US Presidential Election Results thread - Page 25 - OG Myth-Weavers

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Ben View Post
I'm fully aware of that and it's ramifications on a personal and policy level. My wife works almost exclusively with medicare patients at a nursing home and gets paid directly from Medicare instead of from a 3rd party. They have a VERY hard time finding people to do it, my wife only does because it's a flexible schedule and pays better than working at a hospital. If the cuts are structured to pay much less to her she's likely to simply take a different job leaving the nursing home without a PT. It could still be argued that it's a net positive instead but simply taking it away from providers doesn't mean there is no change to the patient.
Bolding by me.

I realize this isn't always the case, but I also work with many Medicare recipients and many non-Medicare clients as well, and I get paid the same either way (I should also note that I work in mental health, not physical health). The fact of the matter is that there are too many people on Medicare for providers to not accept it, and if they don't like how they're getting paid they're going to have to change their business model to be more results focused and less "number of tests performed"/"number of doctor's visits" focused. Healthcare in the US is incredibly inefficient in how it spends its money, and Obamacare is going to force it to be more efficient. I see that as a good thing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by canjowolf View Post
I don't understand why these small businesses will be laying off half of their employees to cover their costs though. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to raise prices on their products, since the cost per employee is going up everywhere?
If one company charges more and it's competitor adjusts hours there is likely to be a difference in who the customer prefers assuming they can keep the quality the same (not a given). Also, it'd only be changed in the US and many companies have foreign competitors or facilities they could hire people at instead. Not every business would be affected the same. Heck, some it's likely to help (WalMart) because it hurts their competitors worse than them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MonkWren View Post
and if they don't like how they're getting paid they're going to have to change their business model to be more results focused and less "number of tests performed"/"number of doctor's visits" focused.
Not every single one of those changes is likely to be beneficial to the patient though. I can see my wife saving money by only visiting people on certain days of the week and not others even if (for whatever reason) the nursing home prefers her to come 5 mornings a week. Perhaps they have group activities in the afternoon, etc.

The details on the 716b aren't out yet though, they made sure to save that until after the election.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Ben View Post
If one company charges more and it's competitor adjusts hours there is likely to be a difference in who the customer prefers assuming they can keep the quality the same (not a given). Also, it'd only be changed in the US and many companies have foreign competitors or facilities they could hire people at instead. Not every business would be affected the same. Heck, some it's likely to help (WalMart) because it hurts their competitors worse than them.
Outsourcing. That's what I was forgetting. Thanks Ben. I do agree that, like any other book of regulations that you need to hire someone to read for you, it hurts the small more than the large. I am not really convinced by the change in hours though, as if they could do that without loss of quality or production then they probably should already, although I can understand that compassion and a sense of justice cause many companies to hire people for a full 40 hrs. even if they might only need them for 38 and so on.

Anyway, way to help out small businesses and our economy. Thanks Big Government, for always being there for us making sure we can't be hurt by our own recklessness.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Ben View Post
Not every single one of those changes is likely to be beneficial to the patient though. I can see my wife saving money by only visiting people on certain days of the week and not others even if (for whatever reason) the nursing home prefers her to come 5 mornings a week. Perhaps they have group activities in the afternoon, etc.

The details on the 716b aren't out yet though, they made sure to save that until after the election.
If you're changing to outcome-based practice (which is what Obamacare advocates) then you are, by definition, providing better services to patients. We spend way too much on unnecessary tests and procedures, and those are some of the primary drivers of health-care costs in the US.

Quote:
Originally Posted by canjowolf View Post
I am not really convinced by the change in hours though, as if they could do that without loss of quality or production then they probably should already,
Well they can't really. But they might be able to save $2000 on penalties and only lose $1000 on quality, etc. The math is different for every company but I know Olive Garden and Red Lobster are testing to see if and how much restricting the hours of wait staff affects quality and costs.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_1951103.html

ArticleNEW YORK -- The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting costs from President Barack Obama's health care law.

Darden Restaurants Inc. declined to give details but said the test is only in four markets across the country. The move entails boosting the number of workers on part-time status, meaning they work less than 30 hours a week.

Under the new health care law, companies with 50 or more workers could be hit with fines if they do not provide basic coverage for full-time workers and their dependents. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, those penalties and requirements could significantly boost labor costs for some companies, particularly in low-wage industries such as retail and hospitality, where most jobs don't come with health benefits.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MonkWren View Post
If you're changing to outcome-based practice (which is what Obamacare advocates) then you are, by definition, providing better services to patients. We spend way too much on unnecessary tests and procedures, and those are some of the primary drivers of health-care costs in the US.
Unnecessary procedures like PT to the elderly at the end of life?

I blame the litigious nature of America. The other day I was dealing with a drug seeker with a known and documented history (for years) of drug seeking, who came in to the ER screaming in pain for hours. Realize, he ate up a vast majority of provider time and equipment time, with unnecessary tests such as a scan of his area in pain. Came back negative on all counts, and he even told us he had a pending lawsuit out against his last doctor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Ben View Post
Unnecessary procedures like PT to the elderly at the end of life?
I was thinking things more along the lines of unnecessary MRIs, CT scans, and the like, which are more expensive (to my knowledge) than PT, especially since the latter actually has a positive outcome for the patient (which is, as stated previously, the model we're looking to adopt).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zelkon View Post
Healthcare in the sense that most people go to a doctor or have a treatment that could be subsidized by insurance.
I persist in thinking that your statistic is inaccurately stated. People without health insurance tend not to seek medical care except in the case of emergency. It's far too expensive otherwise.




 

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