www.dudeopia.com
For the past few days I've been starting my afternoon off 24 tabling nl50fr. Then I'd do 2 or 3 16 table nl100fr sessions. I'd end up break even or slightly down at nl50 and have been running at around 10ptbb/100 at nl100 for 10k hands. Obviously some of that is run good but the win rate is big enough over enough hands to know that I'm playing very well.
I've pretty much only been playing during prime time hours from 6-midnight central time and the games have been very good. The main point though is I'm able to make a lot of dumb calls and some dumb moves to get it out of my system. I get a base rate on my stats to get a feel for what is or isn't working so I can hopefully adjust. Then I'm ready to play my A game without the risk or playing against better skill. So many times I would start off the day badly only to have a nice solid A game session neutralize the losses and all I would be left with was fpps.
When I was working I'd have the entire day to think about the previous nights sessions. Since I've been playing full time I had no way of getting mentally prepared to play and I'd end up starting during the afternoon against 90% regs and shortstacks getting in way too many big pots.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
it never stops
www.dudeopia.com
im running very hot right now but it certainly doesnt feel like it. over the past week... tuition more than expected, gotta win x amount. done. oh i've gotta pay app fee, administration fee, and deposit even though we are just applying for the apartment. need x amount for parking pass, oil change, car payment. done. need x amount for books. done. still have ~$4k left on car loan and need x amount for next months bills/rent. mo money mo problems
im running very hot right now but it certainly doesnt feel like it. over the past week... tuition more than expected, gotta win x amount. done. oh i've gotta pay app fee, administration fee, and deposit even though we are just applying for the apartment. need x amount for parking pass, oil change, car payment. done. need x amount for books. done. still have ~$4k left on car loan and need x amount for next months bills/rent. mo money mo problems
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
store credit card
www.dudeopia.com
So last July 2 I was buying a swimsuit at kohls and it was pretty busy being the holiday and all. At checkout I was asked if I wanted a Kohls card. I assumed it was the same as a grocery store card that gives you discounts. When she asked for my ss number I should have realized what was going on. I did eventually realize it towards the end of the process but just went with it b/c of the line and I was getting an extra 15% off.
Today was my scheduled payment. I can log onto the site to see my balance among other things but payments can only be made by check or possibly money order. I went to the store to find out the same information except cash is also allowed. I wanted to pay off the card and close it out too but the cash register can't look that information up for some reason. So I just went to the nearest atm, paid the $3 fee, and made a payment delaying the inevitable closing of the card another month.
It occurred to me that they don't accept visa/mastercard debit cards, the same thing as a check payment, because the % that goes to those companies decreases their bottom line that they are making in interest. However, the % paid to visa/mastercard should already be included in the cost of the items sold.
Anyway, thinking about how I got scammed into getting this card, the guaranteed tuition rate, cigarrette, alcohol, and gas taxes which are exorbitant reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is at the dealership trying to get a deal from Elaine's bf Putty. They break up and the deal is off, George is getting money from Jerry for the vending machine, Elaine gets a dinner from Jerry to come make up with Putty, and Jerry starts pulling on his hair saying, "Everybody is ripping me off."
So last July 2 I was buying a swimsuit at kohls and it was pretty busy being the holiday and all. At checkout I was asked if I wanted a Kohls card. I assumed it was the same as a grocery store card that gives you discounts. When she asked for my ss number I should have realized what was going on. I did eventually realize it towards the end of the process but just went with it b/c of the line and I was getting an extra 15% off.
Today was my scheduled payment. I can log onto the site to see my balance among other things but payments can only be made by check or possibly money order. I went to the store to find out the same information except cash is also allowed. I wanted to pay off the card and close it out too but the cash register can't look that information up for some reason. So I just went to the nearest atm, paid the $3 fee, and made a payment delaying the inevitable closing of the card another month.
It occurred to me that they don't accept visa/mastercard debit cards, the same thing as a check payment, because the % that goes to those companies decreases their bottom line that they are making in interest. However, the % paid to visa/mastercard should already be included in the cost of the items sold.
