WWTBAM Bored

With the $880 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid, apparently quite a few.

As we all knew, the "we found 150k budgeted to make a mural in honor of Fauci" was a distractor while the big cuts - ones that will kill people - were cooking.

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 7:29 pm

With the $880 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid, apparently quite a few.

As we all knew, the "we found 150k budgeted to make a mural in honor of Fauci" was a distractor while the big cuts - ones that will kill people - were cooking.

Here's an MSN fact checker saying you are being lied to. But people like you love being lied to, don't you?

You can't even explain whitefailure, can you?

flockofseagulls104 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 8:13 pm

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 7:29 pm

With the $880 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid, apparently quite a few.

As we all knew, the "we found 150k budgeted to make a mural in honor of Fauci" was a distractor while the big cuts - ones that will kill people - were cooking.

Here's an MSN fact checker saying you are being lied to. But people like you love being lied to, don't you?

You can't even explain whitefailure, can you?

Oh, so in other words, there’s a committee that is overseeing a group of programs. Medicaid is easily the most expensive and largest part of that. But when they want to cut a bunch of money from that group of programs, Medicaid is not gonna be touched? whitefailure might believe that, but I don’t.

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:13 am

flockofseagulls104 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 8:13 pm

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 7:29 pm

With the $880 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid, apparently quite a few.

As we all knew, the "we found 150k budgeted to make a mural in honor of Fauci" was a distractor while the big cuts - ones that will kill people - were cooking.

Here's an MSN fact checker saying you are being lied to. But people like you love being lied to, don't you?

You can't even explain whitefailure, can you?

Oh, so in other words, there’s a committee that is overseeing a group of programs. Medicaid is easily the most expensive and largest part of that. But when they want to cut a bunch of money from that group of programs, Medicaid is not gonna be touched? whitefailure might believe that, but I don’t.

I don't know your level of understanding of economics, or even math, but when there are 3 adminsistrators to one doctor, I think the may be room to cut money without cutting services. Or does it take 3 people to manage your business affairs?

I made up the 3 to 1 but, you'll have to admit, there is waste in the current system. Eliminate the waste and we might even be able to spend more on actual delivered services to folks who need it with less taxpayer cost.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 9:02 am

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:13 am

flockofseagulls104 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2025 8:13 pm

Here's an MSN fact checker saying you are being lied to. But people like you love being lied to, don't you?

You can't even explain whitefailure, can you?

Oh, so in other words, there’s a committee that is overseeing a group of programs. Medicaid is easily the most expensive and largest part of that. But when they want to cut a bunch of money from that group of programs, Medicaid is not gonna be touched? whitefailure might believe that, but I don’t.

I don't know your level of understanding of economics, or even math, but when there are 3 adminsistrators to one doctor, I think the may be room to cut money without cutting services. Or does it take 3 people to manage your business affairs?

I made up the 3 to 1 but, you'll have to admit, there is waste in the current system. Eliminate the waste and we might even be able to spend more on actual delivered services to folks who need it with less taxpayer cost.

That's the thing. I don't know anyone who disagrees with that.

But if you wanted to do that, you'd cut the government regulation that leads to paperwork, as well as the insurance oversight that leads to paperwork. We have stroke and sepsis coordinators who exist just to make sure the numbers are in the right columns so the hospital gets reimbursed for the care it provides.

Heck, if you REALLY wanted to cut costs, you'd make it single payer and get rid of the insurance bloat. A lot of doctors, including myself, have said that, if offered a pay cut in exchange for less paperwork and a system with better patient outcomes, we'd take that deal.

But I doubt we're getting that. They'll cut reimbursement, which means the poor will have to pay more, which means they'll just opt to skip the insulin...

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... genda/amp/

Here’s a pretty detailed article that would suggest that whitefailure’s fact check was a very specific, perhaps misleading fact check.

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 10:33 am

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 9:02 am

Weyoun wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 6:13 am

Oh, so in other words, there’s a committee that is overseeing a group of programs. Medicaid is easily the most expensive and largest part of that. But when they want to cut a bunch of money from that group of programs, Medicaid is not gonna be touched? whitefailure might believe that, but I don’t.

I don't know your level of understanding of economics, or even math, but when there are 3 adminsistrators to one doctor, I think the may be room to cut money without cutting services. Or does it take 3 people to manage your business affairs?

I made up the 3 to 1 but, you'll have to admit, there is waste in the current system. Eliminate the waste and we might even be able to spend more on actual delivered services to folks who need it with less taxpayer cost.

That's the thing. I don't know anyone who disagrees with that.

But if you wanted to do that, you'd cut the government regulation that leads to paperwork, as well as the insurance oversight that leads to paperwork. We have stroke and sepsis coordinators who exist just to make sure the numbers are in the right columns so the hospital gets reimbursed for the care it provides.

Heck, if you REALLY wanted to cut costs, you'd make it single payer and get rid of the insurance bloat. A lot of doctors, including myself, have said that, if offered a pay cut in exchange for less paperwork and a system with better patient outcomes, we'd take that deal.

But I doubt we're getting that. They'll cut reimbursement, which means the poor will have to pay more, which means they'll just opt to skip the insulin...

