I am seriously pissed about some deceit in the Payroll Tax Bill

[FlaGatorJD]

Don't get me wrong, on the whole I'm thrilled that Boner stepped on his . . uh . you know, and that the Repukes totally hurt their chances in the election, but why the hell can't they just be honest about shit. One portion of the bill, which the President failed to mention in his victory-lap speech today was the party where they nixed a 27% cut in medicare payments to doctors, which was supposed to take effecd on January 1. How many hours were spent negotiating this, and how much credit was taken when this great "health reform" step was taken?

So instead of the part of about the guy now being able to have pizza with his kids, he should have said, "Well, now my doctor friends can get their wife that Lexus for
Christmas, like they deserve". The beginning of the Bill cites the need to give the doctors stability. Yeah, I know a whole lot of fucking doctors who are hurting, don't you?

I had to search far and wide to find any mention of the medicare issue, and found a brief mention in the WP.

The pipeline portion isn't getting touted too much either, and although I know some opponents say the 60-day deal will help kill it, I'll wait til I see that. Remember when Obama promised to make sure he would extend the Inheritance Tax before it expired?

[tridim]

1. Are you pissed that the Repubs basically lost the election this week?

[FlaGatorJD]

2. Perhaps you didn't read the post (n/t)

I said I was thrilled about that.

[BOHICA12]

11. 11 Months is a lifetime .... forgotten by April

by November - this won't be any sort of issue.

[CJCRANE]

3. You seem eager to look for a downside. nt

[FlaGatorJD]

6. Actually that's not true at all

and it's not reflected in my post. Perhaps those of you awed by the dog and pony show aren't willing to take off the rose-colored glasses.

I'm an Obama supporter, big time, but even he could have said something about a concession we had to make instead of ignoring it.

Maybe I'm one of those that expected and expect just a little more from him and not the norm.

[Change Happens]

18. You probably do not understand the whole Medicare thing at all....nt

[MH1]

35. The Medicare rate fix was NOT a concession.

Dems wanted it, as well as most (human) republicans.

It is one of those things every rational person who has a clue of what they are talking about, knows has to be done, unless of course we could actually get a permanent correction, which was never on that table.

[DURHAM D]

4. Someone will be along shortly to explain the Medicare doctor fee thingie.

Meanwhile, the failure to cut fees is a good thing and you are just wrong.

[FlaGatorJD]

8. It wouldn't be the first time, and i'd be willing to accept that

but I'd like to see why you feel I'm wrong.

And even if I am wrong on the substance, which at this point I haven't seen any proof that I am, I'm just not happy that it wasn't even mentioned, but I see most people are okay with that.

[DURHAM D]

9. It was mentioned many times.

I would guess it is just not of interest to you.

[montanacowboy]

5. People on Medicare see it as a blessing

a lot of doctor's will begin to turn away medicare patients if they keep cutting and then where will the patients turn to?
It's not just black and white.

[DURHAM D]

7. Yes - Many doctors already turn away patients because the payments are too low.

The 27% reduction would have been a disaster.

[greymattermom]

10. actually an interesting point

Medicare pays most of the residents' salaries, so most docs have benefited from Medicare during their training. How can they be allowed to turn away Medicare patients in that case?

[FlaGatorJD]

12. And many doctors overcharge for medicar patients

Here's an older article indicating 77% of Idaho doctors were overcharging, and if you live in Florida, you know about Prick Scott's famous medicare fraud.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/223076/77-OF-IDAHO-DOCTORS-OVERCHARGING-FOR-MEDICARE-PATIENTS.html

[DURHAM D]

14. That article makes no sense.

Medicare sets the reimbursement fee for each procedure. end of story. period. It does not matter what the doctor charges - medicare sets the fee.

[Change Happens]

17. Thank you :)

[DCKit]

27. It DOES matter when the doctors are charging for more expensive procedures...

that they never preformed. They simply substitute different billing codes.

As mentioned above, that's one of the ways Rick Scott got rich.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott#Columbia.2FHCA_fraud_case_details

[DURHAM D]

28. Off topic.

[DCKit]

29. Thanks for the belly laugh! nt

[MH1]

36. You are describing FRAUD. Not all doctors commit fraud, actually.

Or are you saying that they do?

