The happiest people in the world live in countries where their taxes are high? YES! And their taxes are high because:
-healthcare is provided free or at a low cost so people don’t fear losing their homes or having to go back to work to pay medical debt
- high quality childcare is subsidized so new parents aren’t paying the equivalent of another mortgage to be able to work with the sense of security that their children are being well-minded, or even being taught invaluable social and developmental skills, while they themselves are at work
- paid family leave is a given, so babies are born into homes where the mother and the father or other primary caregiver can securely attach to the new citizen. In many of these nations a PROVEN preventive of postpartum depression, child abuse and neglect, and later, teenage involvement in the juvenile court system — nurse or parenting support family visitors — visit the family in support of the parents/caregivers and the baby! We know this works and saves something like $7 for every dollar invested! And yet…
- there is equality in PAY! Men don’t make 25-40 percent more than women, or especially Black or Brown women, for the same damned job.
Equality in pay ultimately makes everyone happier.
— and this is opinion: corrupt old white men with Grinch hearts don’t run the show to enrich themselves and their cronies.
It’s a horrible thought that perhaps the shooting death of the father of two heralds a new American Revolution against greed that will accomplish what the French Revolution accomplished. Yes the United Healthcare CEO leaves behind two sons, and that is tragic. And who cries for the poor and nameless Black man or woman shot daily?
Yes CEO’s boys and wife are likely very well taken care of in light of estimated net worth of $41 million. But for the majority of widows and children losing a husband or spouse, there is very little support. Many people I know simply cannot afford life insurance anymore.
I could go on, but you get my drift.
If I were a CEO making bank, I’d be thinking about ways to be more generous with my employees and customers.
Perhaps people truly are mad as hell, finally. And if they didn’t connect the dots at the ballot box this year — a tragedy in its own right — the dots will be connected in other ways so they see their greed and cruelty will not be tolerated.
In a country where rage is high, guns are plentiful, and maybe the clarity of who is really responsible for our gross inequity — which will kill us with great inequity at first but that ultimately cost the lives of people rich and poor — perhaps people will start getting the message.
Greed is bad.
Corruption has cost the lives of too many - in wars fought based on lies, in health care claims denied, in heart attacks caused by the stress of student loans and a minimum wage that hasn’t been raised since 2009, in blatant discrimination against women and minorities in what we are paid and not paid, and in the countless microaggressions dealt daily as people are denied, defunded, devalued instead of being valued, supported, paid properly, treated with dignity and respect.
I have been yelling about this for the past few years. Despite the barrage of advertisements in November and December, Medicare Advantage plans are EVIL. First off, they are HMO plans so you are limited by who you can see. They have all kinds of little enticements, but they tend to provide less in cases of major health events. You get less time of home health, you get pushed out of hospitals even worse than usual. If you are in a small plan, it is more responsive, but you leave the area and and you are screwed.
But here's the worst - if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, and you have a major health event/condition, and you want to switch back to traditional Medicare with a supplement, this is the one time that the insurers can refuse to offer you coverage or charge you for pre-existing conditions.
And yes, the cheating to the tune of tens of billions of dollars also makes me enraged. "Medicare is going broke?" Yeah, because these parasitic companies are taking our tax monies and then screwing us over!
If you or anyone you know, is on, or thinking about doing Medicare Advantage, be sure they go in eyes wide open.
Unfortunately is is quite possible to get (a type of) cataracts after cataract surgery. That operation hollows out the natural lens and places a plastic lens inside it. A thin layer of the original lens remains behind the plastic lens, and it can become opaque enough over time to cause problems. This is called "posterior capsular opacification". The treatment involves burning a hole through the opaque material with a laser. It is an outpatient procedure. One would imagine that since Diabetes induces opacity in the whole lens that it would do so in the remaining piece too. PCO occurs in a substantial fraction of people who have had cataract surgery. That said, pretty sure the billing codes were for primary cataracts, not PCO.
Any time that the government gives away free money they need an army of auditors to make sure the money was spent correctly. But also the penalties for fraud need to be draconian. If, for example a company has committed $50 million in fraud that ought to be clawed back from the C-suite executives and not some vague group of stockholders.
I saw a doc last week with like a two day wait. She wrote out prescriptions (capped at $24.95 for one and $16.50 foe the other). She even took some more time to check out a couple of moles on my back she isn't happy about. I paid nothing for the visit.
However, as it is tax time here in UpsideDown Land, I will get a single one-off levy of 1.5% of my taxable income. I can also, if I wish, take out my own health cover and not get charged. And that is about it. Free medicine. It's not that difficult.
I use to work for a call center that had a contract with United's Medicare Plans (Part C and D). I worked from 2014 to 2019 and during that time Medicare was suing United because of over payments. United, which because of their Medicare plans became the most profitable health insurance company in the country, screamed like a stuck pig that it was all lies. Eventually Medicare dropped the lawsuit to do more "research" on over payments. If I was you I wouldn't hold my breath on getting any of that money back.
