Incentive to reduce Health care costs

[mhd24]

Obviously obesity is an epidemic in this country. And obviously this obesity is causing health problems that enable the dramtic rise in costs.

What about simply giving an untaxable stipend/tax credit for adults 18-54 who are in shape? Want some untaxed income, be and stay in shape! Obviously the program could be targetted for abuse, but is the premise sound?

[twa]

Obviously the BMI is faulty.

But if you wish I would not object to taxing refined sugar at a dollar or two a pound...we can use the excess for fuel.

Not in favor of paying you crap;)

[Thiebear]

So were saying if 4$ a gallon makes us go Green in Oil.

2000$ tax credit that would take your taxes down for 50% of the people would fix healthcare? Not sure it would affect enough people...

would be better to:

When 51% of all people are on the government program soon.

20$ copay for those that fall within the BMI, don't smoke nor participate in high impact sports.

Run on that elliptical machine with the MP3 at a whisper.

10$ extra for Basketball > running for sports related injury.

20$ for every pound outside the seasonally adjusted BMI (Thankgiving > New Years gets 10% increase)

100$ extra if nicotine is found in the system. You will be probed.

500$ extra if you have alcohol or drugs not prescribed in your system.

500$ extra if you have more than 3 couch fibers on your clothing.

1000$ extra if you don't take the medication as your told and come back.

no coverage if you have something that costs too much per life year.

[chipwhich]

Just create a fast food tax and soda tax (on both diet and regular). Make them high taxes.

[Special K]

Just create a fast food tax and soda tax (on both diet and regular). Make them high taxes.

word

[Kosher Ham]

word

It's 10% in all restaurants in DC. Maybe more at this point.

[Special K]

It's 10% in all restaurants in DC. Maybe more at this point.

need more cowbell

and tax...

[PokerPacker]

How about eliminating the damn corn subsidies and sugar tariffs so we can get real sugar in our food instead of hi fructose corn syrup which is contributing to obesity?

[Special K]

How about eliminating the damn corn subsidies and sugar tariffs so we can get real sugar in our food instead of hi fructose corn syrup which is contributing to obesity?

HFCS isn't the sole issue we are dealing with in obesity. It is a multifactorial problem and how HFCS works into this entire spectrum remains to be determined. I think its' great more publicity is being made over this crap, but I think it's going to be extremely difficult to just "eliminate the corn subsidies and sugar tariff........."

[PokerPacker]

HFCS isn't the sole issue we are dealing with in obesity. It is a multifactorial problem and how HFCS works into this entire spectrum remains to be determined. I think its' great more publicity is being made over this crap, but I think it's going to be extremely difficult to just "eliminate the corn subsidies and sugar tariff........."

Well I have ulterior motives to that beyond just health reasons. Sugar tastes better, and I am against subsidies. Go Capitalism!

[Destino]

I find health care a curious industry. Every time prices rise we look at everyone but the health care providers themselves. People need to be healthier? certainly. Insurance companies need to be more efficient? Of course? But what about health care providers? Where are the demands that they be more efficient and dare I say it... stop ripping people off?

When is the last time your doctor returned a phone call instead of insisting you come in so you could be charged a fee for an appointment? When is the last time you found doctors offices open at odd hours so that people didn't have to go to an emergency room for a non-emergency? When is the last time you had a doctor's appointment that took you less than an hour despite total time talking with a professional being less than 12 minutes?

[Kosher Ham]

^^^Interesting point about the odd hours.

I agree pretty much. Why are those offices not open say...Wednesday through Sunday ?

Evening hours ? If so many people work 9-5 than besides a few lunch appointments, why not evening hours like Outback Steakhouse. lol.

[CrabR]

Obviously obesity is an epidemic in this country. And obviously this obesity is causing health problems that enable the dramtic rise in costs.

What about simply giving an untaxable stipend/tax credit for adults 18-54 who are in shape? Want some untaxed income, be and stay in shape! Obviously the program could be targetted for abuse, but is the premise sound?

I say alcohol causes more problems than obesity so why not tax alcohol

So are we to give credit for non drinkers

[Jumbo]

Watched the Penn & Teller episode about Fast Food (good one) last night and loved Penn's rant about how they tax us to pay farmers to grow way more corn than needed so they can sell it at artificially low prices, which then makes high fructose corn syrup such a popular cheap addition to many of the food items up for proposed tax increases because of health concerns.

"They use our money to pay for "bad" stuff to put into our foods that they're going to add a tax to in order to penalize us and get more of our money" :mad:

[twa]

I say alcohol causes more problems than obesity so why not tax alcohol

So are we to give credit for non drinkers

We do tax alcohol and tobacco plus every other thing I enjoy except sex.

A oversight they will probably correct:silly:

[Drockvb]

How about a tax credit for those paying the maximum in premiums?

Qualifications:

- work 40+ hours a week.

- have a pre existing medical condition which denies you coverage on most plans.

- pay the maximum amount allowed for a non group insurance plan.

- earn less that 40k a year.

This would help the hard working folk that are currently being robbed by our current system. Of course many will argue against a tax credit by saying "where will the money come from?". But i say, Who gives a damn? Until you can answer "yes" to all those above, you really have no idea what in the hell is really going on.

Maybe in the long run it will have a greater benefit as well. Maybe a tax credit offered to hard working people will have a positive affect on production in this country. Maybe a little incentive is what some people need to become more productive workers.

