one of the most honest posts you have ever written. Welcome to the dark side, its lonely here.
Is This the Kiss of Death for Rural Hospitals?
- Thread starter somarco
- Start date
and you were so close to be honest for change...
How could MEdicare not affect prices? Be honest with yourself for a change, and stop blindly defending the industry you work in.
The government spends north of $1trillion/year on Medical care in the country. Medicare/Medicaid is the single largest payor of healthcare services in the USA.
Medicare drives up prices in the private sector, sticking non-enrollees with higher prices for everything from drugs to physician services. Healthcare data shows that healthcare prices rise faster than any other sector of the economy consistently since the creation of Medicare.
Medicare also increases the volume of services non-enrollees receive, which also increases private health insurance premiums.
Remove the government from the equation, and remove the problem.
Todd, he said ignorant. Ha
- Thread starter
- #24
Today's history lesson . . .
Blue Cross began in 1929 as a collaboration between them and Baylor University as a way to make health care affordable to the masses.
The original BX plans were hospital only . . . Blue Shield did not exist until years later and was designed to include coverage for outpatient procedures.
The Baylor plan (as it was known) allowed individuals to prepay $0.50 per month that would cover up to 21 days hospitalization per year.
People age 65 and older usually did not have health insurance unless it was provided by their employer. The few health insurance plans that existed were expensive and most could not afford them.
Medicare was signed into law in 1966 as part of LBJ's "Great Society". The plan was administered by BX and over 5M claims were processed that year.
Health insurance was only for catastrophic claims until the 1980's when HMO plans (and eventually PPO plans) offered small copays for routine office visits, DXL and prescription drugs.
Routine health care costs increased because the insurance industry convinced the public they could not afford to go to the doctor or buy prescription medication unless they had a copay.
Most dental care is not covered by insurance and yet dental care inflation is not anywhere near the rapid rise of overall health care costs.
Auto insurance covers large claims but not routine maintenance . . . yet somehow folks still buy cars and insurance even though they have to pay OOP for tires, brakes and oil changes.
If we did not have catastrophic health insurance in one form or another there would be a lot more suffering and death than we have now.
Hospitals that serve low income populations in both rural and metro areas receive DSH payments to offset the cost of providing care for anyone who has Medicare or Medicaid. They can "afford" to care for these patients due to taxpayer subsidies.
They do not receive ANY compensation for patients that have commercial insurance. Any losses have to made up through cost shifting and limiting the number of commercial insurance patients.
And FWIW the only thing I "Googled" was the Baylor plan, but since many agents don't care or feel a need to understand the economics and complexity of funding health care all they can do is sell on price and are like a deer in the headlights when someone offers information on how health care really works.
Blue Cross began in 1929 as a collaboration between them and Baylor University as a way to make health care affordable to the masses.
The original BX plans were hospital only . . . Blue Shield did not exist until years later and was designed to include coverage for outpatient procedures.
The Baylor plan (as it was known) allowed individuals to prepay $0.50 per month that would cover up to 21 days hospitalization per year.
People age 65 and older usually did not have health insurance unless it was provided by their employer. The few health insurance plans that existed were expensive and most could not afford them.
Medicare was signed into law in 1966 as part of LBJ's "Great Society". The plan was administered by BX and over 5M claims were processed that year.
Health insurance was only for catastrophic claims until the 1980's when HMO plans (and eventually PPO plans) offered small copays for routine office visits, DXL and prescription drugs.
Routine health care costs increased because the insurance industry convinced the public they could not afford to go to the doctor or buy prescription medication unless they had a copay.
Most dental care is not covered by insurance and yet dental care inflation is not anywhere near the rapid rise of overall health care costs.
Auto insurance covers large claims but not routine maintenance . . . yet somehow folks still buy cars and insurance even though they have to pay OOP for tires, brakes and oil changes.
If we did not have catastrophic health insurance in one form or another there would be a lot more suffering and death than we have now.
Hospitals that serve low income populations in both rural and metro areas receive DSH payments to offset the cost of providing care for anyone who has Medicare or Medicaid. They can "afford" to care for these patients due to taxpayer subsidies.
They do not receive ANY compensation for patients that have commercial insurance. Any losses have to made up through cost shifting and limiting the number of commercial insurance patients.
And FWIW the only thing I "Googled" was the Baylor plan, but since many agents don't care or feel a need to understand the economics and complexity of funding health care all they can do is sell on price and are like a deer in the headlights when someone offers information on how health care really works.
Thank you for proving my point in the previous post. I am glad we agree that government spending is the problem. Maybe together, we can change the world!
ValeRosso
Guru
- 523
Should rename it "boomer insurance forums"
- Thread starter
- #27
Since it is said that the average age of an insurance agent is 46 and the average age of an independent agent with over two years experience is 59, why would you expect the forum not be populared with boomers.
ValeRosso
Guru
- 523
Idk I never heard those numbers before. The majority of agents I’ve seen are younger but that’s just the area I’m in and the circles I’m affiliated with.
- Thread starter
- #30
Most of the older agents are retired or collecting residual checks and chilling . . . on the golf course, Rehobeth beach with senile Joe, or sitting on the back row of the forum lobbing grenades at the youngsters.
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