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Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by jacquesm on Saturday April 15, 2017 @08:41AM (#14120491)
Yes, those poor people with recreational broken legs really should pay for their own work. That's only about 25K or so in a bad case without further complications... /s
Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by ThomPete on Saturday April 15, 2017 @09:59AM (#14120721)
Please read what I actually wrote instead of just knee-jerk reacting to your own prejudice.

I said MOST people should pay MOST of the bill. Do you really think I am talking about those with least amount of money.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by jacquesm on Saturday April 15, 2017 @10:02AM (#14120728)
You wrote:

> most people pay most of the cost for normal healthcare costs like going to the doctor for a checkup, most of the cost for one of things like a broken leg

Most people are poor. Wealthy people are the exception and most people would not be able to pay for even the simplest procedures.

They typically can't pay for a new washing machine if their current one breaks down.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by bradknowles on Saturday April 15, 2017 @01:24PM (#14121711)
This is why I liked the health care system in Belgium, where my wife and I lived for almost eight years.

In Belgium, you are charged based on your income, and they don't ask you how much you can pay when you get admitted.

As US ex-pats, we made enough money that we were in the top payment bracket.

Yet, for a significant surgery that kept my wife in the hospital in a private room for two weeks, we still paid less for the whole surgery plus hospital room WITHOUT insurance, than we would have paid in the US but with insurance.

That kind of social medicine does actually work, and work pretty well.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by jacquesm on Saturday April 15, 2017 @01:32PM (#14121742)
Belgium is pretty fair. NL requires you to pay between 100 and 150 euros per month or so (kids are free) and that covers everything, the rest is paid from the tax base so you already pay the income dependent part. The only bit that's nasty about it is the deductible, they really screw the poor people on that because of course only the cheap plans have high deductibles so those that can afford the least will end up with the highest costs when something does go wrong.
Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by ThomPete on Saturday April 15, 2017 @10:20AM (#14120801)
Most people in the west aren't poor just like most people aren't wealthy. Most people are in the middle.

There is a large number of people who can't afford to buy a washing machine but it's not most people.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by dragonwriter on Saturday April 15, 2017 @10:32AM (#14120856)
> Most people in the west aren't poor just like most people aren't wealthy. Most people are in the middle.

Wrong, income distribution isn't normal, it's bottom-heavy, and most people are well below the mean.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by pdkl95 on Saturday April 15, 2017 @10:42AM (#14120905)
https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2015

Exactly. In 2015, most (50.08666%) wage earners earned less that $30,000/year.

While it isn't a majority, the fact that 3-in-10 (29.72726%) earn less than $15,000/year is a travesty.

Re:Why Did My Patient Leave Me? by barrkel on Saturday April 15, 2017 @12:08PM (#14121336)
Most people are in the middle

Of the income or wealth distribution - not a hope, it's Pareto all the way. You've got a really warped view of the world there.