Hillarysworld

JustTheFacts · Super Moderator

Obama's Health Care Whopper is Bigger (AZ Rep/RCP 8/22/09)

Calico · Moderator

As the program is implemented, many people will not be able to keep insurance plans, nor their doctor(s). Employers will cave-in and send their employees to the public plan . . . many will not have a choice.

There will be an increased in demand for doctors, but where will the doctors come from? Potential med students will think twice now, before entering the field.

And, many doctors, who can, will just stop practicing medicine. I already hear such talk among the medical community in our area.

So, this talk of being able to keep your plan is just another "smoke and mirrors".

Hillarysmygirl16 · Administrator

Something isn't right. No one understands this damn thing. Its not going to pass or if it does pass its going to cost the Democrats.

JustTheFacts · Super Moderator

Calico wrote:

As the program is implemented, many people will not be able to keep insurance plans, nor their doctor(s). Employers will cave-in and send their employees to the public plan . . . many will not have a choice.

There will be an increased in demand for doctors, but where will the doctors come from? Potential med students will think twice now, before entering the field.

And, many doctors, who can, will just stop practicing medicine. I already hear such talk among the medical community in our area.

So, this talk of being able to keep your plan is just another "smoke and mirrors".

And the plans that they would put people in are HMO type plans, where the primary care doctor bears the brunt of the work because you have to pick a PCP (primary care physician). If the primary care doctors are overworked now (and they are), where are they going to find thousands more to pick up the slack?

And if they think the lines in the ERs are bad now, giving more people "insurance", but with a primary care doctor that can't fit you in for a sick appointment for 1-2 weeks will just send more people to the ERs, because now their "insurance" will pay the bill.

Great "plan" they have.

The worst part is that its being written by people who have no experience with health insurance or the health care industry at all, so they just listen to what the lobbyists tell them, and they wouldn't know if its disinformation or not.

I love the fake attack on the health insurers all of a sudden, too. As if United Health, Aetna & Well Point aren't already calling the shots and....plus, they stand to pick up the most business from this "plan" the Dems have going.

shadow · Platinum

" And the plans that they would put people in are HMO type plans, where the primary care doctor bears the brunt of the work because you have to pick a PCP (primary care physician). If the primary care doctors are overworked now (and they are), where are they going to find thousands more to pick up the slack?

And if they think the lines in the ERs are bad now, giving more people "insurance", but with a primary care doctor that can't fit you in for a sick appointment for 1-2 weeks will just send more people to the ERs, because now their "insurance" will pay the bill."

(I don't know how to make it quote)

I have medicaid and this is exactly what happens. We are assigned to a pcp that is a medicaid provider, and the one I am at takes weeks to get an appointment. If you have something that cannot wait, go to the er is just what they tell us.

In my state, medicaid pays their providers three dollars a month per patient. The doctor has to sign up for it. Who would do that? We have crap losers who cannot get a practice any other way.

Florida, a doctor can have his/her liscense revoked in every state, but come here, pay $1500.00 fee and they are set to go. Guess where they start? Medicaid.

The pcp does basic care - shots, prescriptions, ect. But if one needs specialty care, they are out of luck. No surgeons, hospitals, ect, accept medicaid.

That is a secret the government doesn't want out, that hospitals have the right to refuse any insurance. In my state, medicaid is a dirty word to them.

JustTheFacts · Super Moderator

shadow wrote:

" And the plans that they would put people in are HMO type plans, where the primary care doctor bears the brunt of the work because you have to pick a PCP (primary care physician). If the primary care doctors are overworked now (and they are), where are they going to find thousands more to pick up the slack?

And if they think the lines in the ERs are bad now, giving more people "insurance", but with a primary care doctor that can't fit you in for a sick appointment for 1-2 weeks will just send more people to the ERs, because now their "insurance" will pay the bill."

(I don't know how to make it quote)

I have medicaid and this is exactly what happens. We are assigned to a pcp that is a medicaid provider, and the one I am at takes weeks to get an appointment. If you have something that cannot wait, go to the er is just what they tell us.

In my state, medicaid pays their providers three dollars a month per patient. The doctor has to sign up for it. Who would do that? We have crap losers who cannot get a practice any other way.

Florida, a doctor can have his/her liscense revoked in every state, but come here, pay $1500.00 fee and they are set to go. Guess where they start? Medicaid.

The pcp does basic care - shots, prescriptions, ect. But if one needs specialty care, they are out of luck. No surgeons, hospitals, ect, accept medicaid.

That is a secret the government doesn't want out, that hospitals have the right to refuse any insurance. In my state, medicaid is a dirty word to them.

Its the same way in my state, Shadow. The Medicaid HMOs have TERRIBLE networks, none of the good specialists will participate, and the PCPs are overwhelmed, and eventually have to stop accepting new Medicaid patients. The best hospitals either don't participate at all, or only have a certain number of Medicaid beds - they can actually put a number on it and say they have 50 Medicaid beds, and when they are full, forget it if you're in need. You'll get sent elsewhere. And they fill up quickly.

These Medicaid HMOs are run by the big insurers, like UnitedHealth, and they actually make money off them. They pay the lowest reimbursements of any insurance plan, and therefore do not attract the best doctors.

Its the Medicaid HMOs that will be what they let uninsured people buy into with the "public option". Who in their right mind would actually pay to get into them? Unfortunately, people who have never been in a Medicaid HMO don't know how bad they are, and may buy into them if this public option thing gets passed.

And, another thing that most people don't know about them is that if you go to a doctor out of the Medicaid HMO's network, Medicaid pays NOTHING. So, even though you qualify for Medicaid, which means you can't afford medical bills, you would be liable for those.

We've had problems in my state with caseworkers at the Assistance Offices telling people it will be covered by Medicaid when they go out of network, because certain counties have mandatory participation in these Medicaid HMOs and they are required to enroll them, and they tell people that to get them in the HMO, and the person is left high and dry with the bills.

Most people who have been on Medicaid will tell you - its not anything you would want to be on if you had a choice.

-- Edited by JustTheFacts on Saturday 22nd of August 2009 05:56:42 PM

Optixmom · Super Moderator

Just before my Dad died last year (almost exactly a year ago today) he had paid extra to a geriatric practice so that he could call on the Dr. anytime, anyday and not wait 1-2 weeks for an appt. It cost us $1500 extra dollars for the year. My Dad was in his 90's. He and my Mom had saved money for him to received extra care when it got close to the end. His Dr. put him in the hospital many times for pneumonia because he lost the ability to swallow. He was told he could receive physical therapy to help keep his arms and legs working and get him swallowing again but Medicare would only pay for it if he went to a Medicare nursing home. These are places out of nightmares for the elderly. He was told that either he had to go to this place and get a feeding tube put into his stomach, or they wouldn't do anything more for him. So he told my family, "take me home to get better ourselves since Medicare only wants me to be alone and die in a nursing home." My Mom and I tagged teamed round the clock care for him with the help of a home health aid that my Mom paid for out of pocket. Medicare only pays for Hospice Care, and you only ask for that when you are knocking on death's door. My Dad died within three weeks of coming home, but he was with his family being loved and cared for...not left to die alone in a Medicare Nursing Home.

We were lucky that 1.) my Dad could make the decision for himself [even though he had told my Mother, his proxy, that he never wanted assisted feeding or to go to a nursing home; 2.) my parents had the money to pay extra to a Dr. and a home health aid agency to help us care for him; and 3.) I could get the time from work to help care for him with my Mom.

If you have no money, your family does not have as flexible work or you don't have family that can care for you, and all you have is Medicare it is a very very scary place to be. I would never want anything like that for even my worst enemy.

Texas Playwright · gold

I think that 1,000 page scam written by insurance lobbyists in large part ought to be torn up immediately. Then I think bho the fraud ought to stay on Martha's Vineyard and mooch off his corrupt rich puppeteers for the next 8 years while we Americans study up on healthcare and insurance in every county and state in the nation--and THEN present informed proposals on how to best heal ourselves at a fair price.

I'm sorry Medicare didn't work for the 90-year-old man mentioned in this post. Private insurance, Medicare and AARP gap insurance--and 10 grown children watching doctors, nurses, social workers and staff like hawks around the clock--got my 79-year-old mother through brain sugery, Neuro ICU, Acute Care, Inpatient rehab, Outpatient rehab, medications and all followups with great success. All patients need assertive, informed advocates.