This planned parenthood thing has brought up another issue...

[one_voice]

single payer health care.

I know there's not a single person on DU against single payer. Question is how would our candidates get through? What's to stop that the repukes from using the religious freedom crap from preventing abortions. I understand how single payer is **supposed** to work. But we're not the rest of the world. We allow religious nuts govern/control the conversation.

How does it happen? I'd love to see it happen.

Especially for the elderly, too many of them are left out of the discussion. I know my parents have issues with their prescriptions. There's no rx plan on medicare. Which is why I don't think medicare for all is enough--but it's a start. We need something with rx coverage.

[leftofcool]

1. Even with medicare we have a supplemental policy and a drug policy

We even took out a nursing home policy just in case. We may be over insured but better over than under.

[one_voice]

2. My parents have a supplemental policy..

but it's expensive. And even with that, there are co-pays, both are on a lot of prescriptions. I'm able to help them. But not everyone can afford a supplemental policy.

[leftofcool]

6. Yes, it is pretty expensive.

I have had cancer and can't afford to go without the insurance. Fortunately we don't have many scripts.

[DesertFlower]

34. i took the cheapest ones i could get. i don't have

a lot of medical bills, but my friends pay $710 a month for both their medicare and supplemental policies. they both see a lot of docs. they're both working full time and collecing full ss benefits and struggling. she's 70 and he's 67.

[DesertFlower]

32. i have a supplemental and drug policy. my out of pocket

drug costs were quite high last year, but i can handle it.

IBM gives me an HCRA for $1,187 a year. i use it to pay for my supplemental policies. it also paid a large amount of the drug co-pays.

thank you IBM. collecting hubby's pension too. his 401 k was turned into an IRA for me. i'm 74 so i've been taking mandatory withdrawals for the last few years.

because of my income my medicare part B is $170.50. thing is no SS raise this year but a raise in medicare -- my check is less than it was last year. i don't mind. i'm thankful to have a good income. i don't know how much i gave in charity for 2015, but 2014 was over $11,000. i know it was more than that. glad i'm able to help those less fortunate.

[Thinkingabout]

3. Part D of Medicare is for prescription care, and yes it can be expensive.

As in Part B which covers hospitalization if you do not take Part B and D and decide to do this later there is a penalty of which you have to pay forever.

[leftofcool]

8. Our part B is only about 103.00 per month

And it only pays 80%. Which if you think about it isn't bad if your hospital bill is over 100K for heart surgery or something similar.

[Thinkingabout]

12. It is actually $104.90 a month, as for myself I also have a Medigap

Insurance. If Medicare covers a procedure then Medigap insurance will pay, if Medicare does not pay then Medigap does not pay. This is also per person and prescription plan is extra. A lot of my friends has an advantage plan and they include some prescription coverage. One may think ACA is not of any benefit to Medicare people, it also covers pre-existing conditions and I think in 2020 the donut hole for prescriptions will go away.

[leftofcool]

14. You are right about the 104.90

It was 103 when we started.

[one_voice]

19. I had no idea that the penalties were forever till..

I was hit with one. I didn't even know there were penalties.

And the repukes had a nerve to complain about Obama...

[BooScout]

4. I think it is going to take years for America to get Single Payer Health Care...

BUT, I think we start by working with what we have and expanding and strengthening it. We don't throw the ACA out and start over....we work on it, Medicare and Medicaid and we work on negotiating with big Pharma and bringing drug prices down. One step at a time we carve out a system that works and covers everyone.....but I think it has to be done in stages and increments. I do not think Single Payer would get through Congress....even a majority Democratic Congress. We just barely got the ACA.

[one_voice]

9. I agree with you..

I think it's going to have to be done in increments. Drug prices should be done right away. They're outrageous.

I think it's horrible that we don't have it and won't for years. It's shameful!

[Thinkingabout]

16. Good point, we pay the highest drug prices in the world, too many

Congressional members are falling into Big Pharma arms. We also need to get health care cost down, we are one of the highest in the world. I do not begrudge our medical people the opportunity to make money. The GOP talking point about all of the lines and the amount of time seeking care in other national health care countries was just another lie, the long lines and waiting for care is right here in the US. The biggest problem with ACA is it was based on the GOP plan, doesn't mean it should not be improved.

[Armstead]

26. I actually agree that an incremental approach may be the most feasible

But the devil is in the details, and which direction we move in incrementally.

I believe we need to weaken the role of private insurance and strengthen public coverage.

[Hiraeth]

5. I think the military insurance: Tricare is the closest thing we have to single payer at this time.

http://tricare.mil/

Tricare (styled TRICARE), formerly known as the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System.[1] Tricare provides civilian health benefits for military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents, including some members of the Reserve Component. The Tricare program was managed by Tricare Management Activity (TMA) under the authority of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs). Tricare is the civilian care component of the Military Health System, although historically it also included health care delivered in the military medical treatment facilities.

On 1 October 2013 TMA disestablished and Tricare responsibility was transferred to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) which was established on the same day.[2]

more at link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricare

[one_voice]

11. I think you're right..

maybe it could be modeled after that.

[Hiraeth]

15. Yes, I hope so. Seems like a good way to start ...

[wildeyed]

7. And dental coverage too.

Dental problems can be very serious and very painful.

