Re: The first of the new Obamacare taxes will start January 1, 2011

Oct 18, 2010 30 Replies



>>>
>>> >An HSA is a "use it or lose it" so it has to be used in the year in
>>> >which it is saved. So although the rules may change for future years
>>> >it has not changed for the year in which the money was deposited.
>>>
>>> At one time HSAs were "use it or lose it", but not recently. They're
>>> intended
>>> as a "self insurance" for smaller expenses. It's a good idea to try to
>>> get
>>> back to the pay-for-service model; the only hope of getting control of
>>> medical
>>> costs.- Hide quoted text -
>>>
>>> - Show quoted text -
>>
>>
>>
>>Let?s hear the ideas folks have to rein in the costs of health care.
>
> That's easy. Certainly the Demonicrats had no intentions of doing it.
>
>>Please not the standard, ? free market?, tort reform and less
>>oversight rant. Litigation accounts for only about 2% of the current
>>problem and I?m just not convinced that unbridled capitalism in of it
>>self is going to lower costs. At least not based on my experience.
>
> Litigation may be 2% of the cost, but defensive medicine certainly isn't
> (that
> little). That's a biggie, but simply allowing interstate marketing of
> policies will do a *lot*. Go back to the major medical model and *high*
> deductible policies, which are now illegal, will do even more. Of course
> you
> won't like people taking responsibility for themselves, but you are the
> problem.
>
>>In one of my past lives, I?ve worked in a medical research environment
>>? that experience in itself, was enough to make me believe that costs
>>aren?t headed down in my life time.
>
> Appeal to authority noted.

Without even mentioning the authority!



And you think government provided health care will be less expensive? It's never happened before with anything.


Have you ever looked at the dollar to patient ration of the VA? It beats any other medical care system in the US. In fact, they should convert Medicare to the same system to eliminate all the fraud committed by crooked doctors & suppliers.

Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them.

n

rs

e

to

of

.

it.

nt

it

n't

of

high*

course

he

ent

ts

=A0It

To be honest, I have no specific knowledge of the VA program.

It would be interesting to see an expense account break down relative to a private run organization. Not sure how you=92d normalize costs, but I bet there=92s published studies out there.

n

rs

e

to

of

.

it.

nt

it

n't

of

high*

course

he

ent

ts

=A0It

I wouldn't go anywhere else than the VA. Sometimes it's a wait to get some condition looked at, but when a condition is found, the wheels start turning fast without regard to cost. When I told one doctor I had to make co-payments and it would cost me $50 for a follow-up, he gave me his cell phone number and said to just call during working hours and he would look at me in the hallway so I wouldn't be charged for a visit. Nice guy. None of them seem to be worrying about making money. They just like the job.

-Bill

From what I've heard, several 'for profit' hospital chains are trying to get the government to make the VA turn over the software they developed to control operating costs, for free. They should allow the VA to license it, and use the extra income to offer services to more borderline Veterans.

Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them.

cting

y
d

Thanks for that. The changes apply to MSAs too, if that makes any difference. (I don't have either one--I'm not familiar with them.)

These tweaks are in section 9003, but there are plenty more where those came from (in the health control bill, that is).

-- Cheers, James Arthur

Free markets don't work without free flow of information.

Right now there is no free flow of price information. Worse, no one know or cares how much anything costs--not the patients (their insurance pays), nor the doctors, nor the techs, nurses, hospitals, etc. Going for care is like going to a grocery store with no prices, where you pay the man your $5 co-pay at the door, then fill up your cart. It's impossible to economize, even if you want to.

Restore the price feedback and the cost of medicine will fix itself. Just think about how far people will drive to save two cents per gallon on gasoline, or twenty cents on a gallon of milk.

As for tort reform, doctors practice defensive medicine--you're safer ordering everything than just the tests you really need. Remove that dread, and they'll save bundles.

If you've been in that environment then you know very well what I meant about nobody caring about cost...

-- Cheers, James Arthur

(that

you

Jim, The problem with litigation is not the cost of the litigation itself, it is the expense multiplier that it represents. Every entity you just mentioned needs insurance, and as litigation costs increase, the insurance costs seem to go up an order of magnitude. It has come to the point that a sizeable percentage of each of these stages goes to paying for the insurance coverage for that group. I do know of private physicians who have give up practice basically because of insurance costs, and much of the increases in fees is to cover those insurance cost increases...

Charlie

(that

course you

I know of a Physician who closed her practice and now works part-time in a hospital... she's financially ahead of the game. ...Jim Thompson

| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I can see November from my house :-)

A few years ago, I needed knee surgery for a torn miniscus. I 'thought' I knew what it would cost, as I know my co-pays and percentages. I went to a doc that was in-plan, and everything appeared to be right on budget.

Then, just after the surgery, the first bills finally came in. It had taken something like three months to get my first office visits to go to the insurance company. I get two bills, one from my doctor, and one from the hospital. The hospital? I didn't go to the hospital???? Turns out that the hospital next door owned the building that my doctor worked out of, and his clinic was 'associated' with the hospital, and the hospital had a 'sweetheart' deal with the insurance company that any doctor visits in associated clinics was the same as a visit to the hospital! This means that they could charge hospital overhead fees to any doctor's visits in these clinics, and that these fees were NOT included in the co-pay for a doctors visit. They had just instantly added over $100 to any doctor visit I had already had!

