Health Care

[nfotiu]

Originally posted by Bring_Back_Shantz@May 25 2005, 09:41 PM
Just out of curiosity, what is an HMO?
I've heard it on TV a bunch of times, and never in a good light.
Anyone care to expalin exactly what an HMO is?

Explanation from doctor's side:

http://home.austin.rr.com/austintxmd/Pages/ppohmo.html

Basically you are limited as a patient to seeing only HMO doctor's and only going to HMO hospitals. You can't get go to specialists or other doctors outside the system.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Thanks for the info.

[notoepik]

Originally posted by nfotiu+May 25 2005, 04:04 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (nfotiu @ May 25 2005, 04:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Bring_Back_Shantz@May 25 2005, 09:41 PM
Just out of curiosity, what is an HMO?
I've heard it on TV a bunch of times, and never in a good light.
Anyone care to expalin exactly what an HMO is?

Explanation from doctor's side:

http://home.austin.rr.com/austintxmd/Pages/ppohmo.html

Basically you are limited as a patient to seeing only HMO doctor's and only going to HMO hospitals. You can't get go to specialists or other doctors outside the system. [/b][/quote]
Actually you can go to doctors outside of the HMO. Many plans allow you to be referred outside of the HMO by your doctor. Or if you simply choose to see a doctor outside of the plan, your insurance company may pay a reduced amount, say 75% instead of 90%.

To whomever had the wife that had to go back to her doctor every 2 months for a new prescription for her birth control, would they not refill by phone? In my clinic policy is that the patient only needs to be seen for a yearly check, the pharmacy holds the prescription for the entire year. Even though they only fill it every month or two, it is good for a year.

[4X4]

Can any of you older posters recall what AHC premiums were back in sayyy, the 80's? I know Ralph became the Premier in 91 or something... I wasn't politically aware until 95 or so.

If many or most other provinces have no health care premiums, why does the "richest" province in Alberta have them? Was it always this way?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally posted by RougeUnderoos+May 25 2005, 11:37 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (RougeUnderoos @ May 25 2005, 11:37 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Bend it like Bourgeois@May 25 2005, 12:25 PM

I don't think it's fair to say the bill would have been $100,000 in the US though. The bill might have been similar, possibly less, possibly more.

I think it's fair to say that the cost would have been more than 100 grand if a complicated appendectomy runs 80 grand. [/b][/quote]
What nfotiu said.

I was only talking about cost to the patient.

Kinda related, in Alberta you couldn't actually get the 'pre-insurance' figure. the health regions have no idea what their costs are. They don't factor capital items into their budgeting. It's a huge problem for contracting out services.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally posted by 4X4@May 25 2005, 03:51 PM
Can any of you older posters recall what AHC premiums were back in sayyy, the 80's? I know Ralph became the Premier in 91 or something... I wasn't politically aware until 95 or so.

If many or most other provinces have no health care premiums, why does the "richest" province in Alberta have them? Was it always this way?

I don't know what the premiums were back then, but they way predate Klein.

You used to get an actual statement showing where you went and what it cost etc. I believe that was everywhere, but I'm only going from what the old timers tell me

AB has premiums because the government wants to keep some sense that health still 'costs' us. Or that's the government line. A cynic would say they have 800 million reasons to keep the premiums, give or take.

[Julio]

This is a really but issue with me. Last year is about the only year since I've been here (15 years) that I would have payed more by having a 7% PST than I pay with health care premiums (bought a car).
I view it as a tax, not as an insurance premium, because it is applied equally to everybody, not at all based on usage, or health. The tax affects the people who are making 20-40 K a year the most. Above that people either have it paid for by their employer, or it's a pretty small percentage of their income. Much below that and there is some help from the gov't.
Two other provinces do have health care premiums, BC and Ontario: From the Ontario Health website:

"How does the Ontario Health Premium compare to premiums used in other provinces?
Two other provinces currently have health premiums. In British Columbia, a single individual pays $648 per year, a family of two pays $1,152 and a family of three or more pays $1,296. In Alberta, a single individual pays $528 per year and a family of two or more pays $1,056. While these provinces offer limited premium assistance to residents with low incomes, Ontario would be the only province with a health premium based on income."

Maybe it's because I do look for information on this, but there was a fair bit of talk from the usual sources (John Carpay for example) about the health care tax being what should be cut. I was rather hoping for this as a good 'Centennial present', but no luck...maybe next year.

[Claeren]

The collapse of American Healthcare and the HMO system inparticular were by FAR the biggest issues going into the 2000 election year. G.Bush won largely because many felt he would best clean up the system and fight back against HMO's that were (and continue to be)essentially abusing their quasi-consituents.

Amazing how things change, just one event was all it took....


Claeren.