Quote:
Originally Posted by Boomer
We have got to pay attention to what’s between the lines in those “promises” to save Medicare. Who for? The insurance companies, their CEOs and stockholders? That is exactly what will happen if Medicare is totally privatized. Our choice of plans will be gone forever. Insurance companies will have what is basically a monopoly. If that happens, we should then buy stock in ice floes……
Boomer.
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To add a bit of support to the monopoly piece:
One of UHC's subsidiaries was the target of the hack which caused system validations to go down. UHC then offered loans to physician offices who were financially impacted from their issue. So trying to profit off of inconveniencing other groups. .
UHC tries to negotiate their reimbursement rates lower than the government medicare rates with hospitals, happened at CoachKs hospital, and the hospital refused to accept those rates. The retirees who had UHC health plans lost their doctors at the hospital.
These are signs of monopolistic behaviors: negotiating power to put hospitals out of business with below profitable rates, self dealing ie loaning money to physician groups which they caused profitability issues, ie profits before patients, etc.
If you understand hospital financials, you will know that medicare reimbursements are break even to very low margins, if lucky, many times losses, and the profitability has to be made up with private healthcare reimbursements. The government CMS also reimburses additional monies for improvements in various programs for improving outcomes and equality in healthcare, which is in addition to just patient care.
And for those who choose MA plans, just remember that everything may go fine, as long as you are healthy, until it doesn't, when you are now unhealthy and need additional services. just be forewarned about this possibility.