My mother was awarded 300.00 extra dollars as a result of my father's death, when this happened, she immediately cut off of SSI, in turn the railroad retirement board became involved in the medicare and medicaid/ they said that because she received this big sum of money, she is now not eligible for assistance, and they retirement retirement is now sending her letters saying that she owes a certain amount of money, can they do this? out of the blue? someone please tell me what to do. By the way, my mother is 93 years old ! !
gwen stevensonof MD3:52PM August 15, 2009
The 'innovative' idea of a 'pay for value / outcome' pack came after the CBO had previously pointed out this health care reform wouldn't work without 'fundamental' change in the out of date system. It is said that as much as 30 percent of all health-care spending in the U.S. -some $700 billion a year- may be wasted on tests and treatments that do not improve the health of the recipients, and this 700 billion dollars a year can cover a lot of uninsured people.
The expected Benefits of this 'innovative idea' are as follows ;
1. Meet the objective of revenue-neutral.
Supporters of the agreement say it could save the Medicare System more than $100 billion a year and 'improve'
care, that means more than $1trillian over next decade, and virtually needs no other resources including tax on the
wealthiest. Supposedly even the 'conservative' number of such savings might be able to meet the objective of
revenue-neutral.
2. Quality and affordability.
If you are a physician, and your pay is dependant upon your patient's outcome, you will most likely strive to
prescribe the best medicine earlier in the process, let alone skipping the wasteful, unnecessary treatments.
3. No intervention in decision-making.
The innovative idea of 'a pay for outcome' will more likely prompt team approach and decision, as at Myo clinic.
Under the 'pay for outcome' pack, for good reason, best practices as 'recommendations' would simply help them
make a better decision, and the government won't still have to meddle in the final, actual decision-making
process as a non-expert.
4. Speed up the introduction of IT SYSTEM.
The pay for 'Outcome' pack is most likely to expedite the introduction of Health Care IT SYSTEM.
The synergy effect of the combined Health Care IT & a pay for 'outcome' system may allow the clinicians to
'correctly' diagnose and effectively treat a patient earlier in the process so that it can measurably scale back the
crushing lawsuits and deter the excuse for unnecessary cares to make fortunes.
5. Accelerate the progress in medical science, in return, it saves more cash.
6. Settle the regional disparity.
7. Reduce the emergency room visits & save immense costs.
Public health insurance plans such as Medicare and Medicaid paid for more than 40 percent of U.S. emergency
room visits in 2006, according to government figures released recently. Many experts say reducing these hospital
visits would be an important way to lower the enormous, and growing, expense of U.S. health care.
I share the opinion that unlike the insurer-friendly senate plan by 'some' members, only a strong public option will be capable of getting the premium inflation under control and saving the U.S in turbulence.
To my knowledge, a dual system tends to deliver better results than a pure single payer system. Supposedly, to be or not to be might be up to the innovations like a pay for value program, otherwise, the forthcoming start-ups may fill the void with competitive deals. The competition based on 'fair' market value would be a beauty of true capitalism, not monopoly, an objective for anti-trust.
Thank You !
HSR06013:17AM August 05, 2009
The innovative idea of 'a pay for outcome' will most likely prompt team approach and decision, as at Myo clinic, and the result is a greater likelihood of correctly diagnosing and effectively treating a patient earlier in the process.
Studies have documented that nearly one half of physician care in the United States is not based on best practices and that at least 98,000 Americans die of a 'medical error' each year.
Under the 'pay for outcome' pack, supposedly best practices as 'recommendations' would simply help them make a better decision, and the government won't still have to meddle in the final, actual decision-making process as a non-expert.
Thank You !
HSR06014:02AM August 03, 2009
Agreed, Medicare and Medicaid are the perfect models for government-provided health care, and also agreed the cost should not be borne by the sick, elderly, disadvantaged or unemployed. Payments to doctors and hospitals should be through a single-payer system so that they can be strictly controlled. A low-premium government option to compete with private insurance is an acceptable first step, since employers will go with the lowest premium and drop private plans. Then the nationalization through Medicaid/Medicare will soon be complete. Doctors will be required to accept reimbursement or salaries based on what the government can afford.
DeRonof WI8:36PM August 02, 2009
Did you know:
that America has killed more Unborn Babies to abortion than Hitler killed in all his concentration camps.
Hitler and Nazi Germany = Less than 5 Million in 6 years
American Abortions = Greater than 7.2 Million in 6 years
The Nazi Germany concentration camps where shutdown before reaching 5 Million deaths.
America has aborted more than 45 Million in 36 years.
The number of people killed at the death camps has been estimated as follows:
Auschwitz-Birkenau: about 1,100,000[11]
Treblinka: at least 700,000[12]
Belzec: about 434,500[13]
Sobibór: about 167,000[14]
Chelmno: about 152,000[15]
Majdanek: 78,000[16]
These numbers total just under 2,700,000 people.
Among the lesser known death camps, estimates vary from 85,000 to 600,000 killed at Jasenovac.[17] At Maly Trostenets extermination camp at least 65,000 Jews were murdered, and estimations for non-Jewish people killed vary from 100,000 to 400,000 (no survivals, including operating personnel, were found). [18]
Human Life is important.
Human Life should be protected.
Our unborn babies deserve a chance.
Our unborn babies deserve a choice.
Please don't support the slaughter of the least of our people.
We should not kill.
ComPassionof IN11:00AM August 02, 2009
Did you know:
that America has killed more Unborn Babies to abortion than Hitler killed in all his concentration camps.
