Mayo Clinic to Stop Accepting Medicare Patients
by PubliusFrom Bloomberg:
The Mayo organization had 3,700 staff physicians and scientists and treated 526,000 patients in 2008. It lost $840 million last year on Medicare, the government’s health program for the disabled and those 65 and older, Mayo spokeswoman Lynn Closway said.
Mayo’s hospital and four clinics in Arizona, including the Glendale facility, lost $120 million on Medicare patients last year, Yardley said. The program’s payments cover about 50 percent of the cost of treating elderly primary-care patients at the Glendale clinic, he said.
“We firmly believe that Medicare needs to be reformed,” Yardley said in a Dec. 23 e-mail. “It has been true for many years that Medicare payments no longer reflect the increasing cost of providing services for patients.”
Mayo will assess the financial effect of the decision in Glendale to drop Medicare patients “to see if it could have implications beyond Arizona,” he said.
Nationwide, doctors made about 20 percent less for treating Medicare patients than they did caring for privately insured patients in 2007, a payment gap that has remained stable during the last decade, according to a March report by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a panel that advises Congress on Medicare issues. Congress last week postponed for two months a 21.5 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements for doctors.
Read the whole article here. The policy change only affects the Mayo clinic in Arizona, for now. Keep in mind, the decision to deny new Medicare patients comes before passage of Democrat plans to cut around $500 billion from Medicare.
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132 Comments
I wonder how long it will be before we see the MSM reporting how "greedy" the Mayo Clinic is for wanting to stop losing money. In Los Angeles, many emergency treatment centers have closed their doors over the last number of years due to the expense of treating illegals without payment or reimbursement by the state or federal government. I was amazed at the number of articles critical of the centers for going out of business!
http://www.mayoclinic.org/billing-sct/medicare.ht...
I wonder why it is NOT reflected on the Mayo clinic website
Shame on those greedy health care centers for trying to minimize their losses or, just break even. Don't worry, folks, Dr. Obamao, orderly Harry and nurse Nancy will take good care of you.
So medicare is causing hospitals to lose money, and the government wants to add MORE patients, while cutting $500B from Medicaid. But according to the dems, it will save money. Do they really think we are that stupid? I guess the answer is yes, because they continue to ignore the facts, and the people.
LIBS will never get it…. The little thingy about "unintended consequences". Why should such an honored and important series of facilities subsidize patient care at their expense ? Either insure yourselves in ADDITION to Medicare or DO NOT EXPECT the best medical care in the country. It's that simple. If you cannot pay or provide additional coverage head to a hospital that your incompetent president provides for you. You get what you deserve…period.
[...] Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this | // [...]
I guess the cliche "no free lunch" applies in regards to medicare, but what do unaccountable politicians care when you can too easily make a business model the evil one. Liberalism's anti-business attitude permeates our society portraying anyone making a profit as a so-called fat-cat. The real losers are of course people who are covered by medicare. I don't suppose the libs will see the irony of a term that they love to pin on conservatives that in this case apply to their own policy….trickle down economics.
Yes, they really do think we're all that stupid, but Seniors ( who vote all the time ) aren't going to like this one bit and neither are their adult children; not even Dem ones.
i hear they are all being trained in "Fisting" techniques first before they start their clinical diagnostics….hmmmm……hmmmmm……………..hmmmmm
Also, I am sure they will be using TSA agents to help do pat downs and fisting for IED's in a hospital near you……..
Most seniors, even poor ones, buy supplemental insurance. ObamaCare does away with the cheap version of supplemental insurance.
Many doctors now refuse Medicare patients; even those who have the best supplemental insurance.
How about the adult children paying for their parents' medical needs? You will still be paying, but at least it'll be for your own parents.
And nobody here has "whined", so just WHAT is your problem?
You're right, the Libs will never get it. They are too busy living in the utopia of their own mind and refuse to understand that actions have consequences. When those consequences happen, they run around pointing their fingers of blame at everyone but themselves.
You miss the point. Regardless of supplemental insurance certain institutions still refuse to accept those patients…why ? Because the reimbursement is not sufficient even with supplemental coverage. Add to that the 90 to 120 day delay in being reimbursed by Medicare and those receivable have to be funded or serviced by the doctors and the hospitals. It's simply not worth it. And now the grand leader wants to financially beat the crap out of doctors, hospitals and pharma groups to futher deteriorate system and care.
