[dbussone]

[QUOTE=sunnyatlast;969601]

Originally Posted by KeepingItReal

"Outside the walls" of TV and its unique age group that is a higher risk group for more claims because of age, most primary care clinics and hospitals do not serve a population that is 90%+ on Medicare, which pays less than costs.

Outside the walls of TV, private insureds' insurance reimbursements help to cover the costs that Medicare and supplements do not. That is why the mega-hospital systems like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are buying up practices and community hospitals: to get the private insured base.

"Like most hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic counts on privately insured patients, who generally are profitable, to balance those on Medicare, which pays about 6 percent below cost, and Medicaid, whose payments average about 14 percent below. Unlike most hospitals, though, its reputation assures it a steady stream of wealthy patients, including foreigners, whose bills do not have to pass the needle's eye of an insurance-company claims examiner…."

http://www.newsweek.com/what-health-...d-clinic-76971

Any hospital that says Medicare is paying below its costs is a bloated organization, or not telling the truth. I've run both for-profit and not-for-profit systems. We always made money on Medicare patients. Why would companies like HCA, Tenet, Florida Hospital, and Orlando Health, etc operate in FL and do so well if they could not make money taking care of Medicare patients. Now Medicaid is a different story.