This week illuminates the festering sickness of corporate greed that has corrupted our health care, political, & media institutions that exist to profit the powerful at the expense of the majority.
I agree and have said for a long time that the American Healthcare system is a disgrace. Any system that involves the care of human beings and money is never going to be ok. However, killing that man is not going to get anyone's claims paid nor will it change how insurance does business. We increasingly live in a world where people think guns can solve the problem. Where violence is the automatic go-to when you feel desperate. And that scares me more than I can say
Taxing unrealized gains (and I assuming that it is meant to apply the capital gains rate or at minimum the income tax rate ) will put more into poverty. Yes I get the super rich people have unrealized gains… But every day people are putting money away and investing as well. Think of the 401(k) that are sitting there, those are unrealized gains.
That’s why wealth tax works better. It’s lower, encourages people to invest.
Now that’s relatively, actually considerably unreasonable. In Switzerland, the wealth tax depending on the county you live in is anywhere from 0.6 to 1%.
If you have a wealth tax of 50% on unrealized gains, you’re gonna wipe out most people’s 401(k). Or rather, they’re gonna be tax on unrealized game, and have to pay with it with over inflated paper bills, and it will sink them even further.
I can’t wrap my head around the widespread glee about this murder with the fact that the (slight) majority of voters just put in power a creature and admin that will make the healthcare situation so. much. worse. They will pave the way for more greed and healthcare decisions that will cost lives.
It has become really apparent to me that Republicans in general seem to abhor regular Americans or immigrants taking (or seeking) shelter here. Everything they do is focused on taking away any support of assistance they can. It doesn’t matter if we’re left in dire straits. Why? Why the hell are they doing that? And yet so many proclaim what “good Christians” they are. Would Jesus really do that? Didn’t he feed the masses & bless the poor & needy?
I’m not sure I believed there would actually be a Civil War between Christian Nationalists the libs, but I do believe the healthcare cost&healthcare insurance malfeasance, than there’s the threat of taking Social Security&Medicare that could do it.
Threatening withholding life saving treatments, leans against homes, bankruptcy might indeed lead to violence, but perhaps the targets aren’t who Trump administration expects.
I am so happy your daughter is now cancer free and doing well. My adult son moved home 2 1/2 years ago for leukemia treatment. He tried doing it on his own in Boston, but it was too much. So he moved back to Portland OR. We had a small go fund me 25k to help while he was on his own. But, as you know, cancer and treatment consumes the patient’s and family’s life. I became his primary caregiver and driver. He’s currently in remission with 3 months of treatment left. Financially, the only way he could make it was to go on full time disability and be on the Oregon Health Plan. The treatment is brutal and there was no way he could work. (He was on MA’s state insurance in Boston.) If my husband or I had to go through his experience and pay with his employer insurance, it would devastate us financially. After seeing the impact of giving poorer people a hand up with $$ during the pandemic and seeing how OHP literally saved my son, I am fully convinced that we need universal healthcare and healthcare reform. No one should have to be denied care and treatment when they’re ill. It is repugnant how many billionaires T wants in his administration and their plan to gut social services and devastate health services (RFK) I recently needed a CT to confirm diverticulitis and make sure I had no perforations or abscesses. My insurance denied it even though this is the standard treatment. I ended up in the emergency room in order to get care and a CT and a prescription for the correct medication. Much more expensive. Our insurance system is an f-ing nightmare. And under T, I expect things to get worse. Most people I know pay more for health insurance than their mortgage. There’s something wrong with that.
this evening p’s news -thx Chris Hayes - republican senator gleefully announced bill to exchange our national fort knox Actual Gold into bitcoin. as the gold underpins the dollar, it’s depletion will pull the rug on our currency, and (surprise - not) raise the value of bitcoin even higher (1 bitcoin is 100,000$ today).
Corporate greed is certainly a major reason why the country is where it is now. Add the participation of Evangelical Christian greed and the lie factory that the so called news media is heavily contaminated by and the willingness of millions of Americans to fall into the addiction of consumerism and you have the fall of the American empire. I hope we catch ourselves but it does not look good for democracy and freedom in this country.
