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Please note that any comments expressed in these forum posts do not reflect the opinions of Medical News Today in any way at all. Opinions posted in this forum do not constitute medical
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figures
posted by Rider on 04 Dec 2011 at 10:43 am
Now my doctor wants 65$ a month/780$ yr more for "optimal care" program, with a limited number of members, that's in addition to what I already pay for insurance thru my employer.
- I won't be getting optimal care and will be shopping for another doctor--all the new program did was filter out more people--brilliant program-make it so only the ones who can afford it attend.
Read the news article that this opinion was posted about:
High Level Of Waste In Health Spending, Says Medicare And Medicaid Boss
Waste
posted by rgw46 on 04 Dec 2011 at 10:58 am
There is a lot of waste..and I can prove it>>pass this
around
If medicare doesn't, then private won't
posted by Eric on 04 Dec 2011 at 11:11 am
I work in the healthcare field and I can tell you if medicare does not cover something then private insurance wont either they mirror what medicare does!
Need a war on Medicare Accounting/Paying
posted by Norman on 04 Dec 2011 at 11:20 am
As a consumer of Medicare in the past six months, I have discovered a tremendous amount of waste in the Medicare bureaucracy and the incompetence of doctors providing the care.
1. My doctor of 10 years seems to be incompetent to determine the cause of a recent ailment, despite all the recommended tests she could think of. If she were a mechanic, I would have taken her to court.
2. Getting to a live person in the Medicare Bureaucracy is a hard chore.
3. That person knowing the answer or demonstrating he/she cares is even harder chore.
4. Health care system, especially Medicare/Medicaid needs reform badly to weed out the deadwood and outdated cumbersome bureaucratic infrastructures.
Medical Industry Out of Control
posted by David on 04 Dec 2011 at 11:33 am
I was healthy 52 years. Went to the doctor 18 months ago for lower back pain. In last 12 months I've had 3 surgeries on spine. Now can barely walk, lost my job and collecting SSDI. Found care to be very uncoordinated. Doctors don't listen and don't answer questions. Quick to order MRIs and then ignore results. All doctors care about is keeping their schedules fully booked. Found office procedures inefficient and archaic. Will never trust another doctor as long as I live.
Does not pass the smell test
posted by Dr. Dennis O'Connor on 04 Dec 2011 at 11:34 am
Hmmm, Dr. Berwick needs to examine the horror stories from the NHI about needed surgeries put off - including one recently revealed case where the fractured leg was left unoperated for 6 weeks until the misaligned fragments had healed and the NHI now says they will not operate, leaving the patient crippled...
As far as convincing my Medicare patients that they receive 30% too much treatment - good luck with that one, doc - and when you stride to the podium to take questions be alert for over ripe tomatoes...
After 30+ years as the only doc in a farming town, your self serving statements have the odor of male bovine to me...
dr. o
American Healthcare
posted by JonSEAZ on 04 Dec 2011 at 11:51 am
Our doctor demands an annual administrative fee from Medicare patients if they are to be his patients. Our previous doctor chose first to stop taking any private insurance, followed later by refusing to take Medicare, and finally simply stopping the practice of medicine. He was in his late fifties and, in my opinion, a very good practitioner of family and geriatric medicine. Many, if not most, medical practices in our area are not accepting new Medicare patients. I have lived and worked overseas twice and our son has lived and worked in Korea for nearly twenty years. We have friends from various countries in both Europe and in Asia and we travel frequently and extensively. I know personally medical doctors in both European and Asian countries. In my opinion, while we in the USA have available to many of us some very high-end medicine, our system is way too complicated and way to inefficient. Moreover, many of the so-called middle class of our nation are economically excluded from the system. Obamacare was not and is not the answer, however.
