For azbob and the gibber, an inconvenient truth

[Duff Miver]

$750,000,000,000 in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse.

That's 25%, one dollar of every four spent on Medicare.

Cut that shit out, and Medicare has plenty of money.

Here it is, direct from the right-wing Bible:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443819404577635371708201942.html

 

[azbob]

Glad we agree on the fact that there is waste in healthcare. Here's the lead from the story:

The U.S. health care system squanders $750 billion a year -- roughly 30 cents of every medical dollar -- through unneeded care, byzantine paperwork, fraud and other waste, the influential Institute of Medicine said Thursday in a report that ties directly into the presidential campaign.

Solutions to impact the waste:
1) Unneeded care = support malpractice reform so doctors don't feel the need to order tests just to protect themselves versus unwarranted liigation
2) Paperwork = reduce regulatory requirements and (separately) allow interstate insurance commerce so that companies can standardize claim formats
3) Fraud = continue efforts but, relax focus using independent contractors that categorize fraud and incomplete submission of claims, based on a hard to understand coding system, as the same thing.
4) Waste = lots of tactics here but, none of them have to be mandated by the federal government

Maybe you can consider that the waste in healthcare is mirrored (by a few trillion) by waste in and by the government and, in either case, adding more money or more people is not the answer. The answer is to eliminate the waste.

Finally (if you actually read this article) you are catching on.

Good health to you.

 

[Duff Miver]

Glad we agree on the fact that there is waste in healthcare.

Yes, the azbob we agree on that, but...it will take more than sloganeering to fix the problems.

Solutions to impact the waste:
1) Unneeded care = support malpractice reform so doctors don't feel the need to order tests just to protect themselves versus unwarranted liigation

That bogus claim about malpractice is baloney. Here in SC we passed a cap, $250K on malpractice awards. The Gov claimed it would lower the cost of malpractice ins and health care. It did neither. The best defense against malpractice? Don't do it.

2) Paperwork = reduce regulatory requirements and (separately) allow interstate insurance commerce so that companies can standardize claim formats

That's just an excuse to eliminate state insurance commissions so ins cos can screw their policy holders even more.

3) Fraud = continue efforts but, relax focus using independent contractors that categorize fraud and incomplete submission of claims, based on a hard to understand coding system, as the same thing.

Okay, but a better answer is more more dedicated investigators with arrest power. Arrest and prosecute fraud.


4) Waste = lots of tactics here but, none of them have to be mandated by the federal government

Of course they have to be controlled by someone other than physicians and hospitals. No more CT scans for hangnails

Maybe you can consider that the waste in healthcare is mirrored (by a few trillion) by waste in and by the government and, in either case, adding more money or more people is not the answer.

The answer is to eliminate the waste.


Well, duh. That takes work, and it takes work by people who are not part of the problem to start with

Finally (if you actually read this article) you are catching on.

Oh, I've caught on, alright. Our so-called health care system produces the highest costs in the world, but covers a smaller percentage of the population, and produces inferior outcomes compared to all of the highly developed countries.

Good health to you.

Same to you. I hope you continue to be able to pay the bills. God forbid you should actually get sick.

.....

 

[azbob]

Healthcare insurance premiums for job-based plans went up 4% last year. That means for people who have jobs.

Inflation was 2.3%. Premiums for this group are rising twice as fast as wage growth. Job based family coverage has risen by $2,400 since The Obama took office...$800 for employee only coverage.

34% of workers have deductibles at $1,000 or over compared to 31% last year.

Damn Bush.