Healthwise Today » Politics

Healthcare Reform

bjmdjd — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:43:00 +0000

When I started this blog I didn’t promise that I would never get political or that occasionally there wouldn’t be a personal rant of some sort published. But I simply refuse to lower myself to the level of those who try to make everything partisan and resort to name calling. I’m afraid that I would need to do both of those things to adequately discuss my feelings about the passage of the healthcare reform bill. Not about healthcare reform which I support but about passage of the healthcare reform bill. Therefore, I won’t do it. It’s been talked to death anyway. bjmdjd

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Healthcare Reform?

bjmdjd — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:00:23 +0000

Frankly I’m so disgusted that I just don’t have anything to say right now! I had plenty to say (not about reform) but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. bjmdjd

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Healthcare Reform Next Week?

bjmdjd — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:27:22 +0000

Well it appears that healthcare reform may come to a head next week. President Obama has said that he wants a vote on March 18th before he leaves for an overseas trip. Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid has sent a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outlining the Democrats plan to use the much talked about budget reconciliation plan to pass healthcare reform. That means that they can pass it with a simple majority vote rather than the 60 votes needed for a supermajority to prevent a Republican filibuster. The Democrats no longer have the needed 60 votes due to the election of a republican to replace the late Senator Edward Kennedy.

To complicate matters the day before Senator Reid sent his letter the 41 Senate Republicans signed a letter condemning the use of the reconciliation process to pass a partisan bill that represents one sixth of the economy. They say that the Senates “Byrd Rule” prevents the use of reconciliation to do anything other than revise the federal budget.

It’s heating up and we may all have our answer next week. It doesn’t seem to matter to many in Washington that it appears that the majority of Americans want healthcare reform, just not the one that they may be getting ready to vote on. bjmdjd

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Thanks Senator Bunning (Finally)!

bjmdjd — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:14:13 +0000

As I predicted the Medicare disaster that I wrote about on 2/27/10 was averted when President Obama signed a bill postponing the physician pay cut of 21.2% until April 1st. Kentucky Senator Bunning had the bill held up along with several important attachments (like the unemployment benefits extension) until the Democrats could prove to him that they had a way to pay for it.

Organized medicine is still not pleased. There is something called the sustainable growth rate formula that is used to determine Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians. This formula is the reason that these pay cuts come up frequently and the congress has to waste time repealing or postponing them which is always what they end up doing. While this is responsible on their part and needs to be done, they could avoid the entire issue by permanently repealing the formula. Organized medicine has begged for this for some time.

Anyway all is well for the time being and hopefully congress will come up with a more permanent fix to the problem before April 1st. And hopefully Medicare patients will be able to get doctors appointments between now and then. bjmdjd

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Medicare Disaster Is Near!

bjmdjd — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:32:06 +0000

If you are a Medicare patient you need to know that a Medicare disaster is on the verge of occurring. The Senate adjourned before approving a bill that would prevent a 21.2% physician pay cut from becoming effective on Monday March 1, 2010.

To their credit (for once) Democrats have tried for months to pass legislation that would prevent this from happening but once again this past week they were thwarted by Republican Senator Jim Bunning from Kentucky. He stated that he just could not support this bill with all of it’s other expensive attachments because the Democrats had not figured out a way to pay for it and thus it would increase the deficit.

The bill was going to delay the pay cut for 30 days until something more permanent could be studied and possibly passed. Most physician groups have supported passage of a bill that permanently fixes this recurring pay cut problem.

If physicians are to be believed, it may be hard to get a doctor’s appointment as early as next week. I don’t think I am going out on a limb by saying that if the pay cut occurs, a primary care physician will LOSE money every time a Medicare patient walks in their office. NOT make less money, LOSE money! The average Joe may not believe it but it’s true!

I have no doubt that something will be done. Medicare payors have already informed physicians that if the pay cut occurs they will hold all Medicare claims for 10 business days starting Monday giving the Senate time to fix the problem and make it retroactive to March 1st.