I took this issue up to the vice-president level in my company, before I finally got them to take it off my billing. A cost non-disclosed WHEN ASKED FOR should not be charged to a customer.

I also spent the next year dealing with the cost of the surgery, since the hospital, the surgical center where the surgery was performed, and the insurance company were arguing whether the surgery center was 'in-plan'.

Charlie

isn't (that

course you

Well, just finished getting off the phone with Athem Blue Cross (and cooling off a bit...)

In September, received a notice that my health insurance premium was going up. After doing a good bit of research, talked to my agent and he convinced me to change my policy to one that I could better afford, which was essentially my existing policy with a higher deductible.

So: Existing premium - $230 Premium after increase - $265 New policy premium - $200

Looked good, the reduced cost made my accountant (Pamela!) a lot happier. I had already paid at the old rate through Nov. 1, so was told the difference would be applied to my next bill.

So, on Saturday (why do you always get these things on Saturday, when there is no on in the offices to ask about them!) I get a new bill from Anthem - premium owed $425. I go Say What! That is more than two months of premium this is supposed to cover! Send email to agent asking for an explanation.

This morning, I spend 48 minutes on hold, and finally get a billing agent from Anthem on the line. After a second hold of about 5 minutes, he comes back on and explains that, even though I had changed my policy, this DID NOT STOP THE PREMIUM INCREASE! So, when they billed me next, it was at the new INCREASED premium rate - $230. Now, I was never notifed that this was going to be my rate, my agent hadn't mentioned that my rate would increase. In fact, he had stressed that I needed to make any changes before 9/22/10 to PREVENT any increased from being added to my bill. So, once again, I have been 'obamanated!'

Charlie

t
t

nt

s
?

Prices should be listed, or price-lists available.

Imagine a grocery store where you fill up your cart, then 3 months later you start getting itemized bills from the farmer who grew your vegetables, the truck driver who drove them, etc.

-- Cheers, James Arthur

ly isn't (that

eting of

and *high*

=A0Of course you

are the

vironment

at costs

what

cost

ap

xt -

=A0 =A0...Jim Thompson

That may have been a mistake. Hopefully not. If you got your other policy before Obamacare passed, the old policy was grandfathered--not required to comply with the new health control law.

New policies are not grandfathered, and high deductible policies are now either illegal, or soon will be (I don't remember the phase-in dates). So, if Kathleen Sebelius (Obamacare czar) decides your new arrangement is a 'new policy,' you're screwed.

OTOH they may offer you a handout--some of my money to help ease your pain--provided you can prove you're sufficiently worthy.

No, you got the deluxe service. Just wait 'til you have to call D.C. for the same service.

-- Cheers, James Arthur

isn't (that

*high*

course you

Have you talked to your agent yet? I'd guess that you were billed before the change rolled thru their computers.

That happened to us during the following scenario, but we got a refund check....

Somehow we lucked out this year. Our Mutual of Omaha agent (Medicare Supplemental Plan F) called in February and said we qualified for a premium reduction !!!

Huh ?!?!?!?!?

Went from $315.65 down to $203.96 per month, same plan (F).

My suspicion is that Mutual of Omaha has figured out how to dodge the Obama-nation by creating different companies:

09-15 203.96- xxxxx.xx United Omaha Hth Des:SEP Insprm ID:VA2xxx Indn:James E Thompson Co ID:74-3xxxxxx Ppd

12-15 315.65- xxxxx.xx Mutual Of Omaha Des:Dec Insprm ID:VA2xxx Indn:James E Thompson Co ID:47-5xxxxxx Ppd ...Jim Thompson

| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I can see November from my house :-)

isn't (that

*high*

course you

the

environment

Haven't talked to him yet, just the insurance company. They did have all the changes we made, they just decided that they didn't effect the increases they had scheduled! :-(

Charlie

Most are good, a few aren't. I have 'Nurse Ratchet' to deal with, and have had two bad doctors out of four. The first started screaming at me when I asked what the VA's procedure was for getting a handicap parking tag, after saying, I know you aren't my primary care doctor, but...

The next doctor put me on HCTZ and several other medicines that removed sodium from my bloodstream, then put me on a 'no sodium' diet. I was told not to use ANY SALT AT ALL. After a couple months of listening to my doctor I couldn;t stand and had a steady stream of plasma running down my legs. I put the salt back and started to heal, but still have scar tissue all over the fronts of my lower legs and get pressure sores from just brushing up against anything, including pant legs. I can no longer put on the surgical stockings, since it rips the skin open.

Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them.

He set himself up as the authority.

Me?

Really? Show your proof that the number of patients hasn't continued to rise faster than their budget.

Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them.

I had a "sleep study" done a few years ago. No one could tell me what it cost, not the doctor, hospital, or my insurance company. Everyone simply pointed at everyone else and told me not to worry, insurance would "pay it". I wanted to know because I didn't need it (the narco-doctor thought I did, surprise, surprise). No one would even talk to me about costs. I ended up doing the study anyway and then moved out of town before I could get an appointment to see the doctor.

...and the mechanic who set up shop next door to the gas station that filled the truck.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required