Real Cost Cutting in Healthcare
Jul 30th, 2009 by Timothy Pancoast
This is an AP story about some immediate health care costs that are being cut. Keep in mind this is happening without any new legislation needing to be passed. I am all for finding people who are breaking the law and arresting them. As with other situations, simply enforcing the existing laws will go a long ways to solving our challenges in health care.
I think it is a shame that there are people with so little care for their fellow citizens that they engage in such practices of Medicare fraud. Then we have to spend millions in resources in order to regain some of the billions we are loosing from such scams. The Bush Administration started this program and the Obama Administration has expanded it. While I have done very little research into the program, the information I have seen suggests that it is money well spent.
The first strike force started in 2007 in Miami, a city authorities say is responsible for more than $3 billion a year in Medicare fraud. Clinic owners there would bill Medicare dozens of times for the same wheelchair, while never giving the medical equipment to patients.
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It’s the third major sweep since Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced in May they were adding millions of dollars and dozens of agents to combat a problem that costs the U.S. billions each year.
On a side note, I have heard it said several times that some doctors prefer Medicare and other government health care programs to working with private insurures. Even though Medicare may pay less for procedures doctors favor it because it is less of a hassle than dealing with private insurance companies over payment claims. From reports such as this it appears that the comparative ease of settling claims for payments through the medicare system is a double edge sword to the American taxpayer.
Many people point to the low admin charges of Medicare and they forget the $50-60 billion in fraud every year.
http://delawarerepublican.wordpress.com/drtv/
Mike Protack
“…the comparative ease of settling claims for payments through the medicare system…”
I see a ton of TV ads for diabetes kits, scooters, etc. where they promise they’ll bill Medicare directly “if you qualify” or provide you with the product for free – which leads me to believe that pretty much everybody qualifies. I’m not calling Wilford Brimley a scam artist, but it sure seems like there’s little or no oversight involved.
I have seen reports that call into question the huge fraud claims in Medicare. Most of it does not seem to be fraud, but different ways of billing. If you can legitimately bill something in another category or in two categories to get the money owed you, that is not fraud. The fraudaphobes want everyone to choose the lowest possible outlay.
I will give you an example suppose you own a medical transport company and have to take an ambulance call which takes you out of state. The company on the other side of the border would get 20% more for a call than you because of the formula. You get a ruling that says that you can choose which state you bill in if two states are involved. The people in the studies assume that you are committing fraud or waste if you don’t choose the lowest state reimbursement available.
That is nonsense. That is not even something that needs to be fixed. The same goes for medical procedures. When something can fall under two legitimate classifications, of course the doctor will choose the one that pays best. I think that there is an agenda to undermine the fee for service structure and put doctors on a salary. You heard hints of that in the President’s press conference.
Want to save money? Do what the British and Canadians do; just tell the elderly that they’re too old to spend healthcare ‘resources’ on. Simple (this is why the cancer survival rate is so much lower in socialized countries).
I believe your statement is patently false, Rick. I have never heard that complaint made, from any of the Brits or Canadians I’ve ever encountered. Whatever, in the least, you need to reference your claim in order to have some credibility. I don’t think you can.
I believe your statement is patently false, Rick.
Who cares what you believe? Try reading something other than left-wing drivel.