Check out http://www.mayoclinic.org/mcitems/mc0700-mc0799/M...
On the right side- "Unpaid portions of Medicare" $840.7 (Millions)
….in this case apply to their own failed policy….trickle down Obamanomics. (fixed it for you)
Of course, they're going to save money. They're going to pay even less for treatment than they do now. Obie has already gone on record as saying that seniors should consider taking a pill rather than getting a bypass, or perhaps reconsider that chemotherapy. He also said that his special healthcare plan will save even more money in the 2nd ten years – $1 trillion!! That's because they're going to gut Medicare by $1 trillion in the 2nd ten years, paying for even less services. They're counting on taxpayers paying higher premiums and adding 30 million more to the insurance rolls to make up the difference while killing off seniors at an earlier age. They're killing 2 birds with one stone here – because they've already spent the social security money. Watch the word parsing, folks. Obie is very good at that. He isn't providing quality healthcare; he's selling health insurance. The insurance companies will become utilities for the government. The deal Queen Pelosi cut with them was that they had to provide insurance for everyone, but they couldn't be sued, meaning that they could deny treatment if the cost is too much.
No, YOU missed the points I made in my reply to you; please reread my post…………I already covered the fact that many doctors don't take Medicare patients now.
The Dems' plans are a disaster and I already know many doctors ( especially specialists ! ) who are planning on retiring, due to this whole ObamaCare mess ) and yes, hospitals will be closing soon too; faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" !
I wouldn't talk about IQs, if I were you, judging by your inability to comprehend the written English word.
It's not their responsbility or obligation to pay for those who can't…….especially when the its the political class who is responsible in the first place….let them pull out their checkbook and wrtie a check on THEIR funds to pay for these folks…..Additionally the same goes in triplicate for the illegals…………..
They won't save even one thin dime; even with gutting Medicare and killing off seniors.
They're adding millions of people to Medicaid. And once people think that they're getting something for "free", they will use it more. And once Barry makes the illegals, "legal", you bet they'll be lining up for doctor's visits, for a hangnail.
An d the taxes, collected the first four years, for the new Obamacare, will be spent on other things, just as they treat Social Security taxes now.
Then there is the little tidbit, stuck into the House and Senate Bills about how minorities will be not only give first choice to medical and nursing schools, but also MONEY to pay for it.
If anything, all of these things and more, that haven't all come out yet, will cost far more money than anyone can even begin to calculate now.
Why in the Hell did the Mayo Clinic come out in support of the Dem's plan to take over health care? Serves them right nicely, if you ask me.
I wonder if Obama will tap Dr. Jack Kevorkian to be the new Medicare Czar? It's a perfect fit.
The Mayo clinic in Jacksonville (FL) stopped taking Medicare a long time ago. Medicare patients had to pay a 15% surcharge over and above whatever Medicare approved. That may have changed. We haven't been there in years.
I love all the articles about us greedy geezers and how much we siphon away from taxpayers. Not only are we, at 75, still paying taxes, but it costs us over $12,000/yr for Medicare, BC/BS supplemental insurance, Medicare Part D Drug costs …. and neither my husband nor I have any major expensive illnesses nor have we had office procedures nor hospital stays nor operations.
One of the best reforms that could be made to health care is tort reform. We let lawyers like John Edwards get rich suing doctors, and so doctors have to pay very high premiums for malpractice insurance. You reform the tort laws so that doctors don't have to pay outrageous insurance premiums, and the overhead for the ENTIRE health care system is reduced.
Why don't any of our politicians want to talk about this? Oh yeah, almost all of them are lawyers, right up to and including the president. Why should the nation be run by lawyers, anyway? They produce nothing, provide nothing, and perform no service a man can't live without. Seems to me they should be paid less than an auto mechanic or a school teacher… ack, I'm ranting again.
Sorry, greyzone2, but sometimes it isn't shades of gray. It's all there in black and white.
I have not posted much lately but I have been reading all of these stories and more.
