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  Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent. Usually this event occurs after a demand or supply shock: common examples include price increases of basic necessities after hurricanes or other natural disasters. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some jurisdictions of the United States during civil emergencies. In less precise usage, it can refer either to prices obtained by practices inconsistent with a competitive free market, or to windfall profits. In the former Soviet Union, it was simply included under the single definition of speculation.

The term is similar to profiteering but can be distinguished by being short-term and localized, and by a restriction to essentials such as food, clothing, shelter, medicine and equipment needed to preserve life, limb and property. In jurisdictions where there is no such crime, the term may still be used to pressure firms to refrain from such behavior.

 

Balance Billing is a scam that it is still legal in many states. And medical providers use and abuse it, especially for ambulance and IR services.

Even if the bill is correct, you should still set up a time to speak with someone in the billing office — someone with the authority to negotiate on your balance. Go into the conversation equipped with the knowledge that Medicare and insurance companies rarely pay the hefty price tags that consumers see.

Standard practice for insurers is to negotiate with providers to pay merely a fraction of the cost. In the case of inpatient hospital bills, for example, a NerdWallet study found Medicare negotiates, on average, a 73% discount. While the ambulance service may not agree to such a large discount for you, coming to any negotiation equipped with such knowledge will put the company on notice that you aren’t going to lay down and take its bullying or an inflated bill.

Consider how much you are able to pay. If the ambulance service isn’t willing to deduct a good portion of the original bill, think about how much is fair and reasonable for the service your husband received and your budget. Negotiating a lower balance, even if you can’t pay it off in a lump sum, will remove a considerable burden from your shoulders. It may even benefit the ambulance company, which might fear receiving no payment from you at all, since the majority of bills in collections are never paid off. If you do set up a formal payment agreement, make sure to get it in writing.

Negotiating with an ambulance service or any medical provider is not easy, but it is possible. Be persistent. If your efforts prove fruitless, you can always consider hiring a professional. A medical billing advocate is able to represent clients’ interests much in the way an attorney would advocate for you in a courtroom. Their experience and expertise in the field can sometimes prove more effective (and less stressful) than taking on a stubborn provider alone.

How much do patient and medical billing advocates cost?

Patient advocates are often members of your family, nonprofit organizations or clergy, and may not charge you for their services. In most cases, however, there will be a fee associated with patient advocates, and it usually depends on the amount of time they spend with you and your doctor. Advocates on the hospital staff may have their charges built into your bill. For this reason, costs may vary from as little as $75 for a single doctor’s visit to a few thousand dollars for an extended hospital stay.

Medical billing advocates usually have more concrete charges. Some charge hourly, at a rate of $100-$200. Others charge as a percentage of savings—usually 25%-35% of the price they got your total charges reduced by, but some charge as little as 15% of savings.

Where can I find a patient or medical billing advocate?

You can find patient and medical billing advocates through the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants or the Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals.

 


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[Jul 21, 2021] Patients to Be Protected From Surprise Billing Under New Rule by Stephanie Armour

Highly recommended!
Jul 01, 2021 | www.wsj.com

Patients receiving emergency medical care would no longer get surprise medical bills from providers outside their insurance network under a rule issued Thursday by the Biden administration.

The long-awaited rule is the first to follow the so-called No Surprises Act, passed in December 2020 by Congress that sought to protect patients from receiving significant medical bills when they are unwittingly treated by an out-of-network doctor, lab, or other type of provider.

The rule seeks to implement key parts of the legislation protecting patients from being billed by out-of-network doctors who provide treatment at in-network hospitals, as well as protecting them from surprise bills for both emergency and nonemergency care. The interim final rule will undergo 60 days of public comment and largely go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, when the law takes effect.

"No patient should forgo care for fear of surprise billing," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement. "Health insurance should offer patients peace of mind that they won't be saddled with unexpected costs."

Congress and policy makers have sought to tackle surprise medical bills because patients are paying more out-of-pocket for their care, and many out-of-network charges can occur when patients are unaware that they are being treated by a provider who isn't covered by their health insurance.

Out-of-network charges have added to medical debt and rising out-of-pocket payments for consumers: An April 2021 study in the journal Health Affairs found that patients receiving a surprise out-of-network bill for emergency physician care paid more than 10 times as much as in-network emergency patients paid out-of-pocket .

The interim final rule is expansive. Emergency services, regardless of where they are provided, would have to be billed at lower, in-network rates without requirements for prior authorization.

The rule also bans higher out-of-network cost-sharing, such as copayments, from patients for treatment they receive either in an emergency or nonemergency situation. Under the rule, any coinsurance or deductible can't be higher than if such services were provided by an in-network doctor.

The interim final rule also stipulates that patients can't be charged out-of-network for "ancillary" care, which can happen when an out-of-network anesthesiologist or assistant surgeon provides treatment at an in-network hospital.

Regulations that will be released at a later time will implement a procedural process so medical providers and insurers can arbitrate out-of-network payment disputes, a solution that was so contentious it threatened to scuttle passage of the No Surprises Act. Insurers raised concerns that arbitration could put them at a disadvantage and instead favored linking out-of-network reimbursement to a benchmark rate.

The legislative fight over the No Surprises Act that spurred the interim rule was contentious. The American Medical Association and some state medical associations worried it could financially hurt small physician practices that were still reeling from the pandemic. The American Hospital Association supported the arbitration provision but raised concerns about the possibility for uneven enforcement of the law.

The bill will lead to "dangerous, unintended consequences, right in the middle of a surging pandemic," according to a Dec. 15, 2020, letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) from conservative groups such as Action for Health.

Cost-sharing includes deductibles, copayments paid at the time of treatment, and coinsurance, which is the percentage of a bill that consumers pay that isn't covered by insurance. Patients are paying increasingly more for their own care because cost-sharing has increased over time, research shows. Most workers also face additional cost-sharing for a hospital admission or outpatient surgery. Sixty-five percent of workers with employer-sponsored coverage have coinsurance and 13% have a copayment for hospital admissions, according to a 2020 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Out-of-network charges from anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists and assistant surgeons increase spending by $40 billion annually, according to researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.

Congress in its legislation sought to protect patients from unknowingly receiving care from an out-of-network provider. To that end, the rule bans other out-of-network charges without advance notice.

The regulations issued Thursday will take effect for healthcare providers and facilities Jan. 1, 2022. For group health plans, health-insurance issuers and Federal Employees Health Benefits program carriers, the provisions will take effect for plan, policy or contract years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2022.

Write to Stephanie Armour at [email protected]

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the July 2, 2021, print edition as 'Rule Aims to Stop Surprise Health Bills.'

[Jul 06, 2021] Medical-Debt Charity to Buy, Wipe Out $278 Million of Patients' Hospital Bills by Stephanie Armour

June 25, 2019
Non-profits hospitals are actually wolfs in sheep skin. Hospital administrators are basically real estate developers, and that is where the profits go. They have become monsters, quite uninterested in serving the public good. The average CEO makes well more than an order (or two) of magnitude more than the average physician and has much less time and money invested in training. Most of the CEO's are grossly over compensated.
It is time to rein in aggressive tactics used by nonprofit hospitals to collect unpaid bills, including suits and garnishing of wages. The fees are not published. The rates for procedures are unknown until you get the bill. The bill, when it finally arrives, has absolutely stupid figures on it, such as $700 for 1 bag of intravenous saline. Which actually costs about $1. At such prices any discout is meaningless and actually is a cruel joke on sick people.
It is asinine that hospitals don't provide pricing information before you have treatment (obviously, emergencies would be an exception).
Nonprofits in 2016 received an estimated $9 billion in federal tax breaks
Another issue is why those people do not have health insurance. With Medicaid expansion and liberalization there is no excuse for not having it. The one thing Obamacare did was give people the opportunity to get insurance. There is a difference between "can't" pay and "I want to spend my money on something else besides my medical insurance."
Jul 06, 2021 | www.wsj.com

Maryland recently added new restrictions on hospital debt collection , after a state report said hospitals wiped out less than half of their charges to patients who were eligible for free care under state law in 2018.

Washington state's attorney general sued hospitals over patients' access to financial aid. Under a 2019 consent decree, nonprofit hospitals refunded about $1.6 million to patients.

Hospitals nationally face ongoing scrutiny for their billing and pricing practices, with new rules this year requiring hospitals to publish prices they have previously negotiated in secret with insurance companies. The Trump administration policy sought to boost transparency for consumers, but many hospitals haven't complied . According to Turquoise Health Co., a startup working with the newly public pricing data, Ballad hospitals have generally complied with the new transparency regulations.

Hospitals can sell unpaid bills to debt buyers in the secondary debt market, where RIP Medical Debt typically buys portfolios for pennies on the dollar. Terms of the deal with Ballad weren't disclosed.

... ... ...

