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Just finished a meeting with one of my commercial tenants who sells/leases medical equipment. A large portion of his business is medicare patients. He's been notified by medicare of their intent to cut their payment rates by 40% effective June 1. If done, he'll be forced to shut his doors.

Small local business with 13 long term employees.

I shouldn't have any problem finding a new tenant...

...maybe some govt. funded community organization.

He must be getting hit by the medical technology and equipment tax too.

I hope none of his employees were stupid enough to vote for Obama.

I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

It's no secret that medical technology got the shaft in the legislation. Of course, considering that the future of medical care is rationing anyway, I suppose it had to be one of the first steps. One way to curtail the cost of medical care is to stop the advances in medical care that cost so much money.

GannonFan wrote:It's no secret that medical technology got the shaft in the legislation. Of course, considering that the future of medical care is rationing anyway, I suppose it had to be one of the first steps. One way to curtail the cost of medical care is to stop the advances in medical care that cost so much money.

+1000. Obama care is not about expanding medical care as is popularly believed, but rather about shrinking it, and the government choosing who gets treated and who does not, rather than individuals choosing the treatment that is appropriate for them. Like gun control, it is about the government control, not about the common good.

kalm wrote:I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

Have you pondered the reason that the Obama administration let them write the bill?

kalm wrote:I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

When the government picks the winners and losers, it's not a "free market", but you knew that already.

Baldy wrote:

kalm wrote:I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

When the government picks the winners and losers, it's not a "free market", but you knew that already.

And vice versa.

CitadelGrad wrote:

kalm wrote:I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

Have you pondered the reason that the Obama administration let them write the bill?

Because Obama is a Stalin in dark face?

(Was that racists?)

kalm wrote:

Baldy wrote: When the government picks the winners and losers, it's not a "free market", but you knew that already.

And vice versa.

travelinman67 wrote:Just finished a meeting with one of my commercial tenants who sells/leases medical equipment. A large portion of his business is medicare patients. He's been notified by medicare of their intent to cut their payment rates by 40% effective June 1. If done, he'll be forced to shut his doors.

Small local business with 13 long term employees.

I shouldn't have any problem finding a new tenant...

...maybe some govt. funded community organization.

Hey, Copernicus, he WAS a govt. funded community organization.

US medical system is bloated, inefficient and exploitative. Thank you Mr. Barack Obama for tightening it up.

You and your tenant are no different than the millions who rely on our military who will be losing their jobs and businesses soon.

kalm wrote:I agree completely with you guys. Obamacare is a mess. It's too bad that for profit health insurance companies and pharma got to write the legislation. The again, it's a "free market" which means the winners get to write the rules...AmIright?

LeadBolt wrote:

GannonFan wrote:It's no secret that medical technology got the shaft in the legislation. Of course, considering that the future of medical care is rationing anyway, I suppose it had to be one of the first steps. One way to curtail the cost of medical care is to stop the advances in medical care that cost so much money.

+1000. Obama care is not about expanding medical care as is popularly believed, but rather about shrinking it, and the government choosing who gets treated and who does not, rather than individuals choosing the treatment that is appropriate for them. Like gun control, it is about the government control, not about the common good.

Well, on the other side of the coin, we've been operating in a whatever-medical-procedure/drug-you-want-whenever-you-want-it-and-preferably-free-or-heavily-subsidized-so-that-you-pay-little-or-nothing-for-it culture for a few decades now. It's an old person country and it's no wonder the "I don't have any kids in school, why do I need to pay school tax" mantra has gotten louder each year. I'm not sure they understand the rationing that's coming down the road, but then again, they may not be around by the time people need to wait for procedures or just forgo them entirely unless they are wealthy enough to find private care. Sure, this could go a long way to slowing down the speed of medical advances and breakthroughs, but it's a system that can't be sustained forever. Obamacare is all about rationining when you get down to it - but that in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing overall.

GannonFan wrote:

LeadBolt wrote:
+1000. Obama care is not about expanding medical care as is popularly believed, but rather about shrinking it, and the government choosing who gets treated and who does not, rather than individuals choosing the treatment that is appropriate for them. Like gun control, it is about the government control, not about the common good.

Well, on the other side of the coin, we've been operating in a whatever-medical-procedure/drug-you-want-whenever-you-want-it-and-preferably-free-or-heavily-subsidized-so-that-you-pay-little-or-nothing-for-it culture for a few decades now. It's an old person country and it's no wonder the "I don't have any kids in school, why do I need to pay school tax" mantra has gotten louder each year. I'm not sure they understand the rationing that's coming down the road, but then again, they may not be around by the time people need to wait for procedures or just forgo them entirely unless they are wealthy enough to find private care. Sure, this could go a long way to slowing down the speed of medical advances and breakthroughs, but it's a system that can't be sustained forever. Obamacare is all about rationining when you get down to it - but that in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing overall.