You failed to mention the fraud and stuff that should be considered fraud or significant overpayment by the government, I mean you and me.

Case in point. My m-i-l is in memory care. Been there 7 years. She is paying $7,600 per month for her care. That is all included (private room, meals, care, etc.). She was recommended for hospice care because of her need for additional care due to her deteriorating physical condiition. She's been on that for about 8 months. Hospice charges Medicare $7,200 per month. What does she get for that $7,200? A shared nurse (among 2-4 other patients) for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. And now, the facility no longer bathes her, changes her diaper, or provides some of the care they were for the $7,600 as "it's now hospice's job".

$7,200 month, or $1,655 per week. Split 4 ways that's $1,655 for 10 hours a week or $165/hr. For someone who essentially is a hospital orderly.

Just think. We could lower taxes AND provide more benefits IF the waste and fraud were eliminated. But you don't seem to want that. Or at least don't want to go through the effort and pain it will take to fix the system.

Just think. We could lower taxes AND provide more benefits IF the waste and fraud were eliminated. But you don't seem to want that. Or at least don't want to go through the effort and pain it will take to fix the system.

As CNN's Scott Jennings, of all people, points out, ifonly and all his lunatic comrades are using the most ludicrous political strategy ever devised. They are picking the 20% side of every 80/20 issue and going all in on it.

No, BiT, they don't want to get rid of the fraud waste and abuse of power in Washington. They want to get Trump. That's all that matters to them. And they don't learn. They spent 4 years tryng to bankrupt him, slander him, put him in jail and/or kill him. It only made him stronger and more popular.

Keep at it, ifonly. And explain what whitefailure means.

flockofseagulls104 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 3:27 pm

Just think. We could lower taxes AND provide more benefits IF the waste and fraud were eliminated. But you don't seem to want that. Or at least don't want to go through the effort and pain it will take to fix the system.

As CNN's Scott Jennings, of all people, points out, ifonly and all his lunatic comrades are using the most ludicrous political strategy ever devised. They are picking the 20% side of every 80/20 issue and going all in on it.

No, BiT, they don't want to get rid of the fraud waste and abuse of power in Washington. They want to get Trump. That's all that matters to them. And they don't learn. They spent 4 years tryng to bankrupt him, slander him, put him in jail and/or kill him. It only made him stronger and more popular.

Keep at it, ifonly. And explain what whitefailure means.

Spot on!

https://nativenewsonline.net/health/ind ... -rescinded

Hey, maybe they are slowing figuring things out.

Let’s see if they figure the same thing out for cancer research.

Either way, a bit slapdick of them.

BackInTex wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2025 2:24 pm

My m-i-l is in memory care. Been there 7 years. She is paying $7,600 per month for her care. That is all included (private room, meals, care, etc.). She was recommended for hospice care because of her need for additional care due to her deteriorating physical condiition. She's been on that for about 8 months. Hospice charges Medicare $7,200 per month. What does she get for that $7,200? A shared nurse (among 2-4 other patients) for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. And now, the facility no longer bathes her, changes her diaper, or provides some of the care they were for the $7,600 as "it's now hospice's job".

$7,200 month, or $1,655 per week. Split 4 ways that's $1,655 for 10 hours a week or $165/hr. For someone who essentially is a hospital orderly.

I'm not going to get in a general discussion of this issue, but I do have some first-hand experience, in that some people suggested I look at hospice care for Mrs. SSS after her hip surgery. Also, Mrs. SSS's first husband, who suffered from dementia and numerous physical ailments, had hospice care in home briefly before he died.

Hospice is more than an orderly for a few hours a week. It replaces curative care for a patient, so cancer patients would no longer be eligible for chemo or radiation types of treatment. It does provide palliative care, which in most cases is some heavy-duty pain medication, and there is physical/occupational therapy (which Mrs. SSS's medicare advantage currently pays for) and medical equipment coverage (walkers, wheelchairs, etc.) In the case of dementia patients like Mrs. SSS and his mil, the medication is probably some type of anti-anxiety meds (we keep tweaking Mrs. SSS's meds so she gets through the night and stays calm during the day without being catatanic). I didn't want to get hospice care for Mrs. SSS because I didn't want her to lose access to the doctors she likes.

When I started looking at Medicare Advantage plans, I wondered how insurance companies could offer zero premium and zero deductible plans out of the same Medicate benefit that I would otherwise be paying. What I found was that Medicare pays the insurance companies to administer Medicare Advantage plans so they don't have to. Hospice care is another version of the same thing that's available in more limited circumstances. (It's designed to be short term, for those with a six-month or less prognosis.) I do agree with BiT that there are probably a number of people in hospice care such as his mil who don't meet that strict criteria but get a "friendly" diagnosis to let them qualify.

The point is that hospice, like Medicare Advantage and private health insurance for those under 65 is an insurance plan, not a contract home healthcare service. How much a patient "gets" for the $7,600 depends on how much that patient uses specific services, which varies from patient to patient. I'd also say that in BiT's case, some of the blame seems like it should go to the memory care facility. If they're letting his mil sit in a dirty diaper all weekend until the next time the hospice worker shows up, I would complain to management right away.