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We all know there is an enourmous amount of fraud and waste in the Medicare/Medicaid programs. Has been for a generation. When both parties led the government. I don't know why more rooting-out doesn't take place. But it doesn't. So, yes ... I think there are billions to be saved by cutting waste. Problem can be, however, that in t heir zeal to attack the federal government, federal employees ... and average Americans ... the Tea Party types, the American Taliban, in Washington cut things to the bone, which hurts many people. Both sides of the debate should find a way to truly reduce waste without trying to score 'points' against the other side. That's easier said than done, we know.
Yeah I'm sure the fraud and waste exists, but the ACA cuts weren't it. Hospitals serving the poor getting less money to support that, seniors having less generous Medicare Advantage plans, providers getting lower reimbursements for Medicare patients, etc.
So you're taking all this money, that's having a ton of positive knock-on effects (more doctors seeing Medicare patients, hospitals in poor areas able to keep their doors open, growth of Medicare Advantage plans that cover more stuff at a lower cost, etc.), and pouring it into subsidies and expansion of Medicaid that doesn't have nearly the same positive externalities.
This all doesn't get talked about much because Democrats (understandably) feel emotionally bound to stand by and defend *their* law, no matter how bad the details (especially people strongly supportive of the administration), while Republicans for the most part would rather kill the rest of the law but leave the funding cuts in place to pay down the deficit or lower taxes. So it gets left to the side, but the truth is that redirecting the Medicare money - which was being used for good purposes, not waste and fraud - is a lot worse in terms of bang for our buck -- putting aside the arguments about big and small government, we've gotten less effective and efficient for the same size with this.
Would the expansion of Medicaid cancel out the cuts?
It will vary on a hospital-by-hospital basis. You'd have to find and crunch the data for each individual hospital and I don't think anyone here -- even myself, and I generally like this sort of thing -- is going to do that for the sake of building an internet forum post.
Since money is being taken directly away from hospitals that serve lower income patients and then leaking back through expanded Medicaid (which has pretty low reimbursement rates aside), my guess without running the numbers would be that most will lose out and some will get hurt very badly, but it's not 100% without doing or seeing the math.
Edit: That's for hospitals. If you were asking about the effect of the cuts on seniors and providers, then bluntly: no.
The number is based on productivity in general, every year productivity per person increases. The medical community is expected to meet those same levels of increased productivity so they will simply pay them less. There is similar law that has been on the books since the mid 90's, that's the one that comes up around January every year that Congress votes to suspend for another year... each and every year.
No, that's the "doc fix" and it's not actually the 700 large that was invented to be able to pass the ACA in "resolution".
Would the expansion of Medicaid cancel out the cuts?
So what I understand from this its better to spend 70 billion or so a year to keep people alive over the age of 65 in intensive care for another year or so than it is to spend that money on younger people who are still productive and in many cases young children who have a whole life ahead of them. The Republican response is they earned their health care and people on Medicaid and ACA are leeches..
I went in for a simple operation couple months ago, normally be sent home same day of the operation. Had very BAD unforeseen complications, operation instead of half hour took three hours, spent six hours trying to keep me from cashing out. Surgeon wanted to keep me through the weekend, Hospital tried putting me out Saturday. Well darn old me tried dyeing on them again, they get me stable, kicked me out Sunday. Give me Home Health Care for two weeks.
Yes I'm on Medicare. When I worked I had Insurance paid 100% I couldn't get kicked out of a Hospital.
I went in for a simple operation couple months ago, normally be sent home same day of the operation. Had very BAD unforeseen complications, operation instead of half hour took three hours, spent six hours trying to keep me from cashing out. Surgeon wanted to keep me through the weekend, Hospital tried putting me out Saturday. Well darn old me tried dyeing on them again, they get me stable, kicked me out Sunday. Give me Home Health Care for two weeks.
Yes I'm on Medicare. When I worked I had Insurance paid 100% I couldn't get kicked out of a Hospital.
brushrunner
I know what you mean. Major operation, you are in the hospital 3 days and home you go. Home health care was good though, got me thru the problems. I should have stayed in the hospital 3 more days though.
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