S07.E01: Medicare For All

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Medicare for all; impeachment; up close and personal view of the winner of the Westminster Dog Show

John's back for season 7!  Original air date 2020.02.16. 

[Victor the Crab]

Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!

[Annber03]

Welcome back, John! 

And what a good, relatable topic to kick things off with. That PEHP story. Wooooooow. But yeah, virtually every single problem he listed in this segment applies to my family, 'cause we've been through them all. We filed for bankruptcy when my dad fell seriously ill ten years ago, due to the insane medical bills. John's comment about how "You can get fucked by taking an ambulance." - that was my family. A lot of the time, the hospital in the town we actually lived in didn't have all the necessary things to help treat all the stuff that was wrong with my dad, so he had to go to a hospital two hours away.

My mom tried to drive him there when she could, but of course, that required her to take time out of her minimum wage job at Target to drive him those two hours (which was not easy to do, because you're only allotted so much time off for that kind of thing). Add in that the car we had at that time was an older car and had some issues with it that constantly needed to be fixed, and then of course the gas, which wasn't cheap, and was money that we weren't able to use for things like food and paying the rent and heat. Things we were already stretched pretty thin on being able to afford as it was, since my dad eventually got to the point where he wasn't physically able to work anymore, and lost his job as a result (which really sucked for him because when he was working, his job actually provided him a very good healthcare plan). It was so bad that we ultimately had to resort to food stamps and other aid to help with a lot of that stuff. 

So when my mom wasn't able to drive my dad to the hospital herself, he would take an ambulance. A two hour ambulance ride? Also not cheap. And yes, that, along with the other medical debt that we were accumulating, did eventually lead to my dad often just not going to the hospital and suffering it out as best he could until he absolutely had no choice BUT to go. 

My dad eventually died from all of his health problems. And my family was stuck with the debt, and it's taken us quite some time to even begin to pay it down. 

So yeah. I am VERY much in favor of any changes to our healthcare system that can stop people from going through the kind of hell my family went through, and can spare families having to raise money to get their young kid decent care, and things of that sort. I will happily deal with wait times if I know I'll guaranteed treatment and won't go broke in the process. I can deal with paying more if it means I'm going to get something good back (though, considering my family is lower-class, we probably wouldn't be paying as much with these plans as those who are richer would, which would be fine with me). It's amazing how we sit here and fret about the cost when it comes to making sure everyone's got healthcare coverage, but when it comes to some new war overseas or some fancy new military weapon, nobody seems to give a damn about where that money will come from. Suddenly we have all the money available for that!

And anytime I hear those on the right bellyaching about this issue, I just keep flashing back to the GOP debates from 2011 or so, where there were people in the crowd who were cheering at the idea of just letting somebody die if they couldn't afford health insurance, and the candidates on stage didn't pipe up and call them out or have any sort of decent response to that. At the time I saw that clip, my dad had just died the year before, and my mom was then visiting her dying sister, who also struggled to afford decent healthcare. I've never forgotten that clip, ever, and let's just say I have a LOT of choice words for people who have those kinds of attitudes in regards to this issue. 

/end rant. Anywho. Yeah. Excellent segment that I wish everyone could watch, and I fully agree with Oliver's preferences here.

As for other stuff:

-"This is the man whose first child was Donald Trump, Jr., and he kept having children!" And the Laura Ingram and "Sarah Palin's fourth attempt at cloning herself..." lines. Hee. 

-That Susan Collins clip is totally going to be on a constant loop in Democratic ads in the lead up to the election, isn't it? And rightly so. I would've loved to see the newsanchors who had to listen to Collins et al be all, "Oh, Trump totally learned from this ordeal!" to look at them point blank and ask, "Are you kidding me with this nonsense?" 

-Oliver, please don't give Trump any ideas regarding Pirro as a SC judge. 

[Lantern7]

Best part about an episode before a holiday is that I don't have to DVR it. I get to watch "live," witness John giddily break stuff down for us, and then I got to see several replays of a shaved poodle's asshole as she stretches.

Hey, ChiiJohn made the credits!

Watching Canada name the guy behind their healthcare system be named the greatest Canadian of all time . . . all I could think was "Wayne Gretzky was born there, right? How is that remotely a contest?!?"

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

-That Susan Collins clip is totally going to be on a constant loop in Democratic ads in the lead up to the election, isn't it? And rightly so. I would've loved to see the newsanchors who had to listen to Collins et al be all, "Oh, Trump totally learned from this ordeal!" to look at them point blank and ask, "Are you kidding me with this nonsense?"

Anyone else want the lady interviewing her to try and smack the stupid out of her?

