ANSWER...what do you buy without checking the price?

Both long and OT...but relavent to everyone.

What do you buy without checking the price?

MEDICAL SERVICES

Because in most cases you can not check the price!

My experience;

Fellow that worked for me on the farm for 8 years, was one of those that fainted at the sight of blood, especially his own, and if he hit his finger with a hammer he would roll on the ground and cry for 15 minutes then pop up and go back to work as if nothing had ever happened. He got hurt by a horse and went into this mode. Someone called 911.
EMT’s came and of course took over, took him to University Hospital. This happened at noon, he was home at 5pm, back to work happy and singing at 8am the next day. Got some stitches in his ear. My workman’s comp bill was $8000.

Friend’s mother was terminal with lung cancer, no more than 30 days to live. Hospital insisted on installing a pacemaker. Lots of stories like this abound. Had similar situations with my dying mother and dying aunt.

Where is the price competition that makes our food, cars, parts, …everything, more affordable?

I am on Medicare, so personally I am covered, but I am concerned about my countries ability to pay these outrageous bills. Healthcare costs have risen about 8% per year for the last 10 years while wages have been stagnant and inflation is 1 or 2 %. Now 22% of GNP.

Our kids can not have a decent life, and buy like we did, cars, houses, clothes when their healthcare is so expensive. 60% of all bankruptcies involve medical costs.

Anyway, I came across an article from TIME Magazine that explained in detail about health care costs. What an eye opener and scary that no one is controlling what is happening in the hospitals and testing labs. It is not the doctors…it is the medical industry. With no price competition,. … the sky is the limit.Lots of case studies and examples. It did give me much more respect for Medicare’s negotiating power.

If you care about the future of our country and your children, you need to read this. It certainly opened my eyes.

Google this article: Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
By Steven Brill Feb. 20, 2013 Time magazine

It is a very long and well researched article but reading only 2 or 3 pages was enough to open my eyes.

I did not read it but it sounds like a propaganda pitch justifying death panels.

Yep can't get an estimate and hold them to it or stop paying for not fixing what was wrong !!! can't return it either.
In any other business if you keep pileing on the charges and never got it fixed you would be in big trouble !

I didn't read it either.

Had my share of family go through the hospital system near the end.

There are lots of problems to be sure. It was set up to reward insurance co, hospital, and doctors, and get the money to flow. Not the best system, but along the way folks did talk with you and ask your wants and opinions.

I'm just so fearful the same people that run DMV, IRS, and DOT will get to decide if I should live or die.

That is a terrifying prospect.

Very tarrifying.

Paul

Agreed Edd. Jim, you should read the article.

My 2 cents. A human body is not like a tractor or car or any other manufactured item. Yes our health system has problems and yes some people manipulate it to their own good. What would you do if you were responsible for some one's life?
Also, can we get back to tractor talk. This site is beginning to look a lot like a Twitter feed or Facebook.

This has NOTHING to do with politics or party positions on heath care.

It is about what we are getting for our money.

Jim, Paul. and others who did not read the article: How can you come to an eduacted conclusion/decision without reading the article?! Armand

Friend of mine is a surgical room nurse, for the last 25 years or so- when I asked her how to fix health care, she said without hesitation, "Stop spending a third of the health care money on extending the lives of sick octogenarians for another 3 or 4 months". Death panels scare everybody, but we have to do something to get this under control.

Well, I did buy my wife without checking prices. Now I have life time payments.

Teabagger.

Not exactly true. When I needed surgery to correct a problem the Doc told me what he thought it would cost. I told him if he could get me on my feet again I thought I could pay it off. He did and I did.

Another answer to the question...electricity

If it is scheduled, and you aren't going into the emergency room, the rates for common procedures should be posted on the wall. An estimate should be given to you so you understand the costs ahead of time. This is the law when you get your car worked on. Why can't I see rates and then be able to shop around for the best price?

We eradicated (for the most part) the diseases that caused most of our infant mortailty. That was the cheap ones to cure.

My wife tried to get a good idea of what it was going to cost for carpal tunnel surgery last year since we have a high deductible...didn't look like it was going to be too bad. Everything went fine, 2 hour hospital room rental, 45 minutes with the surgeon. Then the bills started coming in. Man the things they don't tell you up front! Close to $10,000 when we were told it should be around $4000. What ya gonna do??? But hey, they did take almost $2000 off the bill if we paid it in full.....