Federal requirements for nonprofit hospitals to provide financial assistance and inform patients about it are limited. Nonprofits have freedom to set eligibility as they choose, and can also create their own process and forms, said Jenifer Bosco, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. They are supposed to take steps to alert patients, including making their policies widely available on their websites, Ms. Bosco said. State rules for nonprofit hospital financial aid vary.

[Jul 06, 2021] Hospitals Often Charge Uninsured People the Highest Prices, New Data Show by Melanie Evans , Anna Wilde Mathews and Tom McGinty

Please not that stent insertion is often unnecessary procedure performed not to save the life of the patient but to earn money. The system is criminal indeed.
Non-profits hospitals those day are also governed by Wall-street sharks.
Please note that Abdominal CT scan with insurance like CIGNA would cost you $300-$600 out of the pocket depending on the facility.
Notable quotes:
"... abdominal and pelvic scan at Avera St. Luke's cost $6,422, the highest out of a wide range of rates the Avera hospital charges for that service ..."
"... Some dominant local and regional nonprofits, including Mass General Brigham, based in Boston, and Avera, based in Sioux Falls, S.D., billed the uninsured at their general hospitals some of their highest prices while also setting some of the most restrictive financial-aid policies for free care nationwide, according to tax filings, Turquoise data and patients' medical bills. ..."
"... "It's really criminal, the mess that our current system is in," said Mary Daniel, chief executive of ClaimMedic, which helps patients negotiate payment with hospitals. "It is a deliberate attempt for these hospitals to gouge the uninsured." ..."
"... for expensive procedures like angioplasty and drug-coated stenting, the difference in the cash price within a single county can be over $100,000. ..."
"... The cash prices for patients who must pay for their own care can be equal to the sticker prices or sometimes represent a percentage lopped off that top rate. Sometimes, those cash rates are also applied to people who have some form of insurance but get a service that the insurance doesn't cover. ..."
"... The quarter of hospitals with the most generous free-care policies write off the entire bill for those with monthly incomes under about $2,600 a month, and even up to roughly $6,400 a month, for a one-person household, the Journal found. ..."
"... Those that rank in the quarter of hospitals with the most-restrictive policies draw the line at or below about 160% of the federal threshold for poverty, disqualifying for free care patients with monthly income of more than around $1,700 for a one-person household, according to a Journal analysis of nonprofit hospital tax filings. ..."
"... A patient paying cash at the hospital for the stenting procedure is charged $84,792. Local insurer Fallon Health spends $36,755 for the procedure under one of its health-maintenance organization plans. A Medicare insurance plan from Aetna, part of CVS Health Corp. , pays $16,648. ..."
"... Patients who don't qualify for financial aid at nonprofit hospitals also aren't protected by pricing limits under federal law. The Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals to cap prices for patients who qualify for financial aid. ..."
"... Hospitals apply financial aid and discount policies inconsistently, say consumer advocates and patients. Offers may be one-time-only, or discounts may emerge only when a skilled negotiator is pushing for them. ..."
"... In January 2018, Joannie Berthiaume spent two days at Broward Health Imperial Point hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and got emergency surgery to remove her appendix. She was uninsured and the hospital charged Ms. Berthiaume its highest prices. Her bill totaled about $42,000, including a $6,033 abdominal CT scan. For that same scan, an Aetna subsidiary gets a 24% break, according to the newly public data from Broward Health. That discount would have meant a fee of around $4,600 for the scan, based on the price charged in 2018. ..."
"... "If you charge me $42,000 and your costs are justified, how can you knock it in half in a matter of minutes," Ms. Berthiaume says. "You must be overcharging." ..."
"... High cash prices inflate bills that uninsured patients often struggle to pay. Hospitals collected 5% of the amount they billed uninsured patients before writing off bills after a year of seeking payment, according to Crowe LLP, an accounting, technology and consulting firm, based on an analysis of 600 client hospitals. That is compared with collecting 40% of bills sent to patients with insurance for amounts owed under deductibles, copays and other out-of-pocket costs, based on a separate analysis by Crowe of about 1,500 hospitals. ..."
"... Hospitals closely track their "payer mix," or the mix of patients with commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and the uninsured, who might be unlikely to ever pay for their treatment. That could play a role in how hospitals set prices. ..."
"... Resolve also offered about $8,000, or slightly more than the company estimated Medicare would pay, for Mr. Macias's $24,800 emergency-room bill at Avera St. Luke's, Mr. Pan said. The hospital said no, and despite denying financial aid, offered to reduce the bill by 50%, Mr. Pan said. The amount excluded another $34,994 he owes Avera's heart hospital. ..."
"... Have you or someone you know faced a challenging hospital billing situation? Tell us about your experience in the form below. ..."
Jul 06, 2021 | www.wsj.com

... ... ...

The 32-year-old's abdominal and pelvic scan at Avera St. Luke's cost $6,422, the highest out of a wide range of rates the Avera hospital charges for that service based on the new data. The price billed to Mr. Macias was roughly three times the best deal negotiated by an insurance company.

Another scan of his chest came to $4,194, approximately $280 to $2,800 more than any prices negotiated between St. Luke's and an insurer. The prices for identical scans performed at Avera's heart hospital were also among the highest that the hospital charged. His total hospital bills came to $59,800.

... ... ...

Services including emergency-room visits, imaging scans and procedures such as an angioplasty and stenting often performed on heart-attack patients have been identified by researchers and federal data as commonly needed in emergencies by those without insurance.

The analysis used data compiled by Turquoise Health Co., a pricing-transparency startup. At least 44% of the country's roughly 4,900 short-term, rural and children's hospitals hadn't published data that complied with the January rule as of June 18, according to Turquoise.

The Journal analysis looked at the 1,550 hospitals in the Turquoise data that released both insurance and cash-payment rates.

Among the Journal's findings:

In Shelby County, Tenn., home to Memphis, the spread for that type of ER visit is $2,054. It would cost an uninsured patient $884 at any of the three Baptist Memorial Health Care hospitals; $1,480 at Regional Medical Center; $2,653 at Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis; and $2,938 at Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett.

... ... ...

Hospitals that offer additional discounts for the uninsured don't always automatically make the cuts to patient bills, leaving cash-pay patients with significantly higher charges, the Journal found. It can take long negotiations, often by hiring lawyers or professional advocates, to bring about reduced charges.

... ... ...

Those discounts slash bills by an average of 85% off its top price, the company said in a recent statement to the Journal. But patients must apply to receive the discount. The vast majority of cash prices for emergency services at Tenet hospitals reviewed by the Journal instead reduced bills by 20% to 30%.

"It's really criminal, the mess that our current system is in," said Mary Daniel, chief executive of ClaimMedic, which helps patients negotiate payment with hospitals. "It is a deliberate attempt for these hospitals to gouge the uninsured."

About 11% of U.S. residents under age 65 were uninsured in 2019, or about 29 million people, according to an analysis of federal data by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

... ... ...

The differences between the prices for uninsured people and insurance companies can be wide.

At Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, Ky., an uninsured person getting a stent after a heart attack could be billed around $66,226 for the procedure. An Anthem Inc. health-maintenance organization plan would pay just $17,895 at the hospital, and the insurer's Medicare plan even less -- $12,445.

Ephraim McDowell Health said the cash prices are the highest rates but that it offers discounts and bill forgiveness for those who qualify for financial assistance. In a written statement, the hospital system said, "it is rare that an uninsured patient would pay the total gross charge amount due to the variety of financial assistance programs available."

Eligibility under the program cuts off at three times the federal poverty level, according to the hospital system, which is an annual income of $38,640 for a single person.

Prices typically haven't been publicly available before now. Yet for expensive procedures like angioplasty and drug-coated stenting, the difference in the cash price within a single county can be over $100,000.

The reasons for high cash prices are complex and, even to many healthcare experts, baffling.

Hospitals typically have a sticker price, often called the "chargemaster" price, that can be the starting point for negotiations with insurers. Discounts off that sticker price tend to be steeper for those that bring large volumes of patients. Insurance plans offered under government programs like Medicare and Medicaid get even lower rates, tied to prices mandated by federal and state agencies.

The cash prices for patients who must pay for their own care can be equal to the sticker prices or sometimes represent a percentage lopped off that top rate. Sometimes, those cash rates are also applied to people who have some form of insurance but get a service that the insurance doesn't cover.

Will Fox, who advises hospitals on pricing as an actuary with Milliman Inc., says hospitals often keep cash prices above the rates negotiated by big insurers.

"They don't want to give away too much of a discount because they really want the best discounts to go to these larger volume negotiated insured rates," he said. "Somebody walking off the street, we'll give you a 20% discount, but we're going to give our favorite customer, who sends us millions or even billions of dollars in business, we're going to give them a much bigger discount."

