Topic: Thousands of doctors fired by United HealthCare

[OldSailor]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)-- In the midst of major changes in health care, UnitedHealthCare has sent thousands of pink slips to Connecticut doctors.     
 
Termination letters went to physicians caring for Medicare patients. Those letters were sent out to doctors caring for 'Medicare Advantage' patients. It's a plan, marketed to Seniors to provide additional services through UnitedHealthCare.
 
A mix of primary care and specialty doctors are affected by it. And it comes at a questionable time.
   
 Open enrollment for Medicare starts next Tuesday, and it's still not clear at this time as to which doctors are still in the United network.   
   
 The Connecticut State Medical Society is fighting back. The biggest concern is patient access to healthcare.
 
More here:
http://www.wtnh.com/news/health/thousands-of-doctors-fired-by-united-healthcare

Guys, I work in the home health field today.  Because of changes made by CMS, the agency controlling Medicare 3 years ago we lost ALL of our Medicare business beginning 1 July of this year, no new Medicare patients and as each existing patient reaches the "maturity" of their equipment account with us we have to turn them over to one of the national agencies now accreditied with Medicare.  That is 1/3 of our total business.

We've cut back on our staffing - service technicians and therapists and fully expect to have to continue cutting staff because of the changes being triggered by ObamaCare.

We are hurting.

[Glock32]

Hate to hear this for you and your industry. Even more angering is the fact that it's all deliberate and by design. The whole thing is designed to be an unworkable nightmare, to make it impossible for private businesses to remain afloat and gin up a clamor for their real goal: fully nationalized and government-run medicine. That's the central pillar of socialism everywhere. It results in a permanent realignment of the relationship between citizen and state, and it forever drags a country's political center of gravity to the Left.

It's part of their Hegelian Marxist problem-reaction-solution method.

[Predator Don]

Healthspring is also going thru major changes. One of their programs is for seniors ( Silver Sneakers), which assists in funding a gym membership if they use it. It is a preventative health program that has worked. Healthspring has dropped the program from all but their most expensive offering and all deductables have skyrocketed within every program. I have seniors worrying themselves to death over what they are gonna do.

Health insurance as we knew it will change. None of it good. My business can't afford to take on the financial burden ( allow 400 seniors in free) without charging some sort of small fee. Welcome to the obamanation.

[oldcoastie6468]

Everything changes. BUT, not all change is good.

[Libertas]

I'm in this industry too on the accounting side, and it is maddening to see everything going on and know the leadership team of your own outfit was 100% for the ObamaCare bill and continue to be in support of this insanity...they foolishly think the crockodile will pass them by for perpetuity...the destruction of this industry is going to be horrific.  And it is all happening at a time when providers are under the gun like never before...trying to meet ever-increasing demands for and scruitiny of quality services in an environment of rigid cost control, heavy internal and external regulation and shrinking reimbursement from insurers.  And as rationing increases and professional ranks downgrade due to retirements and self-induced exile from the system the downward spiral will really kick in.  There is simply no way this ends well for anybody.

[Weisshaupt]

I'm in this industry too on the accounting side, and it is maddening to see everything going on and know the leadership team of your own outfit was 100% for the ObamaCare bill and continue to be in support of this insanity...they foolishly think the crockodile will pass them by for perpetuity...

Do they?  Or do they know perfectly well what is going to happen and have bought time for themselves? How many are kicking the can?  How many of your CEOs are collecting paychecks so they can pay off that island in the Bahamas and set up that trust fund that will hire a private doctor for them and their families.
The rich don't care, because their wealth, if used wisely, will allow the to escape pretty much anything.

[RickZ]

Yeah, I'm thrilled about this news.  Seems my regular cardio has been cut, leaving me my EP who works out of a very nice hospital.  Something's got to give with this shyt.

History's greatest joke:  An affordable health care law that isn't a tax but is a tax where if you like your doctor you can keep them.  Talk about The Big Lie.  For The Liar-in-Chief, it's another fun day fudging one's score on the golf course.

[OldSailor]

I'm in this industry too on the accounting side, and it is maddening to see everything going on and know the leadership team of your own outfit was 100% for the ObamaCare bill and continue to be in support of this insanity...they foolishly think the crockodile will pass them by for perpetuity...

Do they?  Or do they know perfectly well what is going to happen and have bought time for themselves? How many are kicking the can?  How many of your CEOs are collecting paychecks so they can pay off that island in the Bahamas and set up that trust fund that will hire a private doctor for them and their families.
The rich don't care, because their wealth, if used wisely, will allow the to escape pretty much anything.

The outfit I work for is a "non-profit" organization, the financial data is an open book, it has to be under the law.  I've also been with it for nearly as long now as I was with the Navy (retired from that with 21 years+) and helped grow the homecare side of things grow from "Mom & Pop" size to probably the largest regional in this part of the country.  Yes the CEO, COO and CFO make a healthy paycheck as do most of the Board of Directors.  So do the top officers of most major corporations in most industries.  That does not necessarily mean they have those "islands in the Bahamas" waiting for them. 

