Charlie!
Ol' pal, ol' buddy, ol' high school classmate and present-day FaceBook friend of mine...
(*WINK*)
This is a "newsbite." It's a fine example of the many "newsbites" I provide access to (all for free - and no ads!) each day on my blog!
Indeed, it's exactly the sort of info that you - and folks like you - should consider as you go through life on ideological auto-pilot.
(*CHUCKLE*)
Seriously, dude... I know it's true that "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," but never say that no conservatives have ever reached out to you out of the best of motives!
Enjoy...
Medicaid is cumbersome, complex, and wasteful – already
the worst health care program in the country.
DOES ANYONE DISPUTE THIS? ANYONE AT ALL...?
But rather than making changes to improve or modernize
this program designed to finance care for the poor, the Obama administration is
trying to convince states to add at least 16 million more people to Medicaid -
including families making more than $30,000 a year.
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
That means the...patients enrolled today will be
competing with millions of new Medicaid patients for appointments to see a
limited number of physicians.
Those who have the greatest need and nowhere else to go
are likely to have the hardest time getting care.
SO THEY'LL GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM... AND THE DYSFUNCTIONAL,
COSTLY, WASTEFUL CYCLE CONTINUES...
(*SIGH*)
In its ruling in June, the Supreme Court made it optional
for states to expand Medicaid to cover new enrollees.
SO GUESS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN...
(*SMIRK*)
Even with generous federal funding...
"GENEROUS FEDERAL FUNDING" FROM A FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT THAT CAN'T MEET ITS EXISTING PAYROLL AND EXPENSES AND HAS TO BORROW
43-CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON OPERATING EXPENSES...
(*SHOOTING PAIN DOWN MY LEFT ARM*)
[S]everal states have said flatly they cannot afford the
expansion, which would cost states at least $118 billion through 2023.
OH! WHAT A SURPRISE!
(*SNICKER*)
NOW... LET'S DEAL WITH SOME OTHER FACETS OF REALITY:
First, there simply aren’t enough doctors to handle this
influx of new patients. Given Medicaid’s abysmally low payment rates, private
doctors won’t be able to afford to take much more of the exploding caseload.
A recent article in Health Affairs found that nearly
one-third (31%) of physicians are not accepting any new Medicaid patients.
WHAT'S PLAN B - ENSLAVE PHYSICIANS? PUT 'EM TO WORK AT GOVERNMENT FACILITIES AT SET SALARY - EITHER THAT OR THEY LOSE THEIR LICENSES... OR WORSE?
Sandra Decker, an economist with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, used a survey of 4,326 office-based physicians from
across the country to find that just under 70% said they were accepting new
Medicaid patients. That number was significantly lower than those accepting
privately-insured subscribers (81%) or Medicare patients (83%).
NOW THAT'S INTERESTING... THAT LAST COMPARISON... MORE
DOCTORS ACCEPTING NEW MEDICARE PATIENTS THAN PRIVATE PATIENTS. MY GUESS... THAT
STAT IS CONNECTED TO MEDICARE FRAUD... TO THE FACT THAT A BAD DOCTOR (EITHER
"BAD" IN TERMS OF SKILLS... "BAD" IN TERMS OF BEING
DISHONEST... OR "BAD" IN BOTH RESPECTS) WILL MORE LIKELY GET AWAY
WITH SCAMMING MEDICARE THAN PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
(*SHRUG*)
HEY... MAKES SENSE... RIGHT?
The problem is particularly acute in states that have the
lowest reimbursement rates for physicians.
WOW... WHAT DO YOU KNOW! REIMBURSEMENT RATES MATTER!
(*SNORT*)
Many states that plan to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare
are those with low Medicaid reimbursement rates. In California, for example, up
to 1.6 million residents are expected to gain coverage under the state’s
Medicaid program, called Medi-Cal, but fewer than 60% of providers accept new
patients in the program.
OH, YEAH... SOME "COVERAGE" THAT'S GONNA BE!
That’s largely because California reimburses doctors 38
cents for every dollar private insurance pays.
(*SMIRK*)
New York, which is anxious to further expand its Medicaid
rolls, pays doctors only 29 cents on the dollar.
