Impeding changes to our Health Care system

[BigV]

dude, it doesn't matter nearly as much as how much money is coming out of my pocket.
you can make the statistics say anything anything you want.

Imagine, for example healthcare cost you 1000/yr in 2000 and the employer's share was 100,000. Then each year your cost increased by 10,000 per year, but the employer's share increased by 1,000,000 per year. At the end of ten years insurance would cost 901,000 for you and 9,100,000 for the employer for a total of 10,001,000. Your increase over the period could be characterized a number of ways

1,000/100,000 or 1% in year 2000

901,000/10,001,000 or .9% in year 2010

a decrease *of overall cost*. Do you want that deal?

or

1,000 a year in 2000

changing to

901,000 a year in 2010

for an increase of 9000% increase. do you want that deal?

SAME NUMBERS BOTH TIMES.

percentages rely on comparisons, and depending on what you're comparing it to, you can get very different "percentages".

Now let me ask you this. could you take a 1% increase over the decade? how about a tenth of a percent decrease in costs? you see, just naked percentages like that are actually meaningless. context free == meaning free. I'll tell you what *does* have meaning to me, how many dollars are comign out of my pocket. and if it goes up 10,000 in a year, I'll have to drop it, even though it represents a "decrease" when compared to some whothehellcares value.

I don't agree with your analysis here.

If you're playin games, what the fuck ever. If you're trying to have a serious open discussion, then I respectfully submit that you're wrong.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by BigV

you can make the statistics say anything anything you want.

You could have stopped here. And I will submit that my statistics are correct.

If you're trying to have a serious open discussion

Oh wait - its been a long time since we've done any of that.
Wait - lemme check - yup, this is the politics forum.

[Fair&Balanced]

Originally Posted by classicman

You could have stopped here. And I will submit that my statistics are correct.


Oh wait - its been a long time since we've done any of that.
Wait - lemme check - yup, this is the politics forum.

Classic signs of obstinate behavior. Insist you are right, despite the lack of analytical thinking on your part and the more relevant facts presented by others and then dismiss the discussion on other terms. When it is repeated in several discussions (see Libya/Syria), a pattern emerges.

You succeeded in proving it.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by classicman

Could you please explain where mine was incorrect?

FWIW, your observation was correct. But it has nothing to do with the reality of the situation, IMHO. It's like saying "I bought a $14,000 car in 1999 at 6% interest. In 2009, I bought a $25,000 car, but since I'm still paying 6% interest, my cost hasn't gone up."