We are in big trouble ! These leftists ( communists ) are going to destroy our country. They are attacking our freedoms, healthcare, jobs, investments and even the very wellbeing of our children and grandchildren. Soon, very soon it will be time to fight !
Hmm if I remember correctly part of the potus strategy to repair the health care system is doctors and hospitals will happily take a reduction in payment. Oh! yeah! Damn those at the Mayo.
I wouldn't count on that….my adult kid, who as of today is disowned, thinks that dear leader is doing a great job and there needs to be cuts in medicare….I guess he doesn't care about me or his grandma much since we are both on medicare…I vote and I won't be voting for any dimocrap or rhino….
cut out the illegals and their anchors….it'll save billions….
You mean, medical professionals are reluctant to continue treating more and more patients for lower and lower compensation ?
Who would have ever imagined that ?
[/s]
Here comes Obamacare IMPOSED RATIONING! Say thank you to Czar Obama of America!
Gee, thanks – you damn socialist jerk.
To those who read the linked article in Bloomberg: The answer is right there. Mayo is dumping most medicare patients and helping them find other area physicians. Lots of the physicians are also opting out of medicare. What happens when there are too few to service the patient pool? Will Medicare pay more? Unlikely. Will the Feds be forced into a war with non-participating physicians and have to change the law? More likely. And that will not happen quietly behind closed doors. The reason so many businesses and professional organizations publicly support intrusion by the Feds is that they hope to lessen the impact or avoid worse punishment had they stood up for their rights. Something needs to happen once and for all so that the people grasp that we live in a gangster nation. The bigger our government gets, the more coercive power it gains, and that is very destructive of individual liberty.
Ya, what a "winning" business model!
Democrat(SS) just don't understand economics. Period.
They think the U.S.S.R. 'system' worked. Idiots.
I am shocked – shocked I say. That a hospital would lie about and steal from federal programs – (first you attack the target and make them look bad) and then refuse to treat patients in a totally political move to discredit our SAVIOR and Chief Corruptocrat (and then you lie some more).
See how the left works? Pure genius. If only we couldn't predict the response of OBAMBI and the leftists so perfectly.
I'm an old fart on Medicare and I am planning my funeral because I expect it will come a lot sooner than I had planned before…thanks to government run health care!
Thank you for doing your part to reduce our continuing medicare costs. You can have your end of life counseling appointment next week. YOU madam/sir are a Great American.
Somehow, this is not what I envisioned when I heard the phrase, "bending the cost curve down."
And I am single and pay 100% for my insurance and haven't used it even once. Ditto for my auto and homeowners- paid lots in premiums and made $0 worth of claims. Seems we both subsidize the less fortunate or less careful among us. But we have peace of mind that if something does happen…
Haven't seen any "greedy seniors" comments in these posts. Perhaps the answer lies in getting the government out of the business of wealth redistribution as the general effect seems to be the creation of competing factions all whining that they are more deserving than the next…
I was amazed at the number of articles critical of the centers for going out of business!
++++++++++++++
Indeed! The lack of being able to deal with reality is a feature of Democrats/liberals/socialists and insane & psychotic persons. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm……………..
Liberalism's anti-business attitude
+++++++++++++++++
Why, oh why are there so many prominent liberals/socialists in corporate America? What, do they feel guilty? They've risen to the top, is this their one weakness? Crazy! It's destroying our once great country. At least main street is waking up, even if these so called corporate liberals are clueless about the impact of their support of inane and damaging politics/economics.
It would be the fulfillment of Palin's prophecy of death panels…
Hmm if I remember correctly part of the potus strategy to repair the health care system is doctors and hospitals will happily take a reduction in payment.
+++++++++++++++++
Happily…yeah, right. They'll do so by the force of government fiat. Wonder what that will do to the quality of our medical care? Uh, you don't have to look far to answer that silly question (like Canada and Great Britain.) Oh but the democRATS whistle happily past the graveyard (to mix your comments with Palin's.)
As a legally blind senior of 67, who worked and paid into the Medicare "system" for a lifetime, this betrayal is monstrous. I will not just lay down and die for these bastards. No brag. Just fact.
