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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (6149)	2/17/2009 11:45:45 AM
From: i-node	2 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

I've been on Medicare for a year. I've already had several costs pass through to my Blue Cross because Medicare didn't pay. If your relatives aren't having any problem it's because their doctors don't recommend anything that Medicare won't pay for and they have no idea what they may be missing in medical services. Most doctors don't recommend anything that the patient's insurance won't cover. I had to tell my doctor directly that I didn't want her to practice to the Medicare guidelines, that I was prepared to pay the difference if need be. I had to tell her a couple of times before she believed me. There is a real truth to this. One of my clients, before he retired in frustration, was an oncologist who specialized in female cancers (i.e., "gynecologic oncology"). Research had determined that certain types of endometrial cancers were effectively treated with massive doses of Depo Provera, a contraceptive. So, he used the drug in that fashion. Of course, Medicare wouldn't pay for "contraceptives" -- even though the claims were coded for cancer and not contraceptive management. Simple, right? You just write them? Nope. Nobody's reading. Okay, well, you call them? Nope. Nobody to call. If you do get through to someone, there is no getting through the bureaucracy. This drug is expensive in massive dosages, but effective -- and less expensive than other chemotherapy treatments. But the doctor cannot foot the bill. The patient can't pay for it. That's what insurance is for, right? I could easily cite many, many other examples. The simple, indisputable truth is that this is what we're going to get as government takes a bigger role in health care. Everyone has their anecdotal situation where Medicare has been wonderful. But as someone who deals with this crap daily, I can tell you it is a train wreck. And so is EVERY government payer. Medicaid. RR Medicare. State-run Workers Comp programs. All of them. Why? That's easy: there is no profit motive.