Posted by (+3743) 13 years ago
Posted by (+423) 13 years ago
* Unnecessary care such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure makes up 37 percent of healthcare waste or $200 to $300 billion a year.
* Fraud makes up 22 percent of healthcare waste, or up to $200 billion a year in fraudulent Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.
Just a couple of observations...
1)($200 to $300 billion wasted) Tort reform proposed by the Republicans is "unnecessary" and will not be included in any Democrat bill.
2)($200 billion wasted) Government oversight will improve and eliminate fraud once the government controls the entire health care sector.
You bet.
* Fraud makes up 22 percent of healthcare waste, or up to $200 billion a year in fraudulent Medicare claims, kickbacks for referrals for unnecessary services and other scams.
Just a couple of observations...
1)($200 to $300 billion wasted) Tort reform proposed by the Republicans is "unnecessary" and will not be included in any Democrat bill.
2)($200 billion wasted) Government oversight will improve and eliminate fraud once the government controls the entire health care sector.
You bet.
Posted by (+3157) 13 years ago
60 Minutes had a good segment on Medicare and Medicaid fraud last night. They said they are understaffed. Three people to check into fraudulent accusations for the state of Florida!
They told how people's information which includes name, address, and social security number are sold for $10 a name to people who buy huge lists. Then they turn in claims under these people's info and get paid. By the time our government knows something is wrong they've moved on. After getting paid literally millions for absolutely nothing.
My other concern about healthcare waste is the overmedicating of the elderly. And as I've seen happen to my father, the nursing homes have a great system to increase their income. They give therapy to get people out of their wheelchairs and walking. Then they give them medication to knock their legs out from underneath them. After whatever period of time it is our government has deemed necessary they can start them in therapy again and get paid for it. It's a vicious sick cycle. It has to be stopped. Not only for the waste of money, but for the horrible treatment to the elderly. How inhumane to tell soemone...."keep trying...work hard if you want to get up again...you can do it..." then when they can stand give them drugs to they can't walk. That is just plain cruel.
For those of you who say to do something about it, I notifiied the state. They claim it is normal practice. Nothing wrong with it.
State law says they have to have facilities and employees to provide physical therapy. So they let them do this.
They told how people's information which includes name, address, and social security number are sold for $10 a name to people who buy huge lists. Then they turn in claims under these people's info and get paid. By the time our government knows something is wrong they've moved on. After getting paid literally millions for absolutely nothing.
My other concern about healthcare waste is the overmedicating of the elderly. And as I've seen happen to my father, the nursing homes have a great system to increase their income. They give therapy to get people out of their wheelchairs and walking. Then they give them medication to knock their legs out from underneath them. After whatever period of time it is our government has deemed necessary they can start them in therapy again and get paid for it. It's a vicious sick cycle. It has to be stopped. Not only for the waste of money, but for the horrible treatment to the elderly. How inhumane to tell soemone...."keep trying...work hard if you want to get up again...you can do it..." then when they can stand give them drugs to they can't walk. That is just plain cruel.
For those of you who say to do something about it, I notifiied the state. They claim it is normal practice. Nothing wrong with it.
State law says they have to have facilities and employees to provide physical therapy. So they let them do this.
Posted by (+158) 13 years ago
...healthcare waste is the overmedicating of the elderly. And as I've seen happen to my father...
My sincere apologies for possibly being insensitive. This is a perfect example to learn from. The time to do something about things like this is when it is happening. Blaming and pointing finger crap is what got us here to begin with. Placing blame yields little compared to the amount of energy consumed. All of us, individually, must accept responsibility and act accordingly. This will get us back on track faster than any government ideas or laws.
My sincere apologies for possibly being insensitive. This is a perfect example to learn from. The time to do something about things like this is when it is happening. Blaming and pointing finger crap is what got us here to begin with. Placing blame yields little compared to the amount of energy consumed. All of us, individually, must accept responsibility and act accordingly. This will get us back on track faster than any government ideas or laws.
Posted by (+2741) 13 years ago
The other day there was an article making a big, big deal about how the Dems are overstating the profitability of health care. Those critics missed the point entirely.
I don't care if the profitability of a company is 5% or 25% - the bottom line actually tells you very little about well a huge company that largely controls its market is being run. Profits for monopolies or near monopolies (or, in a nod to my conservative friends, heavily regulated industries) have very little relation to efficiency, customer satisfaction, reinvestment of capital, and balance of service, labor and management costs.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm surprised the insurance companies made any profit at all. Between their poor service, unhappy customers and executives and boards raiding the company cookie jars, what other types of companies could ever hope to avoid bankruptcy, let alone turn a profit.
Oh yeah, Wall Street investment bankers, GM, and Chrysler, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Gee, do you think we might have a systemic problem here?
I don't care if the profitability of a company is 5% or 25% - the bottom line actually tells you very little about well a huge company that largely controls its market is being run. Profits for monopolies or near monopolies (or, in a nod to my conservative friends, heavily regulated industries) have very little relation to efficiency, customer satisfaction, reinvestment of capital, and balance of service, labor and management costs.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm surprised the insurance companies made any profit at all. Between their poor service, unhappy customers and executives and boards raiding the company cookie jars, what other types of companies could ever hope to avoid bankruptcy, let alone turn a profit.
Oh yeah, Wall Street investment bankers, GM, and Chrysler, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Gee, do you think we might have a systemic problem here?
Posted by (+4461) 13 years ago
60 Minutes had a good segment on Medicare and Medicaid fraud last night. They said they are understaffed. Three people to check into fraudulent accusations for the state of Florida!
No no no. In big government circles, this is called 'efficiency' or 'low administrative overhead'
It isn't waste if you have no idea where it's going.