[Hubbs]

Watched the Penn & Teller episode about Fast Food (good one) last night and loved Penn's rant about how they tax us to pay farmers to grow way more corn than needed so they can sell it at artificially low prices, which then makes high fructose corn syrup such a popular cheap addition to many of the food items up for proposed tax increases because of health concerns.

"They use our money to pay for "bad" stuff to put into our foods that they're going to add a tax to in order to penalize us and get more of our money" :mad:

Yeah, that about sums it up. :doh:

[Special K]

Well I have ulterior motives to that beyond just health reasons. Sugar tastes better, and I am against subsidies. Go Capitalism!

Hahaha, okay, I fully supprt this. Where do you want me to sign!?!?

On the rare occasion that I drink soda, it must have real sugar in it, or else.

[Special K]

I... stop ripping people off?

Oh come on now. Doctors (at least the vast, vast, VAST majority) aren't in the business of ripping people off.

Although, I will admit that I had a meeting with one "doctor" (I say doctor in quotations because it was in the interview that I found out that he had his "honoroary doctorate" in psychology. And was acting like a full on physician marketing 'health' products' to the pupblic...and before you say it, YES, I was desperate and pretty much taking every interview flung my way, and this one was certainly flung - Anyway, besides that beavis -the interview lasted about 10 minutes and ended when I told him I was uncomfortable peddling his products for him and furthermore, this was not even the job description I'd come for, DOOOOOOH)

Anyway, that was a total tangent. Most doctors are not like that, they have their M.D.s!

I'm just going to put some of this out there to help explain how a lot of the doctors offices work.

1. There is actually a reason many doctors must have their patient physically in the office now days instead of a phone call follow-up ( although, anything they can pawn off on a phonecall, they will; I did about 25-30 for my doctor yesterday - that's an average day)

Regulations have become so strict on insurance billing and oversight, many insurnances (now this is depending on illness/injury ICD-9 code) particularly in worker's comp injuries (those patients ALWAYS have to come in), patients have to come in to go through the official documentation process. Not only will doctors not get paid by certain phone-calls, these phone call may not meet insurance criteria for acceptable treatment and a doc could get into big trouble if audited and everything isn't PERFECT.

I work at an OB office now and anything that we feasible CAN call in and discuss with the patient without going outside our scope of treatment and WITHOUT going outside insurance stipulations, we do. Like I said, I make 20-30 calls a day.

I When is the last time you found doctors offices open at odd hours so that people didn't have to go to an emergency room for a non-emergency?

Most physicians are on rotating call, meaning they are having to cover the ER, OR, etc. while on call. This means that they have to be on hospital ground, ready to go within 20 minutes of call. Obviously you can't be doing this if you are running the clinic at the same time. Patients would be pissed if you just have to drop everything after completing an exam and leave the rest of your patients just sitting there. This actually happened all the time when my dad was the only orthopedic in the county and people weren't happy. But what can you do?

One thing I have always thought would be a good idea, and don't know exactly why it hasn't been established, it 24 urgent care centers. I have used those on several occasions and I believe the drawback for many patients is they have to pay cash upfront. I would like to see more of these around though, especially if some type of billing system could be worked out because these are most certainly cheaper alternatives to the Emergency Room at a hospital.

When is the last time you had a doctor's appointment that took you less than an hour despite total time talking with a professional being less than 12 minutes?

Too bad you aren't a female, I'd recommend you come to our OB office. Most of our patients are seen by an MA within 5 minutes of checking in where their vitals, H&P, etc., etc., etc. are all taken. They are then put into a room where they are seen by the doc within 5 minutes (I'm not exagerrating, this is a well-oiled machine we've got going on in this office) and are outtie after 5-10 min. talk. Booyah! Seriously, it's a crazy good office. Anyway, I hope I cleared up a few of your other questions about the other issues because those are confuse a lot of people.

[Thiebear]

Mine was more of a point that people always want you to tax something they dont do.

But when you tax what they do that is bad for you it gets pushback.

Why not tax more to those genetically inferior?

the majority of people that smoke are poor: Make it illegal or make every place NY prices.

If there is an accident on the road or home and its your fault you pay 20% of the costs.

But then again:

IF i get a Tylenol i can give them back a tylenol and call it even vs. $82.50. (ill buy a whole bottle)

A saniwipe cannot cost 11$ each.

overnight stays that require nothing but monitoring can't be 2000$ in a shared room.

fraud/waste/abuse should be hammered, its rampant and it costs us all a ton.

[Larry]

Kind-of on-topic.

My local "health club" (gym) has a program which they offer to local employers, where the employer will pay for their employee's gym membership if the employee will go. The club will keep track of how often the employee comes in, and will tell the employer how many times Frank came in last month.

[Special K]

Kind-of on-topic.

My local "health club" (gym) has a program which they offer to local employers, where the employer will pay for their employee's gym membership if the employee will go. The club will keep track of how often the employee comes in, and will tell the employer how many times Frank came in last month.

One thing I think would be neat with these club is if they could add an additional wing or area that delt directly with basical health indicators. Over course, the people running the machines should be qualified, duh, but these machines could be run to take basica vital signs, mayeven a DEXA scan for older people to determine bone densisty. To be honest, I would LOVE to see more PCPs collaborate with legitimate fitness gyms and nutrition centers. Patients can egat coudseling regarding exercise and proper nutrition ( but withou the heavy marketing aspect)