Comments for CMA Health Policy Consultants

Comment on Six Solutions for Medicare Solvency and Reducing the Deficit by Gregory Manz

Gregory Manz — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:48:10 +0000

What ever happened to eliminating Medicare & Medicaid payments for Fraud & Abuse? If fraud was reduced to zero ($0.00) trillion dollars, then there would be no cost for RAC. The Medicare health care costs would decrease. Who is responsible for Medicare Operations anyway? There are 15 total jurisdictions that have total control of Medicare A & B Operations. They are MAC’s… Medicare Administrative Contractors… ALL of the MAC’s are, and have been, Insurance Companies. Why not deduct the costs of Fraud & Abuse, the costs of RAC’s from what MAC’s are paid? How much are MAC’s paid to manage Medicare operations? Who controls the MAC’s? Who audits the MAC’s?

Comment on Class Warfare? Discuss. by jim.schus

jim.schus — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:18:53 +0000

I agree that it is not right to take something from a “rich” person just because they are rich. However, when in the time of sacrifice such as we have now it it right to ask everybody to contribute what they can. The non-rich can give up some benefits and the rich can give up more in tax payments during the time of sacrifice.

Comment on It’s Mediare’s Anniversary: Make Sure it Has Many More by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:44:04 +0000

I agree. Medicare should be left alone or enhanced not gutted by government. This lack of compassion hopefully will catch up with these law makers, everything changes and they just might find themselves or loved ones on medicare and will soon find all the barriers set in place by greedy government officials.
Medicare was created for the people and should stay in place for all to use.

Comment on When Is a Hospital Inpatient Stay Not an Inpatient Hospital Stay – Hospital “Observation Services” by WJK

WJK — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:31:30 +0000

This issue also raises ?’s about a patient’s right to give (or refuse) informed consent to medical treatment if Dr at ER says “I’ll admit you to hospital so they can keep an eye on you.” CMS should require that a patient should be clearly told if the order is Not for hospital inpatent placement, but is rather registered for outpatient observation. The financial costs can be so high to the patient if he finds out (after the fact) he was really an outpatient, and this anxiety can lessen his level of health when he has to worry about paying the unexpected medical bills.

Comment on Medicaid Matters! by Judith Stein

Judith Stein — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:07:08 +0000

Contact your SHIP (State Health Insurance Program); you shold be able to get the number by calling 1(800)medicare. If not, call here at 1(860)456-7790.

Comment on Medicaid Matters! by Cas51161@hotmail.com

Cas51161@hotmail.com — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:43:15 +0000

I know as Americans we are all in a tight finacial sitution. As a disabled person also know that it is necessar for me to chip in my fair share as it pertains Helthcare.
Having said that I find myself in need of a social worker to get signed up for medicare.
Long story short I have been on S.S.D.I. since 2006. I pay for all o my own medcal due to “clerical error” with the social seruriy office.
Knowing that sign up is Jan. – Marh I have tried to get myself set up
on Medcare for two years. I am 50 & have had multiple sclerosis since 1979. I also have tpe 2 diabetis. Taking pills for type 2 means I have to see the Dr. every 3 months. These appts. cost me hundreds of dollars. I need help. with getting my assistane in order.

Comment on Medicaid Matters! by dontcutmedicaid

dontcutmedicaid — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:49:02 +0000

There are many events today and Saturday to protest the cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Please click on my blog for a listing,

Comment on So – What Would You Do? Real Solutions for Medicare Solvency and Reducing the Deficit by Steve

Steve — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:55:19 +0000

Start with a better, more useful, affirmative premise. Medicare saves money. Medicare actually saves a lot of money — compared with relying on private insurance companies. True, Medicare spending rose signifcantly over the last 40 years — more than 400 percent per beneficiary from 1969 to 2009, adjusted for inflation. But inflation-adjusted premiums on private health insurance rose more than 700 percent over the same years. It’s true that Medicare has done an inadequate job of controlling costs. It is more to the point that the private sector has done much worse. (Ref. Paul Krugman, “Medicare Saves Money,” The New York Times, 06-13-2011.)
All the ideas on the list are fine, and well-known. It would be nifty if they came to pass. Yet the main ones have gone nowhere for years. The reason options like Medicare price negotiation for drugs went nowhere remain here.
Medicare has become a mystifying quagmire of inaccessible agencies and paper-pushing layers. Families of Medicare beneficiaries get nowhere, get shunted around, or get the news they missed out because it took years toget a straight answer. Make the system family driven. Get Elizabeth Warren and Cass sunstein (and even Krugman) to work making it slim and comrehensible.
The get the operators out in the open. Private Investors have bought the majority of large nursing home chains supported by Medicare, using elaborate, equally inpenetrable corporate shell games. They contract with themselves through subsidiaries and affiliates. Drugs cost twice as much through their required vendor than at Walgreens for my mother-in-law, for example. See GAO-10-710 (“Nursing Homes Complexity….). The structure vests them with a sense of impunity, because no one can figure who’s responsible. It needs to be crystal clear and every contract needs to be open for inspection — and inspected at least once a year.
That would be a good start.

Comment on When Is a Hospital Inpatient Stay Not an Inpatient Hospital Stay – Hospital “Observation Services” by Judith Stein

Judith Stein — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:50:06 +0000

Please contact Toby Edleman in our DC office about this. You will also find information about so-called Observation Status on our website, http://www.medicareadvocacy.org .

Comment on Our NY Times Letter to the Editor – Improvement Standard Impacts Coverage and Care by Judith Stein

Judith Stein — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:48:07 +0000

Thank you for your comment. I agree entirely. Hopefully we will yet see this eliminated in Medicare – and can than try to mirror that in private plans.