[Libertas]

I'm in this industry too on the accounting side, and it is maddening to see everything going on and know the leadership team of your own outfit was 100% for the ObamaCare bill and continue to be in support of this insanity...they foolishly think the crockodile will pass them by for perpetuity...

Do they?  Or do they know perfectly well what is going to happen and have bought time for themselves? How many are kicking the can?  How many of your CEOs are collecting paychecks so they can pay off that island in the Bahamas and set up that trust fund that will hire a private doctor for them and their families.
The rich don't care, because their wealth, if used wisely, will allow the to escape pretty much anything.

The outfit I work for is a "non-profit" organization, the financial data is an open book, it has to be under the law.  I've also been with it for nearly as long now as I was with the Navy (retired from that with 21 years+) and helped grow the homecare side of things grow from "Mom & Pop" size to probably the largest regional in this part of the country.  Yes the CEO, COO and CFO make a healthy paycheck as do most of the Board of Directors.  So do the top officers of most major corporations in most industries.  That does not necessarily mean they have those "islands in the Bahamas" waiting for them.

Agreed.  My outfit is non-profit as well, big shots well paid, not aware of any off-shore holdings but who knows, all I know is that when we meet them, the senior leadership team seems genuinely all-for this BS.  Part of it is survival, part of it is thinking they'll come out better financially for a time by getting some reimbursement from elements that would have been charity/free care in the past.  But my outfit has been ahead of this crap and cheering it on.  Frankly I think they are true believers and when the bottom drops out these are the kind of morons that will merely offer up a feeble "we tried" and blame others for the failure.  They are unsane.

[Pablo de Fleurs]

The Heritage Foundation: 3 Questions with Dr. Ben Carson

Three Questions with Dr. Ben Carson

Source: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/10/11/exclusive-3-questions-with-dr-ben-carson/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

[ToddF]

Heh.  I also know people who work at "non profit" Big Healthcare.  One on the analyst side.  His wife works at home on the claims end.  They aren't happy, either.3

I can see both their jobs being offshored, to cut costs.

[OldSailor]

I'm in this industry too on the accounting side, and it is maddening to see everything going on and know the leadership team of your own outfit was 100% for the ObamaCare bill and continue to be in support of this insanity...they foolishly think the crockodile will pass them by for perpetuity...

Do they?  Or do they know perfectly well what is going to happen and have bought time for themselves? How many are kicking the can?  How many of your CEOs are collecting paychecks so they can pay off that island in the Bahamas and set up that trust fund that will hire a private doctor for them and their families.
The rich don't care, because their wealth, if used wisely, will allow the to escape pretty much anything.

The outfit I work for is a "non-profit" organization, the financial data is an open book, it has to be under the law.  I've also been with it for nearly as long now as I was with the Navy (retired from that with 21 years+) and helped grow the homecare side of things grow from "Mom & Pop" size to probably the largest regional in this part of the country.  Yes the CEO, COO and CFO make a healthy paycheck as do most of the Board of Directors.  So do the top officers of most major corporations in most industries.  That does not necessarily mean they have those "islands in the Bahamas" waiting for them.

Agreed.  My outfit is non-profit as well, big shots well paid, not aware of any off-shore holdings but who knows, all I know is that when we meet them, the senior leadership team seems genuinely all-for this BS.  Part of it is survival, part of it is thinking they'll come out better financially for a time by getting some reimbursement from elements that would have been charity/free care in the past.  But my outfit has been ahead of this crap and cheering it on.  Frankly I think they are true believers and when the bottom drops out these are the kind of morons that will merely offer up a feeble "we tried" and blame others for the failure.  They are unsane.

"Unsane."  Is that anything like "insane?"   

[Pandora]

It's past insanity; it's "these person's ideas are so wrong that they shouldn't even be discussed in polite company"; those whose "software" is so corrupted, there's no coming back.

[Pablo de Fleurs]

It's past insanity; it's "these person's ideas are so wrong that they shouldn't even be discussed in polite company"; those whose "software" is so corrupted, there's no coming back.

Last night I was @ a NJ Teaparty meeting, networking with some new, young folks running for local office - & we got the news that Cory Booker beat Steve Lonegan for the vacant Senate seat...

...& I went bonkers (internally) knowing that my countrymen are beyond the point of reason. This morning, all the groups to which I belong sent the emails outlining the "silver linings" of the race being "close"...but this ain't grenades (though I wish it were).

One more pseudo-Christian, pro-homo & Planned Parenthood Marxist rubber stamping the agenda.

New Jersey really sucks.

[Pandora]

I know.  We got the hell out and the couple/few times per decade we go to see the 'rents, it's under duress.

I know just how Booker got elected.  People like my extended family wouldn't vote for a Republican and they sure as sht wouldn't vote for a moolie so they stayed home.