Most of us agree that single payer is best. But no idea how even start getting this passed with the current congress.

[one_voice]

10. Absolutely! Dental coverage should..

be included.

[BooScout]

13. I'll point out that Dental Care isn't always covered in the UK...

It is only provided thorough the NHS if you are poor. If you are not on benefits, you either have dental insurance and co-pay or you pay for all of it yourself. I've not seen a dental plan as good here in the UK as the one I had in the States....and supposedly I had one of the better plans when we were in the States, although you could have fooled me.

[wildeyed]

18. I have never had dental.

We have an HSA now and can use that money to pay dental costs, so it is a tiny bit cheaper. But does not cover any actual costs. I floss diligently and hope for the best

I would be ok with it only for the poor. But when someone has an impacted or infected tooth, it needs to be dealt with.

[artislife]

20. I go to their dental schools to get a good cleaning. They do a deep clean. nt

[Armstead]

27. I solved it the easy way -- Had my teeth yanked and bought chopppers

Not a lot of fun, but no worries about dental costs.

(Until it gets to be time to get a new set of choppers (dentures).)

[TubbersUK]

21. It's provided through the NHS for all who wish to take it up

Last edited Sun Jan 10, 2016, 09:25 AM - Edit history (3)

However, only children (up to 18/19 yrs) , pregnant women and those on benefits get it for free.

Those not on benefits have to pay a fixed amount for each type of treatment - though not the full cost of that treatment, it's subsidised. For instance, I think I paid around £18.00 for my last checkup plus a scale & polish. A filling or root canal work is around £50.00. My son's orthodontic treatment (braces) was entirely free.

NHS dental charges

There are three NHS charge bands:
Band 1: £18.80 covers an examination, diagnosis and advice. If necessary, it also includes X-rays, a scale and polish and planning for further treatment.
Band 2: £51.30 covers all treatment covered by Band 1, plus additional treatment, such as fillings, root canal treatment and removing teeth (extractions).
Band 3: £222.50 covers all treatment covered by Bands 1 and 2, plus more complex procedures, such as crowns, dentures and bridges.

Specialist treatment at an NHS dental hospital is free to all. Emergency treatments by a dentist are charged at the Band 1 rate but are obviously free for kids, pregnant women and those on benefits.

Those who wish to pay for private treatment may do so but the costs are significantly higher of course - most people use the NHS for obvious reasons.

ETA: As you might imagine, dental insurance is a relatively small market in the UK.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74

[BooScout]

22. Our local dentist wouldn't take any new patients every time I called...

I called for a couple of years and finally gave up. I now go to a dentist in a nearby village that is private that I like. I've been lucky and not had anything major done since I have been here....but the day is coming....and I dread it....I very likely will go to a NHS dentist then, but I will still have to pay....and the kind of work I will probably need won't be cheap. Crowns, even through the NHS are still costly, although much cheaper than thru a private dentist. I am probably going to have to go miles away to find an NHS dentist that will take me.

I will say that the prices here, even for private dentists are much more reasonable here than in the States....at least at my dentist and for most procedures.I know some private dentists can be much more expensive than mine though.

[TubbersUK]

24. Yes

some dentist's lists were quite congested for a while but it seems that the problem has been rectified (at least I haven't heard of any issues for a few years), it's probably worth looking into getting registered. Sounds like you live in a rural area, so, as you say, convenience is a complicating factor. I'm lucky enough to have 3 or 4 NHS dental surgeries within walking distance.

In terms of costs for crowns, bridges etc, in my experience the dentist will try to batch up as much as possible so that you only incur a single Band 3 charge - maybe you'll get an understanding one too. In any case, you and the dentist have to agree a treatment programme in advance, with all costs made explicit, so there shouldn't be any nasty surprises. Also, follow up treatments are free if they arise within a few months of the initial work.

Good luck

[Thinkingabout]

17. Dental care discounts are available with some if the advantage plans.

[Starry Messenger]

23. I'm still having stress-reaction to the great "abortion rider" discussions around the ACA.

Even our allies were nodding along with horrid phrases like "cosmetic abortions." I am for a simplified and robust national health care system, but that doesn't automatically translate to elimination of discrimination in the system.

[one_voice]

28. nodding in agreement.

[Hoyt]

25. Singleayer, dental, no cost share, no premiums, etc, would be nice. Won't see it for decades .

Just reality. I gave up in the 1990s expecting yahoos to see the merit in single payer, or just using tax money to finance all health care to benefit of society.

Bernie Sanders won't make a bit of difference in this either, unless he'd attempt to build on what we have, with all its deficiencies.

[demwing]

29. When pragmatic conversations about single payer evolve from:

"We can't pass Single Payer" to "We can't pass Single Payer if we add Dental" then take a moment to smile, because we've already won.

[JI7]

30. i think for some of these things it will have to be individual states that do it first

the same thing happened with gay rights and some other issues. gun control will be the same.

california would be the best place to focus on in trying to pass some of these things.

[jeff47]

31. Flaws in your argument

First, there are plenty of people on DU against single payer.

Second, Medicare does have an Rx plan, Medicare Part D. It's not terribly good.

[2pooped2pop]

33. Bernie is more outspoken than Obamz

He will take the cold hard truths directly to the people and will not hold back. The people will start voting the idiots out of office and vote more people who want to work for the people in.