Anyone in the mood for a little fight with the cowardly president in a dark alley ? Bring diapers and a crying towell and a little binky for the sissie. Gotta luv these sickening libs….cowards, protected and wimpy. Do you LIBS ever have any courage to face your convictions with real Americans ? Disgusting people…..cowards… Hide behind everything and everybody…..like terrorists. Ahm gonna puke !
Consequences of a Government "fix". When will those that think the
Government can do things right, wake up? One of the arguments the
left has put out there when you say you don't want the government
taking over healthcare is "You like Medicare, don't you?" Well, I cried
when I had to go on Medicare, because I felt safer with my private
insurance. (We had to use our private insurance as a supplement
once my husband retired.) As long as we have 48 percent of the
people not paying income taxes, and those same people with their
hands out, this country will continue going downhill..
I don't blame doctors for not taking Medicare although I find it scary,
but they do have to go to school for years, come out with large
school bills, have to pay huge insurance payments, and the type of
job they do takes "special" types of people, Not everyone would
want to or be able to do the type of job they do.
I agree with you 100%. I've dealt with about 10 lawyers in my life and they all sucked except one. Money grubbing scum……….most of them.
To receive Medicare funding and institution MUST obtain Accreditation from a Government approved agency. No one looks at the money institutions spend to get, obtain and maintain the guidlines given to them by the agency of choice (The Joint Commission). The mayo clinic could save millions in actual time and belabored work flow processes that have been mandated to appease The Joint Commission. Sadly many hospitals are dependent on the Medicare revenue to keep the doors open, which ensures they are slaves to the agency (usually The Joint Commission) that gives the certificate. Hospitals do whatever they are told to do when they are told to do it, even when the frontline tells them the policy is possible to follow as written.
I was amazed at the number of articles critical of the centers for going out of business!
++++++++++++++++
Liberals/socialists, the insane and psychotics all have great difficulty dealing with reality. Hmmmm….
Obama and company really can't claim that they couldn't see this coming.
However they can claim that the evil, greedy hospital owners are the problem. Let's face it: The media called Reagan the Teflon President because they couldn't stick anything to him to tarnish his image. But Barry O wants more. Just like all of the other liberal Democrats, he wants to be the great deflector: It's always somebody elses fault (in this case Congress with Pelosi and Reid).
Here's where Sarah Palin's Death Squad comment comes into the picture: In one year the inheritance tax comes back with a vengance at 55%. Then the Dems can spen into oblivion as the greatest generation dies off due to denied healthcare. And the deficit will decrease the whole time. A BRILLIANT STRATEGY to provide funding for the Utopian State.
Here is a wild thought. Maybe we should end medicare so I don't have to pay for all of the fat unhealthy arses in this country. Then I could keep that tax money, and it would help me provide for my own health care.
But wether you are a democrat or a republican, you want your big government medicare.
Well, that didn't take long. Obamacare has not even been made into law yet and the rationing is already starting. I can't wait until Obamao gets back from vacation and explains. THIS should be interesting.
Hope and change!
I'm sorry that your adult child is such a swine.
I hope he isn't planning on how he intends to spend your money, once you're gone. Even if you hadn't decided to cut him out of your will, you'll need every cent to take care of yourself.
Illegals shouldn't be covered by the new ObamaCare, but they will be.
Medicare and Medicaid fraud is rampant and has been for many decades. Cleaning that mess up should have been seriously worked on long ago, but it hasn't been and neither shall it be now; sadly.
Check out how many lawyers are in congress and the white house. There is where you will find the resistance to ambulance chasing.
We tried to opt out of Medicare when we became 65, but the libs made it illegal for insurance companies to sell insurance to those eligible for Medicare. The best thing we can do is let everyone take care of themselves and reduce government by reducing public service employees by 98%. Not much chance of that. Don't people realize where the major costs are for any government program.
It's the bureaucracy stupid!
Are they completely dropping Medicare or just no longer accepting Medicare assignmen?. I believe the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL accepts Medicare patients but does not accept Medicare assignment, leaving the patients responsible for paying the difference between Medicare allowable payments and the charges. That way if you want the extra care from Mayo you will pay the difference or you will take your chances with providers who accept only Medicare allowable expenses. It's the patient's choice. My mother refused to go to Mayo even though I offered to pay the difference because she did not like the fact there would be additional charges. I'd rather get top of the line care than risk my health to someone trying to eke out a living by accepting obviously low ball payments. You can't lose money forever and still stay in business. We will soon learn that with Obamacare.
