It's started

[TomMann]

Got a call from the Oncologist/chemo lab that has been treating me. Supposed to have a chemo treatment on Monday..... but because of cutbacks in Medicare.... (they are taking a 10% cut in payments received)... they are having to cutback patients served by 50%. They did set me up for treatment at the adjacent Hospital instead of their facility...... All I can say is stand by as the government takes over healthcare.... some of us may not get treatment.....

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

I'm sorry to hear this, Tom. I've been saying all along that we need less government, not more, in our lives!

I pray that you will get the treatments you need.

 

[Revmitchell]

Tom I am sorry to hear this as well. And what a shame you are having difficulties getting treatment.

 

[donnA]

A lot of people have difficulty getting medical help of any kind, even children, as they have no insurance coverage at all, their only choice is death, it's cheaper.
Medicare isn't the goverment getting involved in medicine, it is the goverment helping some have medical coverage who otherwise would ahve nothing. There would be no treatment to be had if they did not have medicare. I know mom would not have a single one of her 15 medications, and would have been dead long ago. If you don't like the goverment offering medicare coverage to anyone, then be sure not to accept medicare coverage.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

Tom, I am sorry you are going through this, but at least you can get treatment. As Donna said, so many cannot. We drastically need healthcare reform in the U.S. I am praying for you.

 

[TomMann]

A lot of people have difficulty getting medical help of any kind, even children, as they have no insurance coverage at all, their only choice is death, it's cheaper.
Medicare isn't the goverment getting involved in medicine, it is the goverment helping some have medical coverage who otherwise would ahve nothing. There would be no treatment to be had if they did not have medicare. I know mom would not have a single one of her 15 medications, and would have been dead long ago. If you don't like the goverment offering medicare coverage to anyone, then be sure not to accept medicare coverage.

First, I'm gonna get my treatment. I am a military retiree. And this isn't complaining about medicare. It is about congressional cuts to medicare. I am still amazed when I check my bills and find that for a procedure/treatment that costs $254.90 the government only reimburses $27.22 to the clinic. These are actual figures that came off my billing statement. The Chemo Port that was installed in my chest...... cost $7,207.03 and the government reimbursed $1.416.96. Now I don't get charged anything additional, other than a small $12.00 co-pay. But how is the clinic going to stay in business if they can't recoop more than 10 to 20% of their charges. With the recent medicare changes, I was told that an additional 10% of reimbursement to the clinic will be dropped...... and that will put a real strain on the operation of the clinic. Enough so that they are having to drop clients.

To me this is no different than, say, that the government only reimbursing 20 cents on the dollar to cover food stamp purchases. How long is the grocer going to stay in business. If he stays in business, how much does he have to raise prices to other consumers to cover his losses on food stamps.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

First, I'm gonna get my treatment. I am a military retiree. And this isn't complaining about medicare. It is about congressional cuts to medicare. I am still amazed when I check my bills and find that for a procedure/treatment that costs $254.90 the government only reimburses $27.22 to the clinic. These are actual figures that came off my billing statement. The Chemo Port that was installed in my chest...... cost $7,207.03 and the government reimbursed $1.416.96. Now I don't get charged anything additional, other than a small $12.00 co-pay. But how is the clinic going to stay in business if they can't recoop more than 10 to 20% of their charges. With the recent medicare changes, I was told that an additional 10% of reimbursement to the clinic will be dropped...... and that will put a real strain on the operation of the clinic. Enough so that they are having to drop clients.

To me this is no different than, say, that the government only reimbursing 20 cents on the dollar to cover food stamp purchases. How long is the grocer going to stay in business. If he stays in business, how much does he have to raise prices to other consumers to cover his losses on food stamps.

You have to wonder how many people could have been treated and how many lives saved with the money we have poured into the invasion of Iraq. Which would have done the most good for the American people?

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

First, I'm gonna get my treatment. I am a military retiree.

We have TriCare too, Tom, and it amazes me the small amount they pay for certain things.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

Donna, I am not against Medicare. It took care of my mother for years. What I am against is the cuts (by the government) to Medicare.

They are making it so doctors and hospitals can only afford to treat so many Medicare patients and that is a shame. It ought to be a crime!

 

[JerryL]

First, I'm gonna get my treatment. I am a military retiree. And this isn't complaining about medicare. It is about congressional cuts to medicare. I am still amazed when I check my bills and find that for a procedure/treatment that costs $254.90 the government only reimburses $27.22 to the clinic. These are actual figures that came off my billing statement. The Chemo Port that was installed in my chest...... cost $7,207.03 and the government reimbursed $1.416.96. Now I don't get charged anything additional, other than a small $12.00 co-pay. But how is the clinic going to stay in business if they can't recoop more than 10 to 20% of their charges. With the recent medicare changes, I was told that an additional 10% of reimbursement to the clinic will be dropped...... and that will put a real strain on the operation of the clinic. Enough so that they are having to drop clients.

To me this is no different than, say, that the government only reimbursing 20 cents on the dollar to cover food stamp purchases. How long is the grocer going to stay in business. If he stays in business, how much does he have to raise prices to other consumers to cover his losses on food stamps.

