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):
Country Living
June 13, 2008
Most Americans live in cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas and suburbs. Around 1 in 5 Americans live in the “country” – farms as well as small towns.
When country folks get really sick or injured, they typically have to make the long trip to a city medical center to get expert help. Though 20% of America’s population is rural, only 9% of its doctors are.
A recent study suggests that special programs in medical school to train students for country caregiving could boost the numbers of doctors available.
Can You Profit from Health Care?
May 7, 2008
…..let’s see…
…it used to be the steel industry…and for awhile it was AT&T
…then in the 90’s, the place to put your money was dot.coms
…is it now health care?
With all the talk lately of economic downturn and recession, in many people’s minds (at least those over 50) lurk the tales of the Great Depression and the infamous 1929 stock market collapse. Heck, we don’t even have to go back that far! Remember the early part of this decade when all the Silicon Valley dot.com stocks plummeted and recently millionaired 25-year-olds found themselves trading in their Porsches for middle management jobs at Starbuck’s?
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.
Dallas Does VIPs Better
March 13, 2008
One of the ironies of life is that those most able to pay for something are often the ones who get it for free. Movie stars and celebrities regularly get “gifted” with designer ware and products. Manufacturers know that the rich and famous are trendsetters. How better to advertise a new handbag than have Paris Hilton carry it? As for the free upgrades and complimentary goodies millionaires and billionaires get when they check into a hotel or make a purchase or heck, just show up somewhere? Just another one of the perks of having tons of money, I guess.
The Benefits of Telehealth
March 11, 2008
If necessity is the mother of invention, then it should be no surprise the innovative world of computer science and technology is being harnessed to help bring down health care costs.
Telehealth - or remote patient monitoring - refers to when medical experts use a digital network (like the internet or telephone lines) to provide automated monitoring and treatment delivery to a patient who is in a different physical location. This can range from email messages of basic care instructions to remote robotic surgery.
Congress Ready to Promote Mental Health
March 5, 2008
Originally posted November 17, 2007: Metal Health Discrimination? The AP reports that the Senate has passed a bill that would require group health insurance to cover mental health services and substance abuse treatment at the same levels as typical medical coverage. From this little article one gets a glimpse at the way the US has treated mental health. There is a more expansive House version of the mental health parity bill that would also require insurance changes to begin in January 2008 - almost a year earlier than the Senate bill, which has the support of insurance companies. The House bill has made it through three committees.
Hospitals May Have to Publish Prices
March 4, 2008
A central belief fueling the growing promotion of “consumer-driven health care” is the idea that high deductible health plans will force people to take more of an interest in how much their health care costs, since they’re going to be paying more of it. The biggest supporters of this movement think informed consumers will force competition in health care delivery, lowering prices. As a Milwaukee newspaper notes, “Nowhere else in the economy do people buy a product or service without knowing the price.”
Professional Health Care Helpers
February 27, 2008
If you or a loved one have ever been diagnosed with a serious disease or admitted to a hospital, you know the stress that comes not just from the illness itself but from making sure you’re getting the best care. Overworked nurses and doctors with poor bed-side manners can be aggravating. Sometimes, if mistakes are made or directions are misunderstood, they can even be fatal.
But the average person lacks the medical expertise needed to measure the work of a provider or insurer. What’s the best course of treatment? Why is my condition not getting better? Why are the nurse and the residents giving me totally different information? How can I make sure my insurance will cover this necessary procedure?
Hospitals Pushed to Prevent Infections
February 20, 2008
In the past three decades, more and more patients enter hospitals only to get sicker. The seriously ill are acquiring serious infections through the tubes they are connected to or through bedsores. This happens some two million times a year. Studies have shown that patients with hospital-acquired infections:
- spend many more days in the hospital
- undergo more extensive procedures
- are more likely to die
One out of five times hospital infections are fatal. And even if they don’t kill you, they drive up costs for everybody. Different studies have proposed different solutions:
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