When will they stop accepting new patients that are insured by companies like Aetna? I was in the hospital for 4 days two years ago and my wife was in for 4 days a couple months ago. According to the statements we received from the hospital, the total bill was for over $50,000, yet Aetna only paid about 10% of that total – $5,000. What happened to the other $45,000? If its so costly to treat patients, why is our insurance not paying the bill? According to the statement from the hospital, this was a 'negotiated' amount.
I have always said that "Insurance Co's" are great negotiators…If only we had someone with those talents to negotiate for the American people!
Excellent point. You get what you pay for, is no longer a fact of our society. It's, you get what you can shame a hardworking individual to give to you, rather than be ashamed of your own irresponsiblity.
Your idea is not a bad one, I too believe in less government and less taxes….But, all those fat unhealthy arses you mention are probably the same people that helped pay for your schooling even when their own children no longer attended school, and those same people contributed to a system that was supposed to be protected from government and their sticky fingers, Social Security and Medicare would probably be far from broke had our politicians kept their fingers out of the cookie jar, now they have depleted it to a point that they need a new cookie jar…hence Obama Care.
Great rant! Obama said from the very beginning that there would not be tort reform…he announced this to a group of Doctors…Why? who knows, because it would help tremendously, as would opening up interstate availability to all insurance…He said he was for change…I never once heard him mention choice, at least not choice for we the people.
Hospitals end up jacking up the price of everything from tampons and bandaids to MRI's and x-rays to make-up for the fact that the government is only going to pay them for a small % of what things really cost. In high school I broke my leg and we didn't have insurance, I went to the ER , got x-rays, and there were so few doctors, a nurses assitant and another patient wrappedmy foot w/gauze. The bill from the ER was over $2,000. The fee for the visit to the specialist, the x-rays, and the cast cost $550. The hospital tried to charge $700 for the splint (ace bandage) and another $300 for gauze. My mother called them and told them they'd lost their minds and she wasn't paying it. They eventually lowered the bill, but isn't it people's responsibilty to take care of themselves? Nothing in life is free and the cost always show up somewhere else.
We got change alright…but forget the hope part…except for hoping he gets booted out of office…he plain and simply is just not qualified to be President of anything…except his mutual admiration society of left wing liberal idiots!
Medicare:
A Ponzi scheme that would make Ponzi himself blush. Better bring in about 20 million new illegal immigrants to keep this thing going.
Maybe Europe can spare a million or so Muslims to help with the job.
I wonder who will be the first to level accusations of "greed" against the Mayo clinic – Obama, or his pet peacock (NBC/MSNBC) ?
[...] here to see the original: » Mayo Clinic to Stop Accepting Medicare Patients – Big Government By admin | category: arizona insurance medical | tags: 500-billion, adult-children, [...]
Mayo is the last to do anything that hurt patients, so if they are stoping this go figure. Obama, Reid, and all the rest of the Dem;s are just wanting to make it so they can take over. SPEAK OUT AND TELL YOU CONGRESS PERSON NO ON THE HEATH BILL.
If it goes through it will have to be repeiled later because no one will be seeing a doctor, the will all quit and go else where. They have all said so, and not the AMA dumies, the real doctors.
Folks. I have two good friends who are Chiropractors. Even they don't want to take insurance (let alone government insurance) because of all the paperwork, increased redtape load, and reduced payments.
That didn't take long. Expect to see much more of this if that abortion of a health care bill gets passed. I call this 'instant karma'
equally re-distributive poverty, now that's social and economic justice for you.
Did they? Do they still?
I know what you mean. How can a hospital write off 45000 from someone with medicare and then turn around and write off another 45000 from someone who doesnt have insurance at all. Eventually they will be broke and I doubt Obama will give them money like it has to the banks. Obama will gain control of all hospitals and make them government owned and operated. Thats when the rationing will really begin.