Yale New Haven Health offers cash prices that represent a discount off sticker rates, but it keeps them above all of the prices negotiated by insurers, says Pat McCabe, the system's senior vice president of finance. "We didn't want there to be that tension, for an insurer to look at that data and say, 'you're providing better rates to uninsured patients than you are to our insureds, how do we justify that to our members and/or employer partners?' "

For individuals who struggle to pay, financial aid is hard to get at some hospitals with high cash prices, the Journal analysis found. That is true even among the nearly 3,000 nonprofit hospitals that get tax breaks on the condition they give back to the community.

Hospitals typically set household income limits for financial aid, with free care for patients below a cutoff.

The quarter of hospitals with the most generous free-care policies write off the entire bill for those with monthly incomes under about $2,600 a month, and even up to roughly $6,400 a month, for a one-person household, the Journal found.

Those that rank in the quarter of hospitals with the most-restrictive policies draw the line at or below about 160% of the federal threshold for poverty, disqualifying for free care patients with monthly income of more than around $1,700 for a one-person household, according to a Journal analysis of nonprofit hospital tax filings.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, falls in this most-restrictive group, with income cutoffs for free care at $1,610 a month for a one-person household. For 12 of 17 emergency services at Brigham and Women's reviewed by the Journal, its highest rates are for uninsured patients, and insurance companies pay significantly less.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, Mass., is among the group of nonprofit hospitals with the most-restrictive income cutoffs for free care.

A patient paying cash at the hospital for the stenting procedure is charged $84,792. Local insurer Fallon Health spends $36,755 for the procedure under one of its health-maintenance organization plans. A Medicare insurance plan from Aetna, part of CVS Health Corp. , pays $16,648.

Mass General Brigham, the system that includes Brigham and Women's, said in a written statement it has policies to prevent someone without insurance from paying full price.

Some hospitals, including Brigham and Women's, also partially discount patients' bills for some who earn too much for free care. Others write off bills that are large relative to a patient's income. But policies vary widely. The most-restrictive quarter of hospitals cut off discounts at 2.5 times the federal poverty level, the Journal found.

Patients who don't qualify for financial aid at nonprofit hospitals also aren't protected by pricing limits under federal law. The Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals to cap prices for patients who qualify for financial aid.

Hospitals apply financial aid and discount policies inconsistently, say consumer advocates and patients. Offers may be one-time-only, or discounts may emerge only when a skilled negotiator is pushing for them.

In January 2018, Joannie Berthiaume spent two days at Broward Health Imperial Point hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and got emergency surgery to remove her appendix. She was uninsured and the hospital charged Ms. Berthiaume its highest prices. Her bill totaled about $42,000, including a $6,033 abdominal CT scan. For that same scan, an Aetna subsidiary gets a 24% break, according to the newly public data from Broward Health. That discount would have meant a fee of around $4,600 for the scan, based on the price charged in 2018.

Ms. Berthiaume, who is Canadian but was living in Florida at the time of her illness while finishing graduate school, went in person to Broward Health to ask about the bill. She was told it could be cut in half, to about $21,000 total -- if she paid in full right then. Ms. Berthiaume, then working in a part-time bookkeeping job, says she couldn't do that. The hospital later continued to seek the full amount, including in letters sent by a law firm and reviewed by the Journal.

"If you charge me $42,000 and your costs are justified, how can you knock it in half in a matter of minutes," Ms. Berthiaume says. "You must be overcharging."

Ms. Berthiaume hired attorney Jacqueline Grady to negotiate on her behalf, and in October 2019 the hospital offered to accept $20,000, in addition to $2,000 she had already paid, if she paid within 16 days. Ms. Berthiaume declined.

Broward Health declined to comment on the details of Ms. Berthiaume's case, although she signed a consent form allowing the hospital system to do so. The hospital system said that U.S. citizens and people with a permanent U.S. residence who come to its hospitals for unplanned care, and don't qualify for its financial assistance program, are offered a discounted rate.

In the pricing data files Broward Health has disclosed under the federal transparency requirement, the cash prices are shown as Broward's highest rates. However, the hospital system pointed the Journal to a consumer tool on its website that displays lower prices for self-pay patients. Broward Health said in a written statement that the tool "provides the most current pricing for consumers," and "discounted prices may not be reflected" in the data files. The system didn't respond to questions about the reasons for the discrepancy.

High cash prices inflate bills that uninsured patients often struggle to pay. Hospitals collected 5% of the amount they billed uninsured patients before writing off bills after a year of seeking payment, according to Crowe LLP, an accounting, technology and consulting firm, based on an analysis of 600 client hospitals. That is compared with collecting 40% of bills sent to patients with insurance for amounts owed under deductibles, copays and other out-of-pocket costs, based on a separate analysis by Crowe of about 1,500 hospitals.

Hospitals closely track their "payer mix," or the mix of patients with commercial insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and the uninsured, who might be unlikely to ever pay for their treatment. That could play a role in how hospitals set prices.

For Mr. Macias, debt from Avera hospitals plus other bills related to his November hospitalization amount to about 75% of his annual income, according to Resolve Advocates, one of a growing number of companies that patients hire to negotiate hospital medical bills on their behalf.

Mr. Macias, a superintendent for a construction company, suffered a potentially life-threatening tear in the lining of his largest artery. He said he has largely recovered.

Avera's hospital in Aberdeen charged him the highest price for some emergency room services, according to a review of medical bills for Mr. Macias and the Journal's analysis of Avera's negotiated rates with insurers.

Avera in some cases has multiple contracts with a single insurer and said the prices it made public are the average price it charges an insurer for each service.

The Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota, in Sioux Falls, gave Mr. Macias a 20% discount. Even with the discount, some of the heart hospital prices were in the top third of what the hospital charged patients with insurance for some services.

Mr. Macias, a superintendent for a construction company, earned too much for free care at Avera, where the income cutoff is among the lowest nationally for nonprofit hospitals, ranking in the bottom quarter, according to the Journal analysis.

But he appears to qualify for other financial assistance, such as a partial discount based on income or because Mr. Macias's medical debts are large when compared with his household finances, said Resolve's chief executive, Braden Pan.

Avera rejected the request, saying that Mr. Macias could have had workplace health benefits but didn't enroll, according to Resolve. Mr. Macias said in an interview that he missed the sign-up after miscommunication with his former employer. Buying insurance in the marketplace was too costly, he said.

Avera also rejected an appeal, after factoring in his assets alongside his income, according to Resolve. Mr. Macias said he needs his years of savings for a house down payment.

Resolve also offered about $8,000, or slightly more than the company estimated Medicare would pay, for Mr. Macias's $24,800 emergency-room bill at Avera St. Luke's, Mr. Pan said. The hospital said no, and despite denying financial aid, offered to reduce the bill by 50%, Mr. Pan said. The amount excluded another $34,994 he owes Avera's heart hospital.

Mr. Macias, citing his unhappiness about the fight, told the Journal he wouldn't give Avera permission under federal privacy laws to speak about his interactions with it.

"Health care delivery comes with a cost -- and when individuals have the means to pay, it allows us resources to help those most in need," Lindsey Meyers, a spokeswoman for Avera, said in a written statement. "We have thoroughly reviewed the case you have mentioned and identified that all processes were followed as described, and we made every effort to work with the patient."

Mr. Macias said he has largely recovered with new blood-pressure medication and months of rehab exercises he devised on his own. He now lives in Austin, Texas, with his fiancée and their children, ages 6 and 3. Avera's debt collectors call constantly, he said. "They're still blowing me up."

[Jul 02, 2021] The Best Health Care You Can Afford

Notable quotes:
"... While general medical care is single payer in Canada, dental services are not. For major work on teeth, it is cheaper to fly to Mexico. The downside is for Mexicans -- such practices will drive the costs up in Mexico. ..."
Nov 27, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

Posted on November 27, 2017 by marknesop

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."

"No, I mean I'm sorry that you've inherited such a miserable, collapsing Old Country. A place where rich Bankers own everything, where you've got to be grateful for a part-time job with no benefits and no retirement plan, where the most health insurance you can afford is being careful and hoping you don't get sick

Cory Doctorow; Homeland

"Until fairly recently, every family had a cornucopia of favorite home remedies–plants and household items that could be prepared to treat minor medical emergencies, or to prevent a common ailment becoming something much more serious. Most households had someone with a little understanding of home cures, and when knowledge fell short, or more serious illness took hold, the family physician or village healer would be called in for a consultation, and a treatment would be agreed upon. In those days we took personal responsibility for our health–we took steps to prevent illness and were more aware of our bodies and of changes in them. And when illness struck, we frequently had the personal means to remedy it. More often than not, the treatment could be found in the garden or the larder. In the middle of the twentieth century we began to change our outlook. The advent of modern medicine, together with its many miracles, also led to a much greater dependency on our physicians and to an increasingly stretched healthcare system. The growth of the pharmaceutical industry has meant that there are indeed "cures" for most symptoms, and we have become accustomed to putting our health in the hands of someone else, and to purchasing products that make us feel good. Somewhere along the line we began to believe that technology was in some way superior to what was natural, and so we willingly gave up control of even minor health problems."

