Buffalo Boy's Blog

A cut to Medicaire payments to physicians is a necessary step at this point. You can blame it on who ever you want but I blame it on the Bush administration.

Most of us, if not all of us will need Medicaire when we turn 65, we won't be in a position to afford our own health insurance when we reitre. So Medicaire is a form of universal (call it socialized if thats what you want to call it, because it is socialized health insurance for the elderly) heathcare for the elderly, that over the last 8 years the Bush administration has taken a step towards privatizing Medicaire by allowing a program called Medicaire Advantage.

Medicaire Advantage allows seniors to choose to get their insurance through private insurers, which Medicaire then reimburses those insurers. The argument is that the Medicaire payments to those private insurers (who by the way are FOR PROFIT and profitting off the sick) are too high. I can totally see that being the case because as this president and his administration has always done is look out for the coorporate interests in this country, not for the little guy.

So theres a 10% cut in Medicaire rates coming starting July 4th. Which why is that a bad thing. Look, first of all if we weren't in a money sucking wrong war in Iraq we could probably have universal healthcare in this country, second, privatizing of healthcare is the wrong thing to do and we have done that on many levels so far including drug companies which is costing the elderly and sick in this country a ton of money, doctors offices, medical equipment and hospitals have all been privatized in this country. There are very few not-for-profit entities left in the medical field.

I don't feel sorry for anyone in the medical community and Im in the field as a physical therapist when this 10% cut goes into effect. Steam line services, be more efficient, do what ever you have to do but healthcare costs are out of control and a big reason is because of the privatization of those products and services. I honestly don't see doctors needing to get in line at the city mission for their next meal because of a 10% rate cut from Medicaire.

In order to get universal coverage when the democrats take office there will have to be some cuts in payments, but as we all saw in the documentary SICKO, doctors in Great Britain, who has universal healthcare, were still making a pretty decent living on about $200,000 a year.