Reading Sunday's 1/21/07 Union leader had made me happy to see progress in the area of medical expense knowledge for our citizens. The state will be the first in the nation to post on website, hospital fees for all kinds of surgeries and compare them with other area hospitals costs for the same procudures.Here is the link that will be up soon http://www.nhhealthcost.org This gives us the power to hopefully drive medical costs down! Yes- very smart thinking. Also the article used a graph and used this exercise with arthroscopic knee surgery costs and made the comparisons and guess which hospital came in with the best pricing- Parkland Medical Center-Derry. Could this website information benefit Derry by bringing in people using Parkland to also use our downtown businesses to shop in our community? we will see.
Knowledge is Power and clearly this will benefit our citizens.Many times the un-insured pay the highest fees. ( people with the least amount of money have to pay the highest medical costs. something is wrong here)
The second article which peaked my curiosity was that President Bush is proposing tax breaks for buying health insurance. For the first time workers could get a tax break if they bought thier own health insurance.
This has its critics, but it does have merit and empowers the individuals and not the big companies. ( shift of tax liability from un-insured to businesses)
President Bush's proposal will be previewed in his state of the Union address this month and as a self-employeed small business owner, I'm really excited about this proposal but will wait to hear more.
More shifts from goverment dependency to individual choices on health issues( and many other issues ) will drop costs and save us all lots of money. Comments anyone????
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This is an interesting topic and a topic that has been in 'crisis' for some time.
This topic is about the care and compassion to and for people.
What the heck 'happened' along-the-way.... could be discussed at great length. I am sure it is being discussed and some are trying to figure a compassionate 'fix'.
No easy task I would think!
I went to the linc and saw the comparison charts. Looks good and is a very good idea... as long as it stays 'honest'.
I just wouldn't want to see someone going to a certain hospital or clinic or whatever because they saw they offered a lower price and then continued going to that 'place' just assuming they would be lower on everything or all the time.
I think it is very good the State is posting the info on a web-site, but, the only way this will properly and honestly work is if the Hospitals and clinics or whoever is 'competeing' for our business:
'They' must have clear brochures listing procedures they perform and the prices must also be printed next to the procedure.
And, People should be able to ask for the brochures and/or Hospitals or clinics or whoever can mail them to the persons home.
If it is done any other way or if the prices are continually changing... this will become just ANOTHER 'game' that people will have to go 'nuts' playing!
Does anyone know if insurance companies are in business to make money while having a BIG overhead.
If so, then aren't we paying hospitals AND insurance companies to make profits.
Well, wouldn't it be better if the hospitals, had their own Insurance Departments or maybe I should say 'run' medical insurance?
And, anyway, don't they really anyway. Don't they get alot of gift and trust money?
just a few thoughts in this medical-maze!
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