Impact of Healthcare Reform is starting - New England Patriots Forums

khayos · 04-09-2010, 03:22 PM

I missed you all after spending Easter at Disney.

Anyway, I was at a healthcare strategy session today and wanted to share some thoughts on the concerns I heard around the table:

1 - Hospitals who can keep a healthy bottom line (e.g. urban or well-to-do areas) will likely end up adding employed physicians to their roles as physicians will not want to have to keep up with the new paperwork. Employed physicians are actually a detriment to healthcare organizations.

2 - The new regulations, combined with the penalties from the ARRA (stimulus bill) for non-compliance to high standards ("meaningful use" that hasn't been fully defined), seem aimed at closing the number of hospitals and, in general, lowering compensation for healthcare workers. This appears to be the savings in cost that the bill's proponents were going for.

3 - The thoughts were that the forced imperilment of healthcare workers would ultimately result in government taking a larger role; perhaps even "bailing out" hospitals. Rural area hospitals with little funding would likely close in favor of independent practices which would offer a smaller selection of services.

Anyway, I don't have links or anything to substantiate this right now. If any of you work in healthcare and have been hearing about the impacts, I'm curious if what you've heard is along the same lines as I did or if it is different.

khayos · 04-09-2010, 04:29 PM

And I'm going to bump my own post by adding something else that I forgot to put in... also heard that several organizations like the MHA (Massachusetts Hospital Association) feel like they were backstabbed by supporting the healthcare reform then seeing the final bill with provisions that hurt the health of hospitals.

wistahpatsfan · 04-09-2010, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khayos

I missed you all after spending Easter at Disney.

Anyway, I was at a healthcare strategy session today and wanted to share some thoughts on the concerns I heard around the table:

1 - Hospitals who can keep a healthy bottom line (e.g. urban or well-to-do areas) will likely end up adding employed physicians to their roles as physicians will not want to have to keep up with the new paperwork. Employed physicians are actually a detriment to healthcare organizations.

2 - The new regulations, combined with the penalties from the ARRA (stimulus bill) for non-compliance to high standards ("meaningful use" that hasn't been fully defined), seem aimed at closing the number of hospitals and, in general, lowering compensation for healthcare workers. This appears to be the savings in cost that the bill's proponents were going for.

3 - The thoughts were that the forced imperilment of healthcare workers would ultimately result in government taking a larger role; perhaps even "bailing out" hospitals. Rural area hospitals with little funding would likely close in favor of independent practices which would offer a smaller selection of services.

Anyway, I don't have links or anything to substantiate this right now. If any of you work in healthcare and have been hearing about the impacts, I'm curious if what you've heard is along the same lines as I did or if it is different.

It's interesting conjecture on the part of the people at the session, and I see that you have done the obligatory disclaimers, but what am I or anyone else supposed to give as a reaction to your meeting?

The healcare bill sucks. It was a total sellout to corporate insurance special interests. Health insurers are an unnecessary middle man in the delivery of healthcare. Even if the government didn't get involved, insurance companies would not be missed if they all suddenly disappeared tomorrow, except for the hospital workers who process the paperwork. It's like requiring an intermediary specialist to do your food shopping....I digress...

I have seen no changes. I know plenty of people deeply involved in various medical situations, and the entity involved that is creating the most obstacles, disruptions and delays is and always their insurance company. The doctors are great. The hospitals are tops in the world. The nurses are the best. The parking valet has never lost their car. Everything would be fine if there was no insurance company in their way f@#king things up. This has been going on way before Obama.

I eagerly await more responses from the medical community about how the perfectly operating medical system and hospitals have been getting worse. I'd even like to hear from someone whose health insurance premiums have been going down since 2000 and are suddenly skyrocketing since the so-called healthcare bill was enacted.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa · 04-09-2010, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khayos

2 - The new regulations, combined with the penalties from the ARRA (stimulus bill) for non-compliance to high standards ("meaningful use" that hasn't been fully defined), seem aimed at closing the number of hospitals and, in general, lowering compensation for healthcare workers. This appears to be the savings in cost that the bill's proponents were going for.

I'm sorry, I totally don't understand what you mean by this. Whose "high standards?" What kind of high standards are you talking about? Shouldn't hospitals and healthcare workers be held to high standards?

I can't even begin to answer this unless I know what your talking about. Special paperwork? Patient safety issues? Type of care offered? Infection rates? Mistake rate? Standards for what?

khayos · 04-09-2010, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs.PatsFanInVa

I'm sorry, I totally don't understand what you mean by this. Whose "high standards?" What kind of high standards are you talking about? Shouldn't hospitals and healthcare workers be held to high standards?

I can't even begin to answer this unless I know what your talking about. Special paperwork? Patient safety issues? Type of care offered? Infection rates? Mistake rate? Standards for what?

Sorry, that was vague. There are specific provisions in the ARRA that allow for hospitals and physician practices to be "awarded" dollars for meeting criteria on improving their health information systems. On its face, this seems like a great idea. Unfortunately, the goals are either undefined or difficult to implement by the goal year of 2015. Penalties begin to be implemented with non-compliance to these undefined rules -- lowered reimbursement rates -- which would put fragile organizations out of business.

khayos · 04-09-2010, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wistahpatsfan

I eagerly await more responses from the medical community about how the perfectly operating medical system and hospitals have been getting worse. I'd even like to hear from someone whose health insurance premiums have been going down since 2000 and are suddenly skyrocketing since the so-called healthcare bill was enacted.

