Partial U.S. Government shutdown

[RICHARD]

But what should happen to those people?

Are you talking to me?

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The government should intervene and freeze HC costs - reform HC laws and give tax breaks to companies who can LOWER costs to the industries and patients.

Start gov't. funded clinics and hospitals and tell people who enter the field that they will get their tuitions funded or paid for if they complete their schooling and practice for, what 5 years, in a HC setting, otherwise they pay for their schooling.

Again, I am not against giving people QUALITY HEALTH CARE. It's the way that pompous politicians push a law into being with out knowing how it will impact a vital part of everyday life.

I love it when people take the "it's law, too bad" stance....It shows that a person with a staff can get them to any pasture they desire.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Some of your suggestions are already in place. There is currently a program that will pay the student loans of healthcare providers who practice in a medically underserved area. Unfortunately not nearly enough people take advantage of the program, so patients remain without access to health care. Many of the providers make more money working in areas with higher concentrations of medical providers, so the incentive of having their education paid off doesn't always work.

[RICHARD]

Some of your suggestions are already in place. There is currently a program that will pay the student loans of healthcare providers who practice in a medically underserved area. Unfortunately not nearly enough people take advantage of the program, so patients remain without access to health care. Many of the providers make more money working in areas with higher concentrations of medical providers, so the incentive of having their education paid off doesn't always work.

Talk to a Dr/Phys about why they are overworked and the paper BS from the gov't., ask them about being sued and why so many OBs are dropping their practices for something more "Non Sue-able". There are TONS of ethnic doctors now - they come to the U.S. to practice - people here in the U.S. are too lazy and want a 6-7 figure income because they watch too many TV shows that make it look 'easy'.

[Lady's Human]

The ideal solution to this?

468 new butts occupying seats after the midterm. (435 representatives plus roughly 33 Senate seats that are in play every 2 years)

It won't happen, but it's the only real solution.

[cassiesmom]

Talk to a Dr/Phys about why they are overworked and the paper BS from the gov't., ask them about being sued and why so many OBs are dropping their practices for something more "Non Sue-able". There are TONS of ethnic doctors now - they come to the U.S. to practice - people here in the U.S. are too lazy and want a 6-7 figure income because they watch too many TV shows that make it look 'easy'.

I don't think the paper BS is just from the government. I'm guilty of having generated plenty of it while working for health insurance companies. They can't spend time caring for patients because there is so much administrative work to do. Phone calls, letters, reports, documentation. I could go on and on. It's just a mess.

My upstairs neighbor is having a total knee replacement, I'm not exactly sure when. Her surgeon is a maverick. He doesn't accept insurance, he doesn't accept Medicare. He only takes patients who are willing to pay upfront. This is what the fee is, take it or leave it. He's also really good, so he can get away with it. You pay the fee (in full, before you go to the OR), you submit the documentation to your insurance(s), and they do their thing. If that doesn't work for you, here's a list of surgeons in the practice who accept Medicare and/or insurance. The hospital where he operates takes Medicare and most insurances. I asked my neighbor's husband what happens if the doctor makes a mistake and she ends up needing more care? Who pays then? He promised to find out for me.

[RICHARD]

I don't think the paper BS is just from the government. I'm guilty of having generated plenty of it while working for health insurance companies. They can't spend time caring for patients because there is so much administrative work to do. Phone calls, letters, reports, documentation. I could go on and on. It's just a mess.

My upstairs neighbor is having a total knee replacement, I'm not exactly sure when. Her surgeon is a maverick. He doesn't accept insurance, he doesn't accept Medicare. He only takes patients who are willing to pay upfront. This is what the fee is, take it or leave it. He's also really good, so he can get away with it. You pay the fee (in full, before you go to the OR), you submit the documentation to your insurance(s), and they do their thing. If that doesn't work for you, here's a list of surgeons in the practice who accept Medicare and/or insurance. The hospital where he operates takes Medicare and most insurances. I asked my neighbor's husband what happens if the doctor makes a mistake and she ends up needing more care? Who pays then? He promised to find out for me.

The paperwork must get done. I know, I made and pushed 30 years worth.

The government BS is DRGs.

I have done this before but everyone needs to know this.

A Diagnosis Related Group/ICD are codes assigned to illnesses that the government standardizes. The hospital bill according to those codes. Each code has an assigned average as to how many days a patient, with that illness, can stay in the hospital.

If you have an appendectomy the hospital bills for two days, If you get peritonitis, you get more time, but it that peritonitis is really bad, they have to code another illness to make sure they make money on that stay. Otherwise, they lose money.

