Obama speech to the kids.

[Ratickle]

So if the fixed cost is 30% of current top price, set that for everyone. And let the government negotiate their rates on pharma, etc.

Chart 8 compares physician payment levels.

Chart 8 2007
Physician Payment Levels
RelativePayment Level
Medicare89% Medicaid60% Commercial114% Total100%

Chart 8 shows that Medicare payment rates are approximately 89% of the overall average rate for these three payer types. Medicaid rates are approximately 60% of the overall average, and commercial rates are approximately 114% of the average. For the same service, then, Medicare would pay 11% less than average, Medicaid would pay 40% less than average, and commercial payers would pay 14% more than average. The cost shift is estimated as the difference between each payer’s actual payment level and the average.


This is why what you propose will not currently work. Medicaid payments would have to increase by 40% and Medicare payments would have to increase by 11% to break even. Medicare and Medicaid already only pay 50% of actual costs, and are in the red for the past two years......

The government does things with a hidden agenda. They do not negotiate price, they set prices and mandates. Get them completely out, completely.... And you'll see prices drop just like air travel and trucking......

 

[VtSteve]

Slashing the PFFS plan debacle would go a long way towards eliminating wasteful spending as well. I agree though, stop my GD tax and eliminate this costly socialist program. The increased prices paid by former medicare patients will go a long way towards reducing your costs and mine. I'm all for it.

 

[LaughingCat]

Chart 8 compares physician payment levels.

Chart 8 2007
Physician Payment Levels
RelativePayment Level
Medicare89% Medicaid60% Commercial114% Total100%

Chart 8 shows that Medicare payment rates are approximately 89% of the overall average rate for these three payer types. Medicaid rates are approximately 60% of the overall average, and commercial rates are approximately 114% of the average. For the same service, then, Medicare would pay 11% less than average, Medicaid would pay 40% less than average, and commercial payers would pay 14% more than average. The cost shift is estimated as the difference between each payer’s actual payment level and the average.


This is why what you propose will not currently work. Medicaid payments would have to increase by 40% and Medicare payments would have to increase by 11% to break even. Medicare and Medicaid already only pay 50% of actual costs, and are in the red for the past two years......

The government does things with a hidden agenda. They do not negotiate price, they set prices and mandates. Get them completely out, completely.... And you'll see prices drop just like air travel and trucking......

I really want to believe this. But I have that gut feeling it would be the same as John Gotti telling the police, "if you would just leave us alone, we'll moderate the crime rate down."

 

[Ratickle]

I really want to believe this. But I have that gut feeling it would be the same as John Gotti telling the police, "if you would just leave us alone, we'll moderate the crime rate down."

I can only use air travel and truck shipping as examples. What other ones are there the Government used to control and got out of except for oversight for fraud/cheating????


Gotti probably would have by the way......

 

[Ted]

Sorry once again to try and bring this thread back to where it started but:


http://cnsnews.com/news/article/53712

He just had to talk to somebody about his health care fiasco:seeya:

This is why I suspect the speech was changed radically after the hubbub started. He is in deep doo and he knows it:willy_nilly:

 

[Ratickle]

Sorry once again to try and bring this thread back to where it started but:


http://cnsnews.com/news/article/53712

He just had to talk to somebody about his health care fiasco:seeya:

This is why I suspect the speech was changed radically after the hubbub started. He is in deep doo and he knows it:willy_nilly:

It was the whitehouse itself who said the speech was changed to take out the things which could be construed as political. Now I guess we know what some of them were, besides the part about helping the President complete his work......

 

[VtSteve]

Sorry once again to try and bring this thread back to where it started but:


http://cnsnews.com/news/article/53712

He just had to talk to somebody about his health care fiasco:seeya:

This is why I suspect the speech was changed radically after the hubbub started. He is in deep doo and he knows it:willy_nilly:

Funny though, how many of those answers highlight not only history, but many of the problems inherent in the system today, excluding the costs and bureaucracy. The most radical change proposed to date was done so by John McCain. He, too, had to water down and keep changing his plan model. The general public has no idea what the cost is, nor would they want anything that would make them pay more.

But the bottom line is this. If Obama and Congress hadn't put forth the 65% company-paid COBRA legislation, this discussion would be far different today. In hindsight, I wonder if Obama knows that?

I fully, 110% support the Republican option.

 

[LaughingCat]

Not going to get a big conversation started on last night's speech. But I do feel that for small businesses like me, with less than 8 employees, I would likely save alot of money on HI for my employees if a bill somewhat like Obama described last night passes. I will neither defend nor attack him until more details come out.

 

[Ratickle]

Not going to get a big conversation started on last night's speech. But I do feel that for small businesses like me, with less than 8 employees, I would likely save alot of money on HI for my employees if a bill somewhat like Obama described last night passes. I will neither defend nor attack him until more details come out.

