Non-IT News Thread
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citizens would be better served by a hospital (any medical facility really) being required to provide a full accounting of the anticipated costs of any non emergent situation before the patient visits.
Sadly - the system is so damned complex, it's nearly pointless. I have asthma. This means that a person with zero other pre-existing conditions normal office visit is, let's just say, $90. That same visit for me is $125. I have to pay a premium because - well at least the thinking is - the doctor has to put more thought into any advice with regards to my asthma, and is therefore worthy of being paid more.
Now, in a true open market situation - I'm totally on board with that, but healthcare is anything but a real open market.
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Another thing that just drives me mad - you call the insurance company and ask if something covered - 90/100 times they will tell you - they can't be 100% sure until they are billed by the doctor/facility.
Can't be sure? WTF? why not?
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
they can't be 100% sure until they are billed by the doctor/facility.
Can't be sure? WTF? why not?Because there are a thousand different codes the doctor can pull out of his ass for the same exact procedure.
It's infuriating
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@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Etch a Sketch lives on in browser-based Chrome Labs project
Web a Skeb is open source and works in both desktop and mobile browsers.
Everyone who remembers the Etch A Sketch slabs of yesteryear remembers how difficult it was to translate your vision onto its "magic screen," and how proud you felt upon success. Now, Google's Chrome Labs has translated that experience (quite literally) for the digital age with the fun Web A Skeb project. It's a browser-contained version of an Etch A Sketch that you can use to draw and doodle—if you can get the hang of its dials.
This could (will?) waste so much time...
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@bnrstnr said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
they can't be 100% sure until they are billed by the doctor/facility.
Can't be sure? WTF? why not?Because there are a thousand different codes the doctor can pull out of his ass for the same exact procedure.
It's infuriating
Which is what makes it not a price sheet.
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@Dashrender well we know healthcare isn't an open market since this price lists have been hidden away in this ledger for who knows how long.
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
The issue stems from there not being any pricing controls for healthcare. They can charge whatever the hell they want because they've been allowed too. The pharma industry is trying to follow suit with this practice as well with their bout of price-jacking.
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@bnrstnr said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
they can't be 100% sure until they are billed by the doctor/facility.
Can't be sure? WTF? why not?Because there are a thousand different codes the doctor can pull out of his ass for the same exact procedure.
It's infuriating
Well, and even worse - if there are complications - that tosses in dozens of more codes... so even more billing.
But a baseline is something they should be able to say - yes, removing an ingrown toenail is covered - along with any complications. that's not so bloody hard.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@bnrstnr said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
they can't be 100% sure until they are billed by the doctor/facility.
Can't be sure? WTF? why not?Because there are a thousand different codes the doctor can pull out of his ass for the same exact procedure.
It's infuriating
Which is what makes it not a price sheet.
This is their claim for this BS
list all standard charges for common treatments and care
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@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
For tax purposes they might be billed this amount, but what people without insurance actually pay is often far less than what people with insurance pay total, including what insurance pays. (from my super limited experience anyway)
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@bnrstnr said in Non-IT News Thread:
@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
For tax purposes they might be billed this amount, but what people without insurance actually pay is often far less than what people with insurance pay total, including what insurance pays. (from my super limited experience anyway)
Yes, being without insurance often lowers the TOTAL cost out of pocket. It's crazy how much they screw people.
And that's just inside the US, people without insurance often leave the country for even better options abroad because they have the freedom to do so.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
people without insurance often leave the country for even better options abroad because they have the freedom to do so.
and asshole hypocrite politicians do it, too...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rand-paul-hernia-canada-shouldice-1.4978260
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@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender well we know healthcare isn't an open market since this price lists have been hidden away in this ledger for who knows how long.
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
The issue stems from there not being any pricing controls for healthcare. They can charge whatever the hell they want because they've been allowed too. The pharma industry is trying to follow suit with this practice as well with their bout of price-jacking.
