How long till healthcare starts feeling the recession?

[LiveFree79]

I'm an RN and I work in a hospital. I just have yet to understand how most hospitals are not being affected by the economic crisis to the extent of other businesses. Atleast not my hospital in SoCal. It's in a pretty affluent area but still. We haven't laid off anyone. Havent' cut back on much i.e. still waste a shitload of supplies, inefficient, etc. LMAO! Gotta love healthcare. I hate it. Talk about bureaucracy!!!!!! I guess I'm thankfull I have a job but still. I'm waiting for the SHTF so I can have an excuse to move back with my parents in law on their acreage and be farmer :) Is healthcare really recession proof and if so why?

[hugolp]

I'm an RN and I work in a hospital. I just have yet to understand how most hospitals are not being affected by the economic crisis to the extent of other businesses. Atleast not my hospital in SoCal. It's in a pretty affluent area but still. We haven't laid off anyone. Havent' cut back on much i.e. still waste a shitload of supplies, inefficient, etc. LMAO! Gotta love healthcare. I hate it. Talk about bureaucracy!!!!!! I guess I'm thankfull I have a job but still. I'm waiting for the SHTF so I can have an excuse to move back with my parents in law on their acreage and be farmer :) Is healthcare really recession proof and if so why?

Well, I really dont have a study to confirm it, but I would say that food and healthcare have to be very resistent to downturns. I mean, you can stop buying a new computer, a new phone, a new car, a new pair of jeans, but you can not pospone eating or healthcare.

Guess that when healthcare feels the pain it will be time to panic.

Hugo

[LiveFree79]

Well, I really dont have a study to confirm it, but I would say that food and healthcare have to be very resistent to downturns. I mean, you can stop buying a new computer, a new phone, a new car, a new pair of jeans, but you can not pospone eating or healthcare.

Guess that when healthcare feels the pain it will be time to panic.

Hugo

Yeah but where do most hospitals get their funding? I mean it sure isn't from medicare. My hospital for example gets a lot of their money from donations from the local wealthy people, investments etc. Plus with people out of jobs more and more people aren't going to be able to pay their medical bills.

[JordanL]

Yeah but where do most hospitals get their funding? I mean it sure isn't from medicare. My hospital for example gets a lot of their money from donations from the local wealthy people, investments etc. Plus with people out of jobs more and more people aren't going to be able to pay their medical bills.

Not with how ridiculous their medical bills are.

It took my local hospital five tests and two ER visits to tell me I had bacterial pnuemonia, after which they gave me a perscription that didn't do anything.

They then charged me $1400 for it, which I didn't have, and instead of sending me the forms they told me they were going to send, they sent it to a collections agency, which can't place it on my credit report anyway, because it's a medical bill... so now I have no incentive to pay. The Hospital sold the bill to the collections agency. They'll try and put it on my credit report, and I'll have it removed because it's a medical bill.

It's all just a matter of formality now.

[angelatc]

I'm an RN and I work in a hospital. I just have yet to understand how most hospitals are not being affected by the economic crisis to the extent of other businesses. Atleast not my hospital in SoCal. It's in a pretty affluent area but still. We haven't laid off anyone. Havent' cut back on much i.e. still waste a shitload of supplies, inefficient, etc. LMAO! Gotta love healthcare. I hate it. Talk about bureaucracy!!!!!! I guess I'm thankfull I have a job but still. I'm waiting for the SHTF so I can have an excuse to move back with my parents in law on their acreage and be farmer :) Is healthcare really recession proof and if so why?

Obama is having a health care summit today. (He is going to pretend to listen to other ideas before he implements Daschle's plan.)

First words I picked up on were "cost controls."

That will start the downturn.

[angelatc]

Not with how ridiculous their medical bills are.

It took my local hospital five tests and two ER visits to tell me I had bacterial pnuemonia, after which they gave me a perscription that didn't do anything.

They then charged me $1400 for it, which I didn't have, and instead of sending me the forms they told me they were going to send, they sent it to a collections agency, which can't place it on my credit report anyway, because it's a medical bill... so now I have no incentive to pay. The Hospital sold the bill to the collections agency. They'll try and put it on my credit report, and I'll have it removed because it's a medical bill.

It's all just a matter of formality now.

They absolutely do place medical bills on your collection report. They mask the identity of the servicer to protect your privacy. So, while it might read "St John's Hospital" it will not read "St John's Cancer Center."

[JordanL]

They absolutely do place medical bills on your collection report. They mask the identity of the servicer to protect your privacy. So, while it might read "St John's Hospital" it will not read "St John's Cancer Center."

Right.

But it's illegal for it to appear on your report if it's a medical bill. It has nothing to do with medical records privacy and everything to do with the credit reporting acts.

[angelatc]

Right.

But it's illegal for it to appear on your report if it's a medical bill. It has nothing to do with medical records privacy and everything to do with the credit reporting acts.

That's simply not true.

[JordanL]

That's simply not true.

Ah, so you're right.

:confused:

I don't see how that makes any sense. "We're sorry sir. You have bad credit... you had a choice between die and not die, and you chose not die... *tsk* *tsk* *tsk*..."

Well fuck that... they can kiss my ass. I'll wait the seven years before I'll give them a goddam cent.

[angelatc]

Ah, so you're right.

:confused:

I don't see how that makes any sense. "We're sorry sir. You have bad credit... you had a choice between die and not die, and you chose not die... *tsk* *tsk* *tsk*..."

Well fuck that... they can kiss my ass. I'll wait the seven years before I'll give them a goddam cent.

I did that, because when I had kid #2 I had a c-section and had to stay in the hospital 3 days. However the baby was ready to go in 24 hours. They wouldn't release him without me, and their policy required a doctor to visit him every 24 hours while he was there.

My insurance wouldn't cover it, and I refused to pay for it. He was in my room, we didn't use their food, their diapers....nothing. There was nothing wrong with him.

[JordanL]

I did that, because when I had kid #2 I had a c-section and had to stay in the hospital 3 days. However the baby was ready to go in 24 hours. They wouldn't release him without me, and their policy required a doctor to visit him every 24 hours while he was there.

My insurance wouldn't cover it, and I refused to pay for it. He was in my room, we didn't use their food, their diapers....nothing. There was nothing wrong with him.

I might as well just fuck my credit now while I'm going for broke... guess I'll stop paying the capital one card i have...