[rgbecker]

13. Medicare payments are generally below the norm.

The increase will allow many more people to avail themselves of Medicare services as more caregivers will opt to take medicare patients. There is no sense in having a single payer medicare system if no one will provide the services because the fees they can charge are too low.

And what does this even mean? "Obama promised to make sure he would extend the Inheritance Tax before it expired?" Expired? Extend? Please explain. Right now $5 million is exempt, but it certainly hasn't expired. Seems the Bush tax cut extension is bothering you, but you might remember the Republicans weren't going to write a bill that didn't help their 1% friends and Obama, hoping for some help with the economy, wasn't going to raise everybody's taxes in this God awful depression.

Here's thread showing what people think of the Pipeline part.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100261005

[cthulu2016]

15. The particulars of the annual "Doc fix" are to be negotiated along with the full-year payroll cut

[Change Happens]

16. You are wrong! 100% wrong, I am a Medicare provider and I did not want to get a cut, plus...

Medicare happens to be one of the lowest paying insurances, that's what makes it efficient, that's why it is valuable...Many in my area do not take Medicaid because it pays even less, would you rather folks be dumped by their doctors?

p.s. I am not a doctor, but do bill Medicare for my services, I have to rely on volume to make a basic living - we spend 40 minutes with a client, have to do 10 minutes of paperwork, we get $38.00 (gross), take out expenses, like gas, rent, basic office needs, you are left with very little...Nobody I know is getting rich off of Medicare, unless they are committing fraud - And the gov. have done an outstanding job busting them, one by one...Medicare is truly the best insurance out there, ever! Happy to take less to deal with Medicare and Medicare benefiaries

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. The Doc Fix has been running policy since the 90's

You're just learning about this now? They renew it every friggin' year.

[Lil Missy]

20. Cutting Medicare reimbursements to Dr.'s is not a good thing. They get reduced payments from

Medicare as it is.

[customerserviceguy]

21. Its just a game that government keeps playing

The Affordable Care Act relied on phony Medicare cuts to pretend that it would save money, too.

However, on the pipeline, my reading of what the administration is saying is that they're going to disapprove of it, and simply say that union workers expecting jobs out of this will have to be patient for a full environmental review that won't be available until after the election, before it gets to a 'maybe'. That's game playing, too.

[Fearless]

22. So what happens when people on Medicare can't get doctors appts?

That's what happens if doctors find it unprofitable to treat people on Medicare. I'd rather a little more to doctors and a little less uncertainty to seniors. Your argument reminds me of the Republican philosophy on welfare... get rid of it because a few may cheat it. Instead of the Democratic philosophy, keep it because it helps tons of people even if a few may cheat it.

[rusty fender]

30. Every doctor's office I've called in the last 2 years has said

that they are not accepting Medicare patients. That doesn't, obviously, cover every doctor, but there are already too many who refuse to see Medicare patients. A reduction in Dr. reimbursement would shrink the Medicare accepting pool even further.

[Fearless]

31. Exactly!

[grantcart]

23. The Doctor Fix problem has to do with an antequated way of figuring responsible rates for doctors

fees. It goes back to 1968.

They have been postponing it for decades and each year it gets a little worse.

Rates are so bad that if they were to let this drop then a majority of doctors would probably stop taking medicare.

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/03/medicare-doc-fix-questions-answers.html

[Tarheel_Dem]

24. There is so much FAIL in the o.p., where does one begin? You have no clue what you're talking about

[FlaGatorJD]

38. Fail? Is that English or an abbreviation I'm unfamiliar with

First off, I support the Medicare program. I believe the fact that the US does not have universal health care for every citizen is sad and inexcusable. In my OP, my main gripe was with the fact that while the "Doc Fix" may have been mentioned during the last several days of the payroll tax carnival, I didn't hear or see it, and I am plugged in to both the progressive media and the lamestreet media on a continuous basis. I have noticed a few mentions since the "fix" is in now, like one in the WP. Like I said, it didn't get a mention in the President's speech, and if he thought it was a great accomplishment, he wouldn't have passed up the chance to mention it.