If the physician pay fix doesn’t become a done deal, woe to those (including me) who need a doctor and their payor is Medicare! bjmdjd

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The Healthcare Summit

bjmdjd — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:51:09 +0000

Well, I was correct but I’m sorry I was! The Healthcare Summit was a complete waste of time and C-Span broadcast resources. The only thing that I got from it was that the Democrats told everyone that they were going to pass the current bill no matter who opposes it!

As for me I’m sick on my stomach! You can read the details somewhere else (if you have the time to waste and the stomach for it)! bjmdjd

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White House Summit

bjmdjd — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:15:10 +0000

The big televised While House health summit with the president and congressional republicans and democrats will be held this coming Thursday. Due to the fact that I fully expect this event to be a disaster and not accomplish anything, I just don’t have the stomach to write about it. Sorry. Maybe I’ll be wrong and later this week I can write about what a success it was. bjmdjd

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Massachusetts And Healthcare Reform

bjmdjd — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:17:38 +0000

Well, the voters in the bluest state in America have elected a republican to the long held “Kennedy senatorial seat” in Massachusetts. Many feel that the election is a statement on the job being done by President Obama. Even if you don’t believe that it’s hard not to believe that at least it is a statement on “Obamacare.”

It will be interesting to see what Pelosi and Reid try to do to get a healthcare billed passed before new Senator Brown arrives in town. His vote will assure a republican filibuster and an inability for the democrats to force their bill through without the approval and help of the republicans.

It will get ugly very soon. I would suspect that any democrat that helps on forcing a bill through before the new senator is seated may as well go ahead and start packing. Everyone, including me, supports healthcare reform but let’s sit back and take our time to get a good bill. Remember the rush to get the stimulus plan passed? As Dr. Phil says, “How’s that workin’ for ya?”

I say a resounding YES!!!!!!! to healthcare reform but let’s hope they pass a bill that will help the most Americans with the least negative impact on our national deficit. Wouldn’t that make the most sense? In the end though…something must be done! bjmdjd

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Sorry For This Rant

bjmdjd — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:43:56 +0000

While I said that I would try to keep politics out of this blog as much as possible, sometimes it can’t be helped. It’s a real shame that the healthcare conference committee will be held in private. Never mind that during the campaign President Obama promised that it would all be done in public and broadcast over C Span. By doing it behind closed doors the public will not be privy to all of the vile democratic wheeling and dealing that will take place to get their version of reform passed as the final bill. At least as much of it as possible. It would really be interesting to actually see how abortion and the public option fair during negotiations. It’s no wonder that several democrats have already said that they won’t run for reelection. The winds of change they are a blowin’. The only thing that will save dems up for reelection this year is if the economy turns around and folks forget about the rape called healthcare reform that is about to take place. The first time in history that a bill this important didn’t pass without bipartisan support. I wonder why? bjmdjd

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Hospital Bill Mistakes/The Democrats Have Done It

bjmdjd — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:16:12 +0000

Well with the gifts opened and the year coming to a close I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I took a few days off and I’m back and ready to share a few tid bits.

Sad but true! These are actual hospital charges that were discovered by the national organization, Medical Billing Advocates of America, while auditing various hospital bills over the past ten years.

1. $1004.50 for a toothbrush

2. $21.00 for a Disposable Mucous Recovery System (a box of tissues)

3. $57.00 for a Fog Reduction Elimination Device (a 2 x 2 inch piece of gauze used to wipe condensation off of optical lenses in the operating room)

4. $8.00 for Oral Administration Fee (the little cup your medication is dispensed in – not the med, just the cup)

5. $57.00 for a Cough Support Device (teddy bear)

6. A male patient being charged for labor/delivery room time.

7. $1,028.00 for a bottle of contrast solution that cost $2.80

The examples go on and on but normally aren’t this ridiculous.

Well, the Democrats have done it. After some despicable back room dealing by Harry Reid the Democrats have approved their version of healthcare reform during a final Christmas Eve vote. The hards work now begins as the legislation previously approved by the House must now be harmonized with the Senate version to come up with reform to be voted on by both houses of Congress. There is a lot of work to be done as abortion and the so called public option now have to be dealt with again. Both issues promise to cause major battles. If a final bill can be carved out and approved by votes in both the House and Senate it would go to President Obama for his signature. There is a lot of work to be done before this happens.

See ya soon with more! bjmdjd

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