First, be assured that this clinic probably has the costs jacked up sky high like most medical places. It looks like medicare has a priceline that probably allows for those price jacks. I cut my foot once and had to walk on crutches so as to not tear the stitches out and the medical facility charged my insurance $600.00 for the crutches. A buddy of mine got a spider bite and stayed in the hospital for 11 days at a cost of $63,000.00. Same friend's daughter was in a car wreck and broke arm and dislocated hip, $363,000.00 dollars to fix. I don't think medical providers are hurting at the profit margins, They are a major reason why insurance is sky high.

 

[donnA]

They aren't limiting how many medicare patients they treat here Sue.
It's virtually free health care to those who have it, the government limiting how much they pay can not be a crime, if it is free to those who have it. The health care industry seems more then happy to accept these patients, and their payments. Complaining because the government doesn't pay enough for free health care is in fact an endorsement for government run universal health care.

 

[JerryL]

Donna, I am not against Medicare. It took care of my mother for years. What I am against is the cuts (by the government) to Medicare.

They are making it so doctors and hospitals can only afford to treat so many Medicare patients and that is a shame. It ought to be a crime!

See my above post. They aren't hurting in the profits game.

 

[TomMann]

You have to wonder how many people could have been treated and how many lives saved with the money we have poured into the invasion of Iraq. Which would have done the most good for the American people?

Never miss an opportunity do ya! And I'd answer your question but it has nothing to do with this thread.... and you wouldn't like my answer.

 

[TomMann]

See my above post. They aren't hurting in the profits game.

There may be some high end hospitals who are not hurting in the profits game. I live in small town USA and our local medical center has come close to closing several times.... has gone at least once for months without making payroll..... and that leaves us with a thirty mile drive to the next facility. High costs are often covering all the stuff they have to do without payment.

 

[Sopranette]

One of the problems with Medicare:

There have been huge advances in the field of medice. Procedures, drugs, and treatments are getting more effective, more complicated, and more costly. But Medicare is lagging behind, still paying out what they have done for years. It's a trade off for doctors. They know Medicare will definitely pay them, but it won't be anywhere near what the treatment costed.

love,

Sopranette

 

[Sopranette]

I would like to add that doctors are not getting rich anymore, if they ever were. Many of them are still paying off their education cost and raising families at the same time. And with a large number of HMO patients, they are trying to see as many as they can to get paid a little more.

love,

Sopranette

 

[rbell]

I would like to add that doctors are not getting rich anymore, if they ever were. Many of them are still paying off their education cost and raising families at the same time. And with a large number of HMO patients, they are trying to see as many as they can to get paid a little more.

love,

Sopranette

um...I disagree.

I have a relative in the profession. They made over $250K last year. And they haven't been in practice that long.

I don't begrudge them...but most doctors are making fistfuls of money. Others in the profession might not be, but I don't know any poor doctors.

Not to mention...many doctors (including my particular relative) live like doctors right out of med school.

Once again...don't interpret that as a slam on doctors. They certainly pay their dues. But yes...they are rich.

 

[StefanM]

um...I disagree.

I have a relative in the profession. They made over $250K last year. And they haven't been in practice that long.

I don't begrudge them...but most doctors are making fistfuls of money. Others in the profession might not be, but I don't know any poor doctors.

Not to mention...many doctors (including my particular relative) live like doctors right out of med school.

Once again...don't interpret that as a slam on doctors. They certainly pay their dues. But yes...they are rich.

The doctors who are "scraping by" are the residents, but that is still an educational experience.

Doctors make a lot of money.

 

[StefanM]

High costs are often covering all the stuff they have to do without payment.

Which is why we're going to "pay for it" whether we have universal coverage (government or not) or persist in the current system. The insured subsidize the cost of the losses from treating the uninsured.

Unless something changes, this problem is only going to get worse. As prices for insurance increase to offset costs, you begin to lose people or companies who can no longer afford the premiums. This will shift more overall cost to those who have insurance, which will mean that more people or companies will be unable to afford insurance, and so on.

We can proclaim the virtues of the "free market" (which is illusory, anyway, as the healthcare market isn't anywhere close to free), but one of the principles of the free market is that goods and services only are provided where there is sufficient demand at a profitable price. If people cannot afford healthcare, then the hospitals will have to close if they cannot reduce costs. That's the free market. In a heavily populated or affluent area, you have no problem. In a rural area or in a poor area, you may have to "roll the dice" without any local hospital. This is the wave of the future.

 

[Crabtownboy]

The shame is the current administration has insisted on the cuts and threatened to veto any other proposal.

Below are just a few headlines about Bush cutting or wanting to cut Medicare. I won't bother to give the links. Just do a Google search on Bush Medicare Cuts and you can read all day ... maybe several days.

Headlines:

Bush Seeks Surplus via Medicare Cuts


By ROBERT PEAR
Published: January 31, 2008
WASHINGTON — In his new budget, to be unveiled Monday, President Bush will call for large cuts in the growth of Medicare, far exceeding what he proposed last year, and he will again seek major savings in Medicaid, according to administration officials and budget documents.

Bush administration delaying Medicare fee cut - Jun 30, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration said Monday it will delay paying doctors for treating Medicare patients in early July to give Congress more time ...

Bush's Budget Proposal Would Cut Medicare Spending ...MONDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- President Bush's new budget proposal would cut $196 billion over five years from both Medicare and Medicaid -- programs ...

Health Blog : To Cut Medicare Growth, Bush Targets HospitalsTo hack away at the growth of Medicare, President Bush is proposing cuts in the growth of the federal insurance program's payments to hospitals.