Wow.. 5 doctors on Stephanie Ruhle are all saying this bill is better than ACA

[lostnfound]

Shocking . I don't know what to think. Did they handpick these people, or are doctor's voices not getting heard?

They were talking about choices, but when asked about what they would change, they said that the cost of the procedure should not depend on who is paying for it. That much at least I agree with. Insurance companies get rates that are half what a walk in off the street is paying. I know of medicines that have varied from free to $7000 per month. It's like Russian roulette.

But what do doctors think? That our current system is terrible? That doctors aren't taking Medicare anymore?

They talked about needing ongoing doctor-patient relationships to cut costs, and the need for prevention. They claimed that because doctors drop Medicare (because of declining payments) patients don't get to stay with their doctors.

They said the new bill was good for ordinary working class Americans -- because of increased choices -- and bad for the poor.

I don't like to think that MSNBC just did a "setup" but 5 out of 5 seems surprising. I really wish we could hear more from doctors and nurses, and also that we could get data on cost-by-cause. What portion of US medical costs are attributable to gunshots? To mental health? To drug addiction? To obesity? To cancers, preventable and unpreventable?

[spanone]

1. five out of five.....wow. they couldn't find one to give an opposing opinion....doubt it.

[lame54]

16. They can't even get that many dentists to agree on a toothpaste

[Dave Starsky]

27. Or the need for sugarless gum...

For their patients who chew gum.

Always made me wonder where the 20% of dentists are that recommend sugared gum to their patients.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. It is good to know that there are such doctors out there,

but I really didn't get a sense I was hearing the entire story. Sounded very partisan.

[lostnfound]

30. Me either. Did you see it from the beginning when it was first on?

They've shown additional segments of it where clearly she is aware that they all voted for trump. But I sure didn't hear it the first time.

[jehop61]

3. Just personal experience

but hubby and I have never had any doctor we wanted to visit refuse Medicare. With the growth of the senior population, most docs would starve without partition in the program. Visit a doctor 's waiting room and see all that grey hair. Also, were these guys asked about nursing home care in the future?

[exboyfil]

6. I wonder if they meant to say Medicaid

I know many physicians turn away Medicaid patients. Does anyone know if the payment rates are different between the two programs? It could also be that the things Medicaid pays for are not the things Medicare pays for (think pregnancy and birth vs. end of life illnesses).

[lunasun]

8. Many specialist do not take it or limit the number of Medicare pts

[jehop61]

9. Not

in Florida

[lunasun]

11. Is that a state law ?

In some situations, your health care provider may be unable or unwilling to bill Medicare. For example, your doctor could be a non-participating provider that does not accept Medicare's approved amount for a service as payment in full and refuses to file a Medicare claim.

Opt-out doctors can charge their Medicare patients whatever they want. These doctors do not submit any bill (medical claims) to Medicare and are not subject to the Medicare law that limits the amount doctors may charge patients. If you see an opt-out doctor, you pay the entire cost of your care (except in emergencies).

https://www.medicareinteractive.org

[Hoyt]

17. Actually, they have to file the claim, even if they are a so-called "non-participating" physician.

And a non-participating physician can only charge the patient about 10% over the allowable for participating physicians. Fact is, "non-participating physician" is a misnomer, because they actually do participate and are subject to Medicare law but get to charge a tiny bit more that what a participating physician is paid.

There is a category of physician who have "opted out" of Medicare totally. There are only about 5,000 of those. They have to tell their Medicare patients that they have opted out and will bill the patient whatever they want. That's pretty small group. Even "non-participating physicians" are only about 5% of physicians. The reason it is so low is that a non-participating physician doesn't get paid directly by Medicare. They have to count on the patient, and bad-debts are much higher.

[KPN]

41. Depends on where you live I think.

I live in an area where there is perpetually a shortage of MDs, particularly specialists like dermatologists. I run into "opt-outs" occasionally -- my dermatologist for example. From what I can gather, mental health specialists are also a problem in this regard here. I tried recently to get a counseling session to help me work through some interpersonal issues with an adult son who had moved back in temporarily with my wife and I. I couldn't get anyone in town to work with me because I am on Medicare Part B, and though I have other health insurance, they won't work with me because Medicare is always primary -- and sets the price.

[Hoyt]

45. Even participating physicians can choose not to see Medicare insured patients. That happens when

physicians can attract patients with higher paying insurance. Today, Medicare is not always the lowest payer. I think some of the ACA plans paid physicians and other providers less than Medicare. That was one of the reason so many physicians decided not to participate in the ACA networks.

