NYT: Cut in Medicare Payments to Hospitals Advised (by federal panel)

[DeepModem Mom]

Cut in Medicare Payments to Hospitals Is Advised
By ROBERT PEAR

Published: January 18, 2005


WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 - An influential federal advisory panel has voted to recommend a cut in Medicare payments promised to hospitals and a freeze in payments to nursing homes and home care agencies in 2006.

The recommendations to Congress, approved by the panel last week, give powerful support to Republican lawmakers and Bush administration officials who want to curb soaring Medicare costs, as part of their overall effort to reduce the federal budget deficit....

***

Because of a new mandate from Congress, the panel drafted its recommendations to reward the most efficient hospitals, doctors and clinics. In effect, panel members said, Medicare payments have to be adequate to cover the costs of an efficiently run hospital, but not necessarily all the costs of an average or typical hospital....

***

Carmela S. Coyle, senior vice president of the American Hospital Association, said: "We are very disappointed. The commission's own data show that the financial condition of hospitals is worsening and that hospitals lose money treating Medicare patients."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/politics/18medicare.html

[cornermouse]

1. In an aging population they plan to freeze payments to

nursing homes and home health care agencies? Medicare payments has to be adequate to cover the costs of an efficiently run hospital, but not necessarily all the costs of an average or typical hospital? (such as might exist out in the hinterlands where hospitals are not all that plentiful and actually being able to get to one alive can sometimes be an issue?)

This doesn't make sense unless the only consideration is cost, not life.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. From the article (deficit policy not Medicare policy) --

"Ms. Coyle said, 'Congress may use this recommendation as a rationale for budget cuts that address the deficit, not Medicare policy.'"

[leesa]

6. I think Republicans would just as soon round old and disabled people

up and turn them into soylent green.

[NVMojo]

2. they should freeze medicare payments to for profit hospitals chains

like the kind that the Frist family has gotten rich off of ....or at least investigate them for high price setting, etc....

[jamesinca]

3. Screwing the poor!

That is all this is about. In an attempt to run "more efficiently" they will cut on some test or procedures I bet. Save lots of money in the process and put lives at risk. More importantly who uses Medicare? The poor, or should I say the un-affluent. It is all about screwing the poor, class warfare at its finest. It goes right along with this administrations old Testament idea of God blesses the righteous with material goods, and the poor are that way because they are not saved etc.... I hate this administration for its Calvanist, old testament, fundamentalist view of the world.

[Rose Siding]

5. "Saves" up to 6 billion dollars?

Who do they think it saves? How much of that will be passed on to those of us paying unbearable premiums? I already feel like an idiot paying for insurance I can't afford to use.

[Gloria]

7. WTF is an "efficient" hospital?? One that doesn't serve poor

people or those without insurance?