[KayakerNC]

Originally Posted by sunnyatlast

[I]
Really?
The Mayo Clinic stopped accepting Medicare at its five-physician practice in Glendale, Ariz., two years ago. Officials said at the time they would analyze financial results of the move early this year.

Really indeed. You are being exceedingly misleading.
"Mayo Clinic follows an established fee schedule based on the federal guidelines for Medicare patients, which allows health care organizations to charge up to 15 percent above the Medicare allowable fee. You're financially responsible for the portion above the Medicare allowable amount."

Medicare information for Mayo Clinic in Arizona - Arizona Patient and Visitor Guide - Mayo Clinic

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by LoriAnn

Education and healthy lifestyle has never stopped one person from ultimately dying. The majority of healthcare spending for any person is during the last 2 years of their life when they are at the end of the disease process that will eventually end their life. Mortality is still 100% and treatment of the dying is expensive even if it's only palliative. The expense will not be impacted just by switching the burden to the state level. Medicare has been the most efficient health care delivery system in the world. Quick payment for service providers and nearly immediate approval for services for Patients. The problem is private insurance. Take a look at the profit of the 10 largest private insurance providers. WellPoint had a profit of 38%. Anthem was higher! If Medicare received all the premiums that the top 10 insurance providers enjoyed, the system would be the most stable in the world. No one should make profit from administrating insurance coverage. The only profit should be at the provider level. Go to a single payor system with Medicare and wipe out the insurance companies profits and the cost of healthcare would be instantly manageable.

I totally agree with you. All of it.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by tcxr750

I would be interested in a more detailed response on the Health Care system in Canada.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the Canadian Health Care System.
I find the US System confusing .. "free" health care seems to involve some type of monthly charge?
In Canada, we don't have any monthly fees to pay.
I have my choice of doctors. I can a specialist with a referral from my family doctor.
In Emergency Rooms, as in the USA, the critically ill are seen first. Others must wait their turn.
I've heard you have to wait four years for elective surgery. Not true.
Last year I had a knee replacement, without any cost to me.
Recently I had cataract surgery without any cost to me, other than I chose an upgraded lens.
Dental is not covered. Drugs are covered after the age of 65.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

[Tennisnut]

Originally Posted by sunnyatlast

"In the United States, the vendors such as Physicians, Hospitals, Clinics, Home Health, DME will always be privatized which gives incentive for more vendors to enter the market. The more eligible Patients, the more vendors eager to provide the care."

Really?

The Mayo Clinic stopped accepting Medicare at its five-physician practice in Glendale, Ariz., two years ago. Officials said at the time they would analyze financial results of the move early this year.

No results yet. Mayo spokesman James McVeigh said in an e-mail: “Our plan is to continue to study the program, collect data and review the impact on our patients.”

Mayo officials, who were unavailable at deadline, need more time to analyze how the Arizona clinic's decision to drop Medicare affected its finances, patient satisfaction and the overall number of patients, he said.

Mayo officials faulted Medicare for the move when they first announced plans to stop accepting the insurance.

“Mayo Clinic in Arizona loses a substantial amount of money every year due to the reimbursement schedule under Medicare, a loss we cannot continue to sustain,” the health system said on its news blog. “The discrepancy between what Medicare pays and our cost of providing services is particularly acute for our primary-care practices.”

Mayo also told the Bloomberg news service the clinic's finances would be examined under the pilot “to see if it could have implications beyond Arizona.”

Mayo Clinic operates in Arizona, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin."
Mayo vs. Medicare: an update | Of Interest, the healthcare finance blog by Modern Healthcare's Melanie Evans

SO. Medicare payments less than the costs of providing the care is going to "incentivize more vendors to enter the market"??

Why? So they can go bankrupt and be unable to pay themselves and their employees who need jobs?

Sounds like the Mayo clinic needs to implement some cost controls since other facilities can provide services under the MediCare fee schedule. I know for example, a MRI can run from $1500 to $5000. Why is there that much variation in cost?

[gomoho]

My biggest concern with Medicare is FRAUD - seems to run rampant in the government run program - not so much in private insurance - maybe that's why private companies make a profit!

[tcxr750]

It seems the issue here in the USA is who pays for what and how much through our taxes. In Canada you may be paying more taxes but perhaps it is more efficiently spent.Why do Canadians not seem upset with their healthcare system and the government that provides it?

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by tedquick

Remember a few years ago when a politician thought that Exxon’s $40 billion profits were obscene and should be turned over to the government for redistribution? What was never mentioned was that Exxon had paid over 110 billion dollars in taxes that same year or nearly 3 times as much as they made in profit, but that important fact was ignored. That was politics and it was dirty because it misled those who were unaware.

Don't quite remember this exactly. Perhaps some documentation would help. Thanks.

[CFrance]

[QUOTE=gomoho;935302]My biggest concern with Medicare is FRAUD - seems to run rampant in the government run program - not so much in private insurance - maybe that's why private companies make a profit![/QUOTE
The fraud comes from the doctors and the hospitals and is perpetrated on the insurance companies.

In any case, I don't agree that fraud should bring Medicare down in favor of privatizing insurance, who were denying coverage to people who needed it the most, or making it so expensive they couldn't afford it. Every year private insurance rates hike.

