Doctors Begin To Refuse Obamacare Patients

originally posted by: BritofTexas
As Obamacare is ALL insurance policies, the Doctor is going to be twiddling his thumbs until a patient comes in with a Chicken.



But lets look at the Original Source for The Daily Callers article...

For a typical quick visit like this, Gerard could get reimbursed $100 or more from a private insurer. For the same visit, Medicare pays less — about $80. And now, with the new private plans under the Affordable Care Act, Gerard says he would get something in between, but closer to the lower Medicare rates. That's not something he's willing to accept.

A Doctor's Perspective On Obamacare Plans



How many of these "joint pain" patients does he see an hour? Let's say two, although obviously it could be more.



What he is saying is, he is unwilling to work for just over $160 an hour.



My heart bleeds.

I see you know absolutely NOTHING about how business works and what the cost6 of business is.

Gerard's office space isn't free. Neither is his electricity, gas, his company affiliation (or malpractice insurance, legal assistance, auditor, etc if he is unaffiliated and hangs his own shingle). The IRS lists that as being a legal overhead rate. I do not know what it is for doctors, but for engineers it is currently sitting at around 265%. That means the costs of doing business, zero profits taken, is 265% of your employees' hourly rate. If Gerard has a receptionist who is paid $12 an hour, a nurse who is paid $25 and hour and a physician's assistant who is paid $30 an hour, then one hour of having the doors open, without even considering his wallet, has just cost him $178. HOLY FREAKING COW, being open for business and seeing 2 Medicare patients just effectively took $18 OUT of Gerard's wallet in your model.

Obamacare is what happens when we have individuals with a complete lack of simple business accumen and understanding running the show. Sorry you got duped, Brit.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

A problem indeed. And one I addressed in a later Post.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Obamacare is what happens when we have individuals with a complete lack of simple business accumen and understanding running the show. Sorry you got duped, Brit.

Your Reply is what happens when blinded by Obama Derangement Syndrome.

It is not not Obama nor the ACA that is dictating the Doctors reimbursement. It is the the Insurance Companies.

Sorry you got duped too, Burd.

originally posted by: BritofTexas
a reply to: burdman30ott6



A problem indeed. And one I addressed in a later Post.

I see no post in this thread acknowledging your basic business economic blunders, friend. Care to link me to where you're admitting that so I can review and possibly correct my above statements?

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: BritofTexas
a reply to: burdman30ott6
A problem indeed. And one I addressed in a later Post.

I see no post in this thread acknowledging your basic business economic blunders, friend. Care to link me to where you're admitting that so I can review and possibly correct my above statements?

Hilarious!

Are you available for bar mitzvahs, stag parties and weddings?

originally posted by: BritofTexas
It is not not Obama nor the ACA that is dictating the Doctors reimbursement. It is the the Insurance Companies.

Yet, in absence of the ACA and Obama, the doctors would be getting reimbursed the same as they were before. The insurance companies trimed their reimbursements to cover ACA costs and keep their profit margins intact... you are learned on the issues of profit margins and their relation to keeping businesses flush, right?

a reply to: BritofTexas

So that's a "no, I cannot link you to that." response? I see, well then my original statement stands in its entirety.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Yet, in absence of the ACA and Obama, the doctors would be getting reimbursed the same as they were before. The insurance companies trimed their reimbursements to cover ACA costs and keep their profit margins intact... you are learned on the issues of profit margins and their relation to keeping businesses flush, right?

Ah yes! The poor Insurance Companies and their Wafer Thin profit margins.

If you really believe they can't reimburse the Doctors more, I suggest you educate yourself on their quarterly earnings.

There's not a shortage of doctors — there's a shortage of primary care physicians. It's not because there's no money to be made in general practice, it's because specialists make more money and work less hours. The primary care physician shortage is of course exacerbated by the infamous "aging baby boomers."

This isn't anything new, it's not some recent phenomena that's cropped up following the ACA and it's not a problem unique to the U.S.

I expect we'll see a multi-pronged approach to address the problem. Things like more nurse practitioners, increasing emphasis on prevention and incentives for medical students to become primary care physicians (grants, interest free loans, tax breaks, etc), particularly in rural areas where they are in the shortest supply.

originally posted by: BritofTexas

If you really believe they can't reimburse the Doctors more, I suggest you educate yourself on their quarterly earnings.

Educate yourself on the nature of the free market and investment corporations, please. Profit is why they are in business. If it wasn't for those quarterly earnings, they would shut their doors and cease even providing coverage for anyone.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: BritofTexas
If you really believe they can't reimburse the Doctors more, I suggest you educate yourself on their quarterly earnings.

Educate yourself on the nature of the free market and investment corporations, please. Profit is why they are in business. If it wasn't for those quarterly earnings, they would shut their doors and cease even providing coverage for anyone.

There must be a Business School in your area. I suggest you enroll. You are in desperate need.

If the Insurance companies put the Doctors out of business by low payments, the Insurance companies will no longer have a business.

So your idea of them shutting their doors would is moot.

a reply to: BritofTexas

Don't forget to factor in that precious 80/20 Medical Loss Ratio.