Anyway, thinking about how I got scammed into getting this card, the guaranteed tuition rate, cigarrette, alcohol, and gas taxes which are exorbitant reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry is at the dealership trying to get a deal from Elaine's bf Putty. They break up and the deal is off, George is getting money from Jerry for the vending machine, Elaine gets a dinner from Jerry to come make up with Putty, and Jerry starts pulling on his hair saying, "Everybody is ripping me off."
poker legislation
www.dudeopia.com
There are several things in progress regarding the legality of online poker. I'm perfectly fine with the situation US players are in. We certainly want it made legal to attract a lot of new fish and lower costs for the companies so they can lower the rake and give more bonuses although they already make a boatload. The government has 2 lines of thought, votes and taxes. Online poker is in its current state because of votes and has bills to legalize because of taxes.
The Menendez bill has several problems. First it states one has to be 21 in order to play, ignoring the adult 18 year old who can vote, smoke, join the army, and gamble at casinos in states that don't restrict it to 21. The major problem is that this bill will tax 10% of deposits. Many on the 2p2 legislation forum have accepted the government getting theirs, but I have not. Arguments have been made that the site can cover this cost because of lower operating costs. This makes sense until you consider the high stakes games where a fish will lose thousands while the table has raked hundreds.
Barney Frank also has a bill going through the rounds and I'm unsure about the specifics of it. I have heard talk about a 3% on all wagers.
30 million was seized from several bank accounts in California owned by a payment processing company used by every poker site that allows US players. This company is being charged with bank fraud, money laundering, and other stuff related to illegal internet gambling. This scared US players because paper checks were unavailable for a bout 1.5 weeks. In the end $30 million is nothing for these companies and they have a solid shot of winning the court battles.
As soon as the government gets a tax taste of online poker the taxes will only go up. They will squeeze the life out of this untapped cash cow until the high stakes superstars and 3rd world shortstackers are the only ones left winning off the fish. Because banning or prohibiting online poker is impossible we need to wait and get legislation made with the poker player in mind.
There are several things in progress regarding the legality of online poker. I'm perfectly fine with the situation US players are in. We certainly want it made legal to attract a lot of new fish and lower costs for the companies so they can lower the rake and give more bonuses although they already make a boatload. The government has 2 lines of thought, votes and taxes. Online poker is in its current state because of votes and has bills to legalize because of taxes.
The Menendez bill has several problems. First it states one has to be 21 in order to play, ignoring the adult 18 year old who can vote, smoke, join the army, and gamble at casinos in states that don't restrict it to 21. The major problem is that this bill will tax 10% of deposits. Many on the 2p2 legislation forum have accepted the government getting theirs, but I have not. Arguments have been made that the site can cover this cost because of lower operating costs. This makes sense until you consider the high stakes games where a fish will lose thousands while the table has raked hundreds.
Barney Frank also has a bill going through the rounds and I'm unsure about the specifics of it. I have heard talk about a 3% on all wagers.
30 million was seized from several bank accounts in California owned by a payment processing company used by every poker site that allows US players. This company is being charged with bank fraud, money laundering, and other stuff related to illegal internet gambling. This scared US players because paper checks were unavailable for a bout 1.5 weeks. In the end $30 million is nothing for these companies and they have a solid shot of winning the court battles.
As soon as the government gets a tax taste of online poker the taxes will only go up. They will squeeze the life out of this untapped cash cow until the high stakes superstars and 3rd world shortstackers are the only ones left winning off the fish. Because banning or prohibiting online poker is impossible we need to wait and get legislation made with the poker player in mind.
Monday, August 10, 2009
college bs
www.dudeopia.com
So as school is nearing I've been having some doubts about whether or not I want to commit to it. Several things are contributing to my uncertainty. So many people graduate and then can't find a job or end up settling for something less than they had hoped for. A solid chunk of school work is completely worthless and just wastes time.
I'm in the process of helping build a web site with a few friends with big ideas and somewhat limited know how in the technical aspects. I downloaded a few books about xhtml and php which made me think I can educate myself. I'm not even going to want a regular 9-5 with a boss for 30-40 years so what good is a degree anyway.
Then there's the financial side. Thinking about how classes and homework will add pressure and might cause my poker play to deteriorate is a little scary. UTD has a guaranteed tuition rate which locks in tuition prices for 4 years and any hours over 15 are free. The problems are that it is $650 more for my 12 hour semester, I don't have a choice between that and the other tuition rate listed, and unless some unknown benefactor gives me a free ride I won't ever take more than 15 hours.