This is almost entirely, if not entirely people's own fault. They allowed it to happen. They allowed themselves to get treatment for non imminent things having no clue what the costs were/are.
I may or may not have an issue with the actual cost of these things each on their own.
As for insurance or non insurance costs - sure, that fake made up giant number is just that. Non insurance people rarely actually pay that number. They normally get some huge cash discount number - sure, it might take some time to get there, but frequently, in light of getting nothing and sending the patient to collections, they reduce it in the hopes of getting something instead of nothing.
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@bnrstnr said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
people without insurance often leave the country for even better options abroad because they have the freedom to do so.
and asshole hypocrite politicians do it, too...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/rand-paul-hernia-canada-shouldice-1.4978260
I assume your descriptors have nothing to do with the fact that he's going elsewhere to get the care?
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender well we know healthcare isn't an open market since this price lists have been hidden away in this ledger for who knows how long.
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
The issue stems from there not being any pricing controls for healthcare. They can charge whatever the hell they want because they've been allowed too. The pharma industry is trying to follow suit with this practice as well with their bout of price-jacking.
This is almost entirely, if not entirely people's own fault. They allowed it to happen. They allowed themselves to get treatment for non imminent things having no clue what the costs were/are.
People can't know what is imminent or not, and often get little or no choice. Parents are threatened, people are told lies, there is no source of truth. The sole source of information is the same crooks making the money. People don't have the power or information to really make informed decisions. They cannot get up front pricing, nor honest evaluations. Without those two things, how do you expect them to be able to make choices, short of leaving the country first?
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender well we know healthcare isn't an open market since this price lists have been hidden away in this ledger for who knows how long.
And people who don't have insurance are actually charged these rates. Where as those who do have insurance get some massive discount.
The issue stems from there not being any pricing controls for healthcare. They can charge whatever the hell they want because they've been allowed too. The pharma industry is trying to follow suit with this practice as well with their bout of price-jacking.
This is almost entirely, if not entirely people's own fault. They allowed it to happen. They allowed themselves to get treatment for non imminent things having no clue what the costs were/are.
People can't know what is imminent or not, and often get little or no choice. Parents are threatened, people are told lies, there is no source of truth. The sole source of information is the same crooks making the money. People don't have the power or information to really make informed decisions. They cannot get up front pricing, nor honest evaluations. Without those two things, how do you expect them to be able to make choices, short of leaving the country first?
I am willing to grant you that the majority of providers are only crooks through their lack of caring about making that situation itself better. I don't honestly believe that the typical provider looks at their patients as little more than ATM machines - sure, like any profession, there are a few that do (and apparently many of them live in Florida), but not most.
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Meet MASHBot, the touchscreen-tapping, Nintendo DS-playing robot
New bot shows automated play doesn’t need emulators or controller-port “cheats.”
Since making its public premiere at 2014’s Awesome Games Done Quick marathon, TASBot (the tool-assisted speedrun robot) has repeatedly amazed audiences by performing seemingly impossible in-game feats. Using nothing but pre-recorded electrical signals sent through a game console’s standard controller ports, TASBot has done everything from beating Super Mario Bros. 3 in under a second, to running Twitch chat through a standard SNES, to coding an SNES version of Super Mario Maker on the fly.
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has now tabled a vote of no confidence in the government, which could trigger a general election.
Mrs May said she would make time for a debate on the motion on Wednesday.
Mr Corbyn said the confidence vote would allow the Commons to "give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government".
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I honestly have little to no idea what Brexit is, nor do I really want to know either.
But in the most laymen terms possible why should I care about this? And why is Mrs May going up to another chopping block vote for her job again?
She isn't the person pushing for this separation, correct? She's just doing as the people have asked her to do. Correct?
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@DustinB3403 said in Non-IT News Thread:
I honestly have little to no idea what Brexit is, nor do I really want to know either.
It's like Texas voting to leave the US, with the US already having given permission for it to go.
