Impeding changes to our Health Care system

[Clodfobble]

I'm confused what it is you think this article has to do with Obamacare, one way or the other.

[Lamplighter]

Primarily just being facetious...

There are comments in the article about Medicare patients not being served,
and the coming standards for reimbursements, and physicians' practice
of accepting only private-pay (or private insurance) patients.

I do think that unless something is done to ultimately require physicians and hospitals
to accept Medicare reimbursements, this direction of seeking the wealthy patients
will only increase, so more and more patients will be turned away.

The smaller hospitals will probably see this as their way to go,
and so those ER's will only stabilize the patients and transport them
to larger "teaching" and "county" facilities that do accept Medicare.
.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

Primarily just being facetious...

There are comments in the article about Medicare patients not being served,
and the coming standards for reimbursements, and physicians' practice
of accepting only private-pay (or private insurance) patients.

I do think that unless something is done to ultimately require physicians and hospitals
to accept Medicare reimbursements, this direction of seeking the wealthy patients
will only increase, so more and more patients will be turned away.

The smaller hospitals will probably see this as their way to go,
and so those ER's will only stabilize the patients and transport them
to larger "teaching" and "county" facilities that do accept Medicare.
.

All of that has happened and is increasing. More people do not see Medicare anymore. The rural hospitals are passing on the sicker patients because they cost to much and sending them on to the larger hospitals further delaying much needed critical care. It has nothing to do with the capability of the hospital or the skills of the staff, it is now and always be about money. Medicine is a business, like it or not.

[SamIam]

I agree that medicine is a business, but disagree about the reason rural hospitals send patients to larger facilities. It IS about the skills of the staff and having access to the most up to date diagnostics and newer, more sophisticated treatments. A hospital in a town of 10,000 just can't afford the latest and greatest, and really good physicians do not gravitate to rural backwaters for obvious reasons.