Ineffective Congress
Once Again- Lost Opportunity
This year there is going to be yet another example of why Congress is ineffective in helping healthcare. In NY we have Senators Schumer and Clinton (Hillary). Despite their rhetoric this is what is coming down. Here is the BIG change they voted on:
Medicare is cutting payments to doctors 4.5%.
That's it. What an amazing piece of healthcare innovation. Despite the fact that I voted for Schumer and my wife voted for Hillary (I could not vote for her the first time around because what she did to healthcare when she was self-appointed Empress of healthcare change- I still have some hope for her), I see that they seemed to have forgotten that in the last ten years there has been a thing called INFLATION and increased MALPRACTICE PREMIUMS. Medicare has not kept up with this.
Why does this matter? It matters because at less than $60.00 reimbursement for a visit on an established patient with multiple medical problems we will see more and more doctors now start getting out of the Medicare system.
Here is a simple fact. Doctors fees make up less than 15% of the entire Medicare bill. Therefore, representatives in Congress saved the system 4.5% OF 15%, at the expense of changing the marketplace in medicine. That works out to a whopping savings of 0.68% (or less than a penny on each dollar spent!).
Nice going yo-yo heads. Now you wonder why Senators and Congressmen are below the common field mouse in the pecking order of respect in the world.
Just a thought for the beginning of the week.
Related Topics: US Healthcare Spending Nears $2 Trillion Picking the Best Medicare Drug Plan
Technorati Tags: medicare, malpractice, congress
This year there is going to be yet another example of why Congress is ineffective in helping healthcare. In NY we have Senators Schumer and Clinton (Hillary). Despite their rhetoric this is what is coming down. Here is the BIG change they voted on:
Medicare is cutting payments to doctors 4.5%.
That's it. What an amazing piece of healthcare innovation. Despite the fact that I voted for Schumer and my wife voted for Hillary (I could not vote for her the first time around because what she did to healthcare when she was self-appointed Empress of healthcare change- I still have some hope for her), I see that they seemed to have forgotten that in the last ten years there has been a thing called INFLATION and increased MALPRACTICE PREMIUMS. Medicare has not kept up with this.
Why does this matter? It matters because at less than $60.00 reimbursement for a visit on an established patient with multiple medical problems we will see more and more doctors now start getting out of the Medicare system.
Here is a simple fact. Doctors fees make up less than 15% of the entire Medicare bill. Therefore, representatives in Congress saved the system 4.5% OF 15%, at the expense of changing the marketplace in medicine. That works out to a whopping savings of 0.68% (or less than a penny on each dollar spent!).
Nice going yo-yo heads. Now you wonder why Senators and Congressmen are below the common field mouse in the pecking order of respect in the world.
Just a thought for the beginning of the week.
Related Topics: US Healthcare Spending Nears $2 Trillion Picking the Best Medicare Drug Plan
Technorati Tags: medicare, malpractice, congress
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