October 13, 2013

The ACA deductibles cap the providers' losses

The fact of the matter is that one of the things driving up the cost of health care for everyone are the unreimbursed expenses run up by people who have no health insurance.

What a $5K deductible means - on the other side of the equation - is that when a patient comes through the door, the hospital is looking at a maximum $5K loss.

Back when I was much younger, and my income was $12K a year, I had an event which incurred a $7500 hospital bill.

They chased me for a while over it, but the fact of the matter was that I was a grad student with no money, and I spent some time after that making $45 a day as a substitute teacher for a while after that. I don't know if things have changed, but there was no finance charge on that debt, and by the time I had real employment, the time had expired for it to be collectible anyway. After seven years, it dropped off my credit report.

Yeah, with high deductibles, some people are going to get bills they can't pay. You know what they are going to do? Not pay them. The upside - for everyone else - is that everything ABOVE that deductible WILL be paid.

The other consequence of that dynamic is that it will be a lot easier to negotiate away those bills. Let's say you run the hospital finance department. Someone racked up $50K for something, and they had a $5K deductible. You get $45K from the insurance company, and bill the guy $5K. You find out the guy has no money and can't pay the $5K. What are you going to do:

(A) Spend your staff time bugging a guy with no money for $5K

(B) Spend $1K on a law firm to get a default judgment the guy can't pay

(C) Sell it to a collection agency for $1K and they can try to collect until the statutory limit expires

(D) write it off as a 5K loss and take the tax benefit

If you answered (D), then congratulations, you just improved the bottom line.

At the end of the day, the hospital got $45K on a $50K bill, which is a lot better for the hospital - and everybody else - than getting 0 on a $50K bill.

October 12, 2013

Many of our new friends qualified for the "tinfoil" ACA plan

It's pretty good. You get a free implanted radio receiver, a change of batteries once a year, and someone from the government to watch you all of the time.

October 12, 2013

They haven't met their own daughter until now?

Has anyone checked her birth certificate?

October 11, 2013

Healthcare.gov is working better than Congress is

Come to think of it, that website is working better than much of the rest of the government right now.

You gotta put that in perspective.

October 11, 2013

Gilberton, Pa., police chief's hearing halted when gun falls on floor

A hearing for a Pennsylvania police chief who made profanity-laced Internet videos about liberals and the Second Amendment was halted suddenly tonight after a handgun belonging to one of his supporters slid out of its holster and crashed onto the concrete floor.

The loaded semi-automatic handgun landed inches away from Gilberton Chief Mark Kessler and his attorney. It did not go off, but attorney Joseph Nahas said that he and other officials were concerned about the safety of everyone in the tiny, crowded meeting room at Borough Hall.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2013/10/gilberton_pa_police_chiefs_hea.html

October 10, 2013

Please don't criticize this reproductive plan

My wife wants to be famous, so here's what she wants to do.

We want to beat the record set by Octomom.

She'll take a bunch of fertility drugs and get pregnant.

Then, if she has eight or less, she'll abort them all, and we try again until we get nine.

I figure we'll make a fortune with her as Nonamom.

I know we'll have at least one dogged supporter here at DU.

October 9, 2013

Why don't they make it about abortion?

The thing that really strikes me here is that those of the professed belief that abortion is murder have chosen, as their Last Stand, whether it is "Obamacare" or "entitlements" or whatever tomorrow's demands will be, issues that are simply over money.

If there is anything worth crashing the US into the ground over, one might think it would be some grand moral principle, and not just money.

October 7, 2013

Would this make sense?

I own my home outright.

Should I take out a loan on as much equity as possible next week and then pay it back at the end of the month if there is no default?

October 3, 2013

Adriana, I love you. Please let me in....

Come on, Adriana. I finally got the security questions. I confirmed the email.

Please don't lock me out with that devilish smile of yours.

September 19, 2013

Was the "Now is not the time" rule suspended?

I noticed a number of talking heads going on about gun politics right quick this time.

I thought nobody was supposed to talk about guns for at least a week or two after these things because, well, "Now is not the time..."

Because I realized that, yes, I agree. Now is not the time to talk about gun policies.

It's true.

It's way too fucking late.