How does that work ?

Value for Your Premium Dollar: 80/20 Rule and MLR

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: BritofTexas
Don't forget to factor in that precious 80/20 Medical Loss Ratio.
How does that work ?
Value for Your Premium Dollar: 80/20 Rule and MLR

It work like this.

Out every $1 paid in premiums at least 80c has to be spent on some form of Health Care. Not advertizing, private jets, administrative costs etc.

Of course they probably can and do use it to send out a mailer saying "Don't eat Donuts. They'll make you fat and you'll get Diabetes!" But at least it's a start.

Hope that cleared it up for you.

a reply to: BritofTexas

Why would you deserve a discount for services not yet rendered? Anything that you paid over the amount will just go into credit for your next medical need. That's not a bad thing in my opinion.

I pay more than I need to for cell, electric, rent, etc...

It all adds up and usually once a year I just take a month off, take a trip and splurge.

a reply to: TDawgRex

The money paid four months before the service could have been used for other things. One of which of course is earning interest in a savings account.

It's not really a big deal in and of itself of course. It's just another little pin in the Voodoo Doll that is the American Healthcare System.

The Doctor is a Business. As a Business, giving a small percentage discount for pre-paid services would be an indication of good will.

originally posted by: BritofTexas
a reply to: TDawgRex
The Doctor is a Business. As a Business, giving a small percentage discount for pre-paid services would be an indication of good will.

Yea, these aren't the old days where businesses gave customer loyalty a actual discount. Those days are gone. Nowadays, you're lucky to get a thank you after paying your bill.

In smaller rural communities it still exists as I know my sister barters quite a lot for things she needs. Her husband before he passed away had a complete auto repair shop, so she'll grant access to it to others for things like house repair or land maintenance.

I think though that we are taking a big step back with the ACA. It changes to fast and furious, (pun intended). I don't think it will ever go away, but it does need a major overhaul. The US populace is getting older and there really aren't enough people working and paying taxes to make the system work.

originally posted by: Kangaruex4Ewe
A lot of doctors (at least in my area) were not taking Medicaid and Medicare already because they didn't make enough from it... Why did anyone think it would be any different with Obamacare??

That's all that needed to be said. And with Medicaid already out there why didn't they just give Medicaid to people instead of this sham insurance? Seems to me especially with that system already in place that they could have just let more people into the Medicaid system. Yeah no one would accept it but you would pay almost nothing for it and you would still have as much insurance as you are gonna have. Obummercare will become exactly like Medicaid and Medicare. There was never any reason for it other than to screw over the American people for the big insurance companies.

originally posted by: BritofTexas
If the Insurance companies put the Doctors out of business by low payments, the Insurance companies will no longer have a business.

Ah, and this would be the case... in absence of Obamacare, at least. There's this thing called the mandate which dictates every American will purchase insurance plans, whether there are enough doctors available for them to use the plan or not, or else pay steepening fines to the IRS. The insurance companies are loving their buddies in DC who broke precident and created a law supporting a private enterprise.

originally posted by: SubTruth
Your thoughts are geared towards a socialist style country

How do you figure that?

a reply to: xuenchen

My network is so narrow. I have medical conditions that require me to be treated by: a specialist in: Endocrinology, Rheumatology, Cardiology, Dermatology and Orthopedics.

One of my medical conditions, Addison's Disease is quite rare. Without proper medication and proper treatment I can die from this condition it's very serious. I had a near death experience in 2003 resulting from an Addison's crisis. General Practitioner MD has a hard time understanding and treating the condition let alone a nurse practitioner. And lo and behold I do not even have a doctor, I have been assigned a nurse practitioner.

The only way that I can see a rheumatologist an endocrinologist is if I go to San Francisco I don't drive I don't own a car and I don't have a license my husband has a 1961 Lincoln Continental and there is no way that sucker is going to make it to San Francisco. The only way that my health insurance will cover my trip from my city to San Francisco is if I'm getting dialysis but I'm not getting dialysis.

So basically I'm not even getting healthcare and could die as a result of this. I have been sick for months and have been waiting for my insurance to kick in. I applied for insurance to the California care website on March 15, 2014 and my insurance finally came in on... Drumroll please… August 1 2014.

In fact I have an appointment with my nurse practitioner so that we can go over the results of my Addison's disease test and find out if my lupus has gone SLE at 2 o'clock today. I have no faith whatsoever that the NP is going to be able to understand the results of that test. Not to mention that I have a goiter on my neck from Hashimoto's thyroiditis I need to find needle aspiration of the biopsy for thyroid cancer, but obviously that's not going to happen because I'm not able to see an endocrinologist.

So on top of it all I could possibly have thyroid cancer and my insurance company knows about it, I contacted my local congressman for assistance I've contacted the patient advocacy of California I reached out to health and human services of California, wrote a letter to the White House , and everybody has told me sorry there's nothing we can do about it. To bad so sad.

So basically I'm SOL and have been debating stopping the medication that maintains the Addison's disease. What the point of taking the medication if I not been seen by a physician who understands the medical condition the medication is being prescribed for.

The struggles of the working poor.