So as school is nearing I've been having some doubts about whether or not I want to commit to it. Several things are contributing to my uncertainty. So many people graduate and then can't find a job or end up settling for something less than they had hoped for. A solid chunk of school work is completely worthless and just wastes time.
I'm in the process of helping build a web site with a few friends with big ideas and somewhat limited know how in the technical aspects. I downloaded a few books about xhtml and php which made me think I can educate myself. I'm not even going to want a regular 9-5 with a boss for 30-40 years so what good is a degree anyway.
Then there's the financial side. Thinking about how classes and homework will add pressure and might cause my poker play to deteriorate is a little scary. UTD has a guaranteed tuition rate which locks in tuition prices for 4 years and any hours over 15 are free. The problems are that it is $650 more for my 12 hour semester, I don't have a choice between that and the other tuition rate listed, and unless some unknown benefactor gives me a free ride I won't ever take more than 15 hours.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
keeping pots small and pot button
www.dudeopia.com
Lately instead of raising to 3.5-4x as the first into a pot I've been raising to 3x or 2x if I'm close the the button with a short stack still left. Now I've been wondering about why my cbets are not working as much and the conclusion I came to today is simply that the pots are smaller which causes smaller cbets. The great thing about it is it throws people off what they are used to. Some people go into a hole b/c a raises is smaller so it will be harder to get me off a marginal made hand, some like the idea of not having to raise as much as a bluff but a lot of times have few or no outs.
The pot button on full tilt offers some interesting dynamics in that certain players, mostly fish, love to use it. The problem is that a good top pair hand ends up being a complete bluff catcher as the pot grows exponentially. There's not a better situation than having a set with the preflop raiser mashing pot oop.
The funny thing is I'm only up 1/2 a buyin over 17k hands this month at nl50fr. Extending on my last post I've pretty much accepted that I'm only able to play 1-2 hours of my A game each day. Hopefully that changes but grinding fpps at $15/hr while mentally preparing for the bigger games isn't so bad.
This hand sums up both of my thoughts. not sure why this guy thought I was folding the river after calling a pot sized turn bet.
***** Hand History for Game 13858140193 ***** (Full Tilt)
$50.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Thursday, August 06, 03:24:29 ET 2009
Table Timber Canyon (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Seat 1: liveblind ( $23.20 USD )
Seat 2: dtorres3 ( $9.40 USD )
Seat 3: momo99 ( $31.50 USD )
Seat 4: DONK4LIF3 ( $9.25 USD )
Seat 5: Kairos_X ( $16.85 USD )
Seat 6: elgreenhornet ( $50.00 USD )
Seat 7: primemutton ( $64.15 USD )
Seat 8: MeiBra ( $18.55 USD )
Seat 9: celQ ( $12.10 USD )
MeiBra posts small blind [$0.25 USD].
celQ posts big blind [$0.50 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgreenhornet [ Js Kc ]
liveblind folds
dtorres3 folds
momo99 folds
DONK4LIF3 folds
Kairos_X folds
elgreenhornet raises [$1.00 USD]
primemutton calls [$1.00 USD]
MeiBra folds
celQ folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jd, 4c, 6d ]
elgreenhornet bets [$2.00 USD]
primemutton calls [$2.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3s ]
elgreenhornet checks
primemutton bets [$6.75 USD]
elgreenhornet calls [$6.75 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 6c ]
elgreenhornet checks
primemutton bets [$20.25 USD]
elgreenhornet calls [$20.25 USD]
primemutton shows [Td, 8c ]
elgreenhornet shows [Js, Kc ]
elgreenhornet wins $57.75 USD from main pot
Lately instead of raising to 3.5-4x as the first into a pot I've been raising to 3x or 2x if I'm close the the button with a short stack still left. Now I've been wondering about why my cbets are not working as much and the conclusion I came to today is simply that the pots are smaller which causes smaller cbets. The great thing about it is it throws people off what they are used to. Some people go into a hole b/c a raises is smaller so it will be harder to get me off a marginal made hand, some like the idea of not having to raise as much as a bluff but a lot of times have few or no outs.
The pot button on full tilt offers some interesting dynamics in that certain players, mostly fish, love to use it. The problem is that a good top pair hand ends up being a complete bluff catcher as the pot grows exponentially. There's not a better situation than having a set with the preflop raiser mashing pot oop.
