do they still take welfare??? cause welfare pays even less than medicare...
Posted on 01/01/2010 6:19:22 AM PST by markomalley
About 3,000 Medicare patients who’ve been getting care at a Mayo Clinic facility in Arizona will have to pay out of their own pocket or find another doctor.
Starting in 2010 (i.e., next week), the five primary care docs at a Mayo outpost in Glendale, Ariz. will stop accepting Medicare. Patients in the program who choose to stick around will be on the hook for about $1,500 per year, Mayo spokesman Michael Yardley told the Health Blog. The clinic expects that most of the patients will find another place to get their primary care.
“We know it’s been incredibly difficult for our patients,” Yardley said.
Medicare typically pays doctors lower rates than private insurance companies. That makes some docs reluctant to accept Medicare patients, and can sometimes make it hard for Medicare patients to find primary care. Medicare covers about half the cost of a primary care visit at Mayo, while private insurance typically covers the whole cost, according to Yardley.
The new Medicare policy applies only to the Glendale facility, but it eventually could be expanded to other sites where Mayo provides primary care. Hospitalization and specialty care won’t be affected.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
No, I'm not holding my breath.
(BTW, I saw the topic on Drudge, but the article linked was a Bloomberg article, not postable to FR)
The future of obamdontcare.
This is nothing new. Many private health care providers reject new Medicare patients for the same reason. Of course Congress will use this as justification to nationalize health care.
I sent my 2 Senators and Congressman a link to the article by e-mail. Here is the link for anyone who wants to do the same:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHoYSI84VdL0
got that right.
Actually you can still see a primary doc that doesn’t take Medicare. You pay for your visits out of pocket and then the doc bills Medicare for you. Medicare then sends you a check for the amout they will pay for the visit.
My doc stopped taking Medicare years ago and that is how she explained it to me.
One of the older ladies at my church can’t find a doctor in the Memphis, TN area that will take her Medicare. This is not an isolated incident, it is happening widely, it is just not being REPORTED by the obaminite worshipers...pressitutes.
do they still take welfare??? cause welfare pays even less than medicare...
She will have to seek out a primary care physician who works for a "nonprofit" hospital or facility. Many docs in private practice are taking this route, and I can't blame them.
Yep and they want to cut it even more. They won’t go after those who are scamming the system (might be discriminatory don’t ya know). Instead, they will make it so nobody can get covered even though we’ve been paying the system for 40 plus years.
Make all medical payments CASH - and prices will drop quickly and access will increase.
Medicare typically pays doctors lower rates than private insurance companies. That makes some docs reluctant to accept Medicare patients, and can sometimes make it hard for Medicare patients to find primary care. Medicare covers about half the cost of a primary care visit at Mayo, while private insurance typically covers the whole cost, according to Yardley. The new Medicare policy applies only to the Glendale facility...Thanks markomalley.
...and it starts......
Exactly. Mayo is handing the gubbermint the rope with which they will eventually hang.
We went to the Mayo Clinic in Glendale about five months ago. They didn’t take Medicare then. I don’t know what’s different. But we paid out of pocket, then Medicare and my hubby’s supplement paid about 95% of it. It was pretty painless.
All Congress needs to do is take over the management at Mayo and order the employees to keep taking the patients. These people need to be told it isn't their job(s) to whine or complain or even make a buck.
Their job is to care for people at prices the Health Czar says is right. Then their job is to like it.
If any docs try to leave, put 'em in the slammer.
What could be easier?
We spent a couple of hours last night with some doc friends (married couple). Granholm and the dems in Michigan suggested taxing doctors on their gross revenue of about 4%. My friend informed me that dozens of private practice docs immediately applied for medical licenses out of state. My friend also informed me that as a sole doc in his office, he has 2 PA’s, 4 nurses, 2 people involved in billing and coding (paper pushers for medicare). His personal salary is about 9% of his gross receipts and the dems want to take half of it. Sad.
Both used to be pro dems and probably voted obama. THe wife said she couldn’t support McCain because of Palin who didn’t have much between the ears. After a few minutes of my explaining leadership principles, I believe she see Palin in a totally different light. Basically, Palin has CORE principles and makes decisions based on those.
We also discussed the AMA which both do not like. Statement: ALl you get from the AMA is a bunch of junk mail trying to sell you insurance or a great car deal and a poorly written magazine with a bad picture on the front every month.
There is hope. My post was to point out the taxing of Doctors and their initial reaction to leave the State.
You laugh, but back when I was in college (in the 70s), I ran into a guy who absolutely touted the system they had in place at the time in Albania. He said that the government tested the kids coming out of high school and determined which should be doctors, which should be engineers, and so on (the ones unqualified to do anything else would work on the collective farms).
I remember asking what would happen if a kid didn't want to be what the government chose for him...the response: "they shoot him."
Deadpan...no wink, no nod, no embarrassment, just matter of a fact.
It’s sad, isn’t it? I work for a non-profit medical company and everyone around me voted for Obama. They were so thrilled at his “historic election.” Now they aren’t saying anything at all, so I don’t know what they’re thinking. You would think people in the medical profession who are supposed to be so smart would actually be... smarter.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.