How can a hospital write off 45000 from someone with medicare and then turn around and write off another 45000 from someone who doesnt have insurance at all. Eventually they will be broke and I doubt Obama will give them money like it has to the banks. Obama will gain control of all hospitals and make them government owned and operated. Thats when the rationing will really begin.
Obama will take over the hospitals next and then hire 20 million foreigns to run our hospitals. Hopefully we will not get too many suicide bombers that will be operating or implanting a special obama chip into our bodies until after 6-2010. Obama will take over the hospitals and have the Muslim Terrorist in charge on 9-11-2010 ready for any tea party members as well as any republicans.
First time here, sorry that I was late.
I read most of the post so far and I am curious. No one mentions that the new health bill will take care of this problem. All the olders that are on Medicare now and the lowlife scum that are on medicade, can switch to the new improved government run system. By the way ,I am on government assistance as we speak. But you know what, for the last 47 years, I have been sending money to the 'government' and I dont have one problem accepting this help.
Now for the whiners, most of which are the poor little rich boys, government run health care has been here a good while, the problem is the people running the show. All of them are politicians, and it doesn't matter which party they belong to, they are bottom line, politicians. They are for the politicians and if you think differently, then show me one, (1), uno, that have actually done anything that is not coming back to them .
If this posted, I will leave with 1 thought.
After a recent stay in the hospital ,I looked at my bill, and I was taking a med twice a day and being charged $10 a pop. When I come home, I bought a month supply of this exact med at Target for $4. You do your own math, but this is a good markup. Wait now, I paid the doctor for prescribing the med, he gets about 150 bucks /per 10 minutes, then the overworked nurse( the one finishing her 4th 12 hour shift / as dedicated and loyal and intelligent as she is,, am I getting the same level of treatment that I would have gotten at the beginning of the week?) had her charge on the bill, then all the specialists, labs, and others, then I got the bill for the hospital.
This health "insurance" stuff get me.
Some immutable facts of insurance:
1. There must be a chance of catastrophic loss.
2. The loss must not be predictable.
3. There must be large numbers of potential instances of loss.
In regards to health "insurance", coverage of an unexpected $250,000 surgery would qualify as insurable. Coverage of a $100 doctor visit does not qualify due to violation of 1. and 2. above. The proper accounting definition of paying something receiving $80 on a $100 bill would be more akin to prepaid expense or something similar. Seniors paying $12,000 a year for something that will inevitable cost much more, is wealth redistribution. I don't really have a problem with wealth redistribution to those who truly need it, a.k.a. as indigent, but let's simple call things what they really are and apply the principles we wish to as a society. I'm confident that a society will become much more generous the less government does.
why wont Obama just force them to, seems easy enough
Except that the 45000 they wrote off for our procedures was NOT Medicare! We both work and have insurance provided by our employers. This isn't an 'Obama' issue or a government 'owned and operated' issue. This is an issue with the way health care is paid for, PERIOD! From what I've read in places, Medicare DOES pay a 'reasonable' amount and then secondary insurance picks up some. BUT, if secondary insurance is being provided by the big insurance companies and THAT is only paying 10% of what is owed, THEN who is paying the rest?
Excellent points – when I was a kid, my parents (my dad was a school administrator and my mom a stay-at-home mom) could only afford major-medical insurance – with a $1000 deductible. The idea was to have insurance for that UNEXPECTED problem. But in today's world, since the 'Invention' of the HMO (Health Management Organization), our society expects 'Insurance' to pay the WHOLE THING. They pay $35 on that $100 doctor visit and then require the doctor to carry 3500 patients to spread out those $35 payments and make it cost effective for the doctor.
In addition, there are almost no available health plans for seniors other than medicare supplements which complement Medicare parts A & B. So you either have the cash to pay or your stuck! Only with plan F does a Medicare supplement pick up the excess physician charges at 15% above the Medicare reimbursed charges. All other plans do not cover the excess charges, the patient does.
All this talk about "Death Panels" – I would bet that ANYONE that refers to "death panels" has NEVER had health insurance through an HMO? With an HMO you have to get 'pre-certified' for almost every procedure – your procedure is pre-certified by someone sitting in an office in 'San Diego' comparing your doctor's request to a 'standardized' list of requirements. How is pre-certification NOT the same thing?