High Level of Wastes in Health Spending
posted by SD on 04 Dec 2011 at 12:20 pm
Not surprised by the figure, although, suprised by the source of of information. I do not know Dr. Berwick, nor he was the Head of Medicare & Medicaid Services, nor affiliation to any political parties. Can politicians including President and Congress deal with this level of wastes? I do not waste 30% of my income, why should I accept 30% waste from Medicare & Medicaid Services which are funded by OUR TAX MONEY? We need to stop this runaway train by placing a limit of %GDP to be commited to Medicare & Medicaid. The system in GB is not perfect, while it does provide a certain level of Health Coverage to ALL PEOPLE, with the option of purchasing more if someone felt like or could afford more, and it only cost 7% of GDP.
More Fraud and Abuse
posted by Ajax on 04 Dec 2011 at 12:25 pm
Rider,
Your doctor is breaking the law. Health insurance is a regulated industry, which he/she is not part of. If your doctor is already taking money from Medicare or Medicaid for your care, he is part of the Fraud and Abuse we continue to here so much about. Report him immediate and save us all some money. Good luck!
Only Complex Government Can Save Us
posted by John on 04 Dec 2011 at 12:26 pm
It is endemic of the liberal mindset that government can fix everything. If a program doesn't fix the problem it must not be complicated enough. If the guy on the street can't understand it, then he isn't caring enough, doesn't have time enough, or isn't smart enough to understand it. Only complex government run by the smartest and the most caring people on the planet, like Dr. Berwith, can save us.
Fraudulent use of medicare funding by hospitals
posted by Susan Holland on 04 Dec 2011 at 12:28 pm
A recent experience in a South Jersey Hospital in which I was an onlooker, it was clear that once the hospital had finished putting my friend through all the possible tests they could remotely apply to his symptoms, the hospital dismissed him... "get your affairs in order; you will die soon", and sent him home.
It turned out that his malady was not what they diagnosed, he did not die soon, and the hospital paid some of their bills by putting him through the mill.
I am not a physician nor a rich person, but if I were I would sue that hospital. Fighting city hall? Maybe, but someone has to say SOMEThing. thank you for this article.
Doesn't Surprise Me At All
posted by cbog on 04 Dec 2011 at 12:57 pm
I have personally reported fraud and waste and was told there was nothing that could be done. A company which I'm not allowed to name changes their contracts as they see fit without any input from customers just to get more money from medicare. Medicare has paid them...so far... over $2000 for a $300 wheelchair. But medicare can't do anything about it? It makes me wish I had NEVER paid anything into the program.
Get the patient to know how much the bill was
posted by Prabhakar Misra on 04 Dec 2011 at 1:01 pm
A copy of medical bill submitted by the doctor to the insurance company should routinely be sent to the patient. Mere change may bring better results.
Low-Tech Doctors Throttling Healthcare
posted by B Alexander on 04 Dec 2011 at 1:38 pm
When you walk into a Doctor's office and see the massive rows of folder/paper records the waste is obvious. No other business relies on Babylonian technology for operations. I think Doctors and insurance companies are more comfortable with a situation that prevents data mining and quick access to information. It definitely has no benefit for the consumer who may be in the care of more than one doctor and needs the information to be readily available to all.
Too much for Too Few
posted by MooCrazyTN on 04 Dec 2011 at 1:51 pm
It does seem that many people are being over-treated, leading to more medical problems for those people, while at the same time, since so much money is spent on over-treament, many who need treatment aren't getting any at all. Perhaps some over-treatment is due to fear of lawsuits, but I believe much is due to simple profit motive. Medicine is not a mission, it is a business. And like any business, it's going to squeeze out as much revenue as it can. Data is out there on which treatments are of little or no value. Let's educate people and minimize those treatments so that all can have health care access.
He is correct
posted by marvinlzinn on 04 Dec 2011 at 1:53 pm
This is obvious, and applies to the entire federal government. That is a lot of the reason why we are so much in debt.
If I were president, my first effort would be to cut the government size in half. With that, we could still do all essentials we do now, with a lot less taxes.
