why is it that private medical people dont already have some sort of kickass national database or something? this is the argument liberals make about why the VA government healthcare is decent. apparently any VA doc can access comprehensive records on any computer and it means far more informed treament. i dont understand why this is not something in place already. paper records seem very outdated. a while back i broke my leg. i had to go to the hospital in jersey city to get x rays and then hobble over to my orthopedist in bayonne, physically carrying my x rays to him. it is ludicrous that those were not uploaded into my online permanent file for viewing by my doc. i dont get why private medicine is so stone age about stuff like that. i am definitely not saying the solution is the government. i dont undertand health care at all.
but wouldnt it save money in lots of ways if all our records were electronic? it would be more efficient and we would be healthier. and dont insurers want to save money? this really seems like a decent argument for government intervention, a national medical database. i dont favor it, but i can certainly understand the value of it. all medical records should be instantly accessible by our doctors via some awesome database.
You don't think that private enterprise can come up with that? Why would it have to be the Government?
i certainly agree that private companies can and will. i just dont understand they havent already. something isnt right about health care. the market isnt working as efficiently as it could. like i said, i dont know why. i will shut up now i dont know anything about this.
It's coming slowly, clinic by clinic and hospital by hospital, when they think the time is right. Many are simply and selfishly more comfortable with paper records. Others are too cheap to make an investment. This is one area the government could improve by simply establishing some benchmarks and deadlines to comply. Again it is happening slowly, when each provider feels it is justified. I had an emergency room X-ray done at 3:00 AM last year, when no radiologists were in the hospital. They posted the image on the internet for a radiologist in Australia who made a diagnosis within 30 minutes. I got a faster diagnosis than if they had to develop film and the hospital gets to save the expense of paying a radiologist to be there all night with little to do.
No, I'm against scumbag companies rescinding policies for frivolous reasons once the insured tries to use his insurance. I urge anyone interested to search for a transcript of the congressional hearings on this that were held in June 2009. You should also search for "Wendell Potter", a former insurance executive turned whistleblower. The first hit I got on Google was this one, which also briefly discusses the 59 y/o nurse BCBS victim I mentioned last time; it links to video of her congressional testimony as well as the CEOs. What a foolish statement. You're either engaging in willful ignorance or outright lying. You're definitely lying about "Sicko", which I have never seen and have not referred to. I asked for statistics, and you came back with unsubstantiated blather. Well played, sir! (Regarding the "salaries", it sounds like maybe it's YOU who "does well to stay with them".)
Again, CIGNA and BCBSCA are publically traded health insurance companies. I'll just point to the fact that over half of the insured in this country are insured by nonprofits. The problem doesn't start and end with the fact that insurance companies are just trying to make a buck. The examples of policy rescission I am aware of are when patients lied about past medical history. I'd say the problem starts and ends with insurance companies having to foot the bill for freeloaders by way of increased provider reimbursement rates. I did what's called "making an assumption". Let's just say that Wendell Potter is prominently featured in Michael Moore's sack of lying **** of a movie. I do not currently work for BCBSLA.
