Coming This Summer: Health Care Wars

[sman]

Do you have a link to the article?

In the current (June, 2009) issue of U.S. News in the On Health article titled "When Health Reform Hits Grandma," we get a glimpse into the President's Utopian Socialist healthcare system.
"What's tried and true, however, is the government's power to restrict reimbursement and change medical behavior. Medicare, which covers virtually all of the elderly, can say "No" to expensive treatments. That's great if the care is unnecessary. But you can't always tell if you're not at the bedside.
"A classic example of this carrot-and-stick approach is the one Obama singled out in his budget. To reduce the rate of costly readmission to the hospital after discharge among the elderly, he laid out a plan to limit Medicare reimbursements if patients are back within 30 days, thereby saving $26 billion of "wasted money" over 10 years?
"Earlier this month, researchers analyzed the cases of more than 2 million Medicare patients who were readmitted to the hospital. What's sobering about their findings is that the patients are really, really sick. In fact, 90 percent of the readmissions in the first 30 days were emergencies. Top causes: heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia, and psychotic breakdowns.
"A sudden struggle for breath in someone with serious heart or lung disease can mean an acute deterioration that, left unattended, would lead to an imminent and needlessly cruel demise."

To paraphrase Scrooge, "Are there not enough hospices? Let the old and infirm go there!"

The study went on to state, "In fact, 93 percent of those 2 million Medicare readmits were alive a year later--despite, or probably because of, having had two or more hospital admissions in the course of that year."

t looks like Obama's health care solutions could be "the final solution" for the elderly. If they come up with universal healthcare, then all on the "Utopian" health plan could be at great risk.
"But, citizen, your death, ah, sacrifice, will help cut the healthcare expense of The People by billions a year."

 

[InsureGuy5]

I can assure you that govt run health care is not the solution. Medicare is the only example needed. If the govt wants to put pressure on the health insurance industry, then no problem - we can work to get more people insured with mandates and underwriting changes. But please no more social programs - we can't afford the ones we have now.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

we can't afford the ones we have now.

Like that makes a difference?

 

[djs]

Very interesting article on the current status of health care reform.

How-We-May-Pay-for-Health-Care-Reform: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

What is obvious is nobody is starting with a problem, they are starting with a solution and then trying to define the problem to fit the solution.

Dan

 

[Winter_123]

If the govt wants to put pressure on the health insurance industry, then no problem - we can work to get more people insured with mandates and underwriting changes. But please no more social programs -

Be careful to reflect upon how that actually plays out. In the real world, as a practical matter, "mandates and underwriting changes" are social programs/social engineering. In fact they work better than a social program often because in a stroke of the pen the cost/risk is shifted to the private sector. Don't want the political heat and expense that goes with a universal payer system? Fine, why dont we just require all carriers to go guaranteed issue , to achieve an 85% payout of premiums for claims and dictate what execs can make and what the carriers mazimum profit margin can be. No need to even get your hands dirty with a new social program.

Same thing happened in the housing market. The feds just dictated who you must lend to in order to get your fed money and to not have your bank dinged for violating the Community Investment Act. No need to set up a new federal program for those who have no creditworthiness. Just tell the banks they have to lend to them and be done with it. How did that work out?

 

[somarco]

http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/healthreform_sbs_full.pdf

 

[Dave020]

No fears. Obama has to love us. His grandfather, Dunham, was a life insurance agent (and a furniture salesman as well).

We are protected!

 

[InsureGuy5]

Be careful to reflect upon how that actually plays out. In the real world, as a practical matter, "mandates and underwriting changes" are social programs/social engineering. In fact they work better than a social program often because in a stroke of the pen the cost/risk is shifted to the private sector. Don't want the political heat and expense that goes with a universal payer system? Fine, why dont we just require all carriers to go guaranteed issue , to achieve an 85% payout of premiums for claims and dictate what execs can make and what the carriers mazimum profit margin can be. No need to even get your hands dirty with a new social program.

Same thing happened in the housing market. The feds just dictated who you must lend to in order to get your fed money and to not have your bank dinged for violating the Community Investment Act. No need to set up a new federal program for those who have no creditworthiness. Just tell the banks they have to lend to them and be done with it. How did that work out?

I think there needs to be more options for those who are unisurable - other than state pools. It is the folks who can afford health insurance, but are unisurable, who are the ones that slip through the cracks.

 

[Mac1958]

Doesn't stand a chance as it requires people to be responsible. Why be responsible when Obama will save you?

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Bingo.

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