OldSchool Loc: Moving to the Red State of Utah soon!

As if ObamaCare’s botched website, coverage cancellations, and higher costs were not bad enough, the Obama Administration has quietly dealt yet another blow – this time striking millions of the nation’s most vulnerable seniors.

The death panels are coming.

http://amac.us/obamacares-new-years-day-surprise-deep-cuts-medicare

Onelittlevoice

2014 is fast approaching. Learn who voted for what and respond accordingly. Vote, people!!!

silverdollar

If Americans are upset over Duck Dynasty Phil Robertson being suspended they should be mad enough to fire Obama over all the hurt he has caused American folks. Wake up America. Let your elected officials know your concerns and then vote. Take America back

Dummy Boy Loc: Michigan

...can't find much on that, if medicare would just police "itself" over 2 billion be saved every month...and medicare isn't just for seniors anymore.

mikeinco

The abuses and waste in Medicare and more especially Medicaid are far and wide. The abuses are predominately from the recipients, not the providers. Having spent 37 years in health care, I've seen most of them. In the end however, the Liberal Left will keep throwing more and more money at these programs. It is a shame that 40% of Home health providers will lose their jobs and the recipients will lose their care, which in turn will cause them to seek care at in-patient facilities and thus increase the overall costs to the system. You get what you voted for, so quit complaining.

Dummy Boy Loc: Michigan

...you don't seriously believe that the abuse comes from the recipients, do you? Doctors or medical clinics generate the paperwork, not recipients. How can you back that up with anything other than your job. I think you're saying that recipients encourage unnecessary care, look Doctors have every right to refuse service, so I get that.

I've attached an article from the Economist, enjoy

mikeinco

First and foremost, you must understand that I am totally opposed to Obamacare, since it is nothing more than a power grab by the govt. What I've seen over and over again is patients demanding certain and specific care from physicians, which generally is not necessary and the physicians being fearful of litigation go along. One patient I took care of on multiple occasions was taking over 45 different medications, the vast majority of which were "pain meds," when I confronted her MD, his response was "its easier to do what she wants than be sued." This happens more than not. MD's seldom ever "fire" patients, its not in their nature to do so. Granted there are cases every year of medical malfeasance in Medicare/Medicaid billing, but that is only a small piece of the pie.
The other part of this whole equation is the cost i.e. The hospital charges $4 for a Tylenol tablet, knowing the insurance companies will pay $0.35(negotiated payment), the hospital actually pays $0.08 per pill(Big Pharma enters the picture) , the hospital then writes off the $3.15 as a capital loss and additionally makes the profit of $0.27. A whopping total 4900% profit(loss + profit). The room&board rates reflect the same practice to a lesser degree. The average hospital markup on every box of tissues, pill, water jug etc. is 800% which is what you pay with no insurance, which if you have no insurance won't be paid by most people. The same thing occurs in a doctors office, they charge $120 per visit with a $35 re-reimbursement, thus a $85 dollar loss. The whole medical system is a collusive effort between the providers and the insurance companies (including CMS, the govt)in order to maintain profitability. You must question why large corporations control healthcare if its not profitable or why MD's form large multi physician practices. MD's practice "defensive" medicine, not cost effective practical medicine. They have lost the ability to diagnose without the use of $10000 worth of testing, all designed to prevent being sued. Obamacare will drive up the costs of healthcare to astronomical levels since the co-pays and out of pocket costs are so high and the vast majority of people using Obamacare won't pay them anyway. I've spent enough time in large metro ER's to know at least 60% of patients seen can't/won't pay their bill. Enough said.

Dummy Boy Loc: Michigan

I wasn't making the point that you supported ACA or Obamacare, my point is that troughs of money are available from the government. Someone has to figure how to create the paperwork-indigents are not that smart, but Hospitals have staffs that are well acquainted with paperwork.

Ideally, non-profit medicine would be the way to go, but since no one wants to be honest about the costs it has become a game of mutual assured destruction.

On the one hand a hospital and/or Medical practice should be able to be profitable. The rewards of a well run business should be profit and higher pay, but as you state, hospitals over-charge to make a profit and patients are pawns in this idiotic game.

A medical care overhaul, that is, deregulation, dismantling the insurance industry and itemized billing would have been a better start then Obamacare. Currently, as a consumer of medical care I have no idea of the false, non-inflation driven cost of bandages, insulin or whatever just so that the CEO of a medical institution gets a bonus at the end of the year, and at the same time the CEO's appear noble for caring about indigent patients who continually walk away from paying their bills. Push, pull, push pull, when does it end?

mikeinco

Dummy Boy, you are spot on. The entire system is rigged to favor the insurance industry. As a consumer, you can request an itemized bill from any provider, they don't like doing it, but you can get one. As you stated most people don't know how to read the inflated costs of a bill or the items that you are double and tripled billed for, maybe I should start up a business of reading bills for folks. But I agree the system needs to be dismantled and rebuilt. I am not adverse to anyone making a profit, but the way it is now the profit margins are obscene. The "nobility" of practicing medicine has been gone for a long time. I spent 37 years as a critical care nurse and it used to piss me off seeing CEO's make $250K/year and never touch a patient while I was making $25/hr. to save lives. Paramedic's who are the first line guys, who save lives daily, make not a lot more than minimum wage. The system has evolved to reward those with "no skin in the game." Merry Christmas.

Dummy Boy Loc: Michigan

Merry Christmas: And thanks for taking care of us in spite the disparities....

Thirty7Charlie

I completely agree with what you said...and this would be ideal IF it really worked this way as people blindly seem to think it does, and I don't mean that in an insulting manner. Honestly, it wouldn't matter if 100% of the people's votes went one way or another, behind the curtain a red carpet is already laid out for any given agenda. When the powers at be want that agenda pushed, it's there. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. Sucks, but it's how it all works. These truths are what people really need to wake up to..