Hospitals / Doctors now refusing to take Medicare

[Dan40]

Originally Posted by Ron61

Dan,

Lets use $1000 a month as a family coverage cost or $12,000 per year. I like your ideas but that would be more than 1/2 of many retired and disabled peoples incomes around here. And with no Cost of Living increase on their Social Security for two years many of them are really hurting as they raised their Medicare Premiums and that lowered the amount they do get. And contrary to what the politicians said, the cost of living for seniors did go up just as it did for them. Myself I would never use my insurance for anything but a huge hospital or medical bill, and believe me I have paid a ton of medical bills the past few years. I would like to see some fair way to have people covered but this pork bill is not it IMHO.
But some of the people that I know get around $1500 a month and that is all they have for income and they still have to pay the ever increasing utility, grocery, and other bills. Take even $500 of that away from them and they are not going to be able to make it. And I am talking of people that own their homes and don't have house payments or car payments but exist within their means. I am more fortunate than many and know it, but I still hate to see people forced to buy something they can't afford.

Ron

I was referring to Ernie's imaginary group that cannot afford insurance. Not those on Medicare. If the Government wanted to help those on Medicare all they have to do is eliminate Medicare Supplement insurance so people would stop wasting money on supplements. [the same supplements that made me over $100,000.00 a year by themselves.] and which I do not own one now that I'm on Medicare. Supplements cost Medicare beneficiaries from $100 to $400 per month. A waste of money, Medicare is good insurance by itself.
Supplements are part of the first dollar coverage problem. Same as Major Medical Plans, Cadillac or not, for people under 65.
It is simple, if any insurance is going to cover anyone from the first dollar on, the insurance company MUST charge more than a dollar for every dollar covered. Regardless if they ever have to pay a claim or not.
Catastrophic coverage means the sick have an exposure LESS than their un-affordable insurance premium. The healthy save that premium expense. Those that cannot afford coverage now have a shot at a much lower premium. (Some would remain uncovered, but perhaps fewer than REMAIN exposed under the ridiculous plans proposed by our idiot legislators). And MEDICAL costs would be pressured down by competition.

Insist on first dollar and Government coverage as Ernie does and costs and problems are GUARANTEED to increase. 200 years of Government programs history has taught all but the liberals, that is a certainty.