The funny thing is I'm only up 1/2 a buyin over 17k hands this month at nl50fr. Extending on my last post I've pretty much accepted that I'm only able to play 1-2 hours of my A game each day. Hopefully that changes but grinding fpps at $15/hr while mentally preparing for the bigger games isn't so bad.
This hand sums up both of my thoughts. not sure why this guy thought I was folding the river after calling a pot sized turn bet.
***** Hand History for Game 13858140193 ***** (Full Tilt)
$50.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Thursday, August 06, 03:24:29 ET 2009
Table Timber Canyon (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Seat 1: liveblind ( $23.20 USD )
Seat 2: dtorres3 ( $9.40 USD )
Seat 3: momo99 ( $31.50 USD )
Seat 4: DONK4LIF3 ( $9.25 USD )
Seat 5: Kairos_X ( $16.85 USD )
Seat 6: elgreenhornet ( $50.00 USD )
Seat 7: primemutton ( $64.15 USD )
Seat 8: MeiBra ( $18.55 USD )
Seat 9: celQ ( $12.10 USD )
MeiBra posts small blind [$0.25 USD].
celQ posts big blind [$0.50 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgreenhornet [ Js Kc ]
liveblind folds
dtorres3 folds
momo99 folds
DONK4LIF3 folds
Kairos_X folds
elgreenhornet raises [$1.00 USD]
primemutton calls [$1.00 USD]
MeiBra folds
celQ folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jd, 4c, 6d ]
elgreenhornet bets [$2.00 USD]
primemutton calls [$2.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3s ]
elgreenhornet checks
primemutton bets [$6.75 USD]
elgreenhornet calls [$6.75 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 6c ]
elgreenhornet checks
primemutton bets [$20.25 USD]
elgreenhornet calls [$20.25 USD]
primemutton shows [Td, 8c ]
elgreenhornet shows [Js, Kc ]
elgreenhornet wins $57.75 USD from main pot
Monday, August 3, 2009
skipping around in limits
I'm about 2 weeks away from my 200k vpp milestone and preparing for the move to full tilt. So for the last few days I've been grinding some nl50 full ring a for a few hours a day just to keep busy churning out some vpps and then will hit nl100 and 200 6 max for a session each. I know I've been running better at the higher limits and probably just good overall.
However, I can't help but feel there is something mental at play. I know I was playing pretty poorly during some of my nl50 sessions which make up the majority of my hands this month. Then it seems when I switch over to the higher levels at 6 max I am playing very well, avoiding tricky spots while adjusting to others looseness and aggression properly.
These 2 hands made me feel really good about not losing a lot more. I can shove and get called by worse sometimes but I'm beat more often than called by worse. Villian in first hand is 60+% vpip and very passive. In the hand right before I got 3 streets of value where I had tptk against his nut flush draw turned 2nd pair. If he raises me on the flop or turn it's arrin and I hope I can do the same on any river since every q is in his range but the ace certainly made me stop and think.
***** Hand History for Game 31225461060 ***** (Poker Stars)
$50.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, August 04, 12:26:22 ET 2009
Table Slipher III (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Seat 2: seadragon68 ( $9.00 USD )
Seat 3: threeacesnkk ( $9.10 USD )
Seat 4: karter_35 ( $9.70 USD )
Seat 5: QuesqueFuque ( $23.70 USD )
Seat 6: bundesmiro ( $38.95 USD )
Seat 7: Jackpot6666 ( $116.35 USD )
Seat 9: elgrenhornet ( $81.25 USD )
bundesmiro posts small blind [$0.25 USD].
Jackpot6666 posts big blind [$0.50 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgrenhornet [ Jh Jc ]
elgrenhornet raises [$1.50 USD]
seadragon68 folds
threeacesnkk folds
karter_35 folds
QuesqueFuque folds
bundesmiro folds
Jackpot6666 calls [$1.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8s, Js, Qd ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$3.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 calls [$3.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Qh ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$6.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 calls [$6.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ Ad ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$14.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 raises [$28.00 USD]
elgrenhornet calls [$14.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 shows [Jd, Qs ]
Jackpot6666 wins $74.25 USD from main pot
elgrenhornet doesn't show [Jh, Jc ]
No reads on villian in this hand... His stats didnt show up when I opened it in hem. It seemed like this guy was trying to get as little value as possible.
