The insurance companies. People who've worked for insurance companies admit that whenever someone calls with a claim they're instructed to say that whatever it is, it's not covered. A lot of people won't fight it, or won't fight it very hard, because when you're sick you don't have the energy to fight, so you've just paid the insurance company all those pay periods (for me, $100/2wks) for essentially no benefit to you. I pay $50 every week, and yet every time I go to the doctor I have to cough up another $25. If you don't have insurance most doctors will actually charge you a considerable amount less, because the insurance companies so often won't pay them what they should that they figure they have to raise their rates whenever dealing with insurance just to cover their losses. And insuring yourself if you're not employed is even more expensive, because it makes sense to somebody that you can squeeze blood from a turnip.
All the insurance companies have to do (and what they are doing) is tell people that Socialized medicine is Evil. Have you seen the signs people were carrying? "Obama lies, Grandma dies" and the like. We have such a stupid population, who will accept anything they're told.
"Socialized medicine means they'll pull the plug on anyone on life support, because it's not cost effective to keep them alive." "You won't get things you need because you'll be put on a waiting list." (um, triage, anyone?) "You won't get to choose your own doctor, one will be assigned to you."
I've been able to speak to some of this (with my coworkers) from the perspective of having been someone without insurance who had to throw myself on the mercy of the local hospital for a minor situation, and tell them how much it sucks to be sitting in an emergency room for something that's not an emergency because there doesn't seem to be any other option if you're poor. And you don't get anything like nice or even polite care, people are pissed at you for even being there. (I still have a small hole in my back from that episode 16 years ago which Eor has to clean out for me every now and then so it won't get infected.) You certainly don't get to choose your doctor.
Oh, I forgot to hit on the biggest lie that I heard on an ad, sponsored (I believe) be the insurance companies: "Congress should let the insurance companies compete across state lines to keep the prices low." As fucking if. As if they want to, as if they would lower prices and try to undercut each other. I don't think so. I don't even know if there actually is any injunction from Congress against them competing across state lines. But if you tell people there is they'll believe it.
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Date: 2009-10-16 01:30 pm (UTC)All the insurance companies have to do (and what they are doing) is tell people that Socialized medicine is Evil. Have you seen the signs people were carrying? "Obama lies, Grandma dies" and the like. We have such a stupid population, who will accept anything they're told.
"Socialized medicine means they'll pull the plug on anyone on life support, because it's not cost effective to keep them alive."
"You won't get things you need because you'll be put on a waiting list." (um, triage, anyone?)
"You won't get to choose your own doctor, one will be assigned to you."
I've been able to speak to some of this (with my coworkers) from the perspective of having been someone without insurance who had to throw myself on the mercy of the local hospital for a minor situation, and tell them how much it sucks to be sitting in an emergency room for something that's not an emergency because there doesn't seem to be any other option if you're poor. And you don't get anything like nice or even polite care, people are pissed at you for even being there. (I still have a small hole in my back from that episode 16 years ago which Eor has to clean out for me every now and then so it won't get infected.) You certainly don't get to choose your doctor.
Oh, I forgot to hit on the biggest lie that I heard on an ad, sponsored (I believe) be the insurance companies: "Congress should let the insurance companies compete across state lines to keep the prices low." As fucking if. As if they want to, as if they would lower prices and try to undercut each other. I don't think so. I don't even know if there actually is any injunction from Congress against them competing across state lines. But if you tell people there is they'll believe it.