Let's help JJ Johnson, if you can...

[Kurtis]

Sad news about JJ. Hope he gets better and stays better. Great player. Hope he's not depending on others to pay his medical cost. That's freakin pathetic. I'm sure he knows that you need some type of health care insurance. Or gamble your life by not having it. Put money aside for health insurance in your budget, if you can. Especially at his age. Musicians life is tuff huh. please. Lots of professions are tuff. You don't like the system. Die off then. Everyone gets sick.

JJ is a well known respected player in the music world. I'm sure a few people out there will help him out.

[DSOP]

the US health care blows away the rest of the world.

"Despite much higher spending, U.S. performance in terms of quality is variable relative to other countries. While cancer care in the U.S. seems to be of particularly high quality based on five-year survival rates, the high rates of hospital admissions for chronic diseases suggest opportunities for improvement. These results echo previous comparative studies that find the U.S. to have middling or highly uneven quality. A 2010 cross-national study conducted by The Commonwealth Fund ranked the U.S. sixth of seven countries in terms of quality, with average performance on effectiveness and patient-centeredness and low performance on safety and coordination."

How much should quality medical care cost?

The United States Continues to Outspend All Other Countries on Health Care

In 2008, health care spending in the U.S. reached $7,538 per capita—far more than in any other country studied and more than double the OECD median of $2,995. Health care spending in the next-highest spending countries—Norway and Switzerland—was less than two-thirds as much per capita ($5,003 and $4,627, respectively). In all but two of the remaining eight countries, spending per capita was less than half the U.S. figure, and in New Zealand it was close to one-third ($2,683).

The U.S. spent 16 percent of its GDP on health care. This proportion was nearly double the OECD median (8.7%) and over 40 percent more than the country spending the second-largest share of GDP (France 11.2%).

From 1998 to 2008, health care spending per capita in the U.S. grew at an annual adjusted rate of 3.4 percent. This rate was slightly below the OECD median (3.9%). Health care spending in several countries, like Norway (0.8%), rose markedly slower, while in others, like the U.K. (4.9%), spending rose markedly faster. Health care spending growth in the U.S. since 1980 has dwarfed that of the other countries, both per capita and as a percentage of GDP

Not surprising, given the higher rates of utilization and higher prices, spending in 2008 on pharmaceuticals was highest in the U.S. among the 12 countries, at $897 per capita

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media ... ief_v2.pdf

[sejuba]

perhaps this video is quite relevant to the discussion...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffVJshHn-1w

[Old Pit Guy]

http://helpjj.com/

[Henry II]

Considering good (PPO) health insurance (for a non smoker) is less then most people pay for their smart phones.... seems like more a matter of priorities then otherwise.


Looks like he is almost halfway there. Hopefully his long term care isn't an issue and he can get on at least some kind of insurance.

Around here, the premium for "good" PPO plan for a family of 4 averages about $25,000 per year. That's just a little more than a smart phone.

[Henry II]

Janne, how much do you pay in taxes?

"Survival of the fittest... Darwin would be proud "

You don't know much about the US health system them.

A good friend of mine is a EMS medic, the majority of their calls involve people with no insurance or wealth to speak of. They don't leave them dying in the street....

Like I mentioned, part of why it's so expensive is because nobody is turned away. The people who can't pay inflate the cost for those who can. Simple fact is, when you turn away no one. Someone still has to pay for the them.


Not to mention the US health care blows away the rest of the world. That's why people fly from all over (yes, even Sweden) for top notch medical care. The best costs a lot. Somebody has to pay for it.
The U.S. reigns supreme in advanced medical technology and treatment, from Johns Hopkins and Boston Med, to MD Anderson....

The best is never cheap though. We don't live in a Star Trek world. It's easy for tiny countries to maintain socialist principles because the management structure is incredibly smaller.

None the less....

OK, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

[deseipel]

I work in medical billing, albiet on the tech side. But I can tell you that the amount of cost varies widely from state to state. Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado and Hawaii are a few of the states that don't really fit into the same pricing categories when compared to the others. Much of this is due to state specific laws and regulations. The amount that an insurance company pays on a medical bill is related to Fee Schedules, or pricing data gathered region and zip code (among numerous other things).

Ins Companies save big money on what they have to pay for procedures due to the contracts they have with PPO Networks. If Individuals had the 'buying power' of Ins Companies, I believe it might actually start lowering the cost a bit. Just a thought...

And Hospitals DO turn people away with no insurance, but I believe Catholic hospitals generally do not turn anyone away.

[Josiah]

OK, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

You're so full of it. What a joke. I should post a picture of my insurance bill just shut your dumbass up. But here's a faster way to do it - Basic Math.



$25,000/year for a family of 4 for health insurance.


DSOP posted his insurance is roughly $300/month. $300x12=3,600 a year.

Family of four? $3,600x4=$14,400 at DSOP's rate, applied evenly for a family of 4. Which is just stupid because of all the variable, and children are FAR cheaper then middle age adults. None the less...


You are claiming it costs $25,000/year for a family of 4.

That's $6,250 a year per PERSON. $520 per month/per person.


Henry II, simple math proves you have no fucking clue what you are talking about. Go back to inhaling faux news or where ever you get your bullshit from.

[janne jansson]

Josiah!
Please relax...not very cool to call people things like that.
This is à friendly place, let's keep it that way....

[DSOP]

Henry II, simple math proves you have no clue what you are talking about.

Now, now, take it easy...

Henry could very well be paying more for a better plan than what I currently have. If he wants a lower (or no) deductible for instance, his monthly rate will skyrocket. Also, as you get older, the rate goes up very fast. Not only that, but it is also affected by where you live. My rate went up almost 20% when I moved to Santa Monica from Newport Beach.

Look at it this way: If your house is on fire, firemen come and put it out. They don't ask to speak to the owner and ask if he has fire insurance. They just put it out. They risk their lives (sometimes) and save lives (sometimes). Firemen are paid quite well. Well enough to live comfortably. Who pays their salary? THE CITY. It comes out of our taxes. I don't complain about the rich people who live up in the hills where they're exposed to frequent fires, or where it's difficult to get safety equipment.

Why should health insurance, which is even more critical to society, be any different? We should all have the same access to care. It should be paid for by my taxes.

If my taxes are going to be used to enable wars and big military complex against my wishes, they can just as easily be used for health care against anyone else's wishes.

And what about taxes that go to pay for public education? I don't have any kids. Why should I have to pay to educate other kids? See, the argument is not being used consistently.