***** Hand History for Game 31221907018 ***** (Poker Stars)
$200.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Monday, August 03, 09:54:26 ET 2009
Table Geranium (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Seat 1: snellesnelle ( $220.20 USD )
Seat 2: mdeckND ( $239.60 USD )
Seat 3: elgrenhornet ( $208.25 USD )
Seat 4: showtime ( $38.00 USD )
Seat 5: xSuPrA ( $236.75 USD )
Seat 6: iamajax ( $257.10 USD )
showtime posts small blind [$1.00 USD].
xSuPrA posts big blind [$2.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgrenhornet [ 8d Jd ]
iamajax raises [$8.00 USD]
snellesnelle folds
mdeckND folds
elgrenhornet calls [$8.00 USD]
showtime folds
xSuPrA folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5h, Qd, 8h ]
iamajax checks
elgrenhornet checks
** Dealing Turn ** [ 5d ]
iamajax checks
elgrenhornet bets [$10.00 USD]
iamajax calls [$10.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 2d ]
iamajax bets [$26.00 USD]
elgrenhornet calls [$26.00 USD]
iamajax shows [5c, 5s ]
iamajax wins $88.00 USD from main pot
elgrenhornet doesn't show [8d, Jd ]
However, I can't help but feel there is something mental at play. I know I was playing pretty poorly during some of my nl50 sessions which make up the majority of my hands this month. Then it seems when I switch over to the higher levels at 6 max I am playing very well, avoiding tricky spots while adjusting to others looseness and aggression properly.
These 2 hands made me feel really good about not losing a lot more. I can shove and get called by worse sometimes but I'm beat more often than called by worse. Villian in first hand is 60+% vpip and very passive. In the hand right before I got 3 streets of value where I had tptk against his nut flush draw turned 2nd pair. If he raises me on the flop or turn it's arrin and I hope I can do the same on any river since every q is in his range but the ace certainly made me stop and think.
***** Hand History for Game 31225461060 ***** (Poker Stars)
$50.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, August 04, 12:26:22 ET 2009
Table Slipher III (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Seat 2: seadragon68 ( $9.00 USD )
Seat 3: threeacesnkk ( $9.10 USD )
Seat 4: karter_35 ( $9.70 USD )
Seat 5: QuesqueFuque ( $23.70 USD )
Seat 6: bundesmiro ( $38.95 USD )
Seat 7: Jackpot6666 ( $116.35 USD )
Seat 9: elgrenhornet ( $81.25 USD )
bundesmiro posts small blind [$0.25 USD].
Jackpot6666 posts big blind [$0.50 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgrenhornet [ Jh Jc ]
elgrenhornet raises [$1.50 USD]
seadragon68 folds
threeacesnkk folds
karter_35 folds
QuesqueFuque folds
bundesmiro folds
Jackpot6666 calls [$1.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8s, Js, Qd ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$3.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 calls [$3.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Qh ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$6.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 calls [$6.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ Ad ]
Jackpot6666 checks
elgrenhornet bets [$14.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 raises [$28.00 USD]
elgrenhornet calls [$14.00 USD]
Jackpot6666 shows [Jd, Qs ]
Jackpot6666 wins $74.25 USD from main pot
elgrenhornet doesn't show [Jh, Jc ]
No reads on villian in this hand... His stats didnt show up when I opened it in hem. It seemed like this guy was trying to get as little value as possible.
***** Hand History for Game 31221907018 ***** (Poker Stars)
$200.00 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Monday, August 03, 09:54:26 ET 2009
Table Geranium (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Seat 1: snellesnelle ( $220.20 USD )
Seat 2: mdeckND ( $239.60 USD )
Seat 3: elgrenhornet ( $208.25 USD )
Seat 4: showtime ( $38.00 USD )
Seat 5: xSuPrA ( $236.75 USD )
Seat 6: iamajax ( $257.10 USD )
showtime posts small blind [$1.00 USD].
xSuPrA posts big blind [$2.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to elgrenhornet [ 8d Jd ]
iamajax raises [$8.00 USD]
snellesnelle folds
mdeckND folds
elgrenhornet calls [$8.00 USD]
showtime folds
xSuPrA folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5h, Qd, 8h ]
iamajax checks
elgrenhornet checks
** Dealing Turn ** [ 5d ]
iamajax checks
elgrenhornet bets [$10.00 USD]
iamajax calls [$10.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 2d ]
iamajax bets [$26.00 USD]
elgrenhornet calls [$26.00 USD]
iamajax shows [5c, 5s ]
iamajax wins $88.00 USD from main pot
elgrenhornet doesn't show [8d, Jd ]
Saturday, August 1, 2009
healthcare
I go to showdown way too much. Those little river bets in small pots kill me.