The NYT (whose coverage of how screwed up our health care system is , is excellent) had a long article on this about three years ago. The doctors and nurses who work for these companies are under tremendous pressure to "upcode." I used to have a disadvantage plan (I now pay for a supplement) and was constantly getting calls to complete a very long questionnaire or have a nurse come to visit me. I was even told this is required (it is not). One of the many reasons I dumped it.
So here's the thing - I'm the representative payee and medical power of attorney for my sister. I took over last year for our oldest sister. Since then, I get absolutely FLOODED with paperwork about crap that Medicare Advantage covers for my disabled sister. Since everything is covered 100% I never really scrutinize it too much, but I recall seeing a lot of stuff in her files in years past that seemed very questionable.
If there is fraud occurring on a patient, who do we even report that to???
Thanks for this article, Robyn. My Medicare Advantage plan has been trying to get me to agree to a house MD visit for the last two years. They offer at least once every four months...via text which I delete. Nothing good can come from a home MD visit in my income bracket! I see now what I have always suspected....the plan is looking for something they can "diagnose". I see my primary MD regularly and have no health problems. They would probably prefer to make a little more money off of me.
This wholesale theft from the American people won't stop until the CEOs are held directly accountable for the actions of their companies. If you're getting paid $23 million A YEAR, it is your responsibility to know if your company is committing fraud. If your company is caught stealing, YOU GO TO PRISON. End of story.
"Naturally, insurers like UnitedHealth and Humana denied that any of this is happening. They say that their doctors are simply more thorough than regular doctors and catch health problems even before they become an issue. This also does not seem very likely." I have both Humana and Medicaid. It's true they send a doctor (or NP) to my house every year. This is a completely voluntary program. I like the visit because it's another pair of eyes looking out for my health. As far as their doctors being more thorough, they usually are. They've caught a few minor issues and passed that info along to my PCP. Also, regular cognitive testing that my PCP just doesn't do.
Those are actually really great programs. Unfortunately, they're now firing most of the doctors and NPs, and just increasing the workload on those who are left. Because PROFIT!! (At least, UHC is doing that - friend works for them in just that capacity, and is just waiting for the axe to fall...)
They got rid of my excellent eye doctor -- or, rather, she retired because she didn't want to put up with the nonsense after she learned a Vulture Capitalist was going to absorb her practice.
And ever since then I've had nothing but trouble and problems
Ha. TFG will eliminate all of the inspectors and regulation and put Dollar Store 'Batboy' Rick Scott in charge of his 'Department of Skimming Medicare' to line their pockets with our Healthcare money.
https://www.gallup.com/analytics/349487/world-happiness-report.aspx
The happiest people in the world live in countries where their taxes are high? YES! And their taxes are high because:
-healthcare is provided free or at a low cost so people don’t fear losing their homes or having to go back to work to pay medical debt
- high quality childcare is subsidized so new parents aren’t paying the equivalent of another mortgage to be able to work with the sense of security that their children are being well-minded, or even being taught invaluable social and developmental skills, while they themselves are at work
- paid family leave is a given, so babies are born into homes where the mother and the father or other primary caregiver can securely attach to the new citizen. In many of these nations a PROVEN preventive of postpartum depression, child abuse and neglect, and later, teenage involvement in the juvenile court system — nurse or parenting support family visitors — visit the family in support of the parents/caregivers and the baby! We know this works and saves something like $7 for every dollar invested! And yet…
- there is equality in PAY! Men don’t make 25-40 percent more than women, or especially Black or Brown women, for the same damned job.
Equality in pay ultimately makes everyone happier.
— and this is opinion: corrupt old white men with Grinch hearts don’t run the show to enrich themselves and their cronies.
It’s a horrible thought that perhaps the shooting death of the father of two heralds a new American Revolution against greed that will accomplish what the French Revolution accomplished. Yes the United Healthcare CEO leaves behind two sons, and that is tragic. And who cries for the poor and nameless Black man or woman shot daily?
Yes CEO’s boys and wife are likely very well taken care of in light of estimated net worth of $41 million. But for the majority of widows and children losing a husband or spouse, there is very little support. Many people I know simply cannot afford life insurance anymore.
I could go on, but you get my drift.
If I were a CEO making bank, I’d be thinking about ways to be more generous with my employees and customers.
Perhaps people truly are mad as hell, finally. And if they didn’t connect the dots at the ballot box this year — a tragedy in its own right — the dots will be connected in other ways so they see their greed and cruelty will not be tolerated.
In a country where rage is high, guns are plentiful, and maybe the clarity of who is really responsible for our gross inequity — which will kill us with great inequity at first but that ultimately cost the lives of people rich and poor — perhaps people will start getting the message.
Greed is bad.
Corruption has cost the lives of too many - in wars fought based on lies, in health care claims denied, in heart attacks caused by the stress of student loans and a minimum wage that hasn’t been raised since 2009, in blatant discrimination against women and minorities in what we are paid and not paid, and in the countless microaggressions dealt daily as people are denied, defunded, devalued instead of being valued, supported, paid properly, treated with dignity and respect.
I have been yelling about this for the past few years. Despite the barrage of advertisements in November and December, Medicare Advantage plans are EVIL. First off, they are HMO plans so you are limited by who you can see. They have all kinds of little enticements, but they tend to provide less in cases of major health events. You get less time of home health, you get pushed out of hospitals even worse than usual. If you are in a small plan, it is more responsive, but you leave the area and and you are screwed.