Our politcal system is hopelessly sclerotic insofar as progressive change is concerned. And please, don't tell me that violence doesn't solve anything. If violence didn't solve anything, then the govt. would disband our armed forces and all police forces
I have pre-existing conditions should Medicaid go private I won't be able to get it they won't treat me for anything it may as well set me out in the shopping cart to die
You not only articulate a systemic problem; you point a prophetic finger at disasters that lie ahead. People failed to recognize the quintessential evil that is Donald Trump, and now we must all pay the price (I fear).
I will say that the recent murder has resulted in a lot of intermixing of complaints about the health care system itself and the insurance system. I say this because, though I may just be protected by a leprechaun, I have had United Health Care, both as company-based insurance and Medicare Advantage, since the mid 90s. I have never had a denial (other than due to coding errors by my clinic) and have been treated consistently well.
One thing Medicare Advantage does is negotiate with health care PROVIDERS to take less per Medicare code than straight Medicare would provide to them. In exchange, the provider gets a pool of customer/patients who rely on the network. Reading the EOBs is illuminating because they show what the providers are billing and what they are allowed as network providers. The difference can be astounding. One example: about 10 years ago I was hospitalized for half a day after the ER misdiagnosed my gluten reaction as a heart issue (without telling me that was why they insisted I be hospitalized.) I ended up with a full heart workup (still not knowing what all the testing was about) and a doctor asking me why I thought I had a heart problem. First I heard that was what the ER had said. The total hospital bill was over $10K. Plan paid the hospital about half of that. I paid $60. It is pretty clear that the hospital was perfectly capable of providing the service for what the plan paid them. The problem here was the HOSPITAL charges, not the insurance.
I understand, though not conclusively, that the Advantage Plan gets what Medicare would have paid the hospital (80% of that 10K) and so the GOVERNMENT pays the same whether it is straight Medicare or Advantage. That's how I get the good benefits, and I frankly don't CARE in the insurance company is getting a profit. What needs doing is controlling the costs by the providers.
I just paused commenting and checked on my 2025 Advantage. If anything the coverage is better. No premium, minimal copays, small deductible on medical and none on drugs. It's got the usual perks I don't much use. That said, Advantage isn't for everyone. I live where there is a WIDE range of doctor, hospital and pharmacy choices. In a smaller town or rural area it would not be a good choice. Also I've been covered by HMOs from the 60s (both profit and non-profit) and dealing with their restrictions is second nature. If you aren't used to it, you could get denied for not following the rules. You have to know the rules and pay attention.
My conclusion is that it is perfectly reasonable to be outraged by the state of our healthcare but that you need to distinguish between what of the problem is insurers and what is the medical providers themselves. Only then will you be able to get focused on what reforms will work.
On another post, I saw someone OUTRAGED that her insurance claim was denied for--a holder to use while bathing the baby. WTF? It would never occur to me to think that was something covered by insurance, any more than aspirin or an ace bandage is. A bit of realism would not be amiss.
Full Disclosure: I worked for an insurance company, though not health, but rather as a surety claims lawyer (Google it). My company was VERY insistent that we have a good and well documented reason for denying any claim. A whiff of a bad faith or Insurance Commissioner claim put us in the crosshairs for a cut in pay. I have no idea how other insurance companies operate. There are stories of the murdered guy's use of AI to "automatically deny claims." I can't help but wonder if he actually had AI to SORT the claims from those that had clear, facial grounds for denial (doctor obviously out of network and no extenuating circumstances) and those that needed human consideration of the ins and outs. I doubt reporters would know the difference.
I agree and have said for a long time that the American Healthcare system is a disgrace. Any system that involves the care of human beings and money is never going to be ok. However, killing that man is not going to get anyone's claims paid nor will it change how insurance does business. We increasingly live in a world where people think guns can solve the problem. Where violence is the automatic go-to when you feel desperate. And that scares me more than I can say
Hi Waj! I'm listening to the replay right. I'm excited (and relieved) that both of you adding another show per week. Thank you both for everything.
Luckily, i’m bringing the cure! Benefits may include:
- Tax loopholes closed
- New taxes on buybacks and unrealized gains
- Stronger worker protection laws
- Welfare system from cradle to grave
- Breakup of major monopolies
- Crackdown on predatory practices like surge pricing
From your text to God's eyes. Or, our lawmakers at the very least.
Taxing unrealized gains (and I assuming that it is meant to apply the capital gains rate or at minimum the income tax rate ) will put more into poverty. Yes I get the super rich people have unrealized gains… But every day people are putting money away and investing as well. Think of the 401(k) that are sitting there, those are unrealized gains.
That’s why wealth tax works better. It’s lower, encourages people to invest.
Okay. A 50% wealth tax, then?
Now that’s relatively, actually considerably unreasonable. In Switzerland, the wealth tax depending on the county you live in is anywhere from 0.6 to 1%.
If you have a wealth tax of 50% on unrealized gains, you’re gonna wipe out most people’s 401(k). Or rather, they’re gonna be tax on unrealized game, and have to pay with it with over inflated paper bills, and it will sink them even further.
Okay, how high would you set it?
I can’t wrap my head around the widespread glee about this murder with the fact that the (slight) majority of voters just put in power a creature and admin that will make the healthcare situation so. much. worse. They will pave the way for more greed and healthcare decisions that will cost lives.
It has become really apparent to me that Republicans in general seem to abhor regular Americans or immigrants taking (or seeking) shelter here. Everything they do is focused on taking away any support of assistance they can. It doesn’t matter if we’re left in dire straits. Why? Why the hell are they doing that? And yet so many proclaim what “good Christians” they are. Would Jesus really do that? Didn’t he feed the masses & bless the poor & needy?
I’m not sure I believed there would actually be a Civil War between Christian Nationalists the libs, but I do believe the healthcare cost&healthcare insurance malfeasance, than there’s the threat of taking Social Security&Medicare that could do it.
Threatening withholding life saving treatments, leans against homes, bankruptcy might indeed lead to violence, but perhaps the targets aren’t who Trump administration expects.
I am so happy your daughter is now cancer free and doing well. My adult son moved home 2 1/2 years ago for leukemia treatment. He tried doing it on his own in Boston, but it was too much. So he moved back to Portland OR. We had a small go fund me 25k to help while he was on his own. But, as you know, cancer and treatment consumes the patient’s and family’s life. I became his primary caregiver and driver. He’s currently in remission with 3 months of treatment left. Financially, the only way he could make it was to go on full time disability and be on the Oregon Health Plan. The treatment is brutal and there was no way he could work. (He was on MA’s state insurance in Boston.) If my husband or I had to go through his experience and pay with his employer insurance, it would devastate us financially. After seeing the impact of giving poorer people a hand up with $$ during the pandemic and seeing how OHP literally saved my son, I am fully convinced that we need universal healthcare and healthcare reform. No one should have to be denied care and treatment when they’re ill. It is repugnant how many billionaires T wants in his administration and their plan to gut social services and devastate health services (RFK) I recently needed a CT to confirm diverticulitis and make sure I had no perforations or abscesses. My insurance denied it even though this is the standard treatment. I ended up in the emergency room in order to get care and a CT and a prescription for the correct medication. Much more expensive. Our insurance system is an f-ing nightmare. And under T, I expect things to get worse. Most people I know pay more for health insurance than their mortgage. There’s something wrong with that.
this evening p’s news -thx Chris Hayes - republican senator gleefully announced bill to exchange our national fort knox Actual Gold into bitcoin. as the gold underpins the dollar, it’s depletion will pull the rug on our currency, and (surprise - not) raise the value of bitcoin even higher (1 bitcoin is 100,000$ today).
Corporate greed is certainly a major reason why the country is where it is now. Add the participation of Evangelical Christian greed and the lie factory that the so called news media is heavily contaminated by and the willingness of millions of Americans to fall into the addiction of consumerism and you have the fall of the American empire. I hope we catch ourselves but it does not look good for democracy and freedom in this country.
Would now be a good time to talk about Medicare for all?…….too soon???
Our politcal system is hopelessly sclerotic insofar as progressive change is concerned. And please, don't tell me that violence doesn't solve anything. If violence didn't solve anything, then the govt. would disband our armed forces and all police forces
https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/the-killer-and-the-ceo-shades-of
I have pre-existing conditions should Medicaid go private I won't be able to get it they won't treat me for anything it may as well set me out in the shopping cart to die
Yes, I would watch twice per week!
You not only articulate a systemic problem; you point a prophetic finger at disasters that lie ahead. People failed to recognize the quintessential evil that is Donald Trump, and now we must all pay the price (I fear).
Two graphs (charts) comparing the total net worth of Biden's cabinet vs Trumps proposed cabinet, and the 2nd chart is Trumps cabinet + his advisors
There are not words to describe these numbers
/Users/michaelsmolens/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/resources/derivatives/6/649F860A-0ACD-4F43-9307-6CD1886C7469_1_102_o.jpeg
/Users/michaelsmolens/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/resources/derivatives/F/F0982550-1EE3-4DE1-B1C0-1730EADDA0B0_1_102_o.jpeg
I will say that the recent murder has resulted in a lot of intermixing of complaints about the health care system itself and the insurance system. I say this because, though I may just be protected by a leprechaun, I have had United Health Care, both as company-based insurance and Medicare Advantage, since the mid 90s. I have never had a denial (other than due to coding errors by my clinic) and have been treated consistently well.
One thing Medicare Advantage does is negotiate with health care PROVIDERS to take less per Medicare code than straight Medicare would provide to them. In exchange, the provider gets a pool of customer/patients who rely on the network. Reading the EOBs is illuminating because they show what the providers are billing and what they are allowed as network providers. The difference can be astounding. One example: about 10 years ago I was hospitalized for half a day after the ER misdiagnosed my gluten reaction as a heart issue (without telling me that was why they insisted I be hospitalized.) I ended up with a full heart workup (still not knowing what all the testing was about) and a doctor asking me why I thought I had a heart problem. First I heard that was what the ER had said. The total hospital bill was over $10K. Plan paid the hospital about half of that. I paid $60. It is pretty clear that the hospital was perfectly capable of providing the service for what the plan paid them. The problem here was the HOSPITAL charges, not the insurance.
I understand, though not conclusively, that the Advantage Plan gets what Medicare would have paid the hospital (80% of that 10K) and so the GOVERNMENT pays the same whether it is straight Medicare or Advantage. That's how I get the good benefits, and I frankly don't CARE in the insurance company is getting a profit. What needs doing is controlling the costs by the providers.
I just paused commenting and checked on my 2025 Advantage. If anything the coverage is better. No premium, minimal copays, small deductible on medical and none on drugs. It's got the usual perks I don't much use. That said, Advantage isn't for everyone. I live where there is a WIDE range of doctor, hospital and pharmacy choices. In a smaller town or rural area it would not be a good choice. Also I've been covered by HMOs from the 60s (both profit and non-profit) and dealing with their restrictions is second nature. If you aren't used to it, you could get denied for not following the rules. You have to know the rules and pay attention.
My conclusion is that it is perfectly reasonable to be outraged by the state of our healthcare but that you need to distinguish between what of the problem is insurers and what is the medical providers themselves. Only then will you be able to get focused on what reforms will work.
On another post, I saw someone OUTRAGED that her insurance claim was denied for--a holder to use while bathing the baby. WTF? It would never occur to me to think that was something covered by insurance, any more than aspirin or an ace bandage is. A bit of realism would not be amiss.
Full Disclosure: I worked for an insurance company, though not health, but rather as a surety claims lawyer (Google it). My company was VERY insistent that we have a good and well documented reason for denying any claim. A whiff of a bad faith or Insurance Commissioner claim put us in the crosshairs for a cut in pay. I have no idea how other insurance companies operate. There are stories of the murdered guy's use of AI to "automatically deny claims." I can't help but wonder if he actually had AI to SORT the claims from those that had clear, facial grounds for denial (doctor obviously out of network and no extenuating circumstances) and those that needed human consideration of the ins and outs. I doubt reporters would know the difference.