Mayo Says: Hold The Medicare

IBD's Capital Hill ^ | 12/31/2009 | Ed Carson

[Slyscribe]

The Mayo Clinic will stop accepting Medicare patients at one of its primary care clinics in Arizona. Why? The government doesn’t pay enough: [snip] This is nothing compared to what might happen under Democratic health overhaul plans, which would slash Medicare spending by nearly $500 billion over 10 years.

[Praxeologue]

I clicked through to the Bloomberg article and found this:

A Medicare patient who chooses to stay at Mayo’s Glendale clinic will pay about $1,500 a year for an annual physical and three other doctor visits, according to an October letter from the facility. Each patient also will be assessed a $250 annual administrative fee, according to the letter.

[FlyVet]

It will be interesting to see how the government tries to retaliate.

That's easy. Punishment shalt be additional taxes and expensive regulations.

The critters are so transparent. If they get their public "option" through the sausage grinder, the next step is to force everyone onto the "option" by making everything else too expensive.

[Leisler]

Make medical licenses, nurse and other certificates, federal.

No one forces you to be a Physician, nurse, tech......duty, greedy Dr’s, 60 Minutes horror stories, NY Times/MSM. Making the New Jews/People’s enemies,ect.

I don’t see any problem with crystallizing these views with in the American sheeple.

[gibsosa]

bump

[traditional1]

That's okay; wait until the Regulations say you can't charge over X $ for treatment, to drive ALL non-government insurance out of business.

That's the PLAN.

[Praxeologue]

So if I paid the Mayo supplemental, above, what would happen when I’m rushed to the hospital with chronic Conservatism? Could the surgeon, as the Bloomberg article suggests, refuse to treat me because I am a MediCare patient? I guess the answer is that there is probably some supplemental plan for that.

[arkady_renko]

for later

[chris_bdba]

Only a matter of time for most doctors to quit taking it.

[gas_dr]

Couldn’t a patient use Medicare and then top it up with an additional cash payment to satisfy Mayo’s requirements? Or is that not allowed under the Medicare program?

This is illegal under medicare. This is called balance billing and if a physician does this, he is subject to $10,000 fine per incident and 2 years in prison for each occurence. So the government literally holds us at the point of a gun, nice, eh?

[Sacajaweau]

And when you sign up....They take $96.40 out of your SS check every month.

[ColdOne]

Didn’t Our Dear Reader have a speech at said Mayo Clinic link

http://healthpolicyblog.mayoclinic.org/2009/09/09/mayo-clinic-reaction-to-president-obamas-speech-september-9/

[dumpthelibs]

Welcome to Menglecare. Thank all your Obama voting friends out there. When the rest of America grows a pair and we decide to take back the country, make sure to kick each of them in the groin as a reminder of what this bastard has done to our country and tell them the are getting off lucky.

[darkwing104]

Could the surgeon, as the Bloomberg article suggests, refuse to treat me because I am a MediCare patient?

The surgeon can refuse for any reason but won't in this case, the Surgeon knows he will be getting paid by anyone with a supplemental policy. AARP made a fortune by selling Medicare Supplemental Insurance to the elderly. The reason why they supported the Obama Hellcare plan it would grant them a monopoly on Mdicare supplemental Insurance for Senior Citizens.

If anyone needs to see a Doctor for anything there is always a way but not always free.

I don't know if there is a supplemental Insurance policies in Canada as they are in the U.S.

[calex59]

You are wrong. Everyone gets part A(which is hospital only)but part B and D are optional and A does not require a payment.

[browniexyz]

If you don’t sign up for Part A of Medicare (hospitalization), you lose your Social Security benefits. THere’s a lawsuit over this— Hall v. Sebelius. See www.thefundforpersonalliberty.org. for details.

[TribalPrincess2U]

The big azz hippo needs the money for shoes. #*)&#@#

[Ethrane]

Not allowed.

[tutstar]

yep

[CriticalJ]

Interesting.

More and more private physicians are doing the same.

[ladyjane]

Just look at what they did to Bank of America chairman Ken Lewis after he testified (under oath) that he had been threatened by them.