But here's the worst - if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, and you have a major health event/condition, and you want to switch back to traditional Medicare with a supplement, this is the one time that the insurers can refuse to offer you coverage or charge you for pre-existing conditions.
And yes, the cheating to the tune of tens of billions of dollars also makes me enraged. "Medicare is going broke?" Yeah, because these parasitic companies are taking our tax monies and then screwing us over!
If you or anyone you know, is on, or thinking about doing Medicare Advantage, be sure they go in eyes wide open.
Ta, Robyn. None of this surprises me.
Unfortunately is is quite possible to get (a type of) cataracts after cataract surgery. That operation hollows out the natural lens and places a plastic lens inside it. A thin layer of the original lens remains behind the plastic lens, and it can become opaque enough over time to cause problems. This is called "posterior capsular opacification". The treatment involves burning a hole through the opaque material with a laser. It is an outpatient procedure. One would imagine that since Diabetes induces opacity in the whole lens that it would do so in the remaining piece too. PCO occurs in a substantial fraction of people who have had cataract surgery. That said, pretty sure the billing codes were for primary cataracts, not PCO.
Any time that the government gives away free money they need an army of auditors to make sure the money was spent correctly. But also the penalties for fraud need to be draconian. If, for example a company has committed $50 million in fraud that ought to be clawed back from the C-suite executives and not some vague group of stockholders.
I saw a doc last week with like a two day wait. She wrote out prescriptions (capped at $24.95 for one and $16.50 foe the other). She even took some more time to check out a couple of moles on my back she isn't happy about. I paid nothing for the visit.
However, as it is tax time here in UpsideDown Land, I will get a single one-off levy of 1.5% of my taxable income. I can also, if I wish, take out my own health cover and not get charged. And that is about it. Free medicine. It's not that difficult.
It WOULD be really nice if we could figure out how to provide our citizens with healthcare in a less stupid way!
Medicare For All!
I use to work for a call center that had a contract with United's Medicare Plans (Part C and D). I worked from 2014 to 2019 and during that time Medicare was suing United because of over payments. United, which because of their Medicare plans became the most profitable health insurance company in the country, screamed like a stuck pig that it was all lies. Eventually Medicare dropped the lawsuit to do more "research" on over payments. If I was you I wouldn't hold my breath on getting any of that money back.
I hate all of this so much. I also have united healthcare, blergh!
The NYT (whose coverage of how screwed up our health care system is , is excellent) had a long article on this about three years ago. The doctors and nurses who work for these companies are under tremendous pressure to "upcode." I used to have a disadvantage plan (I now pay for a supplement) and was constantly getting calls to complete a very long questionnaire or have a nurse come to visit me. I was even told this is required (it is not). One of the many reasons I dumped it.
Thanks for this. I will know not to do this in the future.
So here's the thing - I'm the representative payee and medical power of attorney for my sister. I took over last year for our oldest sister. Since then, I get absolutely FLOODED with paperwork about crap that Medicare Advantage covers for my disabled sister. Since everything is covered 100% I never really scrutinize it too much, but I recall seeing a lot of stuff in her files in years past that seemed very questionable.
If there is fraud occurring on a patient, who do we even report that to???
Thanks for this article, Robyn. My Medicare Advantage plan has been trying to get me to agree to a house MD visit for the last two years. They offer at least once every four months...via text which I delete. Nothing good can come from a home MD visit in my income bracket! I see now what I have always suspected....the plan is looking for something they can "diagnose". I see my primary MD regularly and have no health problems. They would probably prefer to make a little more money off of me.
This wholesale theft from the American people won't stop until the CEOs are held directly accountable for the actions of their companies. If you're getting paid $23 million A YEAR, it is your responsibility to know if your company is committing fraud. If your company is caught stealing, YOU GO TO PRISON. End of story.
"Naturally, insurers like UnitedHealth and Humana denied that any of this is happening. They say that their doctors are simply more thorough than regular doctors and catch health problems even before they become an issue. This also does not seem very likely." I have both Humana and Medicaid. It's true they send a doctor (or NP) to my house every year. This is a completely voluntary program. I like the visit because it's another pair of eyes looking out for my health. As far as their doctors being more thorough, they usually are. They've caught a few minor issues and passed that info along to my PCP. Also, regular cognitive testing that my PCP just doesn't do.
Those are actually really great programs. Unfortunately, they're now firing most of the doctors and NPs, and just increasing the workload on those who are left. Because PROFIT!! (At least, UHC is doing that - friend works for them in just that capacity, and is just waiting for the axe to fall...)
Can confirm.
They got rid of my excellent eye doctor -- or, rather, she retired because she didn't want to put up with the nonsense after she learned a Vulture Capitalist was going to absorb her practice.
And ever since then I've had nothing but trouble and problems
Ha. TFG will eliminate all of the inspectors and regulation and put Dollar Store 'Batboy' Rick Scott in charge of his 'Department of Skimming Medicare' to line their pockets with our Healthcare money.
After all Rick Scott has plenty of experience.