There is no question that the population is aging and that medical care needed adjusting. Your bringing up public schools is interesting.

We all have to support items for the common good, such as schools and healthcare as a part of the responsibility of citizenship.

I believe healthcare and school reform are both needed, but creating a huge new Federal bureaucracy to fix health care will prove to be as counter productive as creating the Federal Education Department was in fixing the public schools. Look for doctors to have less time to practice medicine as they fill out the required forms to satisfy the bureaucracy, just as teachers have less time to teach for the same reason.

One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

mrklean wrote:One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

The problem is, Obamacare won't let you pay out of pocket anymore. You HAVE to have insurance.

That happens in AMERICA, too.

mrklean wrote:One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

Got something to back up that claim?

89Hen wrote:

mrklean wrote:One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

Got something to back up that claim?

I’ve heard similar stories. A friend of mine calls around for the cash price (i.e. non-insurance price) for certain procedures. She does so because her insurance doesn’t cover certain tests she needs (not sure what medical condition she has, but it’s something she has to stay on top of otherwise she falls ill rather quickly). Now that everyone/doctors will have to use/go through insurance, that cash price option no longer exists and people are subject to whatever “agreed upon” rates doctors have with insurance companies.

89Hen wrote:

mrklean wrote:One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

Got something to back up that claim?

The bill I just got from my MRI I had on my left knee. My co-pay was 250.00, I asked a guy who was sitting next to me, how much did they charge him. HE tod me that the price for people who did not have insurance was 800.00.

mrklean wrote:

89Hen wrote: Got something to back up that claim?

The bill I just got from my MRI I had on my left knee. My co-pay was 250.00, I asked a guy who was sitting next to me, how much did they charge him. HE tod me that the price for people who did not have insurance was 800.00.

Well, the illegal immigrant sitting next to him paid nothing.

89Hen wrote:

mrklean wrote:One of the reasons we have Obamacare.

If I pay for an MRI out of pocket, the Hospital will charge me $800.00
If I have Insurance, the Hospital charges my Insurance company $2500.00

Yes this happens in AMERICA!!!!!

Got something to back up that claim?

My wife is a teacher and has a great plan. Before we had our son, I rarely got sick, so we would get money back from her plan if she didn't have a dependent listed. The few times I did get sick and needed antibiotics, I always got a better price then she was charged. Mind you, she only had a $5 co-pay, but what they "charged" her for the same perscription would be much higher. RiteAid, Happy Harry's, Acme, you name it, they all did it...and they were not giving me a generic brand.

I've been on her plan for several years, but I doubt if things have changed. I would not be surprised to hear that medical procedures have different costs charged to the insurance companies.

This has me wondering...if a person is really in need of surgery, and has a large deductible that they can't pay, why not go into the hospital without identification and use a fake name...or just start speaking broken English and Spanish?

The hospital would have to serve you. Would it be legal for the hospital to detain you until you properly identified yourself...wouldn't that be discrimination?

mrklean wrote:

89Hen wrote: Got something to back up that claim?

The bill I just got from my MRI I had on my left knee. My co-pay was 250.00, I asked a guy who was sitting next to me, how much did they charge him. HE tod me that the price for people who did not have insurance was 800.00.

You stated $2,500.

Ibanez wrote:

mrklean wrote:
The bill I just got from my MRI I had on my left knee. My co-pay was 250.00, I asked a guy who was sitting next to me, how much did they charge him. HE tod me that the price for people who did not have insurance was 800.00.

You stated $2,500.

klean's co-pay was $250. The hospoital charged his insurance company $2,500. The guy next to klean got the white guy/sane person discount of $800.

GannonFan wrote:
Well, on the other side of the coin, we've been operating in a whatever-medical-procedure/drug-you-want-whenever-you-want-it-and-preferably-free-or-heavily-subsidized-so-that-you-pay-little-or-nothing-for-it culture for a few decades now.

It's not the patients driving this, GF. Part of it is defensive medicine. Doctors are so terrified of being sued that they take absolutely no chances and order tests that are really not needed.

The other part of it has to do with there being a lot more preventative care now than there used to be. Look at how the number of people getting mammograms, colonoscopies, biopsies, and other such tests have gone up over the years. That's not doctors being greedy or patients being overly demanding, that's really just trying to save lives.

But yeah, Obamacare is basically about making health car sh*ttier in the hope that that will make it more affordable.