Politics

[Hunt anything]

Let me just say that in reading the room from afar, the perception is this is high school. These men and women are professionals, and in spite of four years of over reported DEI drama, they earned their commands - unlike, I would suggest, the SECDEF. They are putting in 12-14 hour days, many in very critical billets. They have neither the need, nor appetite, nor time for this nonsense.

It does seem extremely sophomoric, if he wanted to talk to them face to face go to each command. Ridiculous to make each spend time away from their commands probably for a minimum of three days and some more depending on travel time.

 

[mdwest]

It does seem extremely sophomoric, if he wanted to talk to them face to face go to each command. Ridiculous to make each spend time away from their commands probably for a minimum of three days and some more depending on travel time.

One on one face time has value… maybe even one on ten…

One on hundreds is just a waste of time and money these days… if you want to get a message out to the masses and have them see your face use zoom or teams…

 

[wesheltonj]

Actually, not overall surprising. That its all services at the same time is surprising. When I was working for an insurance carrier it was not uncommon to have a meeting with all “management.” Of course nothing in any of the meetings ever applied to my department, total waste of time other than knowing what the CEO was thinking or more likely not thinking.

 

[Tanks]

You can't make this up...

Philadelphia plans to raise the Chinese flag in a bizarre celebration of communism

Philadelphia plans to raise the Chinese Communist Party flag in a betrayal of American values, just a short distance from where Declaration of Independence was signed.

www.foxnews.com

 

[rigbymauser]

It’ll cost you $40 to get an advil or an aspirin too…

$100+ for a pillow..

They literally factor in the wages of everyone from the doctor that prescribes it, the pharmacist that fills it, the RN that delivers it to your floor and the BSN that hands it to you in the pill cup and tells you to take it…

The tablet is just $1… it’s all the wages, liability insurance, and other bullshit associated with the tablet that costs so much…

But isn`t this the system that most you guys want?..free of regulations, consumer protection(Government interference), no rules and transparency.

 

[mdwest]

The system isn’t perfect… it could definitely be improved upon…

But it’s a whole lot better than most..

I’ll take it over pretty much anything else I’ve seen (mind you I buy health insurance in several countries to cover our internationally deployed personnel and have the opportunity to compare and contrast… I’ve been unimpressed by most other options)..

 

[Doug Hamilton]

But isn`t this the system that most you guys want?..free of regulations, consumer protection(Government interference), no rules and transparency.

You think the US medical system is free of regulation or government regulation? You don't know any American doctors do you? I also don't think that non medical people should be trying to regulate the medical professionals. I wouldn't know anything about where to cut services or training, would you? Excess government regulation by people who have no idea what's involved has generally proven itself to be a bad idea.

 

[rigbymauser]

The system isn’t perfect… it could definitely be improved upon…

But it’s a whole lot better than most..

I’ll take it over pretty much anything else I’ve seen (mind you I buy health insurance in several countries to cover our internationally deployed personnel and have the opportunity to compare and contrast… I’ve been unimpressed by most other options)..

I think the US is notoriously known for "surprise bills" even when fully insured. But you are right. No system is perfect.

I have never had the need to be hospitalized in other countries, but I always buy a travel insurance when outside EU. However Greece is a different story. Here things are wild west. It´s here even when insured the hospital want cash or they keep you with cops if they don`t get cash payments.

 

[Hunt anything]

I think the US is notoriously known for "surprise bills" even when fully insured. But you are right. No system is perfect.

I have never had the need to be hospitalized in other countries, but I always buy a travel insurance when outside EU. However Greece is a different story. Here things are wild west. It´s here even when insured the hospital want cash or they keep you with cops if they don`t get cash payments.

I’ve always heard that hospitals charge more for insured patients to offset the patient’s that can’t pay.

 

[PARA45]

Has anyone heard in new rumblings about the meeting of all of the Flag officers at Quantico tomorrow, latest I heard was a “pep talk”.
Really curious to have them all in the same place at the same time. Seems a little reckless as @375 Ruger Fan pointed out a few posts ago.

Funny how we are on the brink of a government shutdown, but there is money for this.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I’ve always heard that hospitals charge more for insured patients to offset the patient’s that can’t pay.

I've heard that as well. It makes since as hospitals must treat anyone that needs life saving care regardless of ability to pay.

 

[Mekaniks]

I’ve always heard that hospitals charge more for insured patients to offset the patient’s that can’t pay.

