cthrowaway
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Hospitals charge (and private insurers pay) more than Medicare rates.
I thought everybody knew that.
www.nytimes.com
I remember a little over a year ago the Rand Corporation published a study (by at least one of the same authors) announcing that Medicare rates are ridiculously low. (Private Health Plans Pay Hospitals Much More Than What Medicare Would Pay) No, that wasn't the headline, but it was the gist. It wasn't a surprise, of course, but it generated some headlines.
The latest study (Private Health Plans Pay Hospitals 247% of What Medicare Would Pay) reports the same findings. I applaud the authors for beating that same drum, but why are our medical societies (the AMA, yes, but specifically the ASA) allowing the headline to be anything besides this: Medicare rates are ridiculously low.
Related to that, I remember reading a headline (and maybe even a thread somewhere on SDN) where other physicians were complaining that anesthesiologists were making off like bandits because we sometimes get 3X the rates from private insurers as we get from Medicare. Internists and surgeons wouldn't accept Medicare patients for 33% of private insurance rates--some don't accept Medicare patients at 80% of insurance rates. Anesthesiologists aren't in a position to pick and choose patients the way internists and surgeons sometimes can.
Why isn't the ASA getting the truth published?
Other doctors need to know that Medicare is screwing anesthesiologists the very worst. The public needs to know that most hospitals claim they will go out of business if their only payor is Medicare. Lawmakers need to realize that Medicare for All will necessarily require higher reimbursements, or hospitals and clinics will move to cash-only en masse.
I thought everybody knew that.
Many Hospitals Charge More Than Twice What Medicare Pays for the Same Care (Published 2020)
The gap between rates set for private insurers and employers vs. those by the federal government stirs the debate over a government-run health plan.
I remember a little over a year ago the Rand Corporation published a study (by at least one of the same authors) announcing that Medicare rates are ridiculously low. (Private Health Plans Pay Hospitals Much More Than What Medicare Would Pay) No, that wasn't the headline, but it was the gist. It wasn't a surprise, of course, but it generated some headlines.
The latest study (Private Health Plans Pay Hospitals 247% of What Medicare Would Pay) reports the same findings. I applaud the authors for beating that same drum, but why are our medical societies (the AMA, yes, but specifically the ASA) allowing the headline to be anything besides this: Medicare rates are ridiculously low.
Related to that, I remember reading a headline (and maybe even a thread somewhere on SDN) where other physicians were complaining that anesthesiologists were making off like bandits because we sometimes get 3X the rates from private insurers as we get from Medicare. Internists and surgeons wouldn't accept Medicare patients for 33% of private insurance rates--some don't accept Medicare patients at 80% of insurance rates. Anesthesiologists aren't in a position to pick and choose patients the way internists and surgeons sometimes can.
Why isn't the ASA getting the truth published?
Other doctors need to know that Medicare is screwing anesthesiologists the very worst. The public needs to know that most hospitals claim they will go out of business if their only payor is Medicare. Lawmakers need to realize that Medicare for All will necessarily require higher reimbursements, or hospitals and clinics will move to cash-only en masse.