[KPN]

49. So it really is a total mess, isn't it?

Single payer seems to be the only viable solution long-run. At least as long as many (including some medical professionals) don't value all human lives regardless of stature when it comes to health care access.

[Hoyt]

50. You have a point. In fact, if we are lucky Congress will say, "this is so screwed up, let's just

put everyone on Medicare because it is too complicated, tell them their taxes are going up to replace premiums, and then start working on reducing all the unnecessary profits in the system."

I am for that, but I do not believe doing that is going to make a big difference in the cost to us until they start whacking away at drug prices, provider salaries and profits, some of the unreasonable expectations we as patients have, develop better ways to provide care (simple things like pay docs to deliver care by email in the 80% of the cases where they don't really need to see a patient face-to-face), etc.

I don't really think we are going to be happy with our premiums going from say $600 a month to $540. That's about the savings I think we'll get going to Medicare for all without taking the steps to reform the actual delivery of care, not just the reimbursement.

[KPN]

57. A daunting picture. It's hard to be optimistic about any of this.

I suppose I can always just take solace in the fact that "I've got mine" and not burden myself with worry about the other guy. But that's not in my nature. I am also for single payer, for whacking away at all of those things you mention ... as well as a more progressive tax system and defense cuts (and other economic policy measures) to subsidize universal health coverage at meaningfully lower "customer" costs. Hard to see us getting there without things generally getting much worse first however.

[radical noodle]

33. I have never encountered a doc in Florida

that refused Medicare with a supplement, although a few refused Medicare Advantage.

[OnDoutside]

12. That's the same in many EU countries. Cash is king,

Its handy to pocket a fair chunk of private patients paying 50/60 euro a visit, without declaring it to the IRS, rather than maybe 200 euro a year for a public patient, which the government know about..

[HopeAgain]

32. I'm calling big time B.S. on idea doctors are refusing Medicare.

I am involved in the health care industry and we value practices almost exclusively on Medicare and Medicare Advantage lives. Commercial is too fickle and physicians who see Medicare aged patients are NOT choosing to be non-participating.

That is the biggest crock, designed to scare Medicare patients into supporting the bill.

Sure lots of Doctors don't participate in Medicaid, but even that has gotten better with the expansion.

[KPN]

42. Um, see post #41 above. Personal experience -- it's not BS.

[HopeAgain]

46. Still very rare...

Specialists who see lots of Medicare aged patients in most of the country don't even consider not participating.

Mental health is a whole different ball of wax - Medicare doesn't hardly pay for behavioral health and Trumpcare certainly won't help with that.

[Nanjeanne]

4. They were all introduced as Trump supporters.

[lostnfound]

23. I just NOW heard her say they were trump supporters. But it seemed

As if she didn't know that when she first talked to them.

[Nanjeanne]

47. When she promo'd the segment she said

Last edited Wed Jun 28, 2017, 04:18 PM - Edit history (1)

She talked to 5 doctors who were Trump supporters so think that was the point of the segment. Personally I turned it off after a few minutes of listening to the garbage and watched Law and Order repeats.

[Skidmore]

35. One said he was Dem who voted

against Hillary. Ugh.

[exboyfil]

5. They think taking $100B/yr.

out of the healthcare system is a positive development for them and their patients? Maybe if they have an established practice with mostly employer provided insurance patients.

[Doodley]

7. Overpaid, privileged doctors who are out of touch with the financial struggles of poorer folks

[YCHDT]

22. Yeap, None of them could address issues of low earners with health issues ... not one

[KPN]

43. Agreed. Unfortunately, pay levels in the health industry are a sensitive subject.

[Docreed2003]

10. The bill is a gigantic turd...

When my professional organization, the traditionally conservative American College of Surgeons, comes out against your conservative "healthcare bill", I'd say you've missed the mark by a long shot.

[octoberlib]

13. AMA Says McConnell's Trumpcare Bill Violates 'Do No Harm' Principle

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2017/06/26/ama-says-mcconnells-trumpcare-bill-violates-do-no-harm-principle/#1ce3543d4040


The American Medical Association came out against it. Those doctors were conservatives. Shame on MSNBC.

[octoberlib]

14. They were all Trump supporters.

Link to tweet

[boston bean]

15. you cannot trust many doctors on this. they are looking at their bottom line, not the healthcare of

their patients.... that is the truth.

