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Old 12-17-2013, 06:37 PM
 
Location: Midwest
38,496 posts, read 25,737,877 times
Reputation: 10789

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ALackOfCreativity View Post
If you're advocating for some sort of healthcare coverage for all that isn't "slightly" expensive, it's massively expensive, even relative to the size of our current government and economy as a whole. Thus efficiency matters. A lot. Government - as witnessed by for example comparing Medicare Advantage to traditional Fee For Service, Medicaid with and without managed care, etc. - does a bad job of controlling costs as the payer. If you want universal care without breaking the bank, you're talking something like universal medicaid managed care, not Fee For Service Medicare.

Whatever works best.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:47 PM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,019 posts, read 51,043,821 times
Reputation: 28208
Quote:
Originally Posted by freightshaker View Post
A friend of mine finally today got signed up under the ACA following losing her current medical insurance because of the ACA. Originally her monthly premium was $186, her deductible was ZERO and her copay was $2 a visit. All of her medical needs were met under her old plan. Now under one of the exchange plans, her premium is $216 a month, her deductible is $5800 a year and she has no copay. What this basically means for her is she has gone from very good insurance to having only a catastrophe plan for a greater out of pocket expenditure both monthly and a huge deductible. In other words, short of a major illness, she now has no insurance for general health care. No more trips to the doctor for infections or wounds. No more trips to the doctor for immunizations. No more trips to the doctor for anything other than a life threatening emergency. Is this what we really have in mind for our people? She is on a fixed income and can't afford a better plan. All of this, for what? So Sandra Flock can be promiscuous? Hell of a price to pay. I hope all of you that pushed for this are happy with what you have done to millions of other american citizens. This will create situations where people will die for the lack of adequate health care under this plan. Is this what you really wanted? Well, it's what you voted for. Congratulations.
Is she in Texas?
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:47 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,644,082 times
Reputation: 18304
You really thought that 500 billion in Medicare cuts over ten years to fund ACA meant the same medicare?Now to see if congress again restores payments and the deficit goes up again. Old trick to score a bill in congress. Score bill revenuse natural based on cuts with savings then restore cuts and say you saved the program while spending goes up along with deficit. Remember Democrats promised to also eliminate the donut hole in part D when scoring in committee. and that cuts would be from fraud and abuse.Mean while SS trustees estimated Medicare payments cuts would mean doctors dropping because as is it was 30% on average of what private insurance pays for same already.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:48 PM
 
Location: Lost in Texas
9,827 posts, read 6,919,495 times
Reputation: 3415
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
Is she in Texas?
No she is not.. She is in a northern state unfortunately.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:49 PM
 
2,672 posts, read 2,711,112 times
Reputation: 1041
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALackOfCreativity View Post
Newsflash! The electorate is mostly made of people either already eligible for medicare, medicaid, or tricare or with private insurance through their employer. The first group will see some combination of their taxes go up, benefits go down, or national debt (eventually causing one [or more] of the former or inflation in a bigger way) increasing for no benefit to them. The second group will mostly see their taxes go up and benefits get worse (20% coinsurance and no caps in traditional fee-for-service medicare) unless you let them buy Medicare Advantage plans...which I doubt you mean from your anti-private-sector vitriol.

You are advocating for a substantial hit to the living standards of most Americans.
That hit has already occurred over the past 13 years or so. Private insurance plans have been getting cut back for years. Medicare and Tricare to a certain extent have been immune to the cuts. My wifes insurance has gone from $180 to $520 per month over the past 12 years. At the same time we have had to raise our deductibles from about $500 to $3500. We now pay everything out of pocket for the most part. Tricare wont change but its hard to believe people with incomes of $170,000 or more only pay $266 for Medicare while their premiums are paid by the government. With the ACA the main burden will fall on those above the 400% FPL..Means testing for Medicare recipients isnt on anyones radar...The ACA is means tested.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:50 PM
 
Location: Palo Alto
12,149 posts, read 8,395,888 times
Reputation: 4190
Maybe if the government didn't waste so much money paying above-market wages for services they could afford to at least pay market wages for medical care.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:50 PM
 
Location: Barrington
63,919 posts, read 46,578,285 times
Reputation: 20674
Quote:
Originally Posted by borregokid View Post
SS and Medicare are both entitlements as is VA and Tricare. I dont need to go back and blame Johnson though. During 2010 the Republicans ran to the left of Democrats on Medicare. Might as well call it Republicare..Republicans are still talking about killing the ACA and putting money back into Medicare. Never mind that its already an entitlement for the middle class where means testing starts at $170,000 for a couple.
Medicare Part D ( prescription drug ) was a Republican initiative that coincided well with the 2004 presidential election. Swell benefit that no one had paid a dime for, not offset by any spending cuts- all deficit spending. Those Republicans declined the opportunity to allow Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription medications, as is done in the rest of the developing world.

Fast forward a few years and there are now some wonder drugs that can extend the life of late stage terminal Cancer patients by a few weeks. As I understand it, one round of these drugs can run $6 figures billable, to Medicare.

Swell handout to big pharma and their investors.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:52 PM
 
29,999 posts, read 18,571,468 times
Reputation: 20773
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goinback2011 View Post
What makes you think the payments will be higher for patients with other insurance after the employer mandate is implemented next year?
Three year contracts.
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Old 12-17-2013, 06:58 PM
 
29,999 posts, read 18,571,468 times
Reputation: 20773
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoonose View Post
Wattaya mean 'we' Whiteman? <LOL>

We, well a bunch of us in primary care see tons of Medicare patients. And we have been seeing significant bonuses these last few years with the EMR. And now a serious bump in revenues with the Annual Wellness Visits. Not nearly the gold mine of course as back in the '80's, but Medicare still pays our bills and then some. And so far from my perspective no problemos with specialist access.
So far.........................

The cuts just came through. Come talk over the next six months when you try to get an ortho, neurosurg, PT, physiatry, or pain management consult and actually want something done, rather than just an evaluation with nothing done.

We have also, over the last 3 years, received the EMR compliance "bonuses". There were $15K each year. However, 60% cuts in surgery and procedures makes it impossible for us to see Medicare, as we have very high overhead relative to primary care.
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Old 12-17-2013, 07:02 PM
 
Location: Barrington
63,919 posts, read 46,578,285 times
Reputation: 20674
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoonose View Post
Remarkable, given this is the 50th anniversary of this publication.
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