I'm seeing news reports that one way Obama is proposing tackling runaway health care costs is by reducing the amounts Medicare and Medicaid currently pay out to doctors and hospitals. WTF?! There are doctors now who refuse to treat patients covered by those plans because the reimbursement rates are set so low. I need to do more reading, but for sure this does not sound like a particularly bright idea.Here's a different idea -- how about going after the insurance companies and basically getting rid of them?
Right now over 1/3 of the health care costs racked up in this country go to pay for the papershuffling done by Blue Cross, Aetna, Travelers, et al. Maybe if we went to single payer and simplified the administrative processes by doing so, we wouldn't need to punish actual clinicians and the patients they're trying to serve.
I hate to admit it, but this is one of many issues the Obama administration and leadership has fallen below my expectations. It is just more of the same with the wars, ambassadorships, same sex marriage and other business as usual. I hoped for more political courage.
ReplyDeleteHave you any idea how many worthless fucks are on better health care here than you are?
ReplyDeleteYou do not only work to provide for their care, you also work to support them.
Actually, my health care plan is pretty good. I have no complaints about it; I just see enough other people getting shafted that I recognize we need a fairer system.
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