If we cut what medicare and medicaid pay doctors and hospitals, guess what? So will private

insurance. Who do you think is paying for the commercials? Doctors and hospitals because they want the money!

It's a desert out there already. If you want to make it even worse, be prepared for old people voting Republican en masse to turn your turncoat asses out. No that won't treat the root cause of their problems, but revenge just makes their symptoms feel better, and it's a home remedy they trust.

Do you know it is becoming more difficult to find a doctor who will take Medicare because the payments are already so low? Lower them any more and access will get even harder.

My 79 year old mother has an eye specialist who is a staunch Democrat. They talk politics during every visit. He has told her he would have to stop seeing Medicare patients if the reimbursment rates went down -- there is just no way he could keep his business going serving those patients at those rates. He is a good man who is not trying to be greedy, he just wants to get out from under his medical school debt, have a decent life, and save for his kids college and his retirement.

That is the same story all across this country.

To see older patients on MediCare - way back in the nineties.

And I agree that most doctors, at least those in private practice, are not greedy people trying to be rich. But they have a lot of expenses, and simply cannot afford to have one or two staff people who spend time only sorting out the bureaucratic challenges that exist - and then get reimbursed pennies on the dollar.

Doctors and hospitals already are denying M/M patients, having found that they have to keep those patients under a certain percentage in order to stay solvent, but it will get worse.

So, when we all have to buy crappy and expensive insurance because the President forgot there are poor people in this country, we won't be able to get anyone to treat us, just like the poor already are dealing with. Great.

With the influx of millions of new customers required to purchase insurance and a profit percentage cap provided by HCR all of the old methods will change. You will see big insurance actually begin to work out higher payouts to doctors. Why? Simple math. They're allowed to make 20%. If you pay out $100 and can make $20, why not pay out $200 and make $40 and we peasants are required to continue to buy their product.

The entire industry is foaming at the mouth for all the new HCR regulations they wrote to kick in. It will rain money for them.

is too big off a pain in the ass at all? It seems like I read an article a few months back regarding how doctors were tired of paying multiple non-medical people to deal with insurance paperwork, all the time spent arguing with some agent about what drugs/procedures the patient should have, lack of time with patients etc. Many were deciding to stop taking insurance at all. IIRC. I think it is getting so ridiculous all the way around that the current system simply can't go on as it is, regardless of the new laws/changes. Was there anything in the health care bill that forces doctors to TAKE insurance? I know they can opt out of Medicare/aid, but is there some regulation that says doctors have to take Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or whoever? Just curious.

This is a fairly new program intended to identify fraudulent billing medicare providers. Great, huh? In theory, I agree. The reality is that the auditors have the authority to audit numerous accounts every month from any and all providers. These audits are complex and time consuming for the providers. The audit companies are paid on contingency a percentage of the payments they recover (take back from providers. They auditors request 30 records for audit. They can demand refund on all 30 and sometimes do. The hospital can appeal the decision to take back payment, a very time consuming and complex process. If the hospital immediately refunds the payments, even if they believe they were correctly billed, there is no penalty assessed. If they appeal and win (again after spending money in labor and possible legal fees), the money is returned with no interest or fees. If they keep the money through the appeals process, then loose, interest and penalties begin accruing immediately after the request for refund is denied.

1. This system of paying audit contractors based on money recovered is ripe for fraud and corruption by the auditors, they have nothing to loose by requesting refunds and some hospitals find the appeal process to costly to fight.

2. Hospitals regardless the size, even small rural hospitals, have to have someone on staff to handle these requests.

There are many hospitals considering refusing medicare patients due to these unfair audits..

Yeah, what the hell, let's start not paying those greedy hospitals and doctors....fuck'em..