Now that the 40 million dollar Dubbya gala is over, time to balance the budget.
I'm reading some disturbing news though. The Dubbya administration might go after Medicaid to trim government spending. Yes, take more from the poor. Forget about big corporations and all the tax breaks they get. Medicaid is the government program for low-income people and children. The plan might include cutting physician's reimbursements for Medicaid.
Let me explain how this is a bad idea. Already, several physicians don't take Medicaid patients. Why would they refuse them? Because the Medicaid system pays doctors very little for the healthcare they provide. I emphasis - VERY LITTLE - compared to other insurance plans. Many clinics would go out of business if they accepted a high percentage of Medicaid patients. So where do these people go for healthcare? Mainly to community health care centers (or FQHCs) whose mission is to provide care to the underserved and uninsured. These clinics also struggle financially but at least get some government funding to maintain operations. A private doctor can not stay in business with a large portion of Medicaid patients, so many refuse to take it. Yes, they can refuse just like they can refuse to take certain HMO plans. Some HMO plans are denied because the reimbursement is low. It places patients and physicians in a tough situation. It is even more difficult if a person needs to see a specialist because again Medicaid pays specialists very little. A visit to a specialist is normally more expensive than a visit to a primary care physician.
Less reimbursement for Medicaid will only discourage more physicians to leave these people out in the cold. It will make it more difficult for FQHCs (federally qualified health centers) to continue to provide the same services and quality of care.
Why do we have to keep making it harder for people who are already disadvantaged? It isn't just immigrants who get Medicaid. It includes people like citizens who are unemployed, and pregnant women who are uninsured.
3 comments:
Yes it is a bad idea, but this country is going south, literally.
Seems like the prez learned politics from his Mexican politician friends.
Powell wants Mexico to create a middle class as a condition for a new migratory deal. Well, good thing Powell is retiring so he is not there when the middle class in the USA slips into poverty.
Paul Krugman uses the term Banana Republicans to describe the Bush brand of Republicanism. I've felt that ever since the Reagan administration, we've been on the fast path towards 3rd world country status. The ever-growing gap between the wealthy in this country and the working poor (pretty much the rest of us) is not a good thing.
All of this is very worrisome. I just read dubbya is getting ready to ask Congress for 80 billion dollars extra for Iraq and Afghanistan. Health care and Housing is getting so ridiculous. Let's brace ourselves folks...fun times ahead.
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