tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post4963898178753909125..comments2023-03-14T05:31:00.746-07:00Comments on Gen Y Healthcare: Why is Medicare bankrupting us? Why are the costs out of control?Andy Juanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02921959709575775344noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post-72627712813712654572009-09-29T17:12:18.386-07:002009-09-29T17:12:18.386-07:00The reason why prison inmates are getting better h...The reason why prison inmates are getting better health care than the general population is that when you're a prison inmate, you become a ward of the state (in this case, to sequester criminals from the general public). Like any other governmental branch in the US (armed forces, civilian workers, politicians, etc.), they take care of their own. The general population, though, is basically given the option to pursue whatever private insurance (or none) they want.<br /><br />As for the medicare issue, one of the easiest ways to fix this problem is to decrease reimbursements for procedures and increase reimbursements for basic primary care and smarter management. Many med students want to do the procedural specialties, partly because they like it, but also because it pays very well. Internists, pediatricians, family physicians, and psychiatrists work just as hard and are just as smart as surgeons, interventional radiologists, and anesthesiologists, but are paid less and have more BS to deal with, as well as dealing with crap from everyone. I could go on and on about this, but a comprehensive solution is always a political quagmire. The moment we try to do things like promote end-of-life issues, managing rather than trying for an absolute cure, and figure out more efficient and better ways of helping patients, an entire chorus of people shout and scream.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639153113109316442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post-38062887260098642562009-09-26T16:22:59.853-07:002009-09-26T16:22:59.853-07:00Albert, that's ~exactly~ the type of problem t...Albert, that's ~exactly~ the type of problem that Medicare has. There's nothing stopping that if there's no check or balance. Of course, who wants Big Brother saying what type of healthcare we receive? Tough call to make.<br /><br />Peng, that's a tough question. The only principle I can throw out there is that inmates are still treated as human beings and are at the responsibility of the state. As such, they are 'entitled' to some basic necessities such as food, a measure of safety, and proper healthcare. Of course, they also get cable TV, so I can see the annoyance that criminals get better treatment than law-abiding citizens! Clearly, they are giving up their freedom, so I wouldn't exactly be jealous, but that's my opinion.Andy Juanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02921959709575775344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post-73461955202523931972009-09-24T09:59:13.384-07:002009-09-24T09:59:13.384-07:00can you give any information on why it is that the...can you give any information on why it is that the U.S. government finds it so much more plausible to provide healthcare for its prison inmates than for the general population?pchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15976945168226383817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post-71579653873781149352009-09-23T20:35:42.607-07:002009-09-23T20:35:42.607-07:00Very informative. Keep up the good work Andy!Very informative. Keep up the good work Andy!taigahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14267111624431942357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584705757436511038.post-4647758581322744702009-09-23T19:12:06.962-07:002009-09-23T19:12:06.962-07:00Another one of the problems of Medicare is that th...Another one of the problems of Medicare is that the system inappropriately rewards procedural work instead of evidence-based medicine. For instance, a patient with generic chest pain that isn't life-threatening to him would be given conservative management (basically, aspirin, good history-taking skills, and watching the patient for a bit longer), but in some hospitals (especially a top-ranked one in Houston that will not be named) the work-up will include stress test, echo, MRI, and heart cath study. These procedures aren't necessary and actually may do more harm, but are reimbursable by both insurance and Medicare at a higher rate, so billing for these procedures is encouraged. This is one of the reasons causing many of the problems in medicine, such as physician shortages, increased spending, and the US having such low ratings in several global health care rankings.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639153113109316442noreply@blogger.com