As a Family Doctor in practice for 39 years, I cared for many Medicare patients, and am now one myself. Medicare was a haven for people leaving the work force where they had managed care chosen by their employers. It was a relief for me as there is much less interference in the doctor-patient relationship in Traditional Medicare. I have watched as the for- profit Medicare Advantage plans have eaten up traditional Medicare members. These plans do NOT tell the truth that your choice of physicians and hospitals will be limited and that your doctor will have to get pre-authorization for tests and drugs that they know you need. Unearned Profit should have no place in medical care. I practiced evidence based care and followed specialty guidelines about what tests were indicated and what drugs were most cost effective. Prior authorization is just computerized rationing of care so CEOs of insurance companies can take home $20mil/year and health insurance industry has enough money to buy Congress. Medicare (dis)Advantage is just legal waste, fraud and abuse. It should be terminated not expanded.
I think you will reach more readers more effectively if you stop using so many acronyms - please spell out Medicare Advantage. the more people see and hear the words, the more recognition there will be.
Savings should NEVER, be measured and managed at the procedure level. It should be measured and managed at the total per capita cost level. Denying a $8k procedure that results in a $50k spend later is nothing short of fraud and abuse- and by abuse, I mean abuse of the patient and doctors.
Worked for UHG for 14 years. If this society expects them to tell the truth how they conduct business , well that is a mistake. They do many things and claim they are successful. Like managing chronic disease. There was a transitional casemanagemet program, these programs accomplish nothing because they deliver nothing of value. During rounds where the most costly patients are discussed, not one member would answer the phone after the intial call. Many had their care, meds denied repeatedly by the plan and yet they all wondered why the member kept getting sick.
Many had no primary care doctor and could not afford to see a doctor or at times buy the very meds that they needed, yet the plan offered nothing to help them except verbage. Most of the medical directors haven’t been at the bedside in years. Universal healthcare making preventative care free, office visits and most simple surgeries should be free. Most care is given on an outpatient basis, and that is what UHG wants. All care to be outpatient and limited on quality not quantity.
The for profit bill signed by Daddy Bush allowed all of the money drainage in the health care system. He reportedly regretted it when he witnessed what was happening to patients and their families. Bankruptcy, no medical care, deaths. Our system does not work for the patient. It works for shareholders snd executives of the companies and equity firms. No health care system is perfect, but ours is a disaster. Only the rich can keep their heads above water. We have to change this. And we will.
Yes and time after time republicans repeat the mistakes of asking private for profit health insurance industry to fix their own errors with appropriating corporate welfare ( taxpayer dollars)
Passing Medicare for ALL will save thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars and prevent 500,000 medical bankruptcies every year.
If we pass Medicare for all, providers will not have to interact with a multitude of payers with different rules and regulations that have led to billions in fraudulent payments.
As a Family Doctor in practice for 39 years, I cared for many Medicare patients, and am now one myself. Medicare was a haven for people leaving the work force where they had managed care chosen by their employers. It was a relief for me as there is much less interference in the doctor-patient relationship in Traditional Medicare. I have watched as the for- profit Medicare Advantage plans have eaten up traditional Medicare members. These plans do NOT tell the truth that your choice of physicians and hospitals will be limited and that your doctor will have to get pre-authorization for tests and drugs that they know you need. Unearned Profit should have no place in medical care. I practiced evidence based care and followed specialty guidelines about what tests were indicated and what drugs were most cost effective. Prior authorization is just computerized rationing of care so CEOs of insurance companies can take home $20mil/year and health insurance industry has enough money to buy Congress. Medicare (dis)Advantage is just legal waste, fraud and abuse. It should be terminated not expanded.
Thank you and I feel the 2 men in charge of centers for Medicare and Medicaid services and health and human secretary are not qualified.
I think you will reach more readers more effectively if you stop using so many acronyms - please spell out Medicare Advantage. the more people see and hear the words, the more recognition there will be.
Savings should NEVER, be measured and managed at the procedure level. It should be measured and managed at the total per capita cost level. Denying a $8k procedure that results in a $50k spend later is nothing short of fraud and abuse- and by abuse, I mean abuse of the patient and doctors.
Worked for UHG for 14 years. If this society expects them to tell the truth how they conduct business , well that is a mistake. They do many things and claim they are successful. Like managing chronic disease. There was a transitional casemanagemet program, these programs accomplish nothing because they deliver nothing of value. During rounds where the most costly patients are discussed, not one member would answer the phone after the intial call. Many had their care, meds denied repeatedly by the plan and yet they all wondered why the member kept getting sick.
Many had no primary care doctor and could not afford to see a doctor or at times buy the very meds that they needed, yet the plan offered nothing to help them except verbage. Most of the medical directors haven’t been at the bedside in years. Universal healthcare making preventative care free, office visits and most simple surgeries should be free. Most care is given on an outpatient basis, and that is what UHG wants. All care to be outpatient and limited on quality not quantity.
The for profit bill signed by Daddy Bush allowed all of the money drainage in the health care system. He reportedly regretted it when he witnessed what was happening to patients and their families. Bankruptcy, no medical care, deaths. Our system does not work for the patient. It works for shareholders snd executives of the companies and equity firms. No health care system is perfect, but ours is a disaster. Only the rich can keep their heads above water. We have to change this. And we will.
Yes and time after time republicans repeat the mistakes of asking private for profit health insurance industry to fix their own errors with appropriating corporate welfare ( taxpayer dollars)
Passing Medicare for ALL will save thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars and prevent 500,000 medical bankruptcies every year.
If we pass Medicare for all, providers will not have to interact with a multitude of payers with different rules and regulations that have led to billions in fraudulent payments.
Why do the two letters have different Congressional signatories? Are there different caucuses? Is there a reason to not have a single, larger bloc?