Glendale Mayo Clinic to stop taking Medicare

[SeattleGriz]

SHOCKER! When Obama mentioned the Mayo Clinic as a model of efficiency, I laughed my ass off because The Mayo Clinic is a facility in which NO TEST goes undone for it's patients. They are the epitome of wasted money on testing.

I find it even more revealing that The Mayo is not accepting Medicare at their Glendale location, and not the more lucrative Scottsdale location. Must have many more private insurance patients in that wealthier part of town.

See what limiting Medicare payments is going to do to the less fortunate?


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... oYSI84VdL0

The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, will stop accepting Medicare patients as of tomorrow at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the U.S. government pays too little.

More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale, northwest of Phoenix, said Michael Yardley, a Mayo spokesman. The decision, which Yardley called a two-year pilot project, won’t affect other Mayo facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

[AZGrizFan]

....and so it begins.

Congratulations, donks. You stupid fucks.

[dbackjon]

Stupid Fucking Republicans have messed up health care. Don't blame the donks for GREEDY Conk hospitals.

[AZGrizFan]

Stupid Fucking Republicans have messed up health care. Don't blame the donks for GREEDY Conk hospitals.

So, is your precious government going to open up hospitals too?

[SeattleGriz]

This is exactly why I am for Tort reform.

The Mayo Clinic sees some of the most affluent patients in the Phoenix area. As such, they were scared to death of being sued by these wealthy clients, so they ordered many unnecessary tests.

They won't stop ordering the unnecessary tests, they just cut out those patients who's insurance won't provide adequate reimbursement, like Medicare.

Hell, if you want to hear a whopper of an insurance story, I got one for you:

Up here in Seattle, Premera Blue Cross asked everyone who did business with them to take a 20% reduction in payment this year because they just weren't making enough money. My company agreed to take a cut, but not the 20%. If you didn't take the cut, they would consider you out of network for future payments - essentially reducing their payouts.

Then, the other day, I was talking with one of my old clients who is doing the Executive Health Program for Swedish Medical Center. This is the sort of program that flies in World executives and then runs a battery of testing to make sure the new CEO won't kick the bucket after a week on the job. This sort of testing runs upwards of 6-15K for a days testing.

When I found out that the same Premera that was asking for a 20% reduction in reimbursement just became a new client for the Executive Health program, I had to shake my head. Fucking insurance tries to strong arm everyone in the Seattle area to take 20% less money in payment and then signs up its executives for an executive program that at it's core, is a money waster.

Fuckers.

[Chizzang]

SHOCKER! When Obama mentioned the Mayo Clinic as a model of efficiency, I laughed my ass off because The Mayo Clinic is a facility in which NO TEST goes undone for it's patients. They are the epitome of wasted money on testing.

I find it even more revealing that The Mayo is not accepting Medicare at their Glendale location, and not the more lucrative Scottsdale location. Must have many more private insurance patients in that wealthier part of town.

See what limiting Medicare payments is going to do to the less fortunate?


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... oYSI84VdL0

The Mayo Clinic, praised by President Barack Obama as a national model for efficient health care, will stop accepting Medicare patients as of tomorrow at one of its primary-care clinics in Arizona, saying the U.S. government pays too little.

More than 3,000 patients eligible for Medicare, the government’s largest health-insurance program, will be forced to pay cash if they want to continue seeing their doctors at a Mayo family clinic in Glendale, northwest of Phoenix, said Michael Yardley, a Mayo spokesman. The decision, which Yardley called a two-year pilot project, won’t affect other Mayo facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Dude,
I almost NEVER agree with you on this forum...
But after a week with my Mother - father and sister I've come to understand a few things that I never really cared about or paid attention to

My Sister is a Charge Nurse (Liberal)
My dad is a Doctor (Conservative)
My mother is on a hospital BOD (Liberal)

They all very carefully explained "what's wrong" with the present system, and what's wrong with the proposed system...we are absolutely in trouble if this new program passes

I could go on and explain their concerns but I'm certain this political forum has addressed them all - you've touched on it in your post...

[kalm]

This is exactly why I am for Tort reform.

The Mayo Clinic sees some of the most affluent patients in the Phoenix area. As such, they were scared to death of being sued by these wealthy clients, so they ordered many unnecessary tests.

They won't stop ordering the unnecessary tests, they just cut out those patients who's insurance won't provide adequate reimbursement, like Medicare.

Hell, if you want to hear a whopper of an insurance story, I got one for you:

Up here in Seattle, Premera Blue Cross asked everyone who did business with them to take a 20% reduction in payment this year because they just weren't making enough money. My company agreed to take a cut, but not the 20%. If you didn't take the cut, they would consider you out of network for future payments - essentially reducing their payouts.

Then, the other day, I was talking with one of my old clients who is doing the Executive Health Program for Swedish Medical Center. This is the sort of program that flies in World executives and then runs a battery of testing to make sure the new CEO won't kick the bucket after a week on the job. This sort of testing runs upwards of 6-15K for a days testing.

When I found out that the same Premera that was asking for a 20% reduction in reimbursement just became a new client for the Executive Health program, I had to shake my head. **** insurance tries to strong arm everyone in the Seattle area to take 20% less money in payment and then signs up its executives for an executive program that at it's core, is a money waster.

****.

6-15K for a days testing is also part of the problem.

No need to socialize medicine. Just socialize the risk aka insurance companies. Providers and manufacturers would make less, but the cost for everyone including employers would go down.

[slycat]

The Health Care system is broke. But it broke thriving on the American Capitalistic system of greed.

Obamas new plan won't work either because it is being rushed. A reform as large and enveloping as health care needs to take a lot of time to restructure and shouldn't be rushed out of the office in order to be a talking point.

[SeattleGriz]

The Health Care system is broke. But it broke thriving on the American Capitalistic system of greed.

Obamas new plan won't work either because it is being rushed. A reform as large and enveloping as health care needs to take a lot of time to restructure and shouldn't be rushed out of the office in order to be a talking point.

No slam on Obama, but when don't the individual parties rush something through?

I say our elected officials HAVE to take the new plan they are implementing. Wonder what it would look like then?

[slycat]

The Health Care system is broke. But it broke thriving on the American Capitalistic system of greed.

Obamas new plan won't work either because it is being rushed. A reform as large and enveloping as health care needs to take a lot of time to restructure and shouldn't be rushed out of the office in order to be a talking point.

No slam on Obama, but when don't the individual parties rush something through?

I say our elected officials HAVE to take the new plan they are implementing. Wonder what it would look like then?

Exactly. They rush bills out so they can say they did something. They themselves will never have to deal with it so they don't look at it the same way you or I would.

[Chizzang]

say our elected officials HAVE to take the new plan they are implementing. Wonder what it would look like then?

Could you even imagine..!!!
It would be VERY different - that I think we can all agree on

[HI54UNI]

The Health Care system is broke. But it broke thriving on the American Capitalistic system of greed.

Obamas new plan won't work either because it is being rushed. A reform as large and enveloping as health care needs to take a lot of time to restructure and shouldn't be rushed out of the office in order to be a talking point.

No slam on Obama, but when don't the individual parties rush something through?

I say our elected officials HAVE to take the new plan they are implementing. Wonder what it would look like then?

Yet they have exempted themselves once again.