grimmeissen
Administrator
Join Date: 1/14/2004
Posts: 1217
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Posted: 1/25/2008 9:04:57 PM
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We often hear of the broken health care system in the United States because of the difficulty to obtain insurance or the extremely high costs for the most basic care. Unlike the health care systems in the rest of the world, ours is mostly focused on disease fighting rather than preventative care. This has created an industry that brings in billions of dollars and has some of the most advanced drug treatments in the world, but has made it very difficult for average people to obtain simple checkups or good-quality emergency care. I could easily rant about the problems with the drug industries or the government involvement in health care, but that would be too easy. In this article I am only discussing the areas of insurance and health care legalities—two major cost drivers that don't get as much coverage as the big, bad drug companies.
Last week I was in a minor auto accident. Another driver was not paying attention and rear-ended me on the interstate, leaving damages to my vehicle, but no bodily injuries. I reported no injuries on the police report and left the scene only interested in repairing the damages to my vehicle. Within days of the accident, I was personally reminded of one of the biggest scams in our health care system—the blood sucking lawyers.
I received no less than 10 phone calls from attorneys, insurance agents, and chiropractors looking to provide “free checkups” or looking to represent me in my case to resolve the accident. At first I found this to be a small annoyance, with the phone calls ending after a day or two. However, a few days later I go to check my postal mail and what do I see—no fewer than 20 letters from more of those attorneys, insurance agents, and chiropractors.
I was able to see past this charade and immediately tossed out all of those “free” offers, but it left me wondering how many people actually get on the phone to collect their complimentary services. I do not have any official statistics, but I assume that the costs of these free services to the at-fault drivers and their insurance companies in the United States is astounding. People with minor bumps, bruises, or maybe nothing at all will gladly accept the fancy care at the expense of someone else. Most people do not realize the overall effects this leaves on the health system, including long-term increases in insurance and doctor costs.
We live in a system where people sue others at the drop of a hat. Lawyers send these mailers because they know that the legal system lets them use the “injured” to syphon money away from people who merely made a minor mistake. The lawyers make a killing servicing the greedy, while the cost of care and insurance for everyone continues to rise. This doesn't even touch on the ridiculous area of medical malpractice lawsuits, which are driving doctors into retirement, drastically increasing costs, and weakening the health care system even further.
Next time you are in a minor accident or have a small setback because someone had a lapse in judgment or merely made an honest mistake, think about what you're doing before you take up offers from the lawyers and malpractice specialists that will undoubtedly be calling. If you really are injured, utilize the system to fix the damages, but do not go overboard. If you get greedy, it only hurts you in the end as you are propping up the flawed system that has gotten us here in the first place.
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mccracken
VIP Member
Join Date: 1/16/2004
Posts: 262
Location: USA
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Posted: 1/28/2008 5:45:46 AM
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I was talking to my mother about when my older brother and sister were children, in the 70's mind you, and she mentioned that she didn't have health insurance, because she didn't need one. She could go to the doctor's office with two kids and spend $25 total.
No health insurance.
What's changed between now and then? I'm sure if I had access and time to distill the data, I'd find that advertising expenses for lawyers have gone up 2,000,000%. In response, medical provider insurance and automotive insurance spending has gone up by a factor 10 times as great, and with it health care costs.
Check it out.. check it out... and then pick it out....... Then show me my dinero!!!
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mccracken
VIP Member
Join Date: 1/16/2004
Posts: 262
Location: USA
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Posted: 3/20/2008 3:02:30 PM
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You'd be proud. This past weekend I was rear ended. The car behind me was messed up, but my truck was fine.
I opted not to increase the rates of everyone else's insurance to get extensive checks done on myself and my truck. I also got a good laugh out of the tiny car that rear ended me.
Check it out.. check it out... and then pick it out....... Then show me my dinero!!!
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grimmeissen
Administrator
Join Date: 1/14/2004
Posts: 1217
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Posted: 3/21/2008 2:43:20 PM
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I am definitely proud. Obviously, if there are damages to your vehicle in an incident like this, you need to get it checked out. But you could have easily jumped out of your truck, acted like your back was broken, and hailed an ambulance. I've seen it happen before in the most minor incidents.
Perhaps that person who hit you will now pay this act forward.
Did you choose to not report the incident at all? If so, be thankful that you won't get all of those lovely phone calls and mailers.
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littlp
Lieutenant Spork
Join Date: 1/28/2004
Posts: 145
Location: Indianapolis, IN
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Posted: 5/20/2008 10:17:09 AM
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Mccracken, office visits are outrageous now. For a 10 minute meeting with my diabetes doctor (after waiting a half hour AFTER my appointment time) is an easy $150 dollars, without insurance. And that is the general cost. Some places are $60, but that doesn't include blood work, lab tests (if they have to send a sample of tissue in somewhere) it is ridiculous. I'm dealing with a doctor's office that keeps racking up late fees even though I paid my co-pay and my insurance paid their portion. I'm pretty convinced that the healthcare industry all around is interested in raping us all of our money.
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