Healthcare Economics


 Here's hoping we elect a new president and get this healthcare bill repealed!

The following is still true and our healthcare costs are still skyrocketing! Gee, his plan isn't working!?

Healthcare Economics

Economics 101- Since everyone agrees healthcare needs improving but disagrees on how to go about it; I feel that we need a little lesson on economics of the availability of healthcare providers. First, I had called and sent a questionnaire that asked these simple questions:

  1. Are you accepting new patients?
  2. If you are, do you accept new Medicare, Medicaid or WA Basic Health patients?
  3. Do you have a waiting list?
  4. What is the cost of an office visit?
  5. How much does Medicare, Medicaid or WA Basic Health pay you?
  6. How much does private insurance pay?

Only 2 responses, one said the hospital had all the information. Well, the hospital cannot possibly know if you are accepting new patients or if they accept new Medicare, Medicaid or WA Basic Health. How about it doctors? Care to let us in on the real availability of getting services if the NEW entitlement means tons more on Medicaid?

 

For those of you already on Medicaid, you know your choices are limited, and mostly you go to Bremerton or Seattle. What happens when they are inundated with local people who are now on Medicaid and start turning you down? This is REAL not imagined and also our state is already in financial straits and cannot afford more unpaid for mandates from the federal government.

 

Now lets turn to those of us, who will be quite a few, that for one reason or another has not gotten insurance. What was the reason? Mostly cost! Well, this new bill does nothing to bring down the cost. They are telling the insurance industry, which does have to make enough of a profit to pay its expenses, they have to cover a group that is not cost effective and spread the “wealth” of that cost to the rest of us. What do you think that will do to our premiums? In WA we don’t have enough choices and if you go online and get what you can afford, then you get a message, Sorry, not available in your area! Gee, thanks!

We need to be able to buy nationally to increase the competition and give all insurance companies an even playing field.

 

We also need tort reform so that doctors can afford to pay for the malpractice insurance. Notice not too many doctors have offices by themselves anymore.

 

When I went for a doctor office visit, I could not be seen unless I paid privately or had private insurance as they were not taking anymore Medicare or Medicaid patients. Here’s why: Private pay was $144, Private insurance 60-80% of total fee with patient paying the balance. Medicare pays $39.84, Medicaid pays $29.84 and our wonderful WA Basic Health pays a whopping

$19.84.

 

Now why would any doctor take WA Basic Health? You do see why they have to “ration” how much Medicare and Medicaid patients they can afford to take? See the problem? You may get coverage, but it doesn’t kick in for years and where are you going to go? How about Medicare, Medicaid and WA Basic Health paying the same as the private insurance companies do. That would at least level the playing field and get us in to the local doctors offices because they now could afford to take us! (Fat chance of that!)

 

Never mind the age of a lot of our doctors is getting closer to retirement and the new administration wants all the new doctors to go into General Practice, (ya right, like that’s going to pay for their medical schooling). We need specialists and innovations to keep abreast of the most modern way of getting the best healthcare we can.

 

Why do you think people come from other countries to here and we don’t go there? Where’s the incentive to make money? Improve services? Those things cost money. We want the best medical but you get what you pay for. Our system may not be perfect, but it’s obviously the best in the world or why would so many come here just for that purpose? Unless we take care of the underlying costs, we will all be paying for it, one way or another.

 

Must haves:

  1. Tort reform
  2. National competition
  3. Medicare, Medicaid and WA Basic pay their fair share
  4. Here’s one I have not heard, but would love to see, let the baby boomers and others keep their private insurance and make Medicare a supplemental insurance.

Another problem I have not heard mentioned is that Medicare denies twice as much as insurance companies and if you try to get the services privately they will punish the doctors by kicking them off of Medicare reimbursement. Think that hasn’t happened? A good family friend with 8 kids, now grown, had 6 months to live. There was an operation that had a 50/50 chance of success. Medicare not only said no but even if he paid for it privately, they would kick that doctor that did the surgery off of Medicare reimbursement for 2 years! He had the money but couldn’t get the operation! So he died.

 

Insurance companies may deny coverage, BUT they NEVER say you can’t pay for it privately! My dad needed an operation at the age of 70 and it was just that, his age was the reason Medicare said no. They have told me for years, get all the operations you need before you turn 70 or you won’t get them. These cannot possibly be the only ones. How about it public? Any of you have similar stories? What about this new health czar? He thinks animals should be able to sue their humans? What!? Do you really want government deciding for you? I don’t!

 

By the way I HAVE read the bill and printed it. I have a major problem with page 16 that says the government will decide if my healthcare plan is good enough? I don’t want the government choosing for me, I choose! We are still in America where we are the land of the brave, and the free. Choices only come when we are free to choose, whether we buy insurance or not. When we give up that right to government, we are giving up our freedom as well and in this case maybe our own lives.

I, for one, am glad that our state attorney general is suing the government and Gregoire needs to get real about the true cost of this healthcare bill!

We cannot afford it!