Quote:
Originally Posted by DixieGal
Pay attention now, this is what I've been getting to: Those pts who are poor and don't have insurance are covered under a govt program called Medicaid. Medicaid only pays us a fraction of the cost of the medical care, and we are forbidden to try to collect the remainder. This is a contractually binding agreement. We take a large loss on these pts versus pts who have insurance. Nobody makes up the difference. It is mutually agreed upon by us and Medicaid that we will take whatever pittance they give us and be satisfied. We understand that we can not count on our majority population of poor urban pts to support us and that the excellent care they receive from us will be free to them.
However, the working lower middle class often fall through the cracks. They are often working jobs that pay too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to have medical insurance. That remains an unsolved problem.
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You left out the part about folks "in the know" and with laywers and time, even those with lots of $$ have ways of getting around and qualifying for Medicaid. Or, maybe that's just in NYS? I work in the "industry" and it isn't unheard to see people with 700k in the bank and still qualifying for MA due to weird little law things.
As an American, I have no real problem being taxed to pay for coverage for those who either work and can't afford coverage (my brother happens to be one of those... bankrupcy due to a heart attack at 39... and 180k hospital/doc bills) or those unable (not unwilling) to work. I DO have a problem when a lawyer can twist things and make Joe Richguy eligible for Medicaid to pay for mom's nursing home (we saved all our lives, but not to pay for Our healthcare... it's for our kids
)
I actuallywouldn't have a problem of the cheaters (cough, sorry, rich folks) getting over... if the law would be Fixed the law so that all could avail themselves of it.
Sorry, that's probably more
than it should be.
To get back on topic... from what I've read and heard from friends in countries with Nat.Health, that doesn't seem to work all that well either... crazy wait times, poor care, etc. So, is there an answer? I do wonder how some countries seem to make most of it "work" and wonder why we can't?