Since the cost of Medicare and defense spending are crippling this nation, I believe the removal of a previous decision to cut payments to doctors 27% is worthy of a mention. I am not against the Medicare program. Again, I support universal health care and a single-payer system such as Medicare would be fine with me. If you are an RN, PT, OT, ST, or DR, including family doctors, who work in the trenches of the clinics in our country or serving rural or predominantly older communities, I applaud you and appreciate what you do. You probably deserve more than what you are currently making.

That said, the soaring costs of medical procedures covered by Medicare and the medical products paid for by Medicare is totally out of hand, not to mention that Medicare and Medicaid fraud are alive and well and coming to a neighborhood near you.

http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/quality-of-life/hospitals-pay-23-million-settlement/

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/nj-man-gets-15-4-million-for-uncovering-largest-medicaid-fraud-in-history/

Nevermind, nothing to see here folks, move along!

In response to such erudite comments as "you don't understand", "you're 100% wrong" and "you don't have a clue", I will take them under consideration and look forward to your next well-researched and enlightening post.

In regard to my comment on the inheritance tax. Here's what the President said during the campaign just after.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123172020818472279.html

And here's what really happened:

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Steinbrenner-Family-Exempt-From-Estate-Tax-98418909.html

For you readers out there, in the second paragraph the 'expiration" of the estate tax was credited with keeping the Yankees in the Steinbrenner family and saving them $500 Million.

As far as posters seeming to know what I do or don't know, is puzzling. Psychic? I am intimately knowledgeable about the medical field and know several family practioners and female doctors. I have been employed at a community hospital, been a medical provider, chaired a 7-county medical advisory committee which I was appointed to by our county commision and served on for several years and chaired a statewide medical advisory board. I believe GP's are the best part of our system and we need more of them, and less people hawking "free" cataract surgery. I also believe nurse practioners should be allowed to expand their scope of practice and be paid better.

Lastly, to discuss Medicare costs, without including a discussion of the amount of the charges and fraud, is like teaching a sex education class with androgynous dolls.


Now, I will step off my soapbox, bid you all adieu for awhile, so I can get in the Christmas spirit. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, or whatever you may celebrate this weekend and good health and happiness in the New Year.

I'm gonna ask Santa for world peace again this year and an Obama victory in November!

[demosincebirth]

25. Some will find fault in a rainbow.

[upi402]

26. Republicans were trying to RAISE TAXES...

...and the Dems sat silently with hands folded on laps.

[cbayer]

32. I am sorry, but your overall lack of understanding of this issue is pretty blatant.

And it's been all over the news.

I think you might want to take the time to do some research and rethink this.

[cbayer]

33. One more thing - your line about doctors buying their wive's a Lexus for Christmas

is offensive on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin.

[MH1]

34. Thank you.

The o.p. evidently doesn't actually KNOW any family practice docs.

[cbayer]

37. Or female docs, for that matter.

[FlaGatorJD]

40. You are absolutely right- I do apologize (n/t)

[Bluenorthwest]

39. This is good news, not bad.

That's my opinion. Good stuff. Patients need doctors, and a gutted Medicare is dangerous to millions of Americans.
Do not agree with you at all.

[sendero]

41. There are lots of people providing "health care"..

... who are EXTREMELY overpaid, most doctors taking Medicare payments are not among them.

Consider delving into the subject a bit deeper.

[FlaGatorJD]

42. Thank you Sendero

An extremely wise point and well taken. I believe you are right on both.

So any ideas how we can get the exhorbitant payments and fraud under control, without punishing those Medicare providers who I do realize are providing crucial health care servies to our elderly at reduced rates?

[TheKentuckian]

43. Failure to cut the Medicare rates is a positive for seniors. In some cases, the cut would mean

losing on every patient seen under the program which would kill access and certainly degrade quality of care.

The time table on the pipeline doesn't impact policy and may actually be beneficial as it doesn't allow an okie doak caper of just getting past the election and then allowing the debacle which may make it less likely to be built.