The doctor signs an attestation saying that his diagnosis and other stuff is correct and the forms that I remember had the "This needs to be correct our we are going to fine you......."

The doc is under the gun to make 'sure' you are out of the hospital no longer than deemed necessary. The hospitals lean heavily on them to get people out. (I remember seeing people being discharged, then coming back in to the hospital a few days later, to start a new billing for their sickness, all because the docs could not keep them in the hospital.)

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At one point, physicians were asked not order tests, as a cost saving measure. One doctor leaked the memo and people were very upset with that news.

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Knee replacements? Holy poop!

Some Ortho surgeries are a scam.

Our hospital deemed it a good thing to rent all the drills and saws. When one broke, we had to send it out to be fixed and the 'salesperson' would bring a replacement in and charge for the repair of the tool, bringing in a new one and bringing the repaired implement back.

Do not talk about the cost of pins, screws and rods. Suture sales people are also scammers.

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Look at your next hospital bill and ASK FOR A DETAILED BILL.

These days a hospital charges on an "average admission".

A computer tracks all the supplies for an admitting diagnosis and prints out a 'pick list' as to what they assume you will need.

So, If you deliver a baby and go home in a few hours? You will be billed for the supplies that the use on average for a delivery.....




So, the influx of 50 million people, into a system that is barely slogging along, is very disconcerting and not a very good idea.

[Bonny]

The paperwork must get done. I know, I made and pushed 30 years worth.

The government BS is DRGs.

I have done this before but everyone needs to know this.

A Diagnosis Related Group/ICD are codes assigned to illnesses that the government standardizes. The hospital bill according to those codes. Each code has an assigned average as to how many days a patient, with that illness, can stay in the hospital.

If you have an appendectomy the hospital bills for two days, If you get peritonitis, you get more time, but it that peritonitis is really bad, they have to code another illness to make sure they make money on that stay. Otherwise, they lose money.

The doctor signs an attestation saying that his diagnosis and other stuff is correct and the forms that I remember had the "This needs to be correct our we are going to fine you......."

The doc is under the gun to make 'sure' you are out of the hospital no longer than deemed necessary. The hospitals lean heavily on them to get people out. (I remember seeing people being discharged, then coming back in to the hospital a few days later, to start a new billing for their sickness, all because the docs could not keep them in the hospital.)

--------------

At one point, physicians were asked not order tests, as a cost saving measure. One doctor leaked the memo and people were very upset with that news.

---------------


Knee replacements? Holy poop!

Some Ortho surgeries are a scam.

Our hospital deemed it a good thing to rent all the drills and saws. When one broke, we had to send it out to be fixed and the 'salesperson' would bring a replacement in and charge for the repair of the tool, bringing in a new one and bringing the repaired implement back.

Do not talk about the cost of pins, screws and rods. Suture sales people are also scammers.

--------------------

Look at your next hospital bill and ASK FOR A DETAILED BILL.

These days a hospital charges on an "average admission".

A computer tracks all the supplies for an admitting diagnosis and prints out a 'pick list' as to what they assume you will need.

So, If you deliver a baby and go home in a few hours? You will be billed for the supplies that the use on average for a delivery.....




So, the influx of 50 million people, into a system that is barely slogging along, is very disconcerting and not a very good idea.

You mention the government standardizes what goes down as how far the doctor can go treating a patient with codes, is this for people who don't have any insurance? We have a supplement insurance along with medicare. I have seen where the hospital must of overcharged & ended up writing if off.

[Lady's Human]

What truly amazes me in all this is that people have allowed the Federal Government so much control and influence in their day to day lives that this is a crisis.

The Federal Government was never supposed to be the overarching solution to people's problems in the United States, but rather a solution of last resort. When the Government taking a few days off is a crisis, we really need to look deeply into the problem, and get beyond the hysteria.

Had the Senate and the House been able to do their Constitutionally mandated job and pass a budget without the hyper-partisan poison pills that BOTH sides immerse into the legislation, we wouldn't be here.

NO BUDGET for 4 years is an unacceptable situation. There shouldn't have to be any continuing resolutions, shouldn't have to be constant debt increase crises, but both sides prefer to score political points rather than enact a semi-permanent solution.

Unless most of the Congressional incumbents fail to win reelection, they've proven that the voters of this nation are fools. As it is, they have single digit approval ratings, but a 90%+ reelection rate. The proof is in the election results. As a nation, we're irate with the status quo when polled, but we're too damned lazy to DO anything about it.