Gawd bless the National Health Service!!!

**Mrs Roo** · 09-18-2008, 06:04 AM

It saved my mum's bacon this week.

**neck beard** · 09-18-2008, 06:48 AM

I'm geussing this is more than just a bacon joke. Glad your old girl pulled through what ever it was.

**lionelhutz** · 09-18-2008, 08:39 AM

"National Health Service"

Strange words ....brain not understanding...government provides health care?....can't compute.

**alias** · 09-18-2008, 08:44 AM

You keep your silly health service. MY country owns a really big INSURANCE company. So I'm cool.

**edg** · 09-18-2008, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by alias

You keep your silly health service. MY country owns a really big INSURANCE company. So I'm cool.

I'm just looking forward to when they reprint the Man U shirts to have 'The Federal Reserve' as sponsors.

Top news about your mum, Gita!

edg

**Ripzalot** · 09-18-2008, 10:21 AM

glad yer mum's ok! score +1 for NHS.

now what about roo's teeth?

**ass-to-mouth** · 09-18-2008, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by edg

I'm just looking forward to when they reprint the Man U shirts to have 'The Federal Reserve' as sponsors.

Top news about your mum, Gita!

edg

"American Taxpayer" would be more accurate.

**Mrs Roo** · 09-19-2008, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by alias

You keep your silly health service. MY country owns a really big INSURANCE company. So I'm cool.

What would a 3 week inpatient stay and a 5 day ICU admission cost in your neck of the woods?

Would that then up your payments? (I'm genuinely interested)

**Mrs Roo** · 09-19-2008, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Ripzalot

glad yer mum's ok! score +1 for NHS.

You don't rid the world of mama Roo that easily!!

As for teeth, I think a full capri extraction is more of a priority.

**irul&ublo** · 09-19-2008, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by Mrs Roo

What would a 3 week inpatient stay and a 5 day ICU admission cost in your neck of the woods?

Would that then up your payments? (I'm genuinely interested)

ICU...depending on level of service, hospital etc. anywhere from 10 to 50k per day.

Inpatient stay, w/o extraordinary procedures, probably 5-10k per day.

Now, what is charged by the provider and what is actually paid if there is insurance, are two very different things.

**gincognito** · 09-19-2008, 10:27 AM

Glad to hear that mama Roo still has some kick left for this world.

As for the proposed capri extraction, I shudder to think what we will be revealed underneath...

**powder11** · 09-19-2008, 10:50 AM

glad to know your mum is ok.

I am just a bit curious where you Brits find all that money to fund your NHS?

**Steven S. Dallas** · 09-19-2008, 11:08 AM

Three cheers for Mama Roo! I have been following the situation from afar and am glad that things are looking up.

**Dantheman** · 09-19-2008, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Mrs Roo

What would a 3 week inpatient stay and a 5 day ICU admission cost in your neck of the woods?

Out of pocket? Even with average insurance, probably enough to put Joe/Jane Blow in debt for the rest their lives.

**Jim S** · 09-19-2008, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mrs Roo

What would a 3 week inpatient stay and a 5 day ICU admission cost in your neck of the woods?

Would that then up your payments? (I'm genuinely interested)

Depends: if you have no insurance, then it would up my payments because I'm paying for it.

If we have universal health care in this country, would you need approval for admission to the ICU while filling out 72 pages of form 12Bi and repeatedly saying "English" into the phone while it tells you, for the fourth time, to "Press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish."

.

**Shorey** · 09-19-2008, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by edg

I'm just looking forward to when they reprint the Man U shirts to have 'The Federal Reserve' as sponsors.

Top news about your mum, Gita!

edg

I had Panorama on the phone the other day (Wednesday) wanting me to go on TV for an interview about AIG. They clearly knew that I had no idea about investing in real estate assets during my time there and wanted the inside gossip.

ANYWAY...Mrs Roo...if it isn't your cat needing a poo, it's your mother running the gauntlet with the NHS. I hope all's well.

**Shorey** · 09-19-2008, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by powder11

I am just a bit curious where you Brits find all that money to fund your NHS?

Bwah ha ha!

Ask the Treasury ministers...they'd like to know too.

The honest answer is somewhere between taxation and government debt.

**irul&ublo** · 09-19-2008, 12:48 PM

Ring my friend I said you'd call Dr. Robert,
Day or night he'll be there anytime at all Dr. Robert.

Dr. Robert, your a new and better man,
He helps you to understand,
He does everything he can, Dr. Robert.

If your down he'll pick you up, Dr. Robert,
Take a drink from his special cup, Dr. Robert

Dr. Robert, he's a man you must believe,
Helping everyone in need,
No one can succeed like Dr. Robert

Well, well, well your feeling fine,
Well, well, well, he'll make you, Dr. Robert

My friend works for the National Health, Dr. Robert,
Don't take money to see yourself with Dr. Robert

Dr. Robert, your a new and better man,
He helps you to understand,
He does everything he can, Dr. Robert

Well, well, well, your feeling fine,
Well, well, well, he'll make you, Dr. Robert

Ring my friend I said you'd call Dr. Robert

**Mrs Roo** · 09-20-2008, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Shorey

ANYWAY...Mrs Roo...if it isn't your cat needing a poo....

Actually is was a wee. Now vet bills are another matter. It cost is 450 quid to unblock Trevor's bladder. He's worth every penny.

**Hayduke** · 09-20-2008, 09:31 AM

Glad to hear about your Mum Gita. PM me your email address will you.

**Benny Profane** · 09-20-2008, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by powder11

I am just a bit curious where you Brits find all that money to fund your NHS?

The taxes from all the rock and roll royalties the Brit bands ripped off from across the pond.

**Elle Be** · 09-20-2008, 09:46 AM

Glad to hear, G!

**Arno** · 09-20-2008, 09:53 AM

good news!

**avacadotoast** · 09-20-2008, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jim S

Depends: if you have no insurance, then it would up my payments because I'm paying for it.

If we have universal health care in this country, would you need approval for admission to the ICU while filling out 72 pages of form 12Bi and repeatedly saying "English" into the phone while it tells you, for the fourth time, to "Press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish."

.

Jim I love you man but sometimes you astonish me. Do your medicare patients have to go through that kind of red tape during a health crisis? Do all non-insured not pay? Do you send them to collections? Do you work with them to get their bill down to the level that their insurer would pay if they were insured? Resisitance is futile man so work with the system we're going to get and advocate the things you think are important within that system (like increasing medicare/medicaid reimbursement to docs and reducing red tape).

As far as the costs. Medicare probably pays low $2000s for an ICU day and probably $1600/day for a reg hospital bed. These are guesses though since medicare uses DRGs (case rates by diagnosis group) as a means to combat waste (keeping a person in the hospital to rack up per day charges).

Private Insurers with a good contract probably avg $2500 or so for an ICU day - probably 3,4,5 times that without a contract. Regular day costs maybe $2000. Most contracts with private insurers now have 'outlier provisions' for acute cases where if a person goes over a certain $$ amount of charges in a hospital stay it reverts to a higher reimbursement (which 5 days in the ICU would do) - 50% of charges is typical for one of these which would average ~$4-$6k a day. Add on another few grand in physician costs for each procedure that was done.

Mrs Roo, a stay like that would most certainly up the premiums for small to midsize companies - maybe not as much as you would think though since most states have guaranteed issue and medical underwriting caps on small groups and large claims like that are typically 'pooled' via large group underwriting. If your Mum's employer did not provide health insurance and she had individual insurance she would be cancelled & no longer be able to get individual insurance EVER!!