[sarah FAILIN]

18. You know the statement about not having 2 prices for the same procedure..

They are not about to drop their fee to the amount insurance will pay. They want to eliminate the "usual and customary" mark down insurance companies get. Everyone pays the same.. as much as possible.

[lostnfound]

31. That is a root of the problem, though. Insurance companies become a protection racket

To avoid paying jacked up prices out of pocket through a middleman, we pay through insurance companies who get a gigantic discount.
A law that said that health care providers could charge uninsured people no more than they charge insurance companies (or even 15% higher than that) would reconcile costs better.

[sarah FAILIN]

37. I'm not disagreeing

But that's not what the doctors want.

[Adrahil]

19. Not shocking at all....

If you noted the legend below them, they were all described as Trump supporters.

[YCHDT]

20. When she asked about the 20,000 year salary makers problems the one lady said the states would

... pick them up and that's pretty uninformed.

These people are stupid

[nikibatts]

21. Then why is the AMA against it? MSNBC with these FOX-lite hosts. Getting pretty tired of it.

[lostnfound]

24. I don't blame Stephanie Ruhle. It seemed like a setup.

Seemed as if she didn't know. She is commonly very aware of the struggle of the poor and working class.

[lostnfound]

26. Also, she asked that question about the AMA and they claimed...

They claimed that the AMA "doesn't actually represent doctors".

[radical noodle]

36. Stephanie Ruhle is quite anti-Trump

She knows her stuff and normally asks hard questions of Trumpers.

[Little Star]

40. Bingo FOX-lite hosts on MSNBC! Grrrr! I will not watch them!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

25. Doctors can be sociopaths too. nt

[cilla4progress]

28. What

was the point of such a panel?

[Demsrule86]

29. She is unwatchable.

It is a setup and what I expect from her show. Daytime MSNBC is unwatchable.

[ananda]

34. The AMA, and many hospitals and healthcare affiliates ..

.. have come out strongly against the AHCA.

[Lint Head]

38. Tax cuts for the rich? Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder. How many

poor doctors do you know? A lot of the doctors that I know travel around the world. Have expensive hobbies and play golf. I wonder if the green fees have gone up?
Now there is an exception to every rule and I realize there are probably dirt-poor doctors, maybe retired. Maybe we're just unlucky with their practice. But most working doctors make damn good money no matter how much they complain. They also have complained about how little Medicare pays, that they don't make much money with it, but still have a luxury car or two and a nice mcmansion or many mansions.
I worked for Medicare for 26 years and I know it's a lie that doctors make no money off of Medicare. For the majority it's 45 to 50% of their practice if not more. How well would a doctor do losing 40% of his practice? I have no sympathy for rich people who complain about money.

[berni_mccoy]

39. 5 doctors who want to work less and get paid more. No problem understanding that they would

like Trumpcare.

[Stinky The Clown]

44. Andy Lack / MSNBC

[LanternWaste]

48. As odd and absurd

All is as odd and absurd as calling Rachel Maddow a ratfucker.

[lapucelle]

51. Stephanie Ruhle's focus is business and money,

and that's where her loyalty seems to lie.

[Turbineguy]

52. In a collapsing society

nothing will work.

[Phoenix61]

53. Asking a doctor about the health care industry

makes about as much sense as asking a car mechanic about the auto industry. Both are involved in the industry but neither needs or is expected to have an understanding of the big picture. Both deal with insurance claims but that doesn't mean they are experts on the insurance industry. Doctors work in hospitals but that doesn't mean they know all there is to know about hospital admin any more than the mechanic knows all there is to know about running an auto repair business.

[rickford66]

54. One Dr said they should allow sales across state lines !!

They already do !!

[maveric]

55. Whores

[still_one]

56. MSNBC is pathetic. Ms. Ruhle, who came from Bloomberg, has right wing bias so this whitewash should

come as no surprise.

The AMA, which is no "left wing" organization, opposes this plan from the Senate:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/26/politics/ama-opposes-senate-health-bill/index.html

This just adds to the list that MSNBC/NBC is trying to beef up their "fox credentials"

They also just hired Bret Stephens:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bret-stephens-msnbc_us_59542118e4b05c37bb7bd3a5?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Far as I am concerned the MSM in this country is garbage. Accuracy and honest reporting is not even on their agenda.