Karen Sullivan; The Complete Family Guide to Natural Home Remedies: Safe and Effective Treatments for Common Ailments

No, I haven't abandoned Uncle Volodya, or shifted my focus to American administration; what follows is a guest post on the American healthcare system, by our friend UCG. As I've mentioned before – on the occasion of his previous guest post, in fact – he is an ethnic Russian living in the Golden State.

As an American in America, naturally his immediate concern is going to be healthcare in America; but there are lessons within for everyone. Don't get me wrong – doctors have done a tremendous amount of good, and medical researchers and many others from the world of medicine have made tremendous advances to which many of us owe their lives. Sadly, though, once a field goes commercial, the main focus of attention eventually becomes profit, and there are few endeavors in which the customer base will be so desperate. While there are obvious benefits to 'socialized medicine' such as Canada enjoys and American politicians scorn as 'Commie' – enough to earn the admiration of many – it results in such a backlog for major operations that those who don't like their chances of dying first, and have the money or can somehow get it, often flee to America, where you can get a good standard of medical care without running out of time waiting for it.

Without further ado, take it away, UCG!!

Healthcare in America

This article is my opinion. My hope is that others will do their own research on America's Healthcare Industry, because this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and for this article to be a mere starting point in this research. The reason for my citations is so that you, the reader, can verify them. Once again, this is my opinion. I write this in the first paragraph, so that I can avoid stating "in my opinion" before every sentence.

Let's start with Owen Davis who was charged $14,018 for going to a hospital because he sliced his hand, and they fixed it . A study published by Johns Hopkins showed that for $100 of ER treatment, some hospitals were charging patients up to $1,260 . A redditor claimed that :

I tore my ab wall a month ago and didn't think much of it until my pain kept worsening. I went to an immediate care facility to rule out a hernia (I had all the symptoms) and they told me to get to ER ASAP. I go to the ER and they give me a CT scan and one x-ray and say it's not a hernia and let me go. Fast forward to today and I got a bill for $9,200 and $3,900 of it is out of pocket. $9,200 for two tests???? No pain meds were administered; it was literally those two tests. What should I do to contest it? I will be calling tomorrow to demand an itemized bill, but is there anything else I should do in the meantime?

All of these took me a few minutes on Google to find, and another few minutes to post. The reason I chose that reddit, is because one of the readers offered an ingenious solution: Next time you hurt yourself – book a return ticket to NZ – go to accident and emergency, say you're a tourist and you hurt yourself surfing, pay nothing – fly home and pocket $8,000 in spare change. If that was me, I'd spend at least $2,000 on tourism in New Zealand. You guys have that system, so you clearly deserve the money! Anyone interested in a startup?

But I am not done with examples just yet. Shana Sweney described her experience in the emergency room : I delivered in 15 minutes. During that time, the anesthesiologist put a heart rate monitor on my finger and played on his phone. My bill for his services was $3,000. $200/minute. I talked to the insurance company about it – and since I ran my company's benefit plans, I got a little further than most people, but ultimately, that was what their contract with the hospital said so that's what they had to pay. Regardless of if he worked 15 minutes or 3 hours. Similarly, my twins were born prematurely and ended up in the NICU for 2 weeks. While the NICU was in-network for my insurance, for some mysterious reason, the neonatologists that attended the NICU were out of network. I think that bill was $16k and they stopped by to see each kid for an average of about 30 min/day.

Almost done with the examples, just please bear with me. How would you like a hospital billing you $83,046 for treating a scorpion sting , if a Mexican ER might have treated you for the same type of sting for $200? Perhaps being charged $546 for six liters of saltwater is more to your liking? $1,420 for two hours of babysitting ? $55,000 for an appendicitis operation ? $144,000 to deliver a perfectly healthy, albeit quite impatient baby? According to my interpretation of the sources linked, all of these actually happened. I encourage you to do your own research.

The World's Biggest Legalized Corruption (IMHO)

$984.157 billion. That's $984,157,000,000. That is how much money I believe the United States wastes on Healthcare. Not spends; wastes. As in money down the drain. The astute reader figured out that equates to five percent of America's 2016 GDP . Said reader is absolutely correct. How did I estimate such a gargantuan amount? According to the OECD data , in 2013 the United States spent 16.4 percent of its GDP on Healthcare; the two next biggest spenders, Switzerland and the Netherlands spent 11.1 percent. Even if one was to give the United States the benefit of doubt, and claim that the United States healthcare is just as efficient as that of Switzerland or the Netherlands – which is most likely not true according to an article from Business Insider , but even if it was – that meant that the United States wastes 5.3% of its GDP on healthcare. Wastes. I just want to make sure that the amount of this alleged legalized corruption, which will most likely reach a trillion dollars by 2020, is noted.

Let me place those funds into perspective: it's almost as much as the amount that the rest of the World spends on the military, combined . The SCO member states, including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan spent roughly $360 billion on the military . The wasted amount is equivalent to the GDP of Indonesia, and greater than the GDP of Turkey or Switzerland . In 2016, the US Federal Government spent $362 billion, or 36.8% of the wasted amount, to run all Federal Programs , including the Department of Education and NASA, with the exception of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Veteran's Affairs, the military, and net interest on the US debt. All other Federal Programs were covered with the $362 billion. The US Federal Debt stands at $20.4 trillion , meaning that the debt can be paid off in 30 years, merely if the Healthcare Waste is eliminated.

But why stop there? The US Housing Crisis started partly because loans were allowed to be taken out without the 20% down payment. Could this funding, if applied directly to the housing market, stop the 2008 Great Recession? Absolutely, and all the Federal Government had to do was to gear these funds towards down payment on subprime mortgage loans to meet the 20 percent barrier. I can go on and on about what can be accomplished, like making collegiate attendance free, or at least very inexpensive, or drastically improving the quality of education, paying off the national debt, reinvesting into the economy, reinvigorating the rural sector, and so on, and so forth. A trillion dollars is a lot of money.

Lobbyists, the Media and the Waste

Any guess how much was spent on lobbying by the Healthcare, Insurance, Hospitals, Health Professionals, and HMOs? How about 10.5 billion dollars? I knew that was your guess! That's a lot of money, and that does not include "speaking fees", or when a politician who constantly made calls beneficial to the Healthcare Lobby gets $150,000 to speak in front of an audience after they retire from politics. Obama made a speech in front of Wall Street, netting $400,000 . And by pure coincidence, only one Wall Street Broker was jailed as a result of the scandal. That $10.5 billion is just a tip of the iceberg, because "speaking fees" are notoriously hard to track, and not included in said amount.

Obama genuinely tried to reform US Healthcare to the Swiss Model. He was going to let Wall Street slide, he was going to let Neocons conduct foreign policy, just please, let him have healthcare! First, the lobbyists laughed in his face. Second, they utilized the Blue Dog Coalition to block Obama's attempt at Healthcare Reform, until it was phenomenally nerfed, and we have the disaster that we have today. As a result, Obama's Legacy, Obamacare is having major issues, including the rise of racism.

Obamacare helped the poor, (mostly minorities,) at the expense of the middle class, (mostly whites,) thus transferring funding from whites to minorities. While the intent was not racial, it is being called out as racial by the mainstream media . This probably suits the lobbyists, because if the debate is about racism, one cannot have a genuine discussion about Healthcare Reform.

Racism strikes both ways. Samantha Bee came out with a "fuck you white people" message right after the election. Jon Stewart, without whom she probably wouldn't have her own show, pointed out that it was simply economics, like the healthcare insurance premium increase , that brought Donald Trump to power. Interestingly enough, James Carville made the same argument when Bill Clinton beat George Bush, but when Hillary Clinton lost, Carville was quick to blame Russia. These delusions on the Left are letting the Right mobilize stronger than ever before. And all of this takes away from the Healthcare Debate.

In an attempt to blame Trump's Election on white racism, rather than basic economics, numerous outlets simply fell flat. For instance, Eric Sasson writes : white men went 63 percent for Trump versus 31 percent for Clinton, and white women went 53-43 percent. Among college-educated whites, only 39 percent of men and 51 percent of women voted for Clinton What's more, these people hadn't suffered under Obama; they'd thrived. The kind of change Trump was espousing wasn't supposed to connect with this group.

Did this group thrive? The collegiate debt went from $600 billion to $1.4 trillion under Obama's Administration, while the health insurance increased from $13,000 to $18,000 per family . This is thriving? Was the author experimenting with medical marijuana when said article was written? Nevertheless, the parade of insanity continued, with Salon assuring us that it was blatant racism that gave us Trump . The Root, which also claimed that Russians attempted to hack election machines, pointed out that Russia exploited America's racism , and thus Trump won the election. Washington Post claimed that racism motivated white people more than authoritarianism . Comedian Bill Maher tried to sway the discussion back to economics, by pointing out that outrage over Pocahontas or Halloween should not stop the Democrats from working for the working man . Sadly, Maher and Stewart are in the minority, and instead of a Healthcare Debate, the US is now stuck in a debate over racism, which isn't even three-fifths as effective. Meanwhile the US continues to waste almost a trillion dollars on healthcare .

