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October 6, 2009
About those denials by private insurance companies (the Dems like to talk about)
Topics: Political News and commentariesOver the last few months the Democrats have been demonizing private health insurance companies and condemning them for denials of coverage, while touting the AMA's endorsement of the public option (which followed an appeal from the President and despite, according to ABC News, the fact that "some member physicians at the group's annual meeting [in June] likened the notion to communism").
However, via Big Government, as shown on page 5 of a 16-page report from the AMA's own 2008 National Health Insurer Report Card, of the eight insurers listed, Medicare is most likely to reject a claim, sending away 6.85% of requests. This is more than any private insurer and double that of the private insurers' average (click image to go to larger view)!
Clearly, the largest denier of claims is government-run Medicare, yet the government plans to add millions to the roles of government-run care and is cutting the funding to medical providers. This flies in the face of common sense, prudence, and what's necessary for good medical care. Had Obama invited doctors to his Rose Garden photo-op that were not died-in-the-wool Obamabots, and had bothered to ask them what they thought, he would have learned that government-run care is not what they support at all. That this is the case is evidenced by an opinion piece by physicians in yesterday's WSJ (one of the physicians is president of the American Medical Association from 2003-2004, is spokesman for the Coalition to Protect Patients' Rights, a group of more than 10,000 physicians):
We aren't among the doctors invited to a Rose Garden event today to "join the President in pushing for health insurance reform this year and [who] have offered their help and support," as a White House press release put it. It's unfortunate only supporters of the president's plans will be there. Mr. Obama has missed an opportunity to learn more about the real issues facing patients and doctors and to formulate a plan that truly puts patients in control with doctors as trusted advisers.Meanwhile, we already know that the Obama administration plans to cut Medicare payments to heart and cancer doctors by $1.4 billion next year, so if you have heart trouble or cancer, and live in a rural area, get ready to die waiting for care. But of course this is just a harbinger or what the disaster that is to come under government-run health care.The United States has the best health care in the world today, and thanks to the ever-expanding frontiers of science and medical innovation the brightest days are ahead. It is true that there are Americans who fall through the cracks of our medical system every day--and as a caring nation, we must do what we can to expand access to medical care to those who need it. But this can be accomplished without a costly and inefficient government overhaul of the entire system. One easy reform would be to enable individuals to buy policies offered in any state, not just where they live. This will enhance competition. But more government-run health insurance will only lead to disaster.
Today, Medicare already reimburses doctors less than what many of their treatments cost to provide. Now the government is saying that additional Medicare cuts are coming--thus forcing doctors to try and make up the difference in volume, by seeing more patients. If you ask patients about this, they understand that more volume means less time with the doctor. That's something that all patients and doctors should oppose. In time, it will be difficult to find a physician.
If the goal of reform is to provide the best possible patient care, let's take the government-controlled "public option"--and any legislative trick that could lead to a public option--off the table. It will result in long waiting lines to see a doctor, substandard care, and an end to medical discovery.
H/t - William Teach
Posted by Abdul at October 6, 2009 8:28 AM
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