[...] (via BigGovernment) reported on further fallout that might be coming: Mayo’s move to drop Medicare patients may be [...]
The sad fact is this has nothing to do with health care or health anything it has to do with political maneuvering. THAT'S ALL
It's a game what is good for the country or the individual state is not considered, what is being discussed is how will this put candidate so and so in position for the next election. Then the next thing is how will this increase my power over those who depend on the system so they will be forced to vote for me. (whoever the me is)
Both republicans and democrats are guilty of this to some extent and always have been. It just has never been so rampant and so visible as it is today. The bozo in charge has doubled the stakes and had decided to make this country entirely dependent on the government for everything. With that and the SEIU behind he is sure to stay in power a long long time, more than 8 years look at his pals Chavez and al.
This is sad we need a return to the constitution and the pay as you go and we need to fumigate the rats in Washington.
Dear Members of Congress,
"We wholeheartedly support President Obama's call for healthcare reform, and agree with his position that "the status quo is the one option that is not on the table". We applaud the House and the Senate for their ongoing efforts to obtain universal coverage for all Americans."
http://bit.ly/64ntOV
Obama is going to fix that too. Doctors will not have to go to school for years and have huge bills when they come out. The state will train doctors, 8 years is too long we need doctors now because the old ones who no longer take medicare or medicaid patients are not performing for the state. We will make the study plan 4 years and we will pay for it. This way we will save or create so many doctors who work for the gvt that healthcare which will bankrupt this country if we do not act by today noon will be available in 10 years to all the old folks who have not yet croaked.
Obama has risen in an unprecedented historical action and saved the country once more from what the previous administration left him.
right on
The Mayo Clinic does an amazing amount of high quality work for the poor…but it can't work miracles…
Obamacare: More care for less reimbursement at fewer facilities with smaller staffs…
Who needs a "death panel"…?
It's a 'separation of powers' issue, as yet unenforced. Lawyers are 'officers of the court' and therefore members of the judicial branch of government. They shouldn't also be playing in the legislative and executive branches of government, but who is gonna enforce this when there are so many lawyers in ALL the positions of power? It seems clearly unconstitutional, but the shysters aren't gonna give an inch of $$$ and clout.
Grayed-out twice as much…
Are you lying, or just stupid?
Why don't you work for free, jockeying bedpans infected with hepatitis…?
Don't you understand this is their mission. It is part of a larger plan to bankrupt this country and turn it over to their elite friends to run.
Since the Guvmint owes them so much now, I guess they had to play along, or get chopped…
Having your biggest delinquent bill payer threaten you with default over THREE-QUARTERS OF A BILLION DOLLARS US…?
"Yes, Daddy Obama….whatever you say…"
I agree, I know this is their big plan, all the way to a one world government. We have to stop them before it is too late.
Doctors are business people, as well as our best friends when we are sick.
Our congress, for the most part, are dreamers, with little business experience.
The Democrats in our congress, by ideology, or naivete, intend to starve our doctors, forcing them to adopt a strict, "no-Medicare" model. Fees for service businesses will become the norm. Having earned their Medicare benefits, our elders will soon find themselves unable to use them, for lack of physicians (business people), who are willing to lose money on each transaction.
Now, congress is on the verge of draining a half-trillion dollars from Medicare and Medicaid.
What a disaster! Watch thousands of doctors and hundreds of hospitals desert the sinking ship.
Seniors: beware. All others: watch, as your medical system crumbles around your ears.
Everyone: be sure to exact punishment in the 2010 mid-term elections
Great comments, however, before you cry for the Mayo and other hospitals remember they are also a reason for this nightmare and have made decisions that finally caught up with them. To not understand that temporary subsidies (from the government) will lead to permanent subsidies if you operate and charge outside the market and to not realize that collapse was inevitable is on them. The Mayo charges whatever they want outside competition forces and it was a fun ride for them but it had to end, it always does. But we have only ourselves to blame!!! We allowed our jobs to provide health care for us, we didn't negotiate costs or even look at bills when our insurance paid fees, we let the Mayo charge whatever they wanted, we didn't care what cost what since we didn't pay it and now we complain. We don't even care about medicine if our co-pay is low. Why didn't "WE" expect this to happen or think OUR free ride would come to an end? If 7o million people would just call and cancel their insurance tomorrow this problem will fix itself. Doctors, hospitals, and drug companies will have to start competing for our business again. Ins co. and the government will flee if there's no money in it for them. But we don't want to make any sacrifices we want others to. Goods will be cheaper, businesses will hire more people, medical fees will be reasonable (like plastic surgery), and insurance companies will be extremely limited. With the money out of insurance companies politicians won't be so enamored with them. IT'S OUR COUNTRY WE NEED TO COLLECTIVELY TAKE A STAND AGAINST WHAT WE KNOW IS WRONG.
