I am puzzled. Medicare and Medicaid pay little for care, to the point some doctors feel treating Medicaid patients actually costs them money. Private insurances generally pay a premium but regulate who participates. If the profit incentive is removed, why have private insurance at all? I am not saying there aren't gross distortions in the current system, just trying to reach where this article is going. The bias seems to be against Anthem. How dare they make a profit! Notice how rapidly Anthem caved when it attempted to limit anesthesia "times and reimbursement", a turnaround impossible in a government run program. That is the market at work. What option exists for Medicare or Medicaid as they have done the same thing, only couched it in slightly different terms with a very low reimbursement level. As a private practitioner I accepted all forms of insurance and even people with no insurance, which usually meant a complete write-off. The private insurances helped keep our office open. Now, with agencies hiring most doctors, paying their salaries, etc., how would Sloan negotiate with the Federal government without using its clout through its representatives?
Despite UHCs impressive profit margin NPR today reported that the 'investors" ie, shareholders, are not satisfied with the profit. I guess they are comparing it to other stocks. Perhaps the UHC dividends are not as good. None of this makes sense and makes me remember why I chose medicine for my career. I see our system moving toward single-payer. Will it be a Medicare look a like?
I am puzzled. Medicare and Medicaid pay little for care, to the point some doctors feel treating Medicaid patients actually costs them money. Private insurances generally pay a premium but regulate who participates. If the profit incentive is removed, why have private insurance at all? I am not saying there aren't gross distortions in the current system, just trying to reach where this article is going. The bias seems to be against Anthem. How dare they make a profit! Notice how rapidly Anthem caved when it attempted to limit anesthesia "times and reimbursement", a turnaround impossible in a government run program. That is the market at work. What option exists for Medicare or Medicaid as they have done the same thing, only couched it in slightly different terms with a very low reimbursement level. As a private practitioner I accepted all forms of insurance and even people with no insurance, which usually meant a complete write-off. The private insurances helped keep our office open. Now, with agencies hiring most doctors, paying their salaries, etc., how would Sloan negotiate with the Federal government without using its clout through its representatives?
Despite UHCs impressive profit margin NPR today reported that the 'investors" ie, shareholders, are not satisfied with the profit. I guess they are comparing it to other stocks. Perhaps the UHC dividends are not as good. None of this makes sense and makes me remember why I chose medicine for my career. I see our system moving toward single-payer. Will it be a Medicare look a like?