Questions Seniors Should Ask President Obama
The President is participating in a "tele-town hall" at AARP headquarters in Washington, D.C. today. Here are three questions suggested by Morning Bell about his reform agenda:
Will we find it more difficult to see doctors? This is already a problem. Won't it get worse if the government reduces Medicare spending by $313 billion over the next 10 years?
Will we lose our health insurance coverage? One in five seniors is in a Medicare Advantage plan – providing much more comprehensive care than traditional Medicare. What happens to us when the federal government cuts reimbursement rates?
Will we be denied access to expensive care? A health board in Britain decides whether extra months or years of life are worth the cost. Is that what we can expect in America?
Here is a fourth question: Are they going to put me on the ice?
Here is a fifth question: Do you really think we are folled by all this?
Another good question: How long will my appointment last if there are 230 million people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or the public plan? Public insurers reimburse physicians only about 60% to 70% of the rates paid by private insurers. Medicaid payments are especially low. Low reimbursement helps explain the existence of Medicaid mills, which are often accused of herding patients though the exam rooms like cattle down a corral chute.
Here is a seventh question: when are they going to start putting the elderly on the ice?