Democrats want everyone else to pay for the health care

People cash in their life insurances before they die. So again we are gonna use the very companies we don't like.

What's causing healthcare costs to be passed on to others is the government run programs we have now. Why won't docs take on new Medicare patients. Because they don't get reimbursed enough to cover their costs.

Insurance is not the issue. It's the cost of healthcare. Other countries who thought this would work are in the red. They have found out that over the years it just gets too expensive. Instead of following their lead we should be learning from their mistakes.

Most physicians do accept Medicare.

They sure do....You keep harping about how great medicare is. Try reading up on it a bit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/bu.../02health.html

"In a June 2008 report, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent federal panel that advises Congress on Medicare, said that 29 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries it surveyed who were looking for a primary care doctor had a problem finding one to treat them, up from 24 percent the year before. And a 2008 survey by the Texas Medical Association found that while 58 percent of the state’s doctors took new Medicare patients, only 38 percent of primary care doctors did."

Medicare does such a wonderful job with their 29% unable to find care. All of which are actively looking for doctors. Compare that with what...16% (http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=628) of the total population who are uninsured (including the ones who are eligible for government assistance and don't apply, or too young for the insurance premiums to be worth it and choose not to purchase insurance).

29% to 16%....People on medicare are actually twice as likely to be SOL then the rest of america.

Medicare is a good program. The problem isn't with Medicare, it's with innefficiencies in our health care system.

Regarding the link you provided from CBPP, it revealed, "main reason that adults’ private insurance coverage has faded in recent years is that the costs of insurance premiums have climbed, making coverage less affordable for employers and employees alike."

The private insurance market is breaking fast. Medicare-for-all with an initiative to create greater efficiency in our health care system would lower costs and cover everyone.

The problem is that medicare doesn't pay what services costs, health care providers have to take a hit financially to the tune of some 30-40% on these patients, and in addition, they have to pay staff to sort through the ungodly amounts of paperwork.

One of the reasons costs are rising is because those doctors that do accept medicare have to pass along the costs of those patients onto they're regular patients. If one patient is only paying 60% of their bill, another patient has to pay 140% for it to balance out.

It's easy to lower costs when the government is the only one paying, and they have the power to say "Well, we're only going to pay this much for this procedure. Take it or leave it."

Don't be surprised if you see more and more physicians deciding to leave it.

It pays costs for those HCP's and hospitals that run efficiently. Again, if hospitals and HCP's were to trim the fat, Medicare payments would be sufficient.



A relatively easy fix with a Medicare-for-all plan.



Exactly my point. Costs are lowered when one buyer calls the shots.



You are suggesting then, that if we were to go to a single-payer system, that physicians and providers would just "leave". I don't buy it, there are too many models that demonstrate otherwise.

I'd just as soon pay extra for the peace of mind that my hospital is making a profit, and isn't cutting corners just to meet costs and squeak by on what medicare is offering. But if you're so hell bent on efficiency, feel free to utilize public health centers for your own health care needs. I'll waste my money on the greed and the waste, and we'll both agree to disagree. Hows that?

And actually, physicians are leaving. Do a little research on your models. Health care providers aren't finding it worth it in these 'model' countries, and students are choosing not to invest the inordinate amounts of time on schooling. These countries are turning more and more towards foreigners to fufill their health care needs. Expertise, like oil or food or any other commodity, can only be imported for so long before the system starts to take a hit.

And if those examples are too remote from our own system, you didn't seem to bat a lash at the article I posted, even after you've gone on and on at great length about how great medicare is. Physicians are already opting out of single payer medicare. They're not going to suddenly decide its worth it because its the only choice. There are plenty of options out there, an the environment is only going to foster less qualified physicians to fill the status quo of the system.

Medicare is a good program. The problem isn't with Medicare, it's with innefficiencies in our health care system.

Regarding the link you provided from CBPP, it revealed, "main reason that adults’ private insurance coverage has faded in recent years is that the costs of insurance premiums have climbed, making coverage less affordable for employers and employees alike."

The private insurance market is breaking fast. Medicare-for-all with an initiative to create greater efficiency in our health care system would lower costs and cover everyone.