Gingrich "proud" of supporting Medicare Part D; a "stronger Medicare program"

[24Carat]

So do you favor the Medicare Part D expansion plan from 2003...?

I honestly can't answer that RB. I mean the follow along with almost private insurance is some sort of prescription plan.

Right now it's hilarious for us because of my wife's breast cancer 5 years ago we opted to pay for Cobra coverage after she was terminated because we needed the continuum of coverage because of the ridiculous "pre-existing conditions" clauses with any future carrier.

On this Cobra coverage it is minimum coverage with high deductibles. It's cheaper to tell the Walmart Pharmacy she doesn't have insurance and take advantage of their $4 for 30 day or $9 for 90 day scripts with generics. Un friggin believable.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Any time you get government (be is state or federal) involved in medicine it hoses everything up.

My three favorite examples of what our medical industry could be like without our ridiculous "insurance (which really isn't insurance)" and regulations are Dental, Vision, and Cosmetic Surgery.

I get coupons for "buy one get one" cosmetic surgery. One doctor will give me a TV if I get laser surgery at his office. There are dozens of dentists clamoring for my business.

Yet, GP and Family Medical hides behind of veil of negotiated cost secrecy that is carefully regulated individually by each state and complicated beyond all reason.

Dumb dumb dumb

 

[ViperJock]

I can't remember the specific % but a large percent (around 80% I think?) of our health care is spent on the last 2 weeks of life. Much of that is generated in the ICU or OR and on many many many labs, tests, and procedures.

Why?
1. Patients refuse to accept their own mortality
2. Patient families refuse to let the patient die due to a. the patient will no longer be sent pensions/SS/or other entitlements which the family uses. b. the family refuses to accept the patient's mortality and c. -the least common reason- the doctors refuse to accept the patient's mortality.
3. The Tort laws punish doctors for being compassionate and realistic instead of "taking heroic measures."

A few tips to decrease health care costs including medicare/medicaid expenditures:
1. Use a primary care physician instead of the emergency room unless you have a TRUE life threatening emergency.
2. Take your medications and follow the doctor's advise EARLY so you don't have to have surgical intervention LATE.
3. If a doctor's advice seems wrong, get a second opinion across town and don't rush into expensive tests such as a CT scan or MRI without having a good reason. --Many tests of this nature are ordered by doctors afraid to miss something they will get sued for but are really uneccesary.
4. Don't sue a doctor for a bad outcome which is beyond their control, only for real malpractice. Much of the "health care budget" is wasted on malpractice insurance and other "defensive" expenses due to the propensity of the public to sue.

One more thing to consider before you blindly cancel all medicare and medicaid accounts: There is a shortage of physicians and a dire shortage of GOOD physicians. Many of these primary care based physicians are barely getting by due to the large number of patients that do not pay or do not have insurance. While the rumors of physicians widely getting rich off of medicare is ridiculous (for example the cost of some equipment used is often more than the physician is reimbursed by medicare--not including their time). Most "medicare fraud" is not fraud but simply failure to adequately document what happened during the office visit due to the severe lack of time a PCP has with each patient in order to see enough patients to keep the doors open. POINT is; many of these dedicated PCPs rely on the crappy reimbursement they get from medicare to keep their doors open.

Fact: People will demand health care whethere they can pay or not.
Fact: Most physicians will take care of people regardless of ability to pay.
Fact: If medicare and medicaid go away, the number of physicians will dwindle simply because they cannot afford to work and they are smart enough to realize they can make more money with less hours and less hassle in another field.

Which means even we self-pay or well insured folks will have trouble getting adequate care.

I realize that in the black and white way that many of you think, this will be worth it for the moral victory but just wonder for a second if this is really what you want.

Disclaimer: I am not a PCP but in a position to understand their pain and financial situation.