Oh, not that mayo?
Posted on 01/04/2010 4:54:26 PM PST by Kaslin
Health Reform: President Obama suggested last summer that the Mayo Clinic was the model for government medical care. On Monday, the Mayo Clinic in Arizona stopped taking Medicare patients. Now what?
If the nonprofit Mayo Clinic is "what works," as the president believes, then it's clear that government health care doesn't. If Washington can't manage a system with fewer than 50 million participants well enough for those who paid for it to get care, then it sure can't run a program that will eventually include every person in the country.
Obama's comment didn't go unnoticed at the Mayo Clinic. While it supports some elements of health reform, the famed practice known for its high-quality care said that under the Democrats' reforms the "real losers will be the citizens of the United States."
Though the Democrats' plans for medical care haven't become law, the losing has already begun for the roughly 3,000 Medicare patients served by the Mayo Clinic in Glendale, Ariz.
They will either have to pay cash for medical services or find other doctors who still accept patients in the government's health care program for the elderly. Those aren't enviable choices.
One, no American who has paid into the Medicare system for his or her entire working life wants to begin paying for health care out of his or her own pocket. It's cruel to force workers to fund a system they can't draw benefits from.
Two, doctors everywhere, not just at the Arizona Mayo Clinic, are dropping Medicare patients because of the government's meager reimbursements. And the pace of doctors opting out of the system will only pick up if $500 billion is slashed from Medicare funding, as is planned in Washington's health care reform, putting even more elderly Americans at risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Look for the American Socialist Party controlled Congress to make it illegal to refuse Medicare under any circumstances.
This was mentioned at a Townhall held by Sen. Russ Feingold this AM before an angry collection of constituents. The statement was made that the Wisconsin reimbursement formula is 7% of 80% of the charge for the Doctor. We will not be able to find doctors at all very soon.
I should add that if you do the math: If the bill is $100, Medicare says that 80% = $80 and they will reimburse the doctor $7. The rest is paid by medigap insureance, co-pays, and out of pocket. Of course that medigap ins. is mostly Medicare Advantage which they are taking away from us.
Students sharp enough to get in medical school have to be rethinking their choice. How many of our brightest will choose some other, less government controlled profession?
Oh, not that mayo?
What’s funny to me is that I saw the “other” Minnesota Senator (Amy Klobuchar) on TV a couple of weeks ago, and she was saying that the reason we need socialized medicine is that places like Florida don’t pay their fair share of the cost of taking care of the poor. On the other hand, the Mayo Clinic in her home state does a wonderful job of providing healthcare to those in need. She wants the State of Florida to start providing the same level of care that the State of Minnesota does thru the Mayo Clinic.
Interesting... any observations of Kommisar Feingold's responses to the pointed questions I'm sure the crowd delivered?
And what was the response from Rusty?
Hold the medical care.
That is totally idiotic, but not surprising from a liberal. I can only shake my head over such stupidity
Oh absolutely. It's probably already in the 2,000+ pages. Since when are slaves allowed to choose the work they do?
While Congress might try to force health care facilities to accept Medicare, I would expect that the Mayo Clinic and other major clinics will soon be opening facilities in foreign countries catering to moneyed Americans who will not tolerate the waiting and rationing of Obamacare.
Stepping in Obama’s face. Good
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
Thanks Kaslin, another great article from IBD!
I would love to hear more about Feingold’s town hall and the reception he received.
Feingold answered very few questions, and he lied about half of those. He came off as a slippery pol, but the good people of Ozaukee County did not buy any of it. I cannot tell you how many times that crowd (200-300) raked him over the coals about answering all their letters and emails with the same letter full of non-answers. But, he did say that if Wisconsin hospitals try to cut off Medicare patients (a la Mayo) that the Government “would have to act”.
I’ve been active politically for more than 20 years here, and I knew some of the people in the crowd. But there were a lot of people that I’ve never seen before, and they were all “mad as He** and not going to take it any more!”
He had only 2 supporters among those who spoke, and they came off badly. Both left before the meeting was over. The prevailing sentiment in the crowd was that they had become afraid fo their government for the first time in their lives.
Go to the Wiconsin page by clicking on Locale and scrolling down the page and clicking on Wisconsin. There are reports from two of us who attended the Town Halls today — one in Washington County and one in Ozaukee County.
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