All doctors must be required to accept Medicare

So you think government should own you?

I agree with you: it's about time we end this wacky experiment of letting people own their own labor. It's been an interesting century and a half, but it's about time we got back to the old way and let people own the labor of others.

repeal 13 wrote:

I agree with you: it's about time we end this wacky experiment of letting people own their own labor. It's been an interesting century and a half, but it's about time we got back to the old way and let people own the labor of others.

That’s what I am talking about. Medicare for all and all doctors must accept it!

Hey Diabeeto, most doctors take Medicare...many won’t take Medicaid.

Hey Fatty wrote:

Hey Diabeeto, most doctors take Medicare...many won’t take Medicaid.

Many now avoid Medicare as well, because they still reimburse at lower rates (usually) compared to commercial insurances. They also require many extra hurdles with regards to documentation and such that add absolutely nothing to patient care, but compounds the amount of time your doctor spends on non-patient care activities.

Medicaid is obviously worse - to the point that several of my colleagues essentially don't bother to try to collect on Medicaid patients, because they actually LOSE money doing so by using employee hours to process paperwork to get reimbursed practically nothing.

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

at deaths door wrote:

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

Those Mercedes payments are expensive.

at deaths door wrote:

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

Preventive care does force doctors to lose easy money.

at deaths door wrote:

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

Your MD likely has not administered a flu shot since med school.

stick man wrote:

at deaths door wrote:

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

Your MD likely has not administered a flu shot since med school.

Well said. And I have not seen an MD for years and years...just stop by and see the P.A. who is quite good and much less harried.

What should actually happen:

Hospitals and medical schedules are forced to make their pricing schedules public knowledge and publish them into a national database. Easily enforceable as being tied to their 'non-profit' status.

Then insurance companies are required to eliminate the concept of 'in-network', 'out-of-network' and 'preferred providers'. They simply decide what 'level' of pricing schedule they are willing to fund.

An insurance companies can just say 'this bargain plan only provides money for the bottom 15% of price schedules, find a hospital/provider who provides at that rate. [+ special pricing for emergency issues}

An insurance company cannot say "Well we only pay out money if you go to xyz locations" and a location cannot say "Well we only accept money from xyz insurances".

Then Medicaid can just be structured based on what the past years funding is able to afford. Adjust the price coverage based on that. So you can't get the top brain surgeon in the country on medicaid unless you pay a premium, but you can go to a simple low-cost doctors office and get your heart medicine without hassle.

Easy system, breaks up weird closed system insurance+provider monopolistic systems, and forces Hospitals to stop putting weird itemized bullshit costs like $25 for a Tylenol on their bills.

Real Solutions wrote:

Easy system, breaks up weird closed system insurance+provider monopolistic systems, and forces Hospitals to stop putting weird itemized bullshit costs like $25 for a Tylenol on their bills.

How about what I got dinged for as an added cost; parking. Never mind that I took the bus. The insurance company said every patient pays a parking fee whether they part or not. You have to walk across the parking lot therefore you use it.

stick man wrote:

at deaths door wrote:

My Md says he looses money on every flue shot he administers.

Your MD likely has not administered a flu shot since med school.

That’s clearly not the point. The office loses money on it.

Discus Morans wrote:

stick man wrote:

Your MD likely has not administered a flu shot since med school.

That’s clearly not the point. The office loses money on it.

Moran ... the doctor said HE loses money and said nothing about the OFFICE.

Hospital Parking wrote:

Real Solutions wrote:

Easy system, breaks up weird closed system insurance+provider monopolistic systems, and forces Hospitals to stop putting weird itemized bullshit costs like $25 for a Tylenol on their bills.

How about what I got dinged for as an added cost; parking. Never mind that I took the bus. The insurance company said every patient pays a parking fee whether they part or not. You have to walk across the parking lot therefore you use it.

Another reason why this sort of system would be good. If you don't have insurance companies tied into the providers they aren't going to take things like that. If hospitals want to keep those costs in then they can add them in as small increases to their pricing schedule. If this bumps them out of a good pricing schedule range for most services then they will have to suck it up and provide cost competitive services like every other industry.

This is an obvious trolling attempt, but what the hell. No doctor should be compelled to take Medicare or Medicaid. In the end, medicine is a business and all businesses are set up to provide services at different price levels. Some medical businesses are set up to provide services to Medicaid / Medicare patients. These businesses are typically staffed by a handful of younger doctors, medical interns or students working far below market value or for free, and a number of midlevel providers. They are able to provide medical services at that price level because they utilize cheaper labor and doctors spend very little time with patients. On the other end of the spectrum are boutique type clinics that employee greater numbers of actual doctors and even specialists and provide care to individuals with higher end insurance and fee for service patients. I am guessing the OP is not willing to cut his price by 30% for whatever career field he is in on the product that he provides. Expecting all doctors to take Medicaid would be like going to the Palm or some other high end steak house and expect them to give you a steak for the same price as steak and shake. Different businesses are set up to provide services at different price levels, deal with it.

Health care is a basic human right and NO doctor has a right to charge for it.

Bernie Sanders Guy wrote:

Health care is a basic human right and NO doctor has a right to charge for it.

I recommend

That's fine and all, but if it's all a business, then why did W sign into law, that Medicare or Medicaid can't negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Why are we not allowed to cross the border into Canada and buy pharmaceuticals at fractions of the cost. Why does the AMA squash any attempt to allow nurse practitioners to administer medical care in locations where there are no doctors.

Sadly it's gotten to the point where even with good insurance many GPs make you pay a yearly membership fee just to see them; That's on top of whatever your insurance may or may not cover. Your GP just ends up being a concierge service for other specialists. Being a specialist is where the real money is. If your insurance requires you to go to your primary care provider first, you end up just getting funneled into an addition doctor's visit and co-pay. It just baffles me how inefficiently insurance companies are run. The only time I've ever had to send a fax in the last 10 years was to my insurance company. Jesus, I might as well have sent it on a 5 1/4" floppy.