Medicare trend raises eyebrows

[Omaha Steve]

Source: LA Times

Employers are shifting costs -- and more burden -- to a federal program, critics say.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

February 11, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Many large employers are struggling with the obligation to cover the rising medical costs of retirees, but last year officials in Michigan found a way to save at least $40 million on care for retired teachers and other public-school workers: Send the bills to Washington.

Almost overnight, by taking advantage of a little-understood feature of Medicare, the school retirement system shifted a big chunk of the healthcare costs of more than 100,000 retirees off its budget and onto the federal government. This year, the state is shifting its civil service retirees too.

Michigan is not alone. Across the country, state and local government agencies, big nonprofit organizations and major corporations are rushing to do the same. One result is that the Medicare trust fund is evaporating even faster than expected.

At the heart of what critics say is a major cost-shifting maneuver is a program called Medicare Advantage, which pays private insurers a bonus to take over Medicare coverage for seniors.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-medicare11feb11,1,2292807.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

[cbayer]

1. Wow, what a loophole.

I had no idea that states could do this.

The second issue (your last paragraph) is really a totally different issue. This has been going on for a very long time. They have farmed-out the management of "care" to private companies for many medicare participants. Our biggest single-payer is really just paying everyone else.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. "pays private insurers a bonus"

Words that should NEVER be included in a Gov. health plan! :mad:

[liberalhistorian]

3. But...but.....but,,,aren't businesses against

gubmint intrusion into their affairs and against gubmint programs as a waste of tax money, yaddayaddayadda........oh, wait. Silly me, I forgot. They're only against it when the little guy benefits, not when THEY benefit.

[harun]

4. The only business's against Single Payer Universal care

are the Health Insurers. Imagine how much less of a headache 99% of the business's, big and small, would have if they took Health Coverage out of the equation and their books.

Of course the Drug companies are against it too because they know how much harder it would be to shaft Uncle Sam than Average Joe.

It would help the rest though.

[Mind_your_head]

5. Imagine how much less headache DOCTORS would have

if there was a single payer system.

A friend of mine who has an orthopedic office with a few locations around the metro area has SEVEN full-time staff members who handle the insurance matters/clearance for patients.

I was told by his wife a few years ago that if he (the doctor) knew it was "going to be like this" he NEVER would've gone into the profession. He truly would like to just focus on 'healing/helping people'.

I don't know how much the AHA (American Hospital Association) has played into this....but my sis, an MBA who used to work for them said back in the 80's that "Doctor's are terrible business wo/men" and the AHA set about to 'help' them in this endeavor (to be better business wo/men). I don't know if this has been a good thing or not. Sure, doctors deserve to earn a decent (more than 'decent') living for all of their training/knowledge/hard work.....but I also don't like them BEING FORCED ALMOST to look at me like a "profit center" (how can I make money off this patient) ~ while at the same time 'helping' me.

It puts Doctors in a very "difficult" position. Some have more morals than others. Some may have 'almost none'.

[Delphinus]

6. My ...

a doctor who truly would like to just focus on 'healing/helping people'. That's what I'm looking for in a doctor - of whatever kind. It's hard to find and I'm glad to hear they *ARE* out there!

[Sonicmedusa]

7. And we, the consumer, pay for the salaries of those seven workers

Through higher office call fees.

Single payer cannot happen soon enough.

[liberalhistorian]

8. Then tell him to get off his duff and

try to change the AMA's policy against single-payer, or ANY form of universal health care. The AMA's opposition has been formidable and too many doctors have bought into their bullshit. While he's at it, he can try to get the majority of his colleagues who agree with the AMA policy to join him.

Trying to find a doctor who'll take you if you don't have insurance is an almost impossible task nowadays. Then when you do find them you have to pay upfront before they'll even look at you, no matter what your problem is.

The only way Medicare and Medicaid were finally able to be implemented was when the AMA realized that they could actually make more money with the programs in place and dropped their formidable opposition, which had been the main thing holding up the implementation for years. So maybe if we put it in terms doctors can understand, which is that they'll actually make more money with single-payer, they just might get it.

[knitter4democracy]

10. Why do you think Hubby's for a national health care system?

He's an internist here in Michigan, and he's sick and tired of all the business crap. He was let go from his last practice because he refused to join the practice, preferring to stay staff so he doesn't have to worry as much about the business side, and now his new practice is totally cool with him just treating people.

A great resource for figuring out billing and insurance hassles, though, is the magazine Medical Economics. Hubby and I do read that one, since it has great articles on working more efficiently and how to get Medicare to pay for stuff.

[Psephos]

12. It's not businesses that shifted the costs, it's public schools and state govt

Reread the article; it's an important distinction.

[xchrom]

9. medicare for all -- yay! -- ok that said -- we need to graduate

doctors from school without the huge debts they have switching to single-payer, universal healthcare.

with their workloads -- doctors, nurses and others need to make a good living{yes, as do we all}.

[kelligesq]

11. some doctors are quietly refusing to

take anything but straight medicare...
if you singed up for one of those medicare hmos they wont see you - so doctors are more or less beginning to do their bit towards signle payer.