Who Benefits?

Let's start with the banks. Medical students graduate with an average of $416,216 in student debt . The average interest rate on said loan is seven percent. Roughly 20,055 students go through this program, per year . Presuming a twenty year loan, the banks are looking at about $7.185 billion in interest payments. It really is a small fraction of the cost. Prescription drug prices are another story. In 2014, Medicare spent $112 billion on medicine for the elderly . Oh la la! Cha-ching. I would not be surprised if at least half of that was wasted on drug price inflation. You know the health insurance companies? It's a great time to be one, since profits are booming – to the tune of $18 billion in projected revenue for 2017.

Of course the system itself is quite wasteful, with needless hours spent on paperwork, claim verification, contractual review, etc, etc, etc. Humana's revenue was $54.4 billion , Aetna's was $63.2 billion , Anthem's was $85 billion , Cigna's was $39.7 billion , and UnitedHealth's was $184.8 billion . Those are just the top five companies. None of them ia a mom-and-pop shop or small business store. Do any of these insurers support Obamacare? Even if they do, it is without much enthusiasm . They are leaving, and leaving quite quickly. Thirty-one percent of American counties will have just one healthcare insurer . Welcome to a monopoly that is artificially creating itself. And despite the waste, 28.2 million Americans remain uninsured . Mission accomplished!

Who else benefits? Those who hire illegal immigrants instead of American workers, since illegal immigrants cost the United States roughly $25 billion in Healthcare spending . Meanwhile those who hire them can avoid certain types of taxes and not have to cover their Healthcare; communism for the rich, capitalism for the rest of us. Of course that is just a rough estimate, since this spending is also quite hard to track.

The Future

The problem with changing Healthcare is that too many people have their hands in the proverbial pie. There is not a single lever of power that isn't affected by Healthcare, and most of the levers that are affected, benefit quite a bit. Insurance companies will fight to the death, because Universal Healthcare will be their death knell. Banks will defend it, because who doesn't want to make billions from student loans? Medical schools too – since it lets them charge higher and higher tuition. Pharmaceutical companies can use the increase in Healthcare expenditure to justify their own price hikes, even though a major reason for those price hikes is artificial patent based monopoly.

What is an artificial monopoly? In my opinion, it's when a patent is utilized to prevent competitors from manufacturing the same exact drug. In less than a decade, the price of Epi-Pen soared from $103.50 to $608.61. When asked the justify said increase, one of the reasons provided by the CEO was that the price went up because we were making investment; as I said, about $1 billion over the last decade that we invested in the product that we could reach physicians and educate legislatures. "Reaching" doctors and legislators; I wonder, how was said "education funding" spent? According to US News, a website that is extremely credible when it comes to internal decision making within the United States, drug companies have long courted doctors with gifts , from speaking and consulting fees to educational materials to food and drink. But while most doctors do not believe these gifts influence their decisions about which drugs to prescribe, a new study found the gifts actually can make a difference – something patient advocates have voiced concern about in the past. Do you feel educated? Would you feel more educated if I paid you a $150,000 consulting fee? What about $400,000? What? It's just consulting; no corruption here!

Everyone knows that this is going on. But there is not going to be change. Why not? The same reason that there was not change with Harvey Weinstein, until Taylor Swift came along. Remember how I said that almost everyone has their hands in the Healthcare Pie? It was not much different with Weinstein. Scott Rosenberg explained why it took so long for people to speak out against Harvey , and the reasons were numerous. First, Harvey gave many people their start in Hollywood, and treated all of his friends like royalty. That drastically increased their loyalty. Second, he ushered the Golden Age of the 1990s, with movies like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Clerks, Swingers, Scream, Good Will Hunting, English Patient, Life is Beautiful – the man could make phenomenal movies. Third, even if one was willing to go against his own friends, workers, mass media, and so on, there was no one to tell. There was no place to speak out. Fourth, some of the victims took hefty settlements.

That fourth reason enabled mass media to portray rape victims as gold diggers. Rape Culture is alive and well. In California, a Judge gave minimal sentencing to a convicted rapist , because he was afraid a harsher sentence would damage the rapist's mental psyche for life. Uh dude, from one Californian to another, he, uh, raped. His mental psyche is already damaged; for life. That's the kind of pressure that Rose McGowan had to deal with. She had a little kerfuffle with Amazon , and she thinks it was partially because of Harvey Weinstein. How many times had the word "socialism" been thrown around to describe Universal Healthcare? Switzerland has it – are they Socialist?

Enter Taylor Swift . In order to destroy allegations that women are filing sexual harassment claims as gold diggers, she sued her alleged sexual assaulter for a buck; one dollar. She won. Swift stated that the lawsuit was to serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts. On top of that, Weinstein was no longer as popular as he used to be, and an avenue to tell the story, an outlet was created. The additional prevalence of the internet caused the stories of Weinstein's sexual abuse to leak. Within a month, the giant fell.

Something similar is needed to change Healthcare in America. But until that comes along, racism will increase, the cost of Healthcare will rise, emergency room costs will most likely double every ten years, and the future remains bleak. As if that was not enough, more and more upper class Americans, (like yours truly,) are seeking treatment abroad. It cost me less money to lose five weeks of wages, spend three weeks partying in Eastern Europe, (Prague to be more specific,) after my two weeks of treatment, buy a roundtrip plane ticket, and stay in a five star, all-inclusive hotel, than the cost of the same treatment in the US. If anyone wants to utilize this as a startup – let me know!

Of course its effects on Healthcare will hurt, since it is a huge chunk of business that will be traveling across the Atlantic. But what can be done to stop it? One cannot stop Americans from traveling to other countries. One cannot force the poor to work for free. Perhaps this is the change that is needed to make those who benefit from the Healthcare Waste realize that this cannot continue. Perhaps not. What we do know, is that Obamacare insured the poor, at the expense of the middle class . And that is regarded as a failure in America.

Related

No Way To Slow Down - America's Foreign-Policy Dilemma In "Corruption"

How Much Of a Nobody Do You Have To Be, To Be Too Much Of a Nobody To Testify Before a Congressional Committee? In "Economy"



Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:12 pm

As for Obongo Care ??:

"In trying to show that he was successfully managing the Obamacare rollout, the president last week staged a high-profile White House meeting with private health insurance executives -- aka Obamacare's middlemen. The spectacle of a president begging these middlemen for help was a reminder that Obamacare did not limit the power of the insurance companies as a single-payer system would.
****The new law instead cemented the industry's profit-extracting role in the larger health system -- and it still leaves millions without insurance."*** (THAT is the Achille's lower torso of the ACA)

https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/single-payer-healthcare-vs-obamacare/

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/11/1483523/-Single-Payer-Healthcare-vs-The-Affordable-Care-Act-A-Simple-Comparison

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Exactly! That's why I stated that they're now oligapolizing the market, and will slowly start to increase their insurance rates and profits once again.
Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:23 pm
"Prince Harry.. Do you take this American mulatto negress - aka raghead untermensch - as your lawfully wedded royal wife?*
http://www.newsweek.com/prince-harrys-worst-moments-meghan-markle-rogue-723177
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/sites/sbs.com.au.guide/files/styles/body_image/public/nazi.jpg?itok=q1oxMi44&mtime=1503879842

Ummm Advice to Meghan .make sure the honeymoon motorcade stays clear of tunnels in Paris or elsewhere!!!

Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Appurtenant to many of the issues raised in Mark's post:

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/11/27/pers-n27.html

(Socialist or not..the WSWS writers continue to state that which NEEDS to be hammered home)

"The vast wealth of the financial oligarchy, expressed in their ownership of massive corporations, must be seized and expropriated, while the complex technologies, supply chains, and advanced transportation systems must be integrated in an organized, planned manner to harness the anarchic force of the world economy and eliminate material scarcity.
Amazon is a prime example. Its supply lines and delivery systems could distribute goods across the world, bringing water, food, and medicine from each producer according to his or her ability, to each consumer according to his or her need.
The massively sophisticated computational power used by the technology companies to censor and blacklist political opposition could instead be used for logistical analysis to conduct rescue and rebuilding missions in disaster zones like Houston and Puerto Rico. Drones used in the battlefield could be scrapped and rebuilt to distribute supplies for building schools, museums, libraries, and theaters, and for making Internet service available at no cost for the entire world.
The ruling class and all of the institutions of the political establishment stand inexorably in the way of efforts to expropriate their wealth. What is required is to mobilize the working class in a political struggle against the state and the socio-economic system on which it is based, through the fight for socialism.
Eric London "

Particularly for American Stooges:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1TMsSbPszw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&start=861&wmode=transparent

https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzJYXPI1hng?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent

Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Advanced technology is helpful but not essential for a humane and just society. Its what we believe and feel that matters. FWIW, I like socialism on a national/international level and individual accountability on a personal level.
saskydisc , November 27, 2017 at 4:04 pm
While general medical care is single payer in Canada, dental services are not. For major work on teeth, it is cheaper to fly to Mexico. The downside is for Mexicans -- such practices will drive the costs up in Mexico.
Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Mark, today's posting provided is a nice change of pace to a topic of local impact (for me at least). UGC presented a good overview peppered with supporting data.

