Saturday, December 19, 2009

Prepare for "CLAIM DENIED!!"

The mythbusting continues.

... Health Care for America Now, a group supporting the Democrats’ health care reform bill, ran a television ad claiming that private health insurance companies: “Deny 1 out of 5 treatments prescribed by doctors.”

When fact-checked by PolitiFact.com, it turned out the statistic had been derived by the California Nurses Association, which broadened its definition of “denial” to include such administrative non-events as a claim having been sent to the wrong insurer. Such snafus occur behind the scenes, and the patient never knows about them because his/her claim is, in fact, subsequently paid by the correct insurer.

Uh-huh. Cal Nurses is an SEIU affiliate, IIRC.

Of course, Medicare is just all unicorns, balloons, and ice cream, right?

Wrong.

According to the American Medical Association’s National Health Insurer Report Card for 2008, the government’s health plan, Medicare, denied medical claims at nearly double the average for private insurers: Medicare denied 6.85% of claims. The highest private insurance denier was Aetna @ 6.8%, followed by Anthem Blue Cross @ 3.44, with an average denial rate of medical claims by private insurers of 3.88%

Since ObamaCare will turn insurers into public utilities and will govern their actions, you can profit from making "CLAIM DENIED" rubber stamps over the next 10 years.

HT: Agitator

14 comments:

capper said...

"Claim Denied" was what killed my mother. And that was ten years ago.

This is no worse.

Amy said...

But wasn't this supposed to make things better, capper?

capper said...

We won't know until we try, will we, Amy? But we do know it won't be any worse, since it is already at that point.

Amy said...

Yes, it can get worse. Unfortunately, your liberal blindness refuses to see that.

Enjoy having your physician's office run like the local DMV - inefficiently and rudely.

capper said...

A) Most doctors offices are like that now.

B) Can you cite specifically where it is written that they will do this? Or is that just a talking point that you are parroting off of talk radio.

Dad29 said...

First off, "...it can't get worse" is NOT a reason to pass ObamaCare. If it will not improve the system(s), then it should NOT be passed.

Secondly, I don't know of ONE MD office which is 'rude' and run like the DMV.

But when Medicare and Medicaid dollars are cut back, MD's will get out of the business. No point doing it if it's not for profit...

THEN you'll see the DMV scene.

capper said...

I go to doctors that are in the field to help people and not just to get rich.

And just because you haven't seen something, that only means you have to expand your horizons.

Then again, you most likely wouldn't recognize the truth if it came up and bit you. Especially if it doesn't fit your personal view of the world. You're not the most open-minded fellow, you know.

Dad29 said...

Well, Capper, you have your ignorance, as well.

We have three main MD's, and I can assure you that NONE of them will "die rich."

One spends a day a week working at a free clinic; the kid-doc was comfortable, but by no means "rich;" and the OB had to get out of the field because he was going banko due to the malpractice premiums--and he was NEVER sued.

And I don't have a Bentley insurance plan like County employees.

capper said...

Sorry, daddio, I don't work in Walker's inner office. I got the same crap available to anyone else.

capper said...

Oh, and I never claimed to be perfect, did I? But I do realize I am so close it can be scary, eh? ;)

Disgruntled Car Salesman said...

So being close to perfect is tipping the scales at 300 lbs. and being grammatically challeneged?

capper said...

Ah, the personal attacks. Now I am terrified of you. *shudder*

Don't you have to get ready for grade school or something?

Disgruntled Car Salesman said...

Personal attacks? I was just stating a fact. Did you consider it an attack?

Dad29 said...

Knock it off, DCS.