Hitler and Nazi Germany = Less than 5 Million in 6 years
American Abortions = Greater than 7.2 Million in 6 years
The Nazi Germany concentration camps where shutdown before reaching 5 Million deaths.
America has aborted more than 45 Million in 36 years.
The number of people killed at the death camps has been estimated as follows:
Auschwitz-Birkenau: about 1,100,000[11]
Treblinka: at least 700,000[12]
Belzec: about 434,500[13]
Sobibór: about 167,000[14]
Chelmno: about 152,000[15]
Majdanek: 78,000[16]
These numbers total just under 2,700,000 people.
Among the lesser known death camps, estimates vary from 85,000 to 600,000 killed at Jasenovac.[17] At Maly Trostenets extermination camp at least 65,000 Jews were murdered, and estimations for non-Jewish people killed vary from 100,000 to 400,000 (no survivals, including operating personnel, were found). [18]
Human Life is important.
Human Life should be protected.
Our unborn babies deserve a chance.
Our unborn babies deserve a choice.
Please don't support the slaughter of the least of our people.
We should not kill.
ComPassionof IN10:59AM August 02, 2009
No Rationing Is Required, from my standpoint.
In case you are a doctor, and your pay is dependent upon your patient's outcome, you will more likely strive to prescribe the best medicine for your patient, let alone avoiding unnecessary cares, and hope your patient will feel better as promptly as possible.
Studies have documented that nearly one half of physician care in the United States is not based on best practices and that at least 98,000 Americans die of a 'medical error' each year.
Under the new health care program, practitioners are expected to eagerly and voluntarily implement the 'recommendations', not 'rationing' , I think.
Nowadays, we can't imagine the society without IT SYSTEM, just to think of the bank that lacks it, presumably what we should fear most would be the medical institutes without A MUST. I think measurable savings in the transformative health program might be reached.
Thank So Much !
hsr06015:32AM August 02, 2009
1. Having no health coverage is wrong. My mother does not qualify for Medicaid, has no insurance, cannot work and is fighting to receive Social Security Disability. She has no income, is diabled, cannot pay for a private insurance, she has teeth breaking off, sever depression, and a heart murmur. I have two small children and cannot afford to pay cash for her to see a dentist, not to mention the fact that I currently pay cash for her visits to the doctor and the state mental health agency just cut 80% of their funding, so she has no medication... 1 of her medications cost $385.00 per month, yet for some reason the government will not give her any help. What are people like her supposed to do?
2. When you employ a person you provide for their well being, you provide their livelyhood. Without a person's employer there would be no income. Without a person's health there is no ability to work. The two go hand in hand. An employee will be required to pay a portion of that money. There should be no argument.
3. I pay taxes, I already pay for another group to have insurance... Medicare/Medicaid.
4. I am young enough that there will be no social security benefit when I am old. I pay that now for someone else to receive social security benefits. Where is the difference?
5. The new plan allows you to keep your current plan and "opt-out" of the government plan. Not ALL are being "forced".
6. The Doctors are forced to participate in most insurance companies by pre-determining a rate as to what they will be paid to see a patient with each different plan, truly the only difference is the government will set the rate, I think they value their Doctors and will be fair, if they are not they will lose doctors to other countries who are willing to pay them.
7. Hospital's are going under due to patients being unable to pay for services from a lack of insurance and/or income. This will benefit more than hurt. They also pre-determine set rates with insurance companies before meeting their patients.
8. The insurance company does not sign an oath when THEY begin treating patients stating that they are there for the well being of a patient, they are a business, they are making money from our sicknesses and lack there of in the form of premiums/ copays/ deductibles/ etc. All businesses have to compete, that is how a free enterprise is maintained.
9. Insurance companies decide what they want to treat, someone should be out there telling them that HMO does not mean choosing the type of treatment for me or the medication that is right for me. The reason behind a reformed healthcare is due to the lack of control of the insurance companies.
10. Medicare is run by the government, they already expect the elderly to accept reduced benefits. They can make these decisions at any time.
Bottom line. Who better to help the people? For the people by the people. We built this government for this. To help us help ourselves.
Sherry E.of IL4:48AM August 02, 2009
"Overpaid" specialists trained in school for 12 years and work 80 hours a week.
I want my docs to be well compensated- not my politicians.
Sueof CO8:56PM August 01, 2009
Means you start from where we are and then take something away from pharma, from the insurance industry, from overpaid specialist doctors, from trial lawyers, from wealthy taxpayers (who already got too many tax cuts), from Medicare/Medicaid fraudsters, from over-utilizing health care consumers and from people skating along with money they just refuse to spend on any health insurance at all.
You use those aggregated resources--together with what is now spent by employers and employees--- to cover everybody cradle to grave. You put rich people in the same lines with poor people (because they are all human beings with the same value to God) and you decide ON PRINCIPLE that there are not going to be any more people going bankrupt to get health care.
Socialistic? Of course. So are fire departments, police departments, schools, courts, prisons, roads and a military that defends America. Don't tell me that all the elements of "socialism" in our society either don't exist or are "bad". Just roll over the naysayers and get health care done.
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gwen stevenson of MD 3:52PM August 15, 2009
HSR0601 3:17AM August 05, 2009
HSR0601 4:02AM August 03, 2009
DeRon of WI 8:36PM August 02, 2009
ComPassion of IN 11:00AM August 02, 2009
ComPassion of IN 10:59AM August 02, 2009
hsr0601 5:32AM August 02, 2009
Sherry E. of IL 4:48AM August 02, 2009
Sue of CO 8:56PM August 01, 2009
Muser of NM 2:24PM August 01, 2009