Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not really because I have been reading Medicare was in trouble for years and needed to be fixed. Like the debt this isn't new. Anytime you hear or see the word sustainable take heed.
But not from the government. From everyone else, yes.
Introduction
Eliminating excessive government subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans could save the Federal government, taxpayers, and Medicare beneficiaries well over $100 billion over the next 10 years.This will extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and make sure that Medicare is always there for America’s seniors.
The following is a chart used by the House Finance Committee. It plots the expectations for net cash drains at SSA. While there is plenty of red ink in the chart, there is not nearly enough to describe what is going to happen. Note that the expectation is for some improvement in 2011 and relative stability until 2018 when the red ink explodes. On the chart, I think today we are really at the 2017 level. 2012 will bring us the results depicted in the chart for 2018.
About ten years ago, my PCP sent a letter saying that she was doing the concierge system. Her charge was $2000 a year for patients in my age category of 50-65. Older patients would be charged more.
Some of her patients misunderstood and thought it was a flat fee for all medical expenses. Some thought it was like a health insurance policy that covered all expenses like hospital charges, labs etc. It did not pay for any of these things. It was for any office visit or treatment rendered by her only. It included email privileges, appointments scheduled within a week, phone access and other miscellaneous services.
I was out of work at the time and could not afford $2000. Many people could not pay or did not want to pay. She lost patients but I think that was the whole idea. The more she lost, the more she had time to see the ones who paid the price.
Of course, it is like insurance in a way. If you don't use it you lose it. So I imagine she had people coming in for things not usually necessary to see a doctor for but they wanted to get their money's worth.
I do not like the way this is going. It started in California with doctors charging large fees up front to their wealthy clients. Now it is trickling down to the average person. Not everyone can come up with a few thousand all at one time. People may not earn enough or have families to support. And speaking of families, how will people pay for them? $3000 for each family member? Will they get a family discount?
i just got a phone call today from my doctor's office (been with him for over 20 years) letting me know that he is going into "private internal medicine". And if I want to stay with him, it would be $3k(I assume that is per year), for that I would get 24/7 access....I burst out laughing. I guess this is the new wave in medicine (it happened to my 82 year old neighbor too). Looks like they just want to take care of wealthy sick people...not us middle class folks.
Looks like I'll be going on Medicare this year for sure...hope I can find a doctor who will take me...what a nightmare.
An MD tried this in WNY and the state dept. regulating licensure told him he could not set up his "own" medical system and ignore insurance. The guy was fed up, didn't need the money and decided to retire younger than he had planned.
An MD tried this in WNY and the state dept. regulating licensure told him he could not set up his "own" medical system and ignore insurance. The guy was fed up, didn't need the money and decided to retire younger than he had planned.
That's another issue that people don't always think about in these situations. They will be paying the concierge doctor AND their insurance premiums. The patient is stuck paying for the doctor's yearly fee PLUS the insurance premiums to cover all other medical expenses and providers of medical service.
And there is nothing to stop the doctors from doubling dipping. They can still bill the insurance companies for their services if they accept the insurance plan by simply making up a bill and submitting it to the patient's insurance carrier.
HP, I'm 54 and remember. What scares the hell out of me is Paul Ryan's plan to maintain them old folks who are 55 and older by not altering the plan they purchased for decades without ever using and screwing us youthfully young 54 and younger crowd with so many great choices. Like $2000 a month premiums. There goes the house!
well looks like the well finally ran dry and even at 54 you have some time to save and work more. People getting slammed at 60, losing their jobs and without much of a safety net are the screwed generation. Either way, we pay and we have all sat by and watched both the democrats as well as the republicans squander the money foolishly and pandered for votes with the funds. .
One more thing, I think if Medicare was reduced to just in home health care, some medical supplies and medications for the end of life disease, it could still be of benifit for the retirees. Must we provide for 24 hour round the clock, skilled nursing, unlimited scooters, eye glasses, hearing aids or other little perks? I think the every 3 month medical exam at the end of the road is a little insane and only a means for doctors to screw Medicare out of more money. Have a doctor go house to house and reduce the overhead.
Introduction
Eliminating excessive government subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans could save the Federal government, taxpayers, and Medicare beneficiaries well over $100 billion over the next 10 years.This will extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and make sure that Medicare is always there for America’s seniors.
Two things, we were discussing Medicare so the solvency of SS in not relevant nor part of the conversation. Your other link is from what I can tell the executive branch of the federal government. So if you are listening to the President sell how wonderful his health initiatives are and not to others ok! Ron Paul supporters might disagree with you. My point is that selective listening can get us burned and when ever we hear the words sustainability we ought to pay heed and that word has been used about Medicare for awhile. I can only say I knew and I have talked with others who knew to have the recommended amount available for health care overage. Again years ago it was a lower amount. Perhaps since I have been with _______ and ______for decades I had the opportunity of their education campaign. I have been a subscriber to Money, Smart Money and Kiplinger for a decade plus or more in the case of Money and I have subscribed to Consumers and their Money Advisor for years. I have listened/watched CNBC for now working on 2 decades and Bloomberg for awhile. I have had it beaten in my head by them and fiscal conservative politicians that the sustainability of my pension, SS and Medicare are a possible question and to plan for disruption to anticipated benefits. Maybe I was fortunate to have been a Republican for awhile. I know I have is some ways and this perhaps is another one. Hell one of the first things I did when getting my new IPAD was to download the TRowe Price app. Great articles for free and I am looking to download a few others. As I have said before prepare for a 20% reduction in anticipated benefits. Probably won't happen but the Boy Scout in me says BE PREPAED!
WTF are you smoking? Do you live in some sort of alternative reality in your bunker in Wyoming? Free health care?? Twenty-two million employees and retirees???
So if you add all the federal civilian employees and retirees together, you get less than 5 million. So I guess you were close; after all, you were only off by about a factor of 5. That's pretty good for you.
And your gross exaggeration of the numbers above is only superceded by your hilariously inaccurate statement that federal employees and annuitants get free health care. I pay $430/month for my Blue Cross coverage. That's $5,160 per year since you seem to have trouble with numbers. And that doesn't include the additional amounts for copays and deductibles which can run several thousand dollars more each year.
Do you have any other wildly inaccurate anecdotes to amuse us with today?
Mea culpa, I meant to say federal employees and welfare recipients. Sorry again. (geriatric subforum so please excuse me) They're the ones at the top of the heap. It's rather disingenuous to say that federal employees don't receive free health care since their pensions more than cover the cost.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
