Posted on 03/19/2014 7:49:27 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Doctors groups fear their members won’t get paid because of an unusual 90-day grace period for government-subsidized health plans and are urging physicians to check patients' insurance status before every visit.
“This puts the physician and their patients in a very difficult situation,” said Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven, president of the American Medical Association (AMA), which advised physicians Wednesday about how to minimize their risk.
“If a patient is being treated for a serious illness, that requires ongoing care,” she said. “The physician is having to assume the financial risk for this. That’s the bottom line.”
If an enrollee in a subsidized plan falls behind on their premium payments, the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover their medical bills for 30 days.
But for the next 60 days, insurers may “pend,” or hold off paying the claims -- and ultimately, deny them if the patient doesn't catch up on his premiums. That means doctors don’t get paid for their services. If the insurer ends up canceling the policy after 90 days, doctors can bill patients directly but may face difficulty collecting.
"The doctors get left holding the bag on pending claims," said Robert Laszewski, a former insurance executive and consultant.
(Excerpt) Read more at kaiserhealthnews.org ...
Thanks, Barack!
So don’t accept Zero Care insurance.
Too bad for the patients.
This same AMA and other medical groups ENDORSED Obamacare. I do not feel their pain.
I'll just bet that the AMA's lobbyists had their bills paid on time.
Guess they didn't read the bill either.
Saw a story where ‘Covered California’ patients are showing up at the doctors’ offices only to find a big notice at the reception desk that essentially says... “we don’t accept Obamacare”.
What is also interesting, the insurance companies are dragging their feet updating their lists of providers under these plans ... makes the plan look better with more docs, but when you arrive at the office, Obamacare card in hand, the docs have not signed contracts to provide care ... so happy hunting for a doc who will accept your insurance.
Wrecking things is so much easier than creating them.
Doctors are rich! They deserve to be stuck with the bills! /S
It’s why people are becoming tax lawyers and not doctors when Democrats get control and change laws.
This is another attempt for government to afford some to avoid their responsibility and to stick it to others.
I guess the government considers them the 1% that Democrats don’t like so they say “SCREW THEM”
Once again, we will follow Argentina or Bolivia.
Let’s have a doctors strike because the government doesn’t pay them. To see a doctor, you will have to pay money under the table.
Learn how people survive in the developing world. There is nothing new under the sun.
I read an interesting article recently. It said that if you have the ability to go to medical school, don't go to medical school. Go to dental school instead.
Dentists are STARVING and most are doing what they have to for their teeth.
I know some great dentists and their offices are mostly empty. By the time they pay liability insurance, for office space and staff I think in this recession/depression they are screwed.
If someone or something cannot do it’s job properly, FIRE THEM! So the government, it’s employees and certain programs need to be FIRED. OUT THE DOOR CHARLIE.
exactly!!! too damn late to cry about it now...
This is how you destroy what was a functioning but expensive health care system. Now it will be expensive and non-functioning.
my friend is a dental hygienist, and boy is she living the life... travels somewhere, Italy, Hawaii, Florida, Nashville, etc., just about every other month... makes her own schedule... always going out to dinner, wine tasting, etc... her hubby is a San Jose police officer, retiring within the next five years... sometimes she works three days a week, and other times she works seven days in a row... they live in the lovely Morgan Hill...
I’ve posted about this problem last year.
A doctor friend, who closed his private practice last June and went to work for a really big hmo was still getting the mail, he got as a private md. He told us about the extra 90 day delay in paying doctors, hospitals, labs and other medical providers that was coming 1 Jan 2014.
The Obozo Scare Czars were telling the doctors that repayment for bills would be at least 90 days late. This doctor didn’t know if that meant 90 days later than the normal 60 days late payment.
Ha, ha. Yep, it will. But wait. The AMA supported Obamacare, so tough luck morons.
Too late to complain now, Doc, perhaps you should relocate your practice offshore, while you still have your license and can still leave.
You Doctors supported it,you rubbed your hands waiting for those great big government checks and now as soon as reality hits you whimper.No sympathy.
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