Friday, August 6, 2010

BloggeRhythms 8/6/2010

After reading back yesterday's entry,I thought that perhaps there ought to be some kind of agency or group focused on controlling unnecessary practices and costs in the medical care business. I then decided that I might try organizing a group myself, and even came up with a name -Association Nationally Trying Initiatives Relieving Incessant Procurement Of Folks Funds "ANTI-RIPOFF"

By massing together, people might perhaps put some pressure on the administration and Congress to start eliminating the costs that are really killing health care -ambulance-chasing lawyers, outrageous malpractice court awards, and incompetent medical practitioners. Lopping all that fat and theft out of the system will by itself save billions.

Then, as I was typing, I glanced at the news. Buried among the stories I saw this stuff. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said today that "the Obama health care law has dramatically improved Medicare's finances. Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is now expected to remain solvent until 2029, 12 years longer than was projected last year."

Then he conceded that it's easier said than done. "As we know the future is uncertain, these are very long range projections. And those reforms require that we achieve very substantial improvements in efficiency and productivity."

Conversely, the Medicare trustees report expressed some skepticism, saying there's "great uncertainty" about the assumptions on Medicare cuts. While the health care law assumes some $200 billion in savings from productivity gains alone, the trustees called that "far from certain."

Though John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis says extending the life of Medicare would be good news, he also says the problem is it's all a fantasy, based on assumptions so unrealistic Medicare's own actuaries put out a separate report today, which he's never seen happen before.

The report from the office of the actuary of Medicare, a nonpolitical watchdog, questioned many of the assumptions used to justify $575 billion in cuts to Medicare, including an analysis saying cuts to providers "could jeopardize Medicare beneficiaries access to mainstream medical care." They say cuts could also force 25% of hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home health care agencies into the red over the next two decades, and many "would have to withdraw from providing services to Medicare beneficiaries. The actuaries also said several prominent health economists, "all believed that the payment reductions were unsustainable."

John Goodman went on to say, "Half the funding for health reform is paid for by cutting spending on the elderly, and the way they're going to cut spending is by squeezing the doctors and squeezing the hospitals."

Top administration officials want to fix fees for doctors. Those treating Medicare patients are scheduled to have their fees cut 32% in the next three years. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called that "untenable", saying "If you want to destroy the Medicare program, the fastest way to do it would be to drive providers out of the program, and I think that kind of cut would do it."

Fixing doctors' fees was originally in the health care bill but the administration took it out to make the changes seem less expensive. Now they say the fees have to be fixed or the new law won't work. But officials are not talking about restoring any other cuts, because the savings, at least on paper, are needed to pay for the subsidies and expanded benefits in the new health care law.

So, what you have here is typical political double talk. They've set the mirrors up in the corners, turned the lights down low, and are trying to focus your attention on the hat while they pull your rabbit out of your refrigerator and have it for dinner. But, in the meantime, the election clock's still ticking and now the elderly, one of the administration's strongest allies are going to take it in the shorts healthcare-wise. Thus, it might just turn out that its the administration that even overpriced life-support won't be able to keep alive.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

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