Anybody with a pre-existing condition is happy to have Medicare.

[allus70]

The French have one of the most advanced, extensive and overall best health care systems in the world. Complete coverage is available to every French citizen.
Yet, if healthcare costs per procedure here in the US were the same as those in France, we would currently be currently enjoying a budget surplus.

In Need of a New Hip, but Priced Out of the U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/he...anted=all&_r=0

[tedquick]

Originally Posted by Chi-Town

Don't quite remember this exactly. Perhaps some documentation would help. Thanks.

BTW, congrats on an even 600 posts!!

Taken from a 2/2/07 article --

Yesterday Exxon declared the biggest profit in the entire history of capitalism — $39 billion — and that did not escape Hillary's notice. Today she promised to tax Exxon on those huge profits, and tax those greedy capitalist pigs big time. Here's her quote:

"I want to take those profits and put them into an alternative energy fund that will begin to fund alternative smart energy alternatives that will actually begin to move us toward the direction of independence."

She referred to those profits as the highest in the history of the world, and she said: "I want to take those profits..." Not I want to take PART of those profits. "I want to take those profits," she said.

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by tedquick

BTW, congrats on an even 600 posts!!

Taken from a 2/2/07 article --

Yesterday Exxon declared the biggest profit in the entire history of capitalism — $39 billion — and that did not escape Hillary's notice. Today she promised to tax Exxon on those huge profits, and tax those greedy capitalist pigs big time. Here's her quote:

"I want to take those profits and put them into an alternative energy fund that will begin to fund alternative smart energy alternatives that will actually begin to move us toward the direction of independence."

She referred to those profits as the highest in the history of the world, and she said: "I want to take those profits..." Not I want to take PART of those profits. "I want to take those profits," she said.

Great job of taking words out of context! Pass the salt shaker, please.

[Rags123]

Originally Posted by buggyone

Great job of taking words out of context! Pass the salt shaker, please.

Her complete statement IN CONTEXT...

"Exxon Mobil and other oil giants continue to run up record profits to maintain the status quo even as Americans struggle to pay the high costs of heating their homes, fueling their cars, and meeting the mounting challenges of a growing economic crisis. And too many in Washington have stood in the way of the changes we need to chart a new energy strategy for our nation that breaks our dependence on foreign oil, reduces global warming pollution, and creates millions of new green collar jobs. I have proposed that we eliminate the tax breaks for big oil companies like Exxon Mobil and use that money to establish a Strategic Energy Fund to speed development of clean energy technology, put more efficient cars on the road, create new jobs, and provide immediate energy relief for the middle class as we head into what could be a difficult winter."

Read more: Clinton Blasts Exxon Mobil's Record Profits | TheHill
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

[sunnyatlast]

Originally Posted by KayakerNC

Really indeed. You are being exceedingly misleading.
"Mayo Clinic follows an established fee schedule based on the federal guidelines for Medicare patients, which allows health care organizations to charge up to 15 percent above the Medicare allowable fee. You're financially responsible for the portion above the Medicare allowable amount."

Medicare information for Mayo Clinic in Arizona - Arizona Patient and Visitor Guide - Mayo Clinic

It wouldn't be "misleading" if one actually reads and considers the points in bold in my post, that Medicare pays less than costs of running the place. Mayo was reacting to that reality.

So here is a more current article on what major hospitals across the country are doing to compensate for that problem: buying physician practices and adding "hospital" "facilities fees" onto procedures and services done at 1/4 the cost in a private practice office.

The result of this and the higher deductibles new ACA policyholders have mean that people are choosing to not go to the dr. when they need to for routine care, because they cannot afford a former $150 charge at the office now being $400 because the same office is now "in a hospital", and they now have a $5,000 deductible to pay before getting any use out of their insurance.

As hospitals buy physician practices, costs rise, Medicare report finds | Tampa Bay Times

[buggyone]

[QUOTE=Rags123;935363]Her complete statement IN CONTEXT...

"Exxon Mobil and other oil giants continue to run up record profits to maintain the status quo even as Americans struggle to pay the high costs of heating their homes, fueling their cars, and meeting the mounting challenges of a growing economic crisis. And too many in Washington have stood in the way of the changes we need to chart a new energy strategy for our nation that breaks our dependence on foreign oil, reduces global warming pollution, and creates millions of new green collar jobs. I have proposed that we eliminate the tax breaks for big oil companies like Exxon Mobil and use that money to establish a Strategic Energy Fund to speed development of clean energy technology, put more efficient cars on the road, create new jobs, and provide immediate energy relief for the middle class as we head into what could be a difficult winter."

Thank you for that good researching. Eliminating tax breaks for big oil is a lot different than "I want to take those profits" as a direct quote, isn't it? It also sounds like a very good idea when you think of the percentage of income tax they pay when compared with the percentage you and I pay.

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by blueash

You did not link to the article you reference, so I cannot see if you have actually explained what the original writer suggested.

Sorry, 1) I thought the heading of the article sounded too political 2) I'm not good at providing links unless the address is short and 3) I figured someone would recognize the issue and eventually provide a link.


If it might help the conversation stay focused, I'll provide the proper search phrase now so that someone can provide the link:

This is it: Democrats borrow a GOP idea in proposal to help control health care costs