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I don't care why seniors go to the doctor (but the idea that "a lot" go because they're lonely is patent nonsense) the fact remains that it is doctors, not the patients, who prescribe care and it is that care recommended by a medical professional that is being denied. Obama is proposing 500 billion dollars in Medicare cuts. So be prepared to see the percentage of denials rise dramatically.
I don't think that it is FALSE that some seniors go to the doctor because they are lonely. Let's add to that the fact that some go as their form of recreation. John Stossel did a report on this a while back and a lot of affluent senior citizens did just that - go to the doctor as a form of recreation and socialization. They don't want to give up their Medicare.
The Medicare Ponzi Scheme - really like this part: "The government spends around $6 on seniors for every dollar it spends on children, and yet the poverty rate among children is far higher," said Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute (Welcome to AEI). The federal government stiffs the young in favor of the old."
What about the ones that say, "We've paid our dues." Money was taken from every paycheck they earned"? Uh, hold on a minute there, Hoss, because the claims that seniors have "paid for it" by paying into the system is a fallacy. The same goes for Social Security while they may've paid into it for 30-40 years the SS tax rate back when the program started was 2% but has now increased to over 12%.
In fact, the average Medicare beneficiary today collects two to three times more money than he paid in.
"Henry Becker, another La Posada resident, believes that Medicare is "one of the best things this country has ever done."
It's no surprise that these elderly residents like Medicare. Everyone likes getting things for free, and Medicare often makes going to the doctor just about free. With medical costs that cheap, some of these elderly residents go all the time.
“Medicare was the most likely to deny any part of a claim, with a 6.9 percent rate. Aetna was a close second at 6.8 percent while the others ranged from 2.7 percent to 4.6 percent."
That article's more than a year old, by the way. TheHill, its original source, doesnt even have it on its site anymore.
The economist says:
[1] "It could be the case that commercial health insurers have more efficient claims processing centers."
[2] "Competition between insurers may increase claims approvals. Most physicians and hospitals must take Medicare because it represents so large a share of the helathcare spending. On the other hand, physicians may only accept patients whose insurance companies have prompt payment with fewer denials. This leads to some incentive for insurance companies to decrease claims denials.
[3] "Another reason for the differential claims denial rates is the demographics of Medicare and commercial insurance enrollees. Almost all Medicare enrollees are over 65, while commercial insurers have enrollees who are of varying ages. Since older individuals are more likely to demand high cost medical procedures, if high cost medical procedures are the ones that are more likely to be denied then Medicare’s higher denial rate may simply be due to the composition of its enrollees."
1 - could be - the Obama Admin intends to streamline claims processing, drastically.
2 - hey, great for the health Ins Exchange -- and us!
The data is meaningless. The demographics are totally different for Medicare vs private Insurers.
Two different systems that have different rules and regulations governing them.
You also have to look at how many people Medicare serves and how many people the private insurers serve.
From the look of it, Medicare isn't doing all that shabby.
You do have a lot of seniors who go to the doctor because they're lonely or for some it's a social thing.
That is precisely the issue. Seniors are being denied treatment due to their age (see Palin's Death Panels)!
You dont know what percent of the claims the private insurers deny are to seniors. Private insurers cover people of all ages. Medicare is EXCLUSIVELY seniors.
The original article isnt available,but the blog only quotes:
“Medicare was the most likely to deny any part of a claim, with a 6.9 percent rate. Aetna was a close second at 6.8 percent while the others ranged from 2.7 percent to 4.6 percent.
Coventry Health had the fastest median turnaround between receiving a claim and responding, at four days, according to the AMA. Medicare and CIGNA took a median 14 days; Humana and Aetna, 13 days; Health Net, 11; United Healthcare, 10 and Anthem, seven.”
That is precisely the issue. Seniors are being denied treatment due to their age (see Palin's Death Panels)!
No, the problem is we don't have a set of numbers here that show denial rates from PRIVATE INSURERS for those over 65, hence, you cannot compare the numbers.
Simple Statistics.
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LOL, another rightie who doesnt read.