OH... MY... FRIGGIN'... GOD...
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
A Medicaid card clearly will not guarantee access to a
physician.
SO WE'RE BACK TO THE EMERGENCY ROOMS...
Where would these newly “insured” Medicaid patients go
for care with fewer doctors willing to accept new patients?
BACK TO THE EMERGENCY ROOMS... WHICH WILL NOW BE EVEN
MORE CROWDED... WHICH WILL NOW BE EVEN WORSE "LOSS CENTERS" FOR THE
HOSPITALS...
(*PAUSE*)
FOLKS...
(*SIGH*)...
ECONOMIC REALITY... ACKNOWLEDGE
IT!
Safety-net hospitals that provide care to the poorest and
most vulnerable in our society already are stretched to the limit financially. Adding
millions more people to Medicaid will put crushing new demands on them.
In addition, at least 30 million people will remain
uninsured after the law is fully in effect, based upon optimistic projections
from the Congressional Budget Office. These uninsured will continue to need
care, often without the ability to pay.
(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)
ObamaCare adds a further distortion: To help pay for its
expanded coverage, the health law cuts existing payments to hospitals that
provide care to a “disproportionate-share” of uninsured patients.
BUT... BUT... BUT... WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO -
BREAK THE LAW BY TURNING EMERGENCY ROOM PATIENTS AWAY ON THE BASIS OF EITHER NO
INSURANCE OR LOW-REIMBURSEMENT MEDICAID INSURANCE...?!?!
So there will be less money to compensate hospitals for
patients who will still show up needing care.
(*JUST THROWING MY HANDS UP*)
Studies consistently show that Medicaid patients have the
worst health outcomes of any group in America, worse than those with private
insurance and, in some cases, worse than those with no insurance. A large study
by the University of Virginia found that surgical patients on Medicaid are 13%
more likely to die than those with no insurance at all and 97% more likely to
die than those with private insurance.
WELL... I'D GUESS THIS IS CONNECTED WITH THE
"LIFESTYLE" OF MEDICAID PATIENTS. THAT SAID, IF ANYTHING, OBAMACARE
SHOULD WORSEN OUTCOMES AS IT FURTHER STRESSES OUT THE SYSTEM.
The problem is particularly acute for Medicaid recipients
who need to see specialists. One Florida doctor reported that, after a long
battle with the state over payment for treating a patient with complex lung
disease, he received a check from Medicaid for one penny.
FOLKS... IT WOULDN'T MATTER IF THE CHECK WAS FOR $100...
OR $1,000... OR...
(*PAUSE*)
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A MULTI-TIER PRICE/REIMBURSEMENT
SCHEME GOING - AND NO LEGAL SLAVERY - ALL "PRICE CONTROLS" ARE GONNA
DO IS FURTHER DISTORT THE SYSTEM! JEEZUS... WE'VE SEEN THE TRUTH OF THIS EVERY
TIME IT'S TRIED!
Medicaid patients will find access to care restricted in
other ways.
OH, YEAH! READ MORE ABOUT WHAT GOVERNMENT
"COVERAGE" MEANS IN THE REAL WORLD! (READ ON!)
States already are restricting access to drug services
for existing Medicaid beneficiaries.
Kaiser Health News reports that “Illinois Medicaid
recipients have been limited to four prescription drugs [per month] as the
state becomes the latest to cap how many medicines it will cover in the
state-federal health insurance program for the poor.”
ILLINOIS...? HMM... NOW REMIND ME... WHY DOES
"ILLINOIS" SOUND SO FAMILIAR...?
(*SMIRK*)
A total of 16 states impose monthly limits on
prescription drugs for beneficiaries, “and seven states have either enacted
such caps or tightened them in the past two years.”
(*PURSED LIPS*)
Despite these many problems, many states are tempted and
are seriously considering whether to accept the generous 100% federal matching
money ObamaCare initially offers...
I*N*I*T*I*A*L*L*Y...!!!
...if they expand eligibility for Medicaid up to 138% of
poverty (more than $32,000 for a family of four).
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
FOLKS...
(*JUST THROWING UP MY HANDS AGAIN*)
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