Re: Health insurance imploding


>
>>
>> Medicare is a "single payer" system. My 81 year old mother needs a particular
>> medical procedure. Her primary care doctor agrees that she needs it. There is
>> only one doctor in her area that performs this procedure. He refuses to do it
>> because it "costs too much". She is willing to pay for it, but doing so is not
>> allowed by medicare. She cannot travel outside her area due to her
>> condition. Socialist medicine at work.
>
>That's interesting. If she can afford it, why does the doctor
>say it costs too much? Why can't he bill her for the balance?
>
>

Medicare doesn't allow a doctor to be paid directly by a patient. If a doctor
takes any medicare patients the doctor has to accept what medicare pays. Of
course, he can refuse to treat a patient by saying "In my opinion, this patient
doesn't need that treatment". This doctor is refusing to treat her because
it costs too much, meaning it costs him too much. In other words, the doctor
thinks Medicare's payment is too little for that treatment.

.

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