more success stories. Regulated industries by and large prefer to be regulated, becuase it shields those industries from market forces and competition. I've never understood why those who would prefer to regulate certain industries then decry corporate welfare. Regulation is a form of corproate welfare.

The airline industry was regulated for years, and could charge crazy ticket prices to help defray the cost of 1/2 full planes. We got airlines to service smaller markets because of this, but the costs were not sustainable when domestic airlines had to compete with foreign providers for routes, and "upstart domestic carriers" like Southwest were able to fly domestic routes at more competitive rates.

I'm aware of Maryland's deregulation of electric distribution. However, if you've insulated consumers from market forces for years, and then dump them into a market that has been particularly turbulent for several years, it was a recipie for disaster. The argument could certainly be made that if the system had not been previously regulated, Maryland consumers would have seen the same, more gradulal increases that most other markets have experienced.

As for the current financial mess, one could certainly argue that the regulators who should have been minding the store were asleep at the switch, and/or were pushing the market in the wrong direction based on bad policy. Either scenario begs the question: why do we need regulators if we're going to get this type of outcome.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by whell

I'm not sure where you have worked, but this is a fairly common practice in the small group market. The fewer employees, the fewer plan options that are offered, which allows the carrier to better predict the risk / cost for a particular small group.



We can certainly agree on this, though my daughters might object!

There you go again - deregulation, deregulation, was not this last crash sufficient for you? Every recent derugulation has been a disaster. They did it to the airlines - you can't pay me to climb on a commercial flight. They deregulated electricity providers, last year ours hiked their rates 72%. Actually power generation should not be in the hands of private industry, but that is another thread.

Yes, our perspective differs on this. Deregulation a many industries produce change, but I'd submit there are more success stories. Regulated industries by and large prefer to be regulated, becuase it shields those industries from market forces and competition. I've never understood why those who would prefer to regulate certain industries then decry corporate welfare. Regulation is a form of corproate welfare.

The airline industry was regulated for years, and could charge crazy ticket prices to help defray the cost of 1/2 full planes. We got airlines to service smaller markets because of this, but the costs were not sustainable when domestic airlines had to compete with foreign providers for routes, and "upstart domestic carriers" like Southwest were able to fly domestic routes at more competitive rates.

I'm aware of Maryland's deregulation of electric distribution. However, if you've insulated consumers from market forces for years, and then dump them into a market that has been particularly turbulent for several years, it was a recipie for disaster. The argument could certainly be made that if the system had not been previously regulated, Maryland consumers would have seen the same, more gradulal increases that most other markets have experienced.

As for the current financial mess, one could certainly argue that the regulators who should have been minding the store were asleep at the switch, and/or were pushing the market in the wrong direction based on bad policy. Either scenario begs the question: why do we need regulators if we're going to get this type of outcome.[/QUOTE]

Southmessed is OK if you like flying cattle cars, one of my positions involved giving courses all about the country. They once put me on Southmessed to Phoenix. I swear that we landed at every little airport between BWI and Sky Harbour.

We were doing fine until Phil Gramm persuaded Robert Reich that Glass Stegal was bad and Reich got Clinton to sign it away. I would imagine that Ontario Hydro and Hydro Quebec could be considered "regulated" since they are owned by their respective provincial governments, yet they can produce elctricity at half of what companies charge here. They also have very few outages, only expeienced one in the 13 years I lived in Ottawa. Probably just as well for New York that they can produce it cheaply.

[whell]

Originally Posted by merrylander

I would imagine that Ontario Hydro and Hydro Quebec could be considered "regulated" since they are owned by their respective provincial governments, yet they can produce electricity at half of what companies charge here. They also have very few outages, only expeienced one in the 13 years I lived in Ottawa. Probably just as well for New York that they can produce it cheaply[/I].

I hope they can produce it cheaply. They don't have to keep buying raw materials to run their turbines (i.e. coal or natural gas). As far as outages, the Canadians don't have the demands on their grid to the same level that exists in the US.

Of course, I'm way off topic....again!

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by whell

I hope they can produce it cheaply. They don't have to keep buying raw materials to run their turbines (i.e. coal or natural gas). As far as outages, the Canadians don't have the demands on their grid to the same level that exists in the US.

Of course, I'm way off topic....again!

Don't be fooled by the name, Ontario Hydro has more nuclear plants than dams.

To get back to deregulation how do you want your eggs, sunny side up or scrambled.

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by whell

As far as outages, the Canadians don't have the demands on their grid to the same level that exists in the US.

Doesn't this mean that Canada has managed their power needs better than the US?

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by noonereal

Doesn't this mean that Canada has managed their power needs better than the US?

I think we accept far too many power outages as being normal in the US. I lived in Germany for 11 years and don't remember a single outage. OTOH, we have frequent outages around here, some lasting for days. It's borderline Third World, IMHO.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by finnbow

I think we accept far too many power outages as being normal in the US. I lived in Germany for 11 years and don't remember a single outage. OTOH, we have frequent outages around here, some lasting for days. It's borderline Third World, IMHO.

Baltimore Gas and Electric sells emergency backup generators if that tells you anything.

We have a 8000 watt electric start generator and a 30 A manual transfer switch. I can restore power in under 10 minutes.

Borderline? Welcome to Baghdad on the Ptomac.

[BlueStreak]

[QUOTE=merrylander;37333]
We do raioning here as well, insurance companies do not cover everything, but in both countries that does not stop people from getting treatment, in particular the case of macular degeneration noted, my 85 year old sister has it and is beinng treated.
QUOTE]

Yes, but it's okay that we ration here, because the industry is protecting it's profit margins. You have less of that in a place such as Canada so it's not okay to ration there. To clarify; See, if a corporation is cutting your coverage in some way, it's good. That's more money they can stuff into the coffers. But, if it's the government, it is very, very bad. (Yes, this is Sarcasm)

Personally, I don't care who is screwing with my coverage and jacking up my premiums. Getting screwed by insurance companies is no more desirable to me than getting screwed by the government. I just want to be assured that I will have coverage until the day I die. Because until then, I will most assuredly have a body that increasingly requires medical attention as I age.
If we can do that through private means, great. If not, then I am going to the government. If anyone here doesn't like it? Screw you. I do what I have to do.

No malice intended.

Dave

[whell]

Originally Posted by noonereal

Doesn't this mean that Canada has managed their power needs better than the US?

Not necessarily, though Hydro is a great way to go if you can do it. It simply means that the demand for electricity is generally less that it is in the US. Lots of reasons for this. One example: geography. Lot less demand for electricity on summer months than in the US given that the summer average temperature in Saskatoon, Toronto, Montreal or Edmonton is less than St Louis, Richmond, Tampa, Miami or Houston.

Probably my fault again, by how did we get to talking about power generation in a thread about Health Care?!?