Of course they do.
As an example- if a business fixes cars but 10% of their customers don’t pay but you are required to fix them anyway (homeless ect) or must pay over long periods (no insurance) and the remaining 90% that do pay (insured / medicare ect ) still takes 90- 120 days or longer to get paid for repairs…The shop rates are going to be set so the shops bills (wages, vendors, utilities, mortgage) can still be paid…

 

[Mountainshadows]

From an Army perspective, no one seems to care that all the division and theatre commanders leave their units to attend the AUSA convention every year to include the top enlisted personnel. I certainly wouldn't claim all these top commanders are putting in 12-14 hour days because I have personally witnessed that they don't.

 

[Hunt anything]

I’ve always heard that hospitals charge more for insured patients to offset the patient’s that can’t pay.

@Surgeon1 , is the dislike because they do or because it’s not true?

 

[Surgeon1]

I have 40 years of experience in surgery, everything from Level 1 Trauma Care to Rural General surgery
most of it all at the same period of time. The worst thing that ever happened to patient care was the governments progressive regulations and so-called "Obama Care". The Affordable Care Act has crippled the system and at the same time made the insurance industry rich along with the pharmaceutical companies who make more than 90% of their drugs in India and China, leaving us in a National Security crisis.
I can walk into a pharmacy in Africa (and much of the world) and buy drugs & medications without a prescription for a few pennies on the dollar what they cost in the US, all made in the same India & China, many in the same containers I see here.
Since "Obama Care" I can no longer give charity care to those who can't afford neither my bill or the hospital's, it's against the law!
Hospital administrative costs have gone up 10-20x since Obama Care. Ask any practicing nurse about the massive increase in "administrator nurse managers" and their salaries compared to nurses that actually provide patient care. You will be shocked!
A 360-bed level II trauma and general medical care hospital in my area, has 4 employed Cardiovascular Surgeons and 3 full time Neurosurgeons. Their total salaries are significantly less than their Hospital Administrators (CEO) salary. And that Hospital Administrator (CEO) has never provided one minute of patient care in his life and takes no call, no nights or weekends and has never made a life-or-death decision ever. With a salary of 7.5 million dollars plus an annual "bonus" he is just one of 13 administrative people under him with salaries $300K to $1.2M.
Think about that the next time you wait 4-6hr to have a laceration repaired in the ER by a NP, PA or ER physician and you get a $4,000 dollar bill! Those who provide care to you with years of training and experience are miniscule portion of that bill. This all brought to you via Obama care and government regulation.

 

[Surgeon1]

@Surgeon1 , is the dislike because they do or because it’s not true?

The payment system is so screwed up that it's not even understandable. The one thing that is absolute is that for services provided to the patient no matter of their insurance or ability to pay is the same for all! That is the law. If you have 3 patients who all have the same surgery, and they all use the same exact care, same exact drugs, day of hospital care, same exact minutes in the OR and recovery etc, the bills would be identical (does that ever happen NO because every case is different in nearly every aspect).
What is so painfully different is the payment of that bill. Insurance companies contractually control every penny of that. This includes Medicare and Medicaid. The amount paid by each insurer is contractually way less than charged, with only a few very rare exceptions can the hospital balance bill the patient any more than the deductible. Those who are "cash patients" will pay the whole bill but often the hospital will negotiate a less payment, but the settlement can never be less than what Medicare allows and that's the law. Any balance the hospital or provider is due they have to make a good faith effort to collect, that's the law no matter if it costs them more to collect it than the outstanding bill.

 

[Hunt anything]

@Surgeon1 , thanks that’s very informative, frustrating but informative.
Fortunately at 61 the only time I’ve been in the hospital was when I was born. Knock on wood.

 

[Brent in Az]

Schumer & Jeffries. Political sewer scum.

We really need to find another planet for Democrats to inhabit.

 

[Red Leg]

From an Army perspective, no one seems to care that all the division and theatre commanders leave their units to attend the AUSA convention every year to include the top enlisted personnel. I certainly wouldn't claim all these top commanders are putting in 12-14 hour days because I have personally witnessed that they don't.

From an Army perspective, I have personally witnessed that they do. Perspectives are odd aren't they.

 

[deewayne2003]

I think the US is notoriously known for "surprise bills" even when fully insured. But you are right. No system is perfect.

I have never had the need to be hospitalized in other countries, but I always buy a travel insurance when outside EU. However Greece is a different story. Here things are wild west. It´s here even when insured the hospital want cash or they keep you with cops if they don`t get cash payments.

Funny example of USA vs foreign costs.

A buddy of mine is an anesthesiologist and went fishing in Panama and got a bad case of food poisoning and ended up in the hospital down there for a couple of nights.

Another friend of ours was with him and a nurse approached and asked “are you paying the bill cash or card?”….. he said that depends on how much the bill is?

“$410 US Dollars”

Which was paid immediately and paid in full receipt provided.

The food poisoned doctor couldn’t believe it, he said in the US it would have been atleast $10K