In an earlier career incarnation, I worked as a systems analyst involved with development of online systems for state social services. Data showed that our systems were able to administer a comprehensive health care program for social services recipients for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers required approximately 20% of the cost of services to provide similar services. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets – its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

One more thing, prescription drugs costs may exceed $600 billion in the US by 2021:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugspending-quintilesims/u-s-prescription-drug-spending-as-high-as-610-billion-by-2021-report-idUSKBN1800BU

That would be nearly $2,000 per year for every American!

If a tiny fraction of that amount were spent on prevention, education, improved diets and other similar initiatives, the population ought to be healthier and richer. But, greed overpowers the public good every time. The US health care system is a criminal enterprise in my opinion. The good that it does is grossly outweighed by greed and exploitation of human suffering.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 12:10 am
I believe the author is also a systems analyst, so you are thinking along similar lines.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:05 pm
I agree with that. Plus, it seems like they have an entire staff dedicated to giving their "customer" the run around. A friend of mine had to deal with several different departments regarding his healthcare bill. The billing office told him that they only deal with billing questions, and that for explanations for the bill, he should call the doctor's office. The doctor's office told him to call the hospital, since that's where the service took place. The hospital told him to call his primary doctor, who sent him there, and his primary doctor referred him back to the specialist, where he was referred back to the billing department, which promptly told him that they're closing for the day, since he spent 6 hours being transferred from one department to the next.
[email protected] , November 27, 2017 at 6:02 pm
I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties. I cannot possibly see the problem with paying your income for 5 years, knowing that you get access to a caste that will allow you make good money into your eighties.

Second, the debt is not that high as you claim. Harvard Medical School tuition is 64 thousand. You can rent across the street with 20 thousand a year – I currently live there.

Third, med students know all this. The reason why they borrow far more is because they know they can afford it. I went to med school somewhere in a developing world. We shared toilets in the dorm. As a matter of fact, most under-30s in Boston live in shared accommodation. The outliers? Med students. Even the lowly Tufts and BU students that I met own cars and live by themselves, mainly in new buildings across the street from their hospitals.

Every time I go to the doctors, I am thinking how I am going to sue their asses if they make a mistake.

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:08 pm
It's not an excuse. It's a bill. When you rent an apartment, did you know that most landlords also factor in the property tax when figuring out what your rent payment should be? Similarly, the interest payments on the doctoral students' loans are passed off to the consumer, and that is yet another reason why Healthcare is so expensive. That's why I think that medical school should be free for those students who promise to charge their patients no more than x amount of money.
kirill , November 27, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Interesting article. Looks like the rot in the US is terminal. But Canada and its "socialized" medicine is not far behind. Operating an emergency ward with only one doctor doing the rounds at the rest of the hospital during the night is absurd. But that is what major Canadian hospitals do. Don't bother going to emergency at 2 am unless you are literally dying. Wait until 7 am when the day day crew arrives and you can actually receive treatment.

The problem in Canada, as in the USA, is overpaid doctors and not enough of them (because they are overpaid). Instead of paying a doctor $300,000 per year or more, the system needs to have 3 or more doctors earning $100,000 per year. Then there is no excuse about being overworked and "requiring" a high compensation. Big incomes attract crooks and not talent. If you want to be a doctor then you should do 5 years of low income work abroad or at home. That would weed out a lot of the $$$ in the eyeballs leeches. A nasty side effect of having overpaid doctors and living adjacent to the US, is that they act like a mafia and extort the government by threatening to leave to the USA. I say that the Canadian provinces should make all medical students sign binding contracts to pay the cost difference between their Canadian medical education and the equivalent in the USA if they decide to run off to America.

At the undergraduate level, the physics courses with the highest enrollment are aimed at streams going into medicine. There are hordes of money maker wannabes trying to make it big in medicine. But they are all nearly weeded out and never graduate from medical school. So the system maintains the fake doctor shortage and racket level salaries. On top of this, hospitals pay a 300% markup for basic supplies (gauze, syringes, etc). It is actually possible for private individuals to pay the nominal price so this is not just a theory. Clearly, there is no effort to control costs by hospital administrations since basic economics would imply that hospitals would pay less than individuals for these items due to the volume of sales involved. At the end of the day North American public medicine is a non-market bloating itself into oblivion since the taxpayer will always pay whatever is desired. That is, the spineless politicians will never crack the whip.

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:19 am
This is part of the problem in Canada. One way to help deal with it in my view, beyond simply cutting doctors' fees (which any government with the political will to do so can do) is to simply make it easier for International Medical Graduates to get licensed in Canada. Canada has legions of immigrants (and could have pretty much however many more it likes) with full medical qualifications who would be thrilled to work for much less than the current pay rates. It's a scandal how many qualified doctors we have in Canada driving taxis rather than practicing medicine. If we just took advantage of the human resources we already have, we could easily say to doctors who threaten to leave for the US, "Fine, go. We've got 10 guys from India lined up to do your job." This isn't to say that doctors shouldn't be very well-paid. Anyone who has ever known someone in med school knows it's hell. But doctors would be very well-paid at half the rates they're getting now.

Another part of the problem is an over-reliance on hospitals. There are a lot of people in the hospitals more in "holding" than anything else, because there's no space in the proper facilities for them (The book "Chronic Condition" talks about this). The problem with this is that the cost per day to keep someone in the hospital is much higher than in other kinds of facilities. This is an entirely unnecessary loss.

For all that though, the Canadian system is leaps and bounds better than the American. We spend a vastly smaller percentage of our GDP on health care, and in return achieve higher health outcomes, as measured by the WHO. If we were willing to spend the kind of money the Americans do on health care, we could have patients sleeping in golden beds even with the structural flaws of our current system. That's worth constantly remembering, because some of the proposals for health reform floating around now lean in the direction of privatization, and we've seen where that road leads.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:32 am
Before he retired from politics, Keith Martin was my MLA, and he was also a qualified MD. He used to rail against the convoluted process for certification in medicine in Canada, while others complained that we were subject to an influx of doctor-immigrants from India because Canada required less time spent in medical school than India does. I never checked the veracity of that, although we do have quite a few Indian doctors. My own doctor – in the military, and still now since he is in private practice – is a South African, and he explained that he had gone in for the military (although he was always a civilian, some military doctors are military members as well but most are not) because the hoop-jumping process to be certified for private practice in Canada with foreign qualifications was just too onerous.

Unsurprisingly, I completely agree on the subject of privatization, because it always leads to an emphasis on profit and cost-cutting. I don't know why some people can't see that.

Jen , November 27, 2017 at 11:15 pm
Thanks very much UCG, for your article. Very interesting reading for us Australians as the Federal Government eventually wants to shove us kicking and screaming into a US-style privatized healthcare insurance model.

Funnily enough I'm currently considering changing my private health insurer. I'm with Medibank Private at present but considering maybe going with a smaller non-profit health fund like Australian Unity or Phoenix Health Fund.

Fern , November 28, 2017 at 7:02 am
I was just about to post along the lines of "I don't know if Jen has experienced this in Australia but here in the UK ." so I'll finish the thought. In the UK, successive governments, not just Conservative ones, have been trying to dismantle the NHS and move us to the American system. It is pure ideology – no amount of the very abundant evidence of the inefficiencies of the US system, its waste etc makes any dint in the enthusiasm of those pressing for change.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Thank you Jen! My advice: don't let the Government cajole you into wasting your money on Corporate Greed. Share the article with your fellow Australians, if you must, but don't let our wasteful system be replicated. Interestingly enough, one of my friends, Lytburger, send me a meme right after Ukraine adopted America's Healthcare System, it said: "ISIS refused to take responsibility for Ukraine's Healthcare Reform!" I'd be happy to provide other data or answer questions about the Healthcare System here.

As for insurance, I'm not sure if Australia has the in-network and out-of-network rules. Does it? Whatever insurance you get, make sure that it has good coverage. If you own a home in the US, and you end up in a hospital's emergency room that's not covered by your insurance, the hospital can take your house under certain circumstances. Ironically, even the Government cannot. All of my real property is in various Trust Accounts, just in case, and I make sure that I have insurance where all major hospitals are in-network and that's the best I can do.

James lake , November 28, 2017 at 12:21 am
This is s very interesting insight into healthcare in the USA. The cost is shocking. I live in the UK and the healthcare system is paid for from taxation. When it was established over 70 years ago the health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that people paid into it according to their means.

