Healthcare Reform

[RedDenver]

 

[RedDenver]

 

[Ratt Mhule]

 

[RedDenver]

 

[RedDenver]

 

[DevoHusker]

6 minutes ago, RedDenver said:

 

 

[BigRedBuster]

Quote

Two of the private equity firms at the center of the debate over surprise billing are Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) and Blackstone. The two firms have made major contributions to Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the chair and ranking member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

 

[RedDenver]

 

[BigRedBuster]

18 hours ago, RedDenver said:

 

OK....here's my take on this.  I didn't read the article....just the tweet.

 

Insurance companies SHOULD be fighting back against doctor, hospital, medication cost.  I've used United Health in the past for our insurance and didn't have a problem with them.  Are they just supposed to pay whatever doctors bill them for so they can have another vacation home?  The CEO raise is a valid complaint, but I don't know the specifics behind it.  

 

If United Health is fighting back against the high cost that providers are trying to bill patients...GREAT!!!

 

I actually pay a service that works with our health insurance plan that does this exact same thing and it's saved us LOTS of money.  They either find a cheaper provider for a service or negotiate a lower cost at the current provider.  I even wave all deductibles and co-pays if the employee uses the less expensive provider.  THAT'S how much it's saving us because providers are ripping us off.  It's criminal what some providers try to get away with.

 

OK...I went back and looked at the article.  This is nothing but a healthcare industry hit piece because they're mad because United is fighting back against healthcare costs.  The vast majority of his income was because he exercised stock options.  That is not what the tweet implies.  

Now...I'm not a fan of health insurance companies and I'm on record of saying we need to seriously consider a single payer plan.  But....this is nothing more than hit piece against someone providers don't like.

[RedDenver]

12 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

OK....here's my take on this.  I didn't read the article....just the tweet.

 

Insurance companies SHOULD be fighting back against doctor, hospital, medication cost.  I've used United Health in the past for our insurance and didn't have a problem with them.  Are they just supposed to pay whatever doctors bill them for so they can have another vacation home?  The CEO raise is a valid complaint, but I don't know the specifics behind it.  

 

If United Health is fighting back against the high cost that providers are trying to bill patients...GREAT!!!

 

I actually pay a service that works with our health insurance plan that does this exact same thing and it's saved us LOTS of money.  They either find a cheaper provider for a service or negotiate a lower cost at the current provider.  I even wave all deductibles and co-pays if the employee uses the less expensive provider.  THAT'S how much it's saving us because providers are ripping us off.  It's criminal what some providers try to get away with.

 

OK...I went back and looked at the article.  This is nothing but a healthcare industry hit piece because they're mad because United is fighting back against healthcare costs.  The vast majority of his income was because he exercised stock options.  That is not what the tweet implies.  

Now...I'm not a fan of health insurance companies and I'm on record of saying we need to seriously consider a single payer plan.  But....this is nothing more than hit piece against someone providers don't like.

It's one thing to fight against high provider costs by cutting doctor's rates and kicking them out of the network during normal times. It's quite another to do it under during a pandemic.

[BigRedBuster]

4 hours ago, RedDenver said:

It's one thing to fight against high provider costs by cutting doctor's rates and kicking them out of the network during normal times. It's quite another to do it under during a pandemic.

So, the stories I’ve read about people getting sick with COVID then getting tens of thousands of dollars of bills shouldn’t be questioned and pushed back against. 
 

And, as bad as COVID is, there are a lot of medical personnel that aren’t in the heat of battle. 
 

These cuts are going to be about normal health care when we get back to normal. 

[RedDenver]

2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

So, the stories I’ve read about people getting sick with COVID then getting tens of thousands of dollars of bills shouldn’t be questioned and pushed back against. 
 

And, as bad as COVID is, there are a lot of medical personnel that aren’t in the heat of battle. 
 

These cuts are going to be about normal health care when we get back to normal. 

Yes, the healthcare system is awful. But giant insurance corporations cutting doctor pay isn't about cutting costs for consumers - it's about their own profits.

[BigRedBuster]

7 hours ago, RedDenver said:

Yes, the healthcare system is awful. But giant insurance corporations cutting doctor pay isn't about cutting costs for consumers - it's about their own profits.

Interesting. I spend over $500,000 on healthcare a year. These actions from my insurance company has saved me and my employees money. 

[BigRedBuster]

1 hour ago, BlitzFirst said:

 

You are definitely in the minority on that one.  Health care companies only care about profit, not people...os if you think they're super concerned about saving anyone money, you're very mistaken.

 

If medicare for all existed, you wouldn't have to spend jack on your employees.

I'm not a fan of health insurance companies.  Believe me.  I fully understand what you are saying.

 

But, this situation is what needs to happen from insurance companies.  They need to push back against rising bills from providers.  Now...more company plans need to be doing what I'm doing from our side.

 

For WAY too long, the insurance companies didn't give a crap what providers were billing them for.  They would just pass that along to us in premiums.  They had their margin.  More and more companies like mine are pushing back against that now.  The service I use is expanding their business every year and they work directly with my insurance company.  In fact, we have it set up now that any claim over a certain amount goes directly to that service and they either OK the bill or negotiate it lower.

 

Insurance companies are not saints by any stretch.  But, demanding lower bills from providers is what they should be doing.

 

And, to the bolded, that's why I'm for looking harder into it.  I would rather pay $200,000 more in taxes to cover it than the $500,000 I'm paying now to the insurance company.

[RedDenver]

3 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

Interesting. I spend over $500,000 on healthcare a year. These actions from my insurance company has saved me and my employees money. 

Nice! Hopefully that's being translated into actual price cuts and not just the insurance company raising rates or denying coverage for others.

 

One thing Trump has done that I'm in agreement with is making healthcare costs transparent.

Trump Wants Insurers and Hospitals To Show Real Prices To Patients