Posted on 10/08/2020 7:32:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Two weeks ago, I was in a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence to talk about some of the issues facing our great nation. Our discussion ranged from the Supreme Court nomination to the COVID-19 pandemic and included an outline of the America First Health Plan, President Trump's plan for the future of our health care system.
I have to say, I was impressed with the Trump administration's approach to health care, and I think Ohioans have a lot more to look forward to when it comes to improving our access to quality care.
I say "more," because President Trump has already done much to improve the state of our health care system. Working with a Republican-controlled Congress, President Trump reduced Obamacare's individual mandate, the mechanism used to force individuals to purchase a qualifying health plan or risk paying a hefty fine, to a cost of zero. This action has effectively rendered Obamacare powerless, yet many of the ill effects of the law — skyrocketing premiums, narrowing networks, reduced choice, and the inability to keep your doctor — have remained.
To foster competition, increase consumer access and control, and lower costs, the Trump administration has embraced patient-centered reforms through executive action and regulation. Perhaps most notably to Ohioans, President Trump's price transparency rules finally provided the breakthrough we needed on state law designed to prevent surprise medical bills.
And while various special interest groups are attempting to block these rules from going into effect, the fact remains that President Trump is moving the ball forward on the fight to improve patient knowledge and control over health care costs.
The Trump administration has also expanded association health plans (AHPs) to improve consumer access to affordable health insurance plans.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
A friend recently died of cancer. The week he died, out-of-the-blue, the hospital sent his wife a bill for $75K for items supposedly not covered by insurance. No one approved the activities covered by these charges, no notice was given they would be charged, no alternatives were offered, no price comparisons were made.
America’s medical system of 3rd party payment, cost-shifting, massive tort involvement, and above all, massive government payments and regulation, have created a monster.
There is no way to reform this monster. The only option is to let a completely cash, free-choice, doctor-patient only system to develop alongside it
RE: the hospital sent his wife a bill for $75K for items supposedly not covered by insurance.
Question: What if she can’t pay? What will the hospital do?
What will the hospital do?
__________________
When something similar happened to us, the hospital accepted whatever payments we could make for as long as it took.
Some require a lien against a house, but the surviving spouse can stay as long as they live. In the event they sell the house, the hospital takes the amount due out of the profit. This happened to people I know.
I don’t believe she can pay, not without selling every asset that remains. What will the hospital do? I believe its a standard ploy. They will try to get “something” out of her, or have her pressure her insurance carrier to cover more.
Everything is broken down into billing codes. The hospital or provider creates its “list price" for a procedure. Of course, they too have costs, and particularly urban hospitals, they lose a lot of money on uninsured people, illegals, etc... who can’t and don’t pay.
So they create absurdly high “list prices” to cover these, but then have greatly discounted and mandated rates for each procedure the government pays for, same with rates paid by insurance companies. The average person, being completely unfamiliar with medical technology and the thousands of billing codes, and never having been notified or involved in the process, then gets a bill for the “list price” (or a deductible based on them) and is completely shocked.
Its completely absurd. I would appreciate anyone with more knowledge to correct or expand on this.
“Question: What if she can’t pay? What will the hospital do?”
They will give her a voter registration form and she can fill it out saying she’s a non-citizen and intends to voter democrat any way....the bill will be dropped.
One might also see if the insurance didn’t cover it or only allowed x% of it...if the latter, the hospital is breaking the law - if the hospital knew that the insurance would only allow a smaller amount and opted to not file it, the hospital broke the law.
If she never got a statement from insurance saying she owed the money, then the insurance never got the filing....hospitals will try to screw folks over like that...while catering to illegals...
Telehealth is NOT healthcare. It is not even a placebo. Trump needs to rebuild med schools where docs learn to look and see, listen and hear, touch and feel. Learn from mentors, do basic treatments and exams and fill the country with family physicians who have access and power in the hospitals to take care of their own patients as and how dr. sees fit.
Now patients usually go to a hospital where a hospitalist, answerable to a corporate owned for profit group of people whose first loyalty is to the dollar, not the patient.
Obamacare = No Care
They'll come out and repossess her dead husband.
Don’t give them any ideas!
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