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Polly Anna, that $177 is what she pays for her OWN coverage. Young people can not be on their parent’s plan after age 25 in Texas, which is ridiculous. (Insurance is one of our biggest problems!) Young people are the cheapest to insure because they are healthy! The reason Baylor and Presby don’t charge is because they collect from private insurers on patients who have coverage — recall the stories about $75 dollar Advil tablets? That’s how they cover indigent care. I am not insular — in fact, maybe we ought to raid the fat pockets of some former Wall Street CEO’s to help fund Parkland. I fear it will fall back on all of us, you and me. Here is a young person in the medical field who should have known better. She took advantage of the system and refuses to acknowledge the costs associated with seeing a physician. I want to believe in the bond program, convince me why I’m wrong!

Parkland officials keep stating that the costs of out-of-county patients are covered by private insurance or by the government.

What is not discussed is the hidden cost of overutilization, when a Dallas county resident has to wait 19+ hours to see a doctor, while out of county (trauma) cases are seen earlier. So making the existing Parkland larger might cut the wait down by half? Still too long to see a doctor.

It is time for this region to look at building a second Parkland somewhere else, in addition to the one that is existing, and the total costs shared by all the residents of the area.

Collin County residents regularly run down Dallas, Fair Park, City Council, DISD – then they want us to pay for their indigent health care. That and 70% of the babies born at Parkland to people also here illegally is reason enough to vote NO. When those items are resolved and we can afford to pay our teachers, I will vote YES.

I think we need to require everyone to carry health insurance, cover it for those below a certain income level. I think we need to get tough on the insurance companies and regulate them more. It does not make sense that by now, umpteen years after we first started talking about health care reform, the insurers have not figured out an economical way to pool the self-insured into affordable coverage.

Candy,
How did you get into this topic?
Let’s get back to real estate “dirt” instead of social issue.
I say, government provide equal insurance to everyone. Period!Rich or Poor. (Rich people can choose their own). At least every one is covered. Then, everyone will go back to the “dirt” issue.

TonySo@magnum2000.com

You get what you pay for. Period.

She doesn’t have health insurance? She waits. You don’t want pay for new Parkland, then you wait. Parkland plays the hand it was dealt with.

What made me laugh and cringe at the same time was the woman’s statement that she wouldn’t go to Parkland if she were dying. That’s the one time you should get yourself down there. They know what they’re doing. That’s why they don’t waste their time on walkable fractures that aren’t an emergency.

All ERs have very long wait times at peak periods. And going to any ER at 10 p.m. isn’t a good idea either. You’re guaranteed that you’ll be there 1/2 the night.

Parkland isn’t a hospital for everyone. It’s a safety net for the poor and a place to go if you are seriously injured. If you don’t fit the above, avoid it. But be grateful it’s there. It may save your life one day.

I have nothing against Parkland. My spouse trained there. You don’t like poor? How about uninsured? I think Parkland is a great place, but I’d rather be taken care of by a board-certified MD than a 2nd year resident. I can choose that because I have insurance, which I pay for and costs a bloody fortune.