Trying to Save by Increasing Doctors’ Fees
Submitted by seachange on Tue, 2008-08-05 03:32.
Milt Freudenheim, New York Times, July 21, 2008 Cutting health costs by paying doctors more?That is the premise of experiments under way by federal and state government agencies and many insurers around the country. The idea is that by paying family physicians, internists and pediatricians to devote more time and attention to their patients, insurers and patients can save thousands of dollars downstream on unnecessary tests, visits to expensive specialists and avoidable trips to the hospital. ... Trying
Really Disgusted
I don't know about you, but I am really disgusted with all the billions & billions & billions of dollars that are spent for Administrative Services in the health care industry. Now the payers (insurers/HMOs & Government) are suggesting that we add more administrative services to the mix. These groups would have us believe that because primary care physicians aren't being paid enough they fail to spend the necessary time with their patients. What a lot of Bull. Good Doctors figure out how to allocate their time expeditiously and the other physicians do not matter anyway. Medical-home projects are synonymous with insurer financial rip-offs.
Undoubtedly, the Medical-home project statistics will be cooked and it'll be found that Medical-home projects save tons of dollars and that everyone should have one. Then next we will be told that in order to promote this cost effective program taxes for Medicare/Medicaid and private insurance premiums need to be increased to cover these additional administrative costs. Enough is Enough.
Thomas J. Garvey, MHA
Chairman, Board of Directors
TheCenter for Health Care
Policy, Research and Analysis
15 Argyle Road
Merrick, NY 11566
(516) 379-6812
Cell (516) 317-4063
http://www.thepolicycenter.org