Originally Posted by pshrynk
The hospitals are required by law, that to participate in Medicare they have to have the no turn away policy. It stemmed from one point where corporate hospital systems were sending uninsured people to a county or charity hospital and keeping those with insurance or lots of money.
It was sort of like the insurance companies who turn away those with expensive illnesses or dump someone when they get an expensive illness. Health Care reform should, in my opinion, have at it's core the rquirement that insurance companies cannot do that, so that they are on the same playing field as the hospitals.
It should also have the public option. And please read this sentence very carefully: NOT to "dictate healthcare" but to have an affordable insurance ption for those who are unable to get insurance from an employer or on their own.
My reason for this is: Right now, Medical facilities have high prices because they must compensate for Medicare and Medicaid and uninsured patients. The insurance companies do not pay full fare, either. If everyone in the US had coverage to pay for medical care, everyone would, over time be paying basically the same price. Economics assures us of that. The lack of insurance for 45 million (or whatever) unisured patients going to ER's to get primary care is a huge driver for medical costs.
You will please note that I have not at any time said that the government should tell me how to practice, or where, or for whom, or in any capacity. The role of government in this approach to care is strictly financial. Will they bung it up? Probably. They keep stealing from teh Medicare and Soc Sec trust funds to pay for trinkets. But it would work better than what we got.
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