I only have one thing to say at this time, when he said the program only costs 900 billion total over the next ten years, and almost all of that would be paid by eliminating the waste and fraud in the current Medicare and Medicaid systems, why do we need any bill to fix that? Medicaid and Medicare are already broke. Eliminate the waste and fraud to the tune of 90 billion over the next year, then put in a bill to add all 46 million uninsured Americans for that 90 billion we saved next year.

Prove it.........

Since when do we need a bill to eliminate fraud and waste???????

 

[Wobble]

Not going to get a big conversation started on last night's speech. But I do feel that for small businesses like me, with less than 8 employees, I would likely save alot of money on HI for my employees if a bill somewhat like Obama described last night passes. I will neither defend nor attack him until more details come out.

I'm in the same boat, 8 covered with premiums rising from 2K a month in 2002 to 8k a month now. I would like to cover the four part time people I have but the cost is prohibitive. The other four full time employees are covered under their spouses insurance fortunately

 

[Audiofn]

He may be the most polarizing force on government ever. His poll numbers are sliding big time. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...a_administration/obama_approval_index_history

 

[jayboat]

He may be the most polarizing force on government ever. His poll numbers are sliding big time. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...a_administration/obama_approval_index_history

awwww... you posted a rasmussen link. how quaint. :03:

 

[Bobcat]

when you hitch your wagon to a blind horse he's bound to pull you off a cliff sooner or later

 

[Ratickle]

when you hitch your wagon to a blind horse he's bound to pull you off a cliff sooner or later

 

[VtSteve]

I have two stories to tell about healthcare from the personal responsibility crowd. My brother's a$$ has been saved this year by Obama's 65% company-paid Cobra health insurance. Without it, the cheap bass turd is out another $900 a month.

Mt GF brother, a way, waaaaay right dude that thinks government should only be the military, is about to get laid off. Not old enough for any benefits, wife does not work. They have a myriad of health issues that are quite expensive. What to do, what to do.

Since I'm not a fan of government programs of any kind, especially socialist ones, I don't think they should have a problem with my plans. No handouts, no freebies, no supplements in my budget. Obama needs to get his polls up as the above shows. He should immediately call for rescinding the forced Cobra supplement paid by companies, and eliminate the public option if it isn't already. Everyone would be free to fend for themselves, and I do mean Everybody.

During the next ten years, as Boomers retire or get laid off, I can pretty much guaranty that the howls of outrage from the deep South to the Canadian border will be loud enough to drown out Rush Limbaugh. I aim to pull up a comfortable seat, and listen to some tunes through headphones. I will, of course, take them off periodically to see if I can distinguish between the barking dogs and the howls of injustice.

My goodness, what would Sarah have done?

Don;t get me wrong, I don;t appreciate the ignorant Dem leadership. But I detest the complete ignorance and lack of vision of the Republican party.

Now what was their current plan again?

 

[phragle]

Even Manson has his followers....

 

[LaughingCat]

when you hitch your wagon to a blind horse he's bound to pull you off a cliff sooner or later

As GWB so successfully proved. . .

:sifone:

 

[LaughingCat]

Cut & Paste Warning!

I usually don't do this, but a paragraph from Paul Begala's recent column puts the startling hypocracy in plain view regarding Death Panels:

The President shone a spotlight on the sin of rescission -- the process by which insurance companies protect their profits by dumping customers when they get sick. This outrage has been under-covered by the media, but congressional hearings revealed that just three insurance companies have kicked 20,000 customers off their plans. They included the woman President Obama referred to tonight, whose aggressive breast cancer was denied treatment because she once had acne. The congressional hearings uncovered documents proving that the insurance companies had saved themselves $300 million by kicking those folks off -- and insurance bureaucrats got bonuses and promotions based on who they dumped. This is an outrage. If Sarah Palin wants to see a real-world death panel, she should look no further than the corporate insurance executives whom she so zealously defends.

 

[MarylandMark]

A teacher in Elmira , New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them
were Obama fans.

Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the
teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny.

The teacher asked Little Johnny why he had decided to be different...again.

Little Johnny said, 'Because I'm not an Obama fan.'

The teacher asked, 'Why aren't you an Obama fan?'

Johnny said, 'Because I'm a Republican.'

The teacher asked him why he's a Republican.

Little Johnny answered, 'Well, my Mom's a Republican and my Dad's a
Republican, so I'm a Republican.'

Annoyed by this answer, the teacher asked, 'If your mom was a moron and your
dad was an idiot, what would that make you?'

With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, 'That would make me an Obama fan.'

 

[Ratickle]

A teacher in Elmira , New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them
were Obama fans.

Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the
teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny.

The teacher asked Little Johnny why he had decided to be different...again.

Little Johnny said, 'Because I'm not an Obama fan.'

The teacher asked, 'Why aren't you an Obama fan?'

Johnny said, 'Because I'm a Republican.'

The teacher asked him why he's a Republican.

Little Johnny answered, 'Well, my Mom's a Republican and my Dad's a
Republican, so I'm a Republican.'

Annoyed by this answer, the teacher asked, 'If your mom was a moron and your
dad was an idiot, what would that make you?'

With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, 'That would make me an Obama fan.'

Smart Kid.......:sifone: