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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (128966)	1/21/2010 4:45:59 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542004

<<<For example, there is a requirement that Medicare patients get an EKG shortly before getting a colonoscopy and can only get get the colonoscopy in a hospital setting, >>> What is a hospital setting? Is that like in a hospital?

To: Lane3 who wrote (128966)	1/21/2010 6:42:46 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542004

There may be regional differences, too. In my area, doctors really don't like to tangle with the Medicare Advantage plans, and there are some who simply won't accept a new Medicare patient if that is their insurance. For that reason, I just went the traditional route and got a Blue Cross plan as my supplement because Blue Cross is the one they prefer above all others. Another example is that a provider who accepts Medicare patients cannot charge you more than the Medicare approved amount unless he is set up to make private contracts, which means he may not make a slot for you if he has higher paying alternatives Hmmmmmm. Just last week I went to a second opthamalogist to get a second opinion concerning a vision problem I'm having. (Medicare only pays for one exam a year.) I told the girls up front that I would be paying myself, not billing Medicare, for the visit. After the exam, I went to the desk, got my bill, wrote out a check for $118 which is the normal amount I paid before I went on Medicare last spring. You could be correct, of course, and the girls at this clinic simply didn't know any better. All I know is that I paid the normal, full fee for the type of exam I had. So far I am quite pleased with Medicare. The rules are straightforward as to what is covered, allowing me then to plan as to what I might want to pay extra for for those health needs that aren't covered. I do agree with you that the reimbursements are possibly getting so low that new, younger doctors will avoid taking Medicare patients until they've built up their practices. What I hear is already a serious problem in my area is Medicaid reimbursements. They're quite a bit lower than Medicare even, and a Medicaid recipient here has to really search to find willing doctors.