A Kansas doctor tells what it was like befor MEDICARE (brainwash, solution)
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If you were among those without insurance, you either forwent care as long as you could, at a substantial risk to your life, or you asked for charity, never a pleasant task for an elderly person who has always taken pride in paying their bills. So many died from delaying care.
I don't think that most of you understand how Medicare works.
Medicare decides on an "approved" amount. They pay 80% of that amount. The insurance company or the patient pays ONLY the remaining approved amount. Not the big $500,000 bill, but a much smaller 20% of the "Approved" amount. If Medicare doesn't pay, the insurance company doesn't have to pay either.
For example. I had an MRI done on my head. The bill was over $900.00. Medicare APPROVED a little over $90. They paid about $72 and I only owed about 10 bucks. I could have paid it a dollar a week if I wanted to.
I also had catatact surgery on both eyes. At that time I was paying $126.00 per month for Insurance coverage. The amount that Medicare APPROVED was so low that the Insurance company 20% was less than 2 months premiums. I didn't owe anything except for some UNAPPROVED medications. The insurance company didn't have to pay, because Medicare wouldn't pay.
The hospital/MRI took a loss on me both times. Who makes up the difference? Other patients.
My husband also had cataract lens put in in both eyes. He also had to have laser and other corrective surgery on one eye before it could be done. What Medicare APPROVED was pitiful. The 20% balance was easily paid. And Yes, our only income at that time was social security.
Finally someone gets in here with the real truth about what is going on. Most of these people have no idea about how Medicare works, at all. They decide what is to be paid and it is sickening to see most of the time but the care givers are screwed by the fact that they have to agree beforehand to take what they get or they can't get Medicare money. It is so sad to see what they allow for so many things and see them paying nearly 100% of other things. They are such good proof of what we will have with Obamacare and the handling of the system by bureaucrats who are appointed by the administration and dependent on them to keep the jobs.
Sarah Palin's death panels don't have to exist since each state has one already operating.
I keep hearing "the insurance companies" did not want to insure senior citizens,......causing Medicare to be implemented,....but no quantiative proof to such a claim. Would be nice to see some statistics to back such a claim.
For those of us interested in history, there were numerous attempts by the federal government to institute various forms of nationalized healthcare, starting early in the twentieth century. It wasn't until the 1940s that commericial insurance seriously got into the healthcare business, and a short couple of decades before the feds passed the Medicare legislation under a democrat party regime. Some make it sound like the insurance industry had spent centuries abusing the elderly.
There had been a push by the federal government to nationalize healthcare long before Medicare. It seems that the fed took an incremental approach and focused upon the elderly to get its foot in the healthcare doorway. Now Obamacare is busting that door down.
The liberals in the federal government are finally achieving their goal of power over the people. First with healthcare, then later with education. It's all about power,...not healthcare.
This post has more truth in it than any on this thread and not one person has written about what you said. Sure THEY know what you said and how true it is but by not answering it they think it will be buried and forgotten. Of course, they are right.
If you were among those without insurance, you either forwent care as long as you could, at a substantial risk to your life, or you asked for charity, never a pleasant task for an elderly person who has always taken pride in paying their bills. So many died from delaying care.
Ask the good doctor to explain why Medicare has more Denials on claims than almost every other one of those evil private insurers...
Finally someone gets in here with the real truth about what is going on. Most of these people have no idea about how Medicare works, at all. They decide what is to be paid and it is sickening to see most of the time but the care givers are screwed by the fact that they have to agree beforehand to take what they get or they can't get Medicare money. It is so sad to see what they allow for so many things and see them paying nearly 100% of other things. They are such good proof of what we will have with Obamacare and the handling of the system by bureaucrats who are appointed by the administration and dependent on them to keep the jobs.
Sarah Palin's death panels don't have to exist since each state has one already operating.
I think BOTH of you should quit accepting help from Medicare and pay your own health care costs since you don't approve of the way the system works.
I know an elderly lady who goes to various doctors all of the time now because she has Medicare. Prior to Medicare, she told me she had NO Health Insurance. Now, she spends her time making appointments with all kinds of medical specialists (Eye doctors, dermatologists, etc) just because she can.
What I love most about her is that she's a die hard "conservative", to boot!
Finally someone gets in here with the real truth about what is going on. Most of these people have no idea about how Medicare works, at all...
Considering your disgust for Medicare as it exists today, and glorification of pre-Medicare days as being great for the elderly, and since I did not hear back from you on the same question yesterday, I will ask again:
1- Would you prefer that you didn't have Medicare to deal with health care today, just as one would have before Medicare came about?
2- If you had the opportunity to enroll in a voucher based system tomorrow, giving up your Medicare privileges as is being expected under a plan you support, would you do that? Would you mind being a test sample of such radical ideas? I will surely try to help you with it by writing to the White House and the congressmen.
Did you leave the country when you didn't like how the system worked under the last president?
As far as your elderly lady, was that suppose to be bragging about how good things are for her now that she can be a professional hypochondriac?
Nope. Not asking them to leave the country.
Just saying that they should pay the full cost of their medical treatment themselves if they're so concerned about how much the doctors are being paid.
As far as the elderly lady I mentioned goes...
Alot of seniors spend a lot of time visiting doctors.. They've got a lot of time on their hands.
From what she says, it sounds like her doctors are encouraging her visits. Guess they have no problem taking the small amount of money they receive from Medicare.
Last edited by World Citizen; 06-03-2011 at 11:07 AM..
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