"pet peacock". …I love it. That is a good one!!!
The citizens of this once great country are the only thing they will be "bending".
Firms that provide medical care generally have high fixed costs–costs that must be paid without regard to the number of patients that they provide services to. For example, a hospital must maintain adequate nursing staff and hospital based physicians; ditto cleaning staff and intake personnel. In a high fixed-cost environment it is typical to take patients as long as they cover their variable costs (drugs, supplies) and contribute to overhead costs. Medicare patients are a significant revenue source for most institutions and providers, generally at least a third of total revenue. When a hospital claims a "loss" on Medicare patients it is with respect to a fully loaded "profitable" transaction. In fact, hospitals and most physicians would not survive without Medicare patients–they provide regular cash flow and cover the bulk of a practice's fixed operating costs. The Medicare patient may not provide the "ideal" revenue, but they provide a significant contribution in keeping the medical system in operation.
We are 61 and 64 years old. Retired early because we didn't spend all of our money. Bought a house in 2007 and love our home and neighborhood We have worked hard our whole lives sometime two jobs at once and remodeled and sold houses for profit. We can't afford health insurance. We cancelled our policy this year because it cost more than our mortgage payment. We pay cash – up front – for any health needs we need. We are healthy thank goodness. When you pay cash up front to the doctors/hospitals/labs, etc., they SMILE and give you a 50 – 60% discount for cash!! They get their money up front and don't have to mess with the insurance company!! The insurance company reduces their bill anyway and then you have to pay the deductible before they pay so pay for it yourself – it's cheaper than paying those high premiums. By the way, we even had $10,000 deductible so we only wanted it for anything catastrophic like a heart attack, stroke or cancer. If that happens God forbid we will act like all the others and pay a little as we go. They can't touch you as long as you pay something. I can't believe this is where we are in this country.. Tort reform and insurance company reform is all we wanted but instead you have the FEDERAL government wanting to stick their nose in all our lives. Ugh!!
You're correct and I should have posted that as well. Thanks for doing so.
Thanks, 20+ years as a health insurance professional gives me something I can now talk about albeit I wish I did not have to.
Few people know the facts about Medicare; even many on it don't. In this case, you are the expert/authority.
Most of us wish you didn't have to talk about it now. Obama and the damned Dems have no idea what a horror they have planned and the worst of it, they don't care. It's just an idee fixe, for them. They saw their chance and took it.
As an off topic point did you see the Big Government Website piece about the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and their Arizona subsidiaries now saying they can no longer afford to take Medicare patients? And that decision is before the implementation of the 500 Billion in cuts to Medicare in the Senate version of health care reform.
If that doesn't set more seniors off I do not know what else will do it. Physicians and providers are at the limit with profotability as it relates to Medicare and Medicaid!
Yes I read it.
Many wealthy seniors go to Mayo ( in various states ), but as I understand it, once ObamaCare is instituted, it won't allow one to pay, out of pocket, to get better care. Of course, Obama pals will be able to……………..maybe.
Medicare is just about bankrupt now' stealing 1/2 a trillion from it, will truly destroy it altogether…………………..even more quickly. And to what purpose…………insuring those who 1) refuse to buy insurance 2) illegals 3) those who are too lazy, too stupid, and/or too greedy to either get insurance on their own or sign up for Medicaid, whilst still not covering tens of millions anyway ? Yes.
"Universal heath care" is an idea that has been proven to not work everywhere it has been instituted, so of course the Dems love it; it makes them "feel" good; not to mention superior.
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