It was the best thing in my view that government has ever done. Good healthcare should be available to all and not dependent on peoples ability to pay. However there always a private healthcare system that ran alongside it

And over the years it had been unpicked as successive governments have tried to privatize it. Claiming they will save the taxpayer money

– opticians and dentistry have become part private after 18 if you are employed.

Which many people do not mind.

-Elderly care was also privatised as it's the most expensive

-care for the disabled also is a issue for local councils

-Mental health became care in the community – society's problem!

Privatisation has meant profits for businesses, poor services to vulnerable groups.

And yet still more and more taxation is needed for the NHS!

The issue of more money was even part of the Brexit debate as it was stated that leaving the EU would mean more money for the NHS which people are proud of.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
There was a quote I was thinking of using in the lead-in, but decided in the end not to since I didn't want to have too many and it might have become confusing. It related that you would get the best medical care of your lifetime – after you died, when they were rushing to save your organs, for transplant. Obviously this would not be true if you were not an organ donor (at least in this country) or died as the result of general wasting away so that you had nothing left which would be particularly coveted. But this is a major issue in medicine in some countries and there have been various lurid tales of bodies being robbed of their organs without family permission, bodies of Ukrainian soldiers harvested of their organs and rackets in third-world countries where the poor or helpless are robbed of organs while they are alive. From my standpoint, since I haven't done much research on it, I have seen little proof of any of them despite plenty of allegation, but it is easy to understand that traffic in organs to those who will pay anything to live a little longer would be tremendously profitable, and the potential for disproportionate profit seldom fails to draw the unscrupulous.

As I alluded in the lead-in, Canada has what is sometimes described as 'socialized medicine' and alternatively as 'two-tier healthcare' although I have never seen any real substantiation for the latter charge. My mom had an operation for colon cancer some time back, and she paid nothing for the hospitalization or the operation. My father-in-law is scheduled for the same operation as soon as he gets his blood-sugar low enough, and he already had one for a hernia and removal of internal scar tissue from an old injury – again, we paid nothing. He had a nurse come here for a couple of months, once a week, to change his dressing (because the incision would was very slow to heal because he is diabetic – nothing. That's all great, from my point of view, and I've paid into it all my life without ever using it because I was covered by the government under federal guidelines while I served in the military, although I was a cheap patient because I never had to be hospitalized for anything and was almost never even sick enough not to come to work. But the great drawback to it, as I said, is the backlog which might mean you have to wait too long for an operation. And in my small practical experience – the two cases I have just mentioned – both were scheduled for surgery within a month of diagnosis. So perhaps the long wait is for particular operations such as heart or brain surgery.

et Al , November 28, 2017 at 1:32 am
Thank you very much for a very interesting article UCG! Quite the horror story. I've heard quite a few about the US over the years from people I know too. I think one of the BBC's former America correspondent gave an interview to the Beeb as he was leaving America a few years back (MAtt Frei?) and was asked what were the best and worst things about living there. The worst was certainly healthcare.

I've also read that healthcare costs for the self-employed, independents, freelancers can also be crushing in the land of the free where everyone can become rich. Has this changed? I would have thought that those were the ideal Americans, making it off their own back, but apparently not.

There's also another issue that is not addressed: an ageing population. This is a very current theme and it is now not at all unusual for people to live another 30 odd years after retirement. Now how on earth will such people manage their healthcare for such a period? Will they have to hock absolutely everything they have? America is already at war with itself (hence the utmost need to for foreign enemies), but nothing is getting done. Just more of the same. Meanwhile the Brits are trying to copy the US through stealth privatization of their health system. It might work as well as privatizing its rail service

yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 3:21 am
Thanks for an interesting post, UCG. Hopefully this will stimulate some ideas on how to fix the American healthcare system, which seems to be badly broken.
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 4:34 am
Broken for us but working perfectly for Big Pharma and insurance companies. That is a fundamental reason why it will be extremely difficult to "fix" because it ain't broken as a money making machine.
yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 1:25 pm
True. And the insurance companies, in particular, have been really raking it in, especially with Obamacare and the various Medicare Advantage options.
Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:40 am
With health care in general, there's a bit of a trade-off. The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system). On the other hand, systems that give people a little more choice, like the system in Germany, tend to be a little on the pricey side. I think, given American political culture, something along the lines of the German model is much more likely to attract widespread public support. In any case, it's still cheaper than the American system, and achieves some of the best results in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Germany
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 5:03 pm
Quite different from my expectation of spartan if not rudimentary medical care and overworked staff in a small Russian town. The blog on schools was interesting as well. Given where Russia was in the 90's compared to now, it is easy to understand the strong popular support for the government and Putin in particular.

Off topic but just saw a 2-3 minute piece on CBS news (a very long story for an American national news show) about a Russian woman (former Playboy "model') who is challenging Putin. The reporter assured us the if she became too popular, Putin would never allow her to win. The last time Russia was allowed to protest, according to the reported was back in 2011 where the masses were demanding change. The implication being that a subsequent crackdown has suppressed further protest.

The piece showed her speaking to a group (the camera view was such that is was impossible to determine the audience size but it had to be at least 10 and possibly up to 30 people). The reporter also speculated that the woman coud be a Kremlin plant to create a fake opposition. Just a mishmash of a story all in all.

Moscow Exile , November 28, 2017 at 5:18 am
re: Health Care in Russia

Speaking as someone who has been hospitalized 3 times in Russia and still live to talk about, I have no complaints.

In the twilight years of the USSR everything was deficit, including medicine, and the hospitals were often dilapidated, understaffed and lacking modern equipment. It was socialized medicine, of course, but you only got the basics for "free". They would not let you die, but if you wanted any "extras", you had to pay or provide "gifts" to the staff. The doctors were and still are good, but were grossly underpaid.

I was first in hospital here, in isolation because I had diphtheria, in 1993. They saved me. I thought my number was up. When I was recovering, a nurse asked me when my wife would visit me.

"I have no wife."

"Your friends, then?"

"No friends. I only arrived here 3 weeks ago."

"You're going to be hungry!"

Our first child was born in 1999. The maternity wing of Moscow Hospital №1, opened 1837, was nightmarish. I paid the anaesthetist so that he could ensure that my wife did not suffer during her labour: it was a long, slow painful birth.

Our last child was born in 2008: brand new hospital; my wife had her own room; everything state-of the-art. I paid nothing. My wife came out healthy with a healthy baby. I gave the obstetrician a "present" after delivery.

A bribe? Not in my opinion: just a token of gratitude for a job well done.

I broke my left collarbone at the dacha that same year. I was in a village/small town (Ruza) hospital. It was only 2-years old. There were problems because I have broken both collarbones before. Anyway, the orthopaedic surgeon did a good job, and I didn't pay anything: emergency treatment is free for British citizens, likewise Russians in the UK. A remnant of when the UK and the USSR were glorious allies against the Beast.

I have also had varicose veins removed. Only 2 days in hospital. A job well done. I gave the surgeon a present. He didn't ask me for one, but I thought it was right that I do so.

There have been great improvements in treatment and medical technology here. And the doctors and nursing staff are well trained and competent.

Not perfect -- nothing is -- but more than satisfactory.

Yes, you do hear horror stories, as you do about the British National health Service, but all in all, satisfactory.

And there is a private health system now financed by private insurance.

And I have had dental treatment here "on the state": no complaints -- and "free", paid by taxation.

An old Russian colleague of mine has lived in Germany many years now, but he comes back to Moscow to see an orthodontist.

"They are just as good as in Germany, sometimes have even trained there, and much, much cheaper", he says.

Moscow Exile , November 28, 2017 at 9:49 am
PS I paid the anaesthetist so he could get the best stuff to help a woman in labour and was unavailable on the state health service. I forget what it was called now: some German manufactured stuff, I suppose.
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 3:56 pm
My wife said it was the norm in Romania to provide small gifts to bureaucrats – too small to be considered a bribe but a necessary gesture of appreciation. Its not entirely different from the custom of bringing a small gift when visiting friends (bottle of wine, flowers, box of chocolate, etc.).
marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Very much so; I'm sure I mentioned before the controversy surrounding my marriage in Russia; the waiting period that must follow an application to marry is 30 days (I guess this is a period during which anyone opposing the marriage may make their case), while a tourist visa is also for a maximum of 30 days. Therefore, I could not legally remain in Russia long enough to get married. Sveta was very matter-of-fact about it; we would just, she said, announce that she was pregnant, which is one of the exceptional conditions which will override the waiting period.

I said she would never get a doctor to sign a certificate that she was pregnant if she was not. Within a week she had her choice of three. We gave the doctor who furnished the certificate some flowers and a box of chocolates. I never considered it a bribe, and still do not, and the gift followed the act. We would have gotten the certificate anyway.

I notice that Russians typically take such a gift with them whenever they visit friends; Ukrainians do, too. They never arrive empty-handed, and it seems much more a ritualized courtesy.

Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 5:10 pm
It seem odds to me how Russia or Romania can be stifling bureaucratic (as ME can attest) yet rules will often be bent with hardly a blink to facilitate a reasonable request.
Cortes , November 28, 2017 at 1:42 pm
An interesting article. Thanks.

My tuppenceworth?

The healthcare system in a country probably reflects the dominant elements in said country's culture. Our family's longtime GP was a buffoon. In my interactions with him his enthusiastic "hands-on" gung-ho approach caused several problems, not least when I visited him to get a "line" certifying I was unfit for work a week after a total hip replacement operation (he insisted on examining the wound and re-dressing it with a dressing whose adhesive I had been tested for in hospital and deemed allergic to it; fun and games, anxiety and discomfort ).

Nevertheless he made an immediate decision to admit a close relative of mine for surgery on the basis of his examination of her.

In my case I could have "sued his ass."

And then? A couple of years later?

[Jun 26, 2021] Johnson Johnson Settles New York Opioid Case for $230 Million by Sara Randazzo

Jun 26, 2021 | www.wsj.com

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to the state of New York to resolve an opioid lawsuit slated to go to trial Tuesday, as negotiations intensify with the company and three drug distributors to clinch a $26 billion settlement of thousands of other lawsuits blaming the pharmaceutical industry for the opioid crisis.

Johnson & Johnson's New York deal removes it from a coming trial on Long Island but not from the rest of the cases it faces nationwide, including a continuing trial in California. The New York settlement includes an additional $33 million in attorney fees and costs and calls for the drugmaker to no longer sell opioids nationwide, something Johnson & Johnson said it already stopped doing.

States have been trying to re-create with the opioid litigation what they accomplished with tobacco companies in the 1990s, when $206 billion in settlements flowed into state coffers. More than 3,000 counties, cities and other local governments have also pursued lawsuits over the opioid crisis, complicating talks that have dragged on since late 2019 and that have been slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

... ... ...

[May 03, 2021] Selling booster shots every year is a great business

May 03, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

variousmarkets PREMIUM 1 hour ago (Edited)

The current crop of vaccines only target the spike protein, which has a surprisingly high mutation rate. No disease has ever been extinguished using this approach. Key examples â€" smallpox, measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio, etc. â€" all have been eradicated using whole virus vaccines (inactivated or attenuated) that target a variety of sites on the viral surface. These traditional vaccines are effective against new variants because all sites would need to mutate simultaneously to escape human immune surveillance. Polio is a perfect example because it has an enormously high mutation rate - much higher than COVID - but the vaccine works because it targets a variety of sites that cannot all simultaneously mutate away.

f

COVID will not be defeated until a pharmaceutical company invests the time and expense to develop a live attenuated vaccine that triggers immunity against several different surface proteins. But they won't because selling "booster" shots every year is a great business.

The current variant problem began after patients were treated with convalescent plasma, which added selective pressure for the mutant strains we are struggling with now. The vaccines are simply doing the same.

Jade_Dragon 7 hours ago (Edited)

Well, everything is being run for profit with no regard for the consequences. Corps take on debt to fund share buybacks, eschewing R & D then need a bailout. Shot that may or may not kill protect you against the CV but reaps billions for the pharma companies is par for the course. It all reminds me of those shoddy Chinese trinkets you buy on Amazon that break 32 days later

sun tzu 7 hours ago

They will blame it on science instead of greed, corruption, and stupidity

[May 03, 2021] Big Pharma is parasitic. Bill Clinton was evil and it was he who lifted the ban on medicines advertizing

Notable quotes:
"... There are a lot of things to say about the medication advertising issue and never enough ways to say it. The problem of patients asking their doctors for specific medications is just one problem. In many, if not most, instances, these drugs may not be appropriate or even applicable to specific patients' problems. ..."
"... One of the biggest problems with all of the advertising--and this was supposed to change by law--is that there is no indication of what these drugs cost, especially compared to other similar drugs for the same thing. I have a friend who is a retired nurse and she gets a big kick out of looking up the costs of all the newly advertised drugs so whenever anyone talks about them, she can tell them how expensive they are. ..."
May 03, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

Kendle C 6 hours ago (Edited) remove link

If and when you want to know who you're dealing with, I challenge you to watch the over the air channels, that's right antenna TV, specifically "ME-TV".

Some background, people who can't or won't afford cable TV, like old, retired, poor people drop it. Note, most of these folks don't have a DVR and can't pause TV, at best they'll mute the commercials, eventually they succumb and watch. They are a MARKET.

What you will learn, if you take the antenna challenge, pharmaceutical companies are predatory, deceptive and, yes, evil. Under their onslaught on the underprivileged it's causing many to "ask your doctor" about prescription medicines. Wouldn't your doctor know better about what meds you need? I hate Bill Clinton for authorizing prescription medicines advertising, again. It was banned and now it's not.

Now, think about it, can you trust such vile people?

chiquita 5 hours ago (Edited)

There are a lot of things to say about the medication advertising issue and never enough ways to say it. The problem of patients asking their doctors for specific medications is just one problem. In many, if not most, instances, these drugs may not be appropriate or even applicable to specific patients' problems. In some cases, patients must take a series of drugs before being allowed to take certain medications--for example with statins, at one time (I don't know for sure now, but this was true in the 1990s) some insurance required a patient to start with one particular statin before they could be moved onto another and so on. Right now there are a bunch of different type 2 diabetes drugs, but here again without using the original tried and true medication(s) first, a doctor is unlikely to put a patient directly on one of the newer medications just because they ask for it if they've never taken any medication for lowering their blood glucose levels.

One of the biggest problems with all of the advertising--and this was supposed to change by law--is that there is no indication of what these drugs cost, especially compared to other similar drugs for the same thing. I have a friend who is a retired nurse and she gets a big kick out of looking up the costs of all the newly advertised drugs so whenever anyone talks about them, she can tell them how expensive they are.

Last, even without all the advertising, there has always been the problem with the pharmaceutical company sales reps soliciting at the doctors' offices (and hospitals). I can't say what this is like these days because I'm removed from it, but when I was married to a doctor, I knew exactly what went on. The drug reps came in bearing gifts and boxes and boxes of samples of all kinds of company products. There was a lot of incentive given to prescribe their products. My ex was not big on prescribing anything he didn't believe in. However, I did go to a doctor for years where I got a regular allergy shot (so I was there pretty often) and I used to sit in the waiting room with the drug reps almost every visit. They're parasitic.

[Feb 14, 2021] This Is Why Hospitals Can Charge $6,000 Or $60,000 For The Exact Same Procedure - ZeroHedge

Feb 14, 2021 | www.zerohedge.com

This Is Why Hospitals Can Charge $6,000 Or $60,000 For The Exact Same Procedure BY TYLER DURDEN SATURDAY, FEB 13, 2021 - 17:00

Several months back, we pointed out how new disclosure laws would be forcing hospitals to disclose the cost of services and rates negotiated by insurers. Now, the numbers are starting to trickle in - and they're ugly.

Roughly 6,000 hospitals across the nation are starting to reveal the rates they negotiate with insurers for a number of procedures. The figures show how widely prices vary for the same procedure depending on who is paying, as highlighted by a new Wall Street Journal report .

For example, the report found that a C-section can cost between $6,241 and $60.584 - all depending on which insurer covers it. Niall Brennan, chief executive of the Health Care Cost Institute said: "It is shining a light on the insanity of U.S. healthcare pricing. It's at the center of the affordability crisis in American healthcare."

The rates are a key driver of the massive healthcare costs in the U.S., some of the highest in the world. It was a Trump administration rule that shed light on the differences in procedure pricing - some of the widest gaps in pricing of any U.S. industry. Gerard Anderson, a healthcare economist at Johns Hopkins University, commented: "These price differentials are unique to the healthcare and hospital industry."

The prices have a direct effect on consumers, as they push up premiums and deductibles . And, in a stunning revelation, "total U.S. expenditures on private health insurance have increased 50% in the past decade through 2019, according to federal figures," the Journal wrote.

The report found that a Northern California system of 24 hospitals had sometimes "extreme" pricing ranges for procedures. One cardiac procedure varied between $89,752 to $515,697, depending on insurer. For those paying out of pocket, the procedure cost $325,703. The system, called Sutter Health, did $13 billion in 2019 revenue is is known for drawing an antitrust suit from the California state AG in 2018. The system paid $575 million to settle the claims.

Sutter Chief Financial Officer Brian Dean commented: "We enter into negotiations with every health-insurance company or payer in good faith and with the end goal of providing access to quality, affordable care for patients."

"The variation in the data reflects robust competition in the markets for commercial insurance," he argued.

One former insurance executive told the Journal that they could expect the same types of wide ranges for pricing across the country:

"The California system's pricing spread for the procedures reviewed by the Journal are likely at the upper end, but similar patterns will be found at many hospitals around the country, said Alan Muney, a former Cigna Corp. executive. "This is probably typical of what you're going to see across big delivery systems," he said.

Prