25% of healthcare costs overall come in last few months of life-- Great Article

Sign up, and you can customize which countdowns you see. Sign up

Report problem with this ad

Feb 20, 2018
12:22:46pm

jkccoug All-American

25% of healthcare costs overall come in last few months of life-- Great Article

from a few years ago in the New Yorker-- probably the best take I've ever read on the issue (link below). It's not always old people-- but it is, often, people who objectively probably should just be allowed to die. It's hard to make those decisions, but the cost and pain to the person who hangs around are also very real, and so you have some pretty big forces acting against each other on this.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/08/02/letting-go-2

This message has been modified

Originally posted on Feb 20, 2018 at 12:22:46pm

Message modified by jkccoug on Feb 20, 2018 at 12:30:09pm

Report problem with this ad

jkccoug

New username: Socrates Johnson
Bio page: jkccoug
Joined: Jul 19, 2002
Last login: Oct 13, 2021
Total posts: 0 (0 FO)

Report problem with this ad

Messages

Author

Time

Why is healthcare so expensive?

SV Coug

2/20/18 9:07am

Too many people going to the ER for a stuffy nose, and old people hanging on

Mr. Scoobs

2/20/18 9:09am

Are the old people hanging on, or are family members telling the Docs to do

OneUpper

2/20/18 9:11am

both

2/20/18 9:13am

Also, preexisting conditions, lawsuits, cost of schooling

byu1

2/20/18 9:13am

Old People hanging on really is a massive drain. When the 90 year old with heart failure, diabetes, and kidney failure

Slim

2/20/18 9:14am

Honestly death panels were the best part of Obamacare, and it's a shame they

jrob30

2/20/18 9:20am

We've spent some time in the hospital over the last month... staggering

kotacoug

2/20/18 10:05am

and for what purpose?, it's not like they are going to recover and hike timp

Mayor of Cougartown

2/20/18 12:03pm

25% of healthcare costs overall come in last few months of life-- Great Article

jkccoug

2/20/18 12:22pm

Was this not the case 15 years ago?

Twin Roots

2/20/18 9:23am

I wasn't paying attention 15 years ago but my suspicion is that the emphasis on "customer satisfaction" in medicine has

Slim

2/20/18 9:30am

Yes but 2 things:

Martin Van Nostrand

2/20/18 9:30am

One reason is political lobbies

boxydutch

2/20/18 9:13am

Medicare & Insurance disguising the true cost of care-

SouthernBlueBlood

2/20/18 9:13am

I'm not an expert, just involved as a physician, but here are a few things:

gaspasscoug

2/20/18 9:13am

Add in the need for posted prices so consumers actually know what they will have

TailgateU

2/20/18 9:22am

There are so many problems with this that people don't completely understand.

2/20/18 9:28am

If you call your health care provider, can they give you the costs they

StarMan

2/20/18 9:30am

Yes and Yes

2/20/18 10:09am

YES But you have to demand it!

CariocaCoug

2/21/18 2:29pm

<< Deleted >>

2/21/18 2:33pm

So build in the risk premium and come up with a price. Not hard.

Iman23

2/20/18 9:36am

wrong it is hard

2/20/18 10:06am

Not that hard. Lots of complex sitautions in the business world where price is

Baron

2/20/18 10:10am

So if you go to the mechanic he will do the same? Just average out the cost for

2/20/18 10:14am

No. The Mechanic says waht the price of x is and fixes it. If he finds more, he

Baron

2/20/18 10:18am

It’s very hard for anything beyond simple office visits and procedures.

2/20/18 12:57pm

That still does not preclude posting a price for a procedure with no issues.

TailgateU

2/20/18 11:39am

Like I said. Those prices are available.

2/20/18 12:21pm

Maybe I missed the price display.

TailgateU

2/20/18 1:20pm

Not exactly. Pricing depends on who you have for insurance. My hospital bill

jkccoug

2/21/18 6:43am

Actually there is one price.

2/21/18 7:01am

Semantics.

jkccoug

2/21/18 2:58pm

There is one price for each thing done.

2/21/18 3:06pm

Not what I'm talking about or what was claimed.

jkccoug

2/21/18 3:17pm

What I claimed is correct and within the context of my post and actually agrees

2/21/18 3:25pm

Which is semantics. It's the same thing as having lots of prices.

jkccoug

2/21/18 3:29pm

So you want single payer then? Or do you advocate that all insurance companies

2/21/18 4:12pm

The cost is not related to the diagnosis, but the treatment. You said one didn't

TailgateU

2/21/18 4:32pm

only because you need to call two places

2/21/18 4:36pm

I'm sure that getting through the phone trees at multiple large organizations

TailgateU

2/22/18 8:03am

That sounds great. Me too. Get 3rd party insurance out of medicine and that

2/22/18 8:27am

In addition, you mention high admin costs, which are partially driven by

TailgateU

2/20/18 9:25am

This is so true.

slowhiteguy

2/20/18 10:54am

Some quick examples on ordering too many tests

WorfoSAUR

2/20/18 9:38am

I have given general anesthesia to literally hundreds of toddlers for MRIs

gaspasscoug

2/20/18 9:44am

But because it has become the community standard, even if it isn't good medicine, you can be sued for not doing those

Slim

2/20/18 9:55am

A lack of faith in an afterlife makes us hold on beyond our ability to feel joy.

cdr88

2/20/18 9:54am

Anesthesiologist I assume:-) I whole heartedly agree with your

BringYourUltimate

2/20/18 9:31pm

What many forget is the billions of wasted efficiency dollars due to HIPAA, all

jaba166

2/21/18 1:34am

As a beneficiary of State of the Art Premie care

CariocaCoug

2/21/18 2:51pm

Lifestyle choices, obseity, and a general disregard for health

a priori

2/20/18 9:16am

Is there a resource that catalogs total health care expenditures by category

barnacle

2/20/18 9:17am

We buy cars, groceries, and pretty much everything based on price - but not healthcare. We have no knowledge

Cougar-Duck

2/20/18 9:18am

You don’t know what a patient is going to need though...

2/20/18 1:06pm

Because we keep people alive way too long.

byubyu

2/20/18 9:18am

If you were legislating this, at what age would you kill someone off?

a priori

2/20/18 9:21am

I think any person with half a brain would make the decision on a combination of

OneUpper

2/20/18 9:27am

Really? What about those with a full brain?

a priori

2/20/18 9:29am

Same as half a brain, of course.

OneUpper

2/20/18 9:30am

Sounds too hard.

a priori

2/20/18 9:31am

30

HuskerFan2

2/20/18 9:31am

Letting someone die and killing someone off are 2 completely different things.

byubyu

2/20/18 9:33am

Sure, but I disagree with this whole premise.

a priori

2/20/18 9:35am

They are. But for some reason, when the time comes, a lot of families have trouble seeing the difference.

Slim

2/20/18 9:35am

Increased life expectancy plays a role.

spugeddy24

2/20/18 9:21am

technology, poor health, and greed

smokymountainrain

2/20/18 9:25am

Tommy Ahlquist, a doctor running for Gov here in Idaho, came and spoke to us

RC Vikings

2/20/18 9:33am

(not arguing, just making an observation)....and the introduction of government

StarMan

2/20/18 9:36am

In addition to the others mentioned in this thread, other countries leach off

Skeptical Optimist

2/20/18 9:39am

That includes new technology. While other countries are fine using older

Napoli

2/20/18 10:02am

Health insurance should be catastrophic coverage and not pay for every drug

Napoli

2/20/18 10:09am

Valeant was a good reason for the last decade.

2/20/18 12:52pm

Report problem with this ad

Posting on CougarBoard

In order to post, you will need to either sign up or log in.

Report problem with this ad