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Richard Wood
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Richard started the petition |
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Richard commented on the article |Let me change up the convesation just a bit. Before we congratulate ourselves on just how great everything is going to be with health care reform, let's move a step back to mental health parity (Federal, not one of the State versions). How many people would say that the end result will be somebody paying MORE for their oncologist visit than their mental health care professional visit?
Many of the major consultants including Buck Consultants have come to that very conclusion. The Federal clarifications that came out in 2010 for a bill effective in 2009 will result in situations that may result in just that situation. In short, due to the testing requirements that lumped all care into six major classifications failed to distinguish outpatient professional from outpatien surgical. The result is that the testing will yield, in many plans, a system that reflects anything but parity. I pity the politician that has to explain to the mother of a child with cancer why she is now paying more than the father of a child with attention deficit disorder! Can you say "unintended consequences"? The sad part is nobody even know about this yet because it's so complicated.
The clarification and resulting testing mandates have the potential to turn a good idea and a good law into a debacle. We'll have people picketing next for Medical Care Parity.
I hope that similar hiccups don't await in the 2400 page health care bill.
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Richard commented on the article |With much of the blame going towards insurance companies, a poplular new trend seems to be completely ignored in this debate. Medical tourism. While it is certainly not the answer to what ails our health care system, isn't it interesting that the same insurance company can (and will do so more often) send a US patient overseas to get the same quality care for much less.
The only common denominator in this scenario is the insurance company. Different countries, different doctors, different hospitals, different malpractice environments, and different provider levels of reimbursement. Yet patients are getting great care at low prices. Perhaps we could just mandate that all expensive services go overseas - that might make people stop and pause before we blame the insurance companies for everything.
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Richard commented on the article |
This is a well-written, unemotional piece that points out flaws in the current system and the fact that the reforms being considered don't address them.
I'd love to see some factual rebuttals to this piece rather than calls to "take over some s---" that was in the earlier posting.
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Richard commented on the article |First, I work for an insurance company. That should fire up the masses! Why, there are even some Democrats among us villainous insurance workers and some even voted for President Obama!
Next, has not everyone heard that insurance companies want the uninsured to be covered? Why woudn't they?
I don't believe rational people are suggesting private insurance willl be outlawed, but there are proposals that would give the government option an advantage over private insurers which in the long run could be the end of private insurance.
And if everyone thinks a government-run plan will be heaven on Earth, you need to ask yourself why so many doctors are refusing to see Medicare patients now.
Change is coming, let's just not throw out the baby with the bathwater and let's try to keep the debate rational please.
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Richard commented on the article |
I'd also add two comments:
1. People need to ask why, if doctors are so supportive of the new proposals, why so many of them are refusing to accept Medicare patients?
2. One doctor said people can keep what they like or change if they want. I don't believe that is necessarily accurate. I have read that if you have employer-funded insurance you may not be able to change to the government option.
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Richard commented on the article |I didn't read the entire article. It is certainly tragic.
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Richard commented on the article |
If the surgeon's assistant never saw the patient, and bills the insurance company, and the insurance company doesn't pay, why is that a bad thing? Let's keep the debate rational please.
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