Medicare Maneuvers, Part 1: The Problem
July 2, 2008
Payment cuts for doctors who treat Medicare patients - which have been looming for about a year - finally went into effect yesterday. The payment cuts of 10.6% will affect the 600,000 doctors who treat Medicare patients, and thus millions of elderly and disabled Medicare enrollees who rely on them.
Maybe if you’re under 65 and/or not relying on government health care benefits you think this isn’t your problem. You’re wrong.
A little history (based on the writings of Jonathan Cohn):
New WhatIf Content on CT Scans
May 19, 2008
How many times in the past year have you or a loved one had a CT scan? At the time, did the doctor ordering the scan have a conversation with you about its radiation risks compared to that of a typical x-ray? What about other kinds of x-ray based scans - like a mammogram? Or the kind that trace contrast materials through your GI tract or your heart?
Our newest piece To Scan or Not To Scan makes the case that it’s time we start having these discussions with our doctors.
And maybe our doctors need to be getting more informed as well.
Get Active to Save Medicaid!
April 22, 2008
April 23 UPDATE:
Thanks to your support the bill passed! The final count was 349 in support and 62 against (20 didn’t vote). See how your Representative voted.
Also, read this Congressional report to see what was at stake: THE ADMINISTRATION’S MEDICAID REGULATIONS: State-By-State Impacts
Today, Tuesday, the House will vote on a bipartisan bill that would suspend harmful Medicaid regulations from being implemented – regulations that cut billions from Medicaid. Passing this bill would be a significant victory in our struggle to protect health care for our most vulnerable citizens.
The President has already threatened to veto.
New WhatIf Content on Health Care Costs, Resources
March 27, 2008
The newest pieces on our website expand from the interactive quiz we put up a couple weeks ago:
Do you think you know what’s behind rising health care costs?
Take our quiz and find out. The Top Ten claims about what’s causing health care costs to steadily climb are exposed as true, false, or a little of both.
For a brief explanation of the answers to the quiz - how common claims about rising health care costs fit into the whole story - check out our new Health Care Costs Summary.
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