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

 And the Laura Ingram and "Sarah Palin's fourth attempt at cloning herself..." lines. Hee.

That would be Kennedy. It's sad . . . I don't know what happened to the bulk of MTV personalities that made the network relevant in the Nineties, but I know where she is . . . on Fox News. Crapping on a possible breakthrough on the health care system. Of course.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Lantern7

[swanpride]

I want to address the "I want a choice" argument.

As a German, I have the choice which non-profit insurer I pick. The differences aren't that big between them, but I DO have the choice.

I have the choice which doctor I go to, it doesn't matter, my insurance will cover all of them.

I have the choice of requesting a second or even a third opinion if I want to, free of charge.

I have the choice to reject treatments, and don't have to worry about being able to afford them (well, minus dental, there the insurer covers the basic option, not the most expensive one)

I really don't have any idea what more choices someone could want, and I sure as hell have more choices than a standard American has.

[DEL901]

8 hours ago, Annber03 said:

 

 

6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Watching Canada name the guy behind their healthcare system be named the greatest Canadian of all time . . . all I could think was "Wayne Gretzky was born there, right? How is that remotely a contest?

LOL.  Gretzky placed 10th.  He’s a great athlete but...   and, btw, Tommy Thompson, the father of Medicare, was Keifer Sutherland’s grandfather on his mother’s side.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Canadian

I got my gallbladder out a few years ago.   I paid around $3.00 for my prescription copayment (John is tight, not everything is covered... where I live, prescriptions are only covered of you are under 26), but most of us have private insurance through work to cover meds, dentist, massage, glasses, etc.  I pay around $20 every 2 weeks.  
 

What wasn’t discussed are the other, related policies you require.  Vacation.  I have been with my company 21 years and get 5 weeks.  Also, no one tracks my sick days.  I am sick, I take the day off.  Maternity leave, only partially paid, is a up to 78 weeks.  My company tops up government Employment Insurance payments so you get 12 weeks full pay, whether you are the mother or father and includes adoptive parents AND our US staff.  A US based male colleague of mine is going on paternity leave in a few weeks...12 weeks full pay.  
 

John is right, the system isn’t perfect (prescriptions, dental, etc are not covered, can be hard to find a family doctor), but on the positive side, cost is never a consideration when I feel ill.    And I can go to any doctor anywhere in the country.  No charge.  

Edited February 17, 2020 by DEL901

[swanpride]

Next to no country covers prescriptions completely. That is partly because there is such a huge range...it makes a HUGE difference if you pick a basic pair of glasses, or go for a design frame and glasses with all possible features. Hence if they are covered, they cover the equivalent to the cheapest pair of glasses possible.

[swanpride]

Oh, regarding vacations and sick days: In Germany, you can stay at home with the "I have a cold" excuse" for up to two days, third day onwards you need a doctor attest (because if you haven't recovered from a cold in two days, you most likely have something more serious). Sick days are fully paid for up to six weeks, after that the "Krankengeld" jumps in and you still get 70% of your salary up to 90% of the net salary. You can also take sick days to take care of your sick child (under 12).

We also have both maternity and parental leave, the latter one can be taken by both mother and father for the first three years of your child's live. And unless the company gets insolvent while you are gone, they have to give you back your job (or a job with the same hours and same payment).

[ahisma]

Such a great topic for John to start back with! Just in time for the primaries. 

The one other thing he could have explained a little more is the amount of money every doctor’s office has to spend on a (at least one) staff person who spends their time wrangling all the different insurance companies and their varying requirements. Even the doctors themselves have to spend a fair amount of time arguing with the insurance companies about, “I know that treatment / medication isn’t normally covered for this condition but for this patient it’s what I need to prescribe.” 

Sanders/Warren M4A sounds more radical but it’s the one that will actually drop medical costs. I suppose John could have also put up the rankings of world countries on medical costs, too. Ours are ridiculously higher, for outcomes that aren’t as good. 

 

[peeayebee]

I would love Medicare For All or Universal Health Care or whatever name would please the most people. I don't see how that would be implemented in the US with all the big bucks from insurance companies ready to fight it as well as those just opposed to it in principle, whatever that principle is.

Loved the whole rant about Roger Stone. "Look at him! LOOK! AT! HIM! LOOK AT HIM! His dress code is business scoundrel. He looks like the mannequin at a department store for Dick Tracy villains. He looks like a guy whose date planner just says 'Frame Roger Rabbit.'"

And then the whole bit about the entire DOJ working for Trump and having to get him Flubber... That whole storyline was inspired, including the wonderful pics of Trump happily holding his head of lettuce.

[swanpride]

Honestly, they missed so much during the hiatus..it was kind of sad to have him list all the things which happened during it.

The Lettuce was my favourite joke. Followed by the "drugs from Mexico" one, but that one was really sad. I mean...really??????

[PrincessPurrsALot]

John's back and so are the forum rules.  Let's not make comments about entire political groups or parties.  

[andromeda331]

Great episode! Medicare for all would be so nice. Everyone gets into see the doctor, everyone gets treated for their medical problems. Wow, what a great idea!

He's right too. Everyone's got a story. My parents got stuck with my great-grandfather's medical bills when he passed away. They finally got that paid off when I got hit with my medical problems. Then my mother and I got hit at the same time. Its absolutely insane how much money it costs. My mom even had health insurance at the time but of course it didn't pay for anything. She had different bills for various ambulance trips, tests, doctors, everything. We looked into declaring bankruptcy but no one could guarantee we wouldn't lose the house. It is absolutely insane that people have to consider the cost when it comes to their own health problems. That so many have to decide no not to get the medical help they need because they can't afford it. Its absolutely insane that people have to put up GoFundMe pages to try and pay their medical bills. We need health care for everyone. It shouldn't be that hard. But of course it is. 

I'm glad this show is back. I've missed it. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by andromeda331

[swanpride]

It's not just that...I remember a so called heart-warming story about a teacher who has cancer and everyone else was giving up sick-days for him, including one women who had cancer herself, so that he could get his treatment and I was all "wait...what?...nobody should HAVE to give up their sick days for anyone."

 

The whole system is through and through inhuman, on every level. Especially the part in which you have to continue working even if you are sick because if you don't you lose the health insurance you need.

[peeayebee]

One of my insurance stories is when I got pregnant. My husband had recently switched jobs, so we had new insurance, and the question was if I had conceived before the insurance kicked in. If I had my baby even a week too early, the pregnancy would be considered a preexisting condition.

[Lantern7]

Try to pause when John shows mean tweets directed at him. I think one of those was along the lines of “A Monster energy drink fucked Rowan Atkinson.” Damn, that’s harsh. 😜

[DEL901]

I read an article many years ago about the difference between Boston General Hospital and Toronto General's accounting departments.  The hospitals were about the same size, although Toronto General has now merged with another hospital.. not sure the new name).  The accounting department at Boston General was about 200 people.  Toronto General had 20.

And unlike the US proposals, the Canadian medicare system doesn't try to be all things to everyone.  There's a place for private insurance (prescriptions, glasses, dental, quasai medical services such as physio therapist, naturopath, massage).  As well, we get a bed in the hospital.  If you want a semi-private or private room, either your insurance can pay (if you have) or you can pay out of pocket:  $260 for semi-private or $305 for private (prices are fixed) a night.  This price includes everything including medicine but television.  Wifi is free in hospitals, even for visitors.

On an annual basis, each province negotiates with the provincial medical associate to set fees and determine what is covered.  For example, a while back they decided tattoo removal was not going to be covered.  You choose to get it, you pay to get it removed.  However, if you have DD or larger and having problems (e.g. sore back), breast reduction is covered.

Doctors and medical companies (like where I go to get blood tests), bill the government based on the agreed upon prices.  It is illegal to extra-bill patients.

Edited February 18, 2020 by DEL901

[swanpride]

Btw...is Gritty becoming the most well-known mascot of them all? I mean, it looks terrifying, but it IS memorable. Which is kind of the point, isn't it?

[link417]

1 hour ago, swanpride said:

Btw...is Gritty becoming the most well-known mascot of them all? I mean, it looks terrifying, but it IS memorable. Which is kind of the point, isn't it?

It bothers me a lot more than it should that Gritty is a mascot. I don’t know what emotion it is meant to evoke, other than a general sense of unease.

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, peeayebee said:

One of my insurance stories is when I got pregnant. My husband had recently switched jobs, so we had new insurance, and the question was if I had conceived before the insurance kicked in. If I had my baby even a week too early, the pregnancy would be considered a preexisting condition.

Holy shit, that's insane. 

[Lantern7]

Here are the tweets:

”You look like you smell like piss. Damn Brit”

”John Oliver looks like a nasty sewer rat”

”John Oliver looks like a monster drink fucked Rowan Atkinson”

That last one . . . impressive.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

That's why he got the part in The Lion King.

[MaryPatShelby]

I loved the Flubber/lettuce bit.  I rewound and watched it three times so I could focus on each of the "staffers" individually.  I laughed so hard. 

[Macbeth]

This episode is why John Oliver wins all the Emmys and why I remain a loyal HBO viewer.