That's why I posted... there were some interesting perspectives from a healthcare system about a reform bill that was supposedly geared towards expanding coverage and augmenting care at the expense of the insurance companies, but that, at least as interpreted now, is actually doing the opposite. Again, this is just my hearsay and I don't feel comfortable giving more details that could provide a link to my personal situation. If corroborated, it could begin to hint towards a bad outcome for this bill.

Check out these comments about the ARRA items (stimulus bill, not the latest HCR bill)

MHA, our member hospitals and health systems, and the allied hospital associations and health information technology professional organizations with whom we consult and collaborate have carefully studied and discussed the NPRM since it was issued earlier this year. While there is some diversity of opinion about the NPRM overall and in its particulars, the overwhelming consensus is that the NPRM defines "meaningful use" along several critical dimensions that will lead to disappointment in achieving the expectations of the legislation for vastly expanding EHR adoption, improving health care delivery, and stimulating the economy.

http://www.mhalink.org/AM/Template.c...ontentID=10405

***patsfan13*** · 04-09-2010, 09:00 PM

I talked to an HR person at out company, the company has a great HC plan currently (employees making <40K salary nothing for their ins, rates for the rest of the family are quite low).

She said that looking at the requirements the plan will be phased out in a few years the company will not be able to afford it. This was off the record.

***Harry Boy*** · 04-10-2010, 07:59 AM

There has to be a reason for them to meet behind closed doors, rush it through, refuse to let it be fully read by the public, America has been a victim of a gigantic "snow job" but they will pay with their jobs and President Jug Ears will be a one term President.

America will bounce back from the damage these grinning rat bastards have done and shoved upon us, they will pay dearly, watch the Tea Party's grow, holy jumping Jesus H Christ Lord.

Bart (rat) Stupak was the first to fall many more will follow.

***FreeTedWilliams*** · 04-10-2010, 08:14 AM

Wait until everyone premiums go up 20-30% next year. What do you honestly think that you can mandate that insurance companies extend coverge so that 26 year olds still living in their mother's basements can still be carried by thier parents, and that was not gong to raise your rates?

Could you imagine how much cheaper health insurance would have been if instead innodating the current system with so much pork that is bound to topple (and thus open it up for what they soicialist REALLY want, a single payer, goverment run healthcare syste (were I'm sure, that you will no be waiting behind Nancy Pelosi's kin, for some medical proceedure), they open it up to competition and allowed pwople to buy helath insurance based on their needs, and allowed the insurance companies to charge "high risk" people more (and helathy people less).

Let's face it, if you have twenty speeding tickets, you car insurance is through the roof, if you don't have any, your insurance is much more affordable. If you own a '92 Honda, you pay alot less than if you own a Ferrari, it is all simple capitalism. Something could have been done by taking all the money we currently waste on fraud and move that to a "catatrophc illness plan" which is something that I think all Americans would have supported. You buy your custimized health insurance, pay YOUR OWN BILLS, and if God forbid, something horrible happens to you, the government steps in and either sends you to a VA hospital or covers the costs of your catstropich care. The insurance companes would love it, and the public would embrace it.

***DarrylS*** · 04-10-2010, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeTedWilliams

Wait until everyone premiums go up 20-30% next year. What do you honestly think that you can mandate that insurance companies extend coverge so that 26 year olds still living in their mother's basements can still be carried by thier parents, and that was not gong to raise your rates?

If you pay attention most insurance companies try to raise their rates anyways..

If you do a quick glance of the news premiums rose in '09 anywhere from 6 to 17%...

You may wish to review the following document published in '08, so this has to be truer than true..

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/doc...ium_Report.pdf

Quote:

Over the last decade, premiums have outpaced wages and inflation by a large amount. Over this same period, wages have risen by 38 percent and inflation by 28 percent. As a result, health insurance premiums are consuming ever-increasing portions of family budgets. Health insurance premium increases are also driving up the prices of products as employers pass along their portions of premium increases and reducing the competitiveness of U.S. companies.

Maine: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield asked for an 18.5% premium increase in 2008, which was rejected by the State Insurance Commissioner as being “excessive and unfairly discriminatory.” The rate increase would have increased profit margins by 3%, citing recent losses on its individual products as the reason, when in fact they had gains of 5% in 2007 and 3% in 2008. Ultimately, rates were increased by 10.9%.

Rhode Island: In 2009, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare requested a rate increase of 13-16%. The Commissioner told the insurers to withdraw its rate increase, stating that the increase was unaffordable for the state and would be burdensome on employers.

Health insurance premiums continue to rise for American families. Premiums are rising in all states and far in excess of wage growth or inflation. If we do nothing, the soaring rise of health insurance premiums will mean that millions of families and businesses will be unable to afford these increases and will lose their coverage over the coming years. For families that manage to keep their health insurance, health costs will consume an increasingly large portion of their budgets.

To control the rising costs of health insurance premiums, health insurance reform is essential this year. Health insurance reform will increase stability and security for all Americans by holding insurance companies accountable.