I don't have health insurance right now, although that may change b/c UTD has a student policy available. The reason is simple, I'm young and don't want to pay $200+ a month.
A lot of liberals think health care is a basic human right along with housing and a job. Besides the basic conservative line of thinking that the freedom of choice and responsibility is more important there is also the issue that dead beats would just take advantage and never feel any consequences. I do think it would be great if health care was available and affordable to everyone.
The only problem is that our government, much like the 18% of Americans under 65 including the young and healthy, cannot afford it which begs a question that is never asked. Why is health care so expensive? I have a few hypotheses that have no facts to back them up but are based on the little information I acquired while working in medical billing.
Most insurers have agreements with what hospitals or doctors they use. If you go out of the network for the insurer you use your bill is not covered. So the hospital thinks this is great and even gives the insurer a discount. I looked at so many eob's, explanation of benefits, which is basically a receipt showing what the insurer paid and they are writing off anywhere from 25-75% of a bill, especially medicare.
So the hospital is getting screwed because if they don't like it the insurer will go to another network. In order to recoup the reduced income they have to raise prices. Keep in mind uninsured individuals don't get to write off any part of their bill. So now fewer people can afford to pay out of pocket and are forced to not pay or file bankruptcy. The insurers who don't like the increases prices look for ways to deny a claim for any bogus unrelated reason they can find. Well now the hospital is losing more money and must increase the prices again.
One side note involving medicare... All hospitals must serve everyone whether or not they have any intention of paying. Although this has to be done what ends up happening is illegal aliens go to the emergency room for every little need and never paying. I'm not saying they all do it blah blah but so many claims with a Hispanic name and no social security number ended up going through our system 3 or 4 times before somebody higher up than me just had to claim it as a loss.
I have no idea what the laws and regulations regarding insurers are but that is where the problem lies. Medicare/medicaid is already 1/3 of our national budget. National programs are wasteful and inefficient and only serve to give those in power more power to garner votes. Find out why health care prices are so exorbitant and fix it. Everything else will fall in line.
I don't have health insurance right now, although that may change b/c UTD has a student policy available. The reason is simple, I'm young and don't want to pay $200+ a month.
A lot of liberals think health care is a basic human right along with housing and a job. Besides the basic conservative line of thinking that the freedom of choice and responsibility is more important there is also the issue that dead beats would just take advantage and never feel any consequences. I do think it would be great if health care was available and affordable to everyone.
The only problem is that our government, much like the 18% of Americans under 65 including the young and healthy, cannot afford it which begs a question that is never asked. Why is health care so expensive? I have a few hypotheses that have no facts to back them up but are based on the little information I acquired while working in medical billing.
Most insurers have agreements with what hospitals or doctors they use. If you go out of the network for the insurer you use your bill is not covered. So the hospital thinks this is great and even gives the insurer a discount. I looked at so many eob's, explanation of benefits, which is basically a receipt showing what the insurer paid and they are writing off anywhere from 25-75% of a bill, especially medicare.
So the hospital is getting screwed because if they don't like it the insurer will go to another network. In order to recoup the reduced income they have to raise prices. Keep in mind uninsured individuals don't get to write off any part of their bill. So now fewer people can afford to pay out of pocket and are forced to not pay or file bankruptcy. The insurers who don't like the increases prices look for ways to deny a claim for any bogus unrelated reason they can find. Well now the hospital is losing more money and must increase the prices again.
One side note involving medicare... All hospitals must serve everyone whether or not they have any intention of paying. Although this has to be done what ends up happening is illegal aliens go to the emergency room for every little need and never paying. I'm not saying they all do it blah blah but so many claims with a Hispanic name and no social security number ended up going through our system 3 or 4 times before somebody higher up than me just had to claim it as a loss.
I have no idea what the laws and regulations regarding insurers are but that is where the problem lies. Medicare/medicaid is already 1/3 of our national budget. National programs are wasteful and inefficient and only serve to give those in power more power to garner votes. Find out why health care prices are so exorbitant and fix it. Everything else will fall in line.
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