Why not learn from the UK?
posted by Elizabeth Skelton on 04 Dec 2011 at 2:35 pm
My husband and I own a B&B near Yosemite National Park. We get hundreds of guests from all over the world and we talk about our world's problems. Virtually every country (even small Central American countries) have better health care programs than we do in the US! Why not study the UK's system and adopt what works, and remedy the parts that don't? Our UK guests are very happy with their system and appalled at the cost of paying for insurance here...especially for the supplementary policies those of us over 65 pay to cover what Medicare does not cover, and dental and eye care. What Dr. Berwick says is true, not just political jargon...we hear it straight from ordinary citizens from around the world, especially from the UK. Let's change our system...the UK has been working on their systm for years. Why not learn from it?
Elizabeth Skelton, retired public school teacher
Rationing
posted by Robert on 04 Dec 2011 at 2:36 pm
This article could be summarized like this: rationing of Heath care on its way.
waste
posted by Peter on 04 Dec 2011 at 2:39 pm
As a psychiatric nurse I see Patients, (most of whom are on medicare or medicaid) housed for months at $1500+ a day for no legitimate reason other than they are homeless. These folks could be housed at the finest hotel in the area for less. There has to be a much higher level of scrutiny before these patients are admitted. It often seems as if the hospital merely wants to fill beds. Private insurance companies hold the hospital to a higher level and will withold payment for such admissions. In my opinion hospitals are scamming medicare.
Our real enemy
posted by Walt Clayton on 04 Dec 2011 at 3:35 pm
The US government today is America's real and biggest enemy, aided and abetted by Congress and Big Business.
Waste - moon mission?
posted by Goldhoarder on 04 Dec 2011 at 4:58 pm
Ummm... How did putting a man on the moon justify the expense? Hell... If you take Nasa's budgetfor the last 50 years and putit to healthcare maybe we wouldn't be having this discussion. But I suppose we had star trek fantasies to pursue.
Patients are key to saving billions!!!
posted by Jim Hudson on 06 Dec 2011 at 9:05 am
Under Medicare and Medicaid, there is NO incentive for patients and family members to check hospital, physician, home health care and other medical bills for accuracy! We do this with our restaurant bills! Our auto repairs bills, etc.! Until this simple human step is restored to the system, forget about controlling fraud, waste and abuse. Give the patient 5% for every $100 saved and watch tens of billions in overspending melt away!!!
TANF/Welfare/Healthcare - how to save money
posted by Lucy on 07 Dec 2011 at 7:49 pm
I pay $400 a month to cover myself only thru employer plan with $2500 deductible and $5000 out of pocket cost; Why is Ambulance changing $1000 to go 1 mile from my house to a local hospital? why does a local anesthesia cost $10K? Our government needs to stop paying TANF and welfare and free healthcare, food stamps, free housing/section 8 to people who have never worked in the USA PERIOD. Our costs are going up due to healthcare fraud.
Another thing about why healthcare costs are low in Europe and Asia? they have good public transportation and they walk! they do not have the same stress as we do; most don't have kids and they are healthier than the USA. Asia doesn't run to doctor for a simple cold; they know how to treat themselves with hot water, honey, and lemon and other organic ways with herbs/spices. Maybe we should learn from them.
Welfare waste and Not covering a RX that is needed
posted by Karen on 07 Dec 2011 at 9:56 pm
My insurance company does not cover my 87 dollar medicine and replace it with a 100.00 one. My son's insurance did not cover his 200.00 dollar medicine and pays for a 300.00 one.
My husband who suffered bi polar and depression was not given the medication his doctors ordered.But a band aid on the problem.Well he went on to kill someone and then kill himself.All he needed was proper medical care..... they just pushed him thru till he could not take it anymore.An innocent man died and my sick husband died due to neglect of his insurance company
No easy answers
posted by Jay on 09 Dec 2011 at 9:36 am
I have experience both professional and personal with Medicare and Medicaid. There are flaws in the system that need to be addressed and would improve both access and outcomes. I don't think having an overseer is the answer but having lots of over sight can be. In America it seems that the people who write the over sight rule write in the loop holes for themselves. There needs to be equity in the system.
Corruption
posted by Rick on 01 Jan 2012 at 6:46 pm
This says a lot more about corruption in the private industry rather than in government. Medical billing in general is rife with fraud, waste and abuse, and its time the government stop being so trusting with claims.
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