@Preacherman: I don’t see Democratic voters sitting on their hands. Democratic politicians are complaining loudly, too, and they’ll continue to do so until such time as they can actually make a difference. Then they’ll roll over.
Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have both bragged about sabotaging Obamacare. Donald Trump will decide this week whether he will let Obamacare “implode.” Trump’s Attempts to Sabotage Obamacare Are Working. By engineering uncertainty, Trump is chasing insurers from rural marketplaces .
It is NOT the hysteria of the Democrats that’s the problem here. Donnie has ‘telegraphed’ his intention to do "this’, ‘that’ or ‘some other thing’ to some particular part of Obama’s legislation and legacy and, when there’s NO reaction, ‘horrified’ or otherwise, Donnie goes ahead and does it! When THERE IS a ‘reaction’, ‘horrified’ or otherwise, he either backs off or at least calls it a joke! Dismissing, for a moment, the idea that EVERYTHING from the West Wing of the White House is SOME kind of ‘joke’ (though not necessarily, a humorous one), Donnie is using the Russian model of pushing a little and waiting for push-back, and, if there IS none, the Russians (and Donnie) push some more. Hysteria obviously is in the eye of the beholder, but revealing FACTS should NEVER be in question! Oh, and it is NOT “Obamacare” anymore! Donnie and the moral midgets in Congress have ‘screwed’ with the Affordable Care Act to the point that it is now “Trumpcare”! S, whether the G.O.P. repeals the A.C.A. or attempts to ‘repair’ it with or without help from the Democrats, from this point forward, the A.C.A IS AND WILL BE CONTINUE TO BE “Trumpcare”! Period. End. Of. Sentence.
@bruce…that’s not how it works. Payment by procedure is determined by an indication code and a diagnostic code (an ICD and CPT, respectively). Then, the billing is done at the highest level of payment for the procedure(s) that a private insurer will pay. They all pay differently and Medicare regulations dictate that Medicare will never pay more than 80% of the highest code charges invoiced to any other payer, including the patient. So the docs invoice the highest charge possible, and write off the difference between the invoiced amount and the collection of the receivable. Yes, it’s very complicated. Yes, the system requires providers to manage a complex process known in the business as “revenue cycle management.” Providers are responding to the world as it is, not as it “could” be.
The real issue is the fee-for-service model that incentivizes providers to provide essentially unnecessary services to make more money. One of the things the PPACA did to address this very real fundamental issue was to begin to ratchet down fee-for-service incentives and replace the with outcome-based incentives. For example, hospital re-admissions are now tracked. The PPACA frowns on such re-admissions as a sign that the outcome of the procedure was sub-optimal, so they penalize the providers financially, and the healthcare sector is now working hard to avoid re-admission.
Who knew healthcare could be so complicated? Everyone with half a brain.
The republicans are so profoundly ignorant. It’s clear they have zero respect for their fellow citizens and zero insight into the sorts of things that reduce healthcare costs in the real world, as we find it today, with real doctors and real people. They seem to look at everything through an ideology with a profoundly anti-human lens. Interesting that the so-called christians are so eager to kill people.
Oh, lookie, JSS is pithily explaining the philosophy of neoconservatives AND neoliberals; convert EVERYTHING to money.
Privatize: Take tax dollars and turn them over to private interests. Dump any regulations that might interfere with private profit, or require those private interests to DO anything for the population with those tax dollars. Socialize the costs. Screw the population.
lopaka almost 7 years ago
Politicians, apply within. Intelligence is not a requirement.
mr_sherman Premium Member almost 7 years ago
Neither is compassion.
Masterskrain Premium Member almost 7 years ago
Only overwhelming greed and avarice.
magicwalnut Premium Member almost 7 years ago
Ain’t it the truth….
Striped Cat almost 7 years ago
The GOP loves to disrupt the functioning of government so they can point and say “See government does not work.” Its a long sad history.
Cerabooge almost 7 years ago
@Preacherman: I don’t see Democratic voters sitting on their hands. Democratic politicians are complaining loudly, too, and they’ll continue to do so until such time as they can actually make a difference. Then they’ll roll over.
Radish the wordsmith almost 7 years ago
Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have both bragged about sabotaging Obamacare. Donald Trump will decide this week whether he will let Obamacare “implode.” Trump’s Attempts to Sabotage Obamacare Are Working. By engineering uncertainty, Trump is chasing insurers from rural marketplaces .
Addled Brain almost 7 years ago
“Trump is chasing insurers from rural marketplaces .” — RADISH
..all at the expense of the best interests and support of our American Citizens.
wellis1947 Premium Member almost 7 years ago
It is NOT the hysteria of the Democrats that’s the problem here. Donnie has ‘telegraphed’ his intention to do "this’, ‘that’ or ‘some other thing’ to some particular part of Obama’s legislation and legacy and, when there’s NO reaction, ‘horrified’ or otherwise, Donnie goes ahead and does it! When THERE IS a ‘reaction’, ‘horrified’ or otherwise, he either backs off or at least calls it a joke! Dismissing, for a moment, the idea that EVERYTHING from the West Wing of the White House is SOME kind of ‘joke’ (though not necessarily, a humorous one), Donnie is using the Russian model of pushing a little and waiting for push-back, and, if there IS none, the Russians (and Donnie) push some more. Hysteria obviously is in the eye of the beholder, but revealing FACTS should NEVER be in question! Oh, and it is NOT “Obamacare” anymore! Donnie and the moral midgets in Congress have ‘screwed’ with the Affordable Care Act to the point that it is now “Trumpcare”! S, whether the G.O.P. repeals the A.C.A. or attempts to ‘repair’ it with or without help from the Democrats, from this point forward, the A.C.A IS AND WILL BE CONTINUE TO BE “Trumpcare”! Period. End. Of. Sentence.
twclix almost 7 years ago
@bruce…that’s not how it works. Payment by procedure is determined by an indication code and a diagnostic code (an ICD and CPT, respectively). Then, the billing is done at the highest level of payment for the procedure(s) that a private insurer will pay. They all pay differently and Medicare regulations dictate that Medicare will never pay more than 80% of the highest code charges invoiced to any other payer, including the patient. So the docs invoice the highest charge possible, and write off the difference between the invoiced amount and the collection of the receivable. Yes, it’s very complicated. Yes, the system requires providers to manage a complex process known in the business as “revenue cycle management.” Providers are responding to the world as it is, not as it “could” be.
The real issue is the fee-for-service model that incentivizes providers to provide essentially unnecessary services to make more money. One of the things the PPACA did to address this very real fundamental issue was to begin to ratchet down fee-for-service incentives and replace the with outcome-based incentives. For example, hospital re-admissions are now tracked. The PPACA frowns on such re-admissions as a sign that the outcome of the procedure was sub-optimal, so they penalize the providers financially, and the healthcare sector is now working hard to avoid re-admission.
Who knew healthcare could be so complicated? Everyone with half a brain.
The republicans are so profoundly ignorant. It’s clear they have zero respect for their fellow citizens and zero insight into the sorts of things that reduce healthcare costs in the real world, as we find it today, with real doctors and real people. They seem to look at everything through an ideology with a profoundly anti-human lens. Interesting that the so-called christians are so eager to kill people.
Cerabooge almost 7 years ago
Oh, lookie, JSS is pithily explaining the philosophy of neoconservatives AND neoliberals; convert EVERYTHING to money.
Privatize: Take tax dollars and turn them over to private interests. Dump any regulations that might interfere with private profit, or require those private interests to DO anything for the population with those tax dollars. Socialize the costs. Screw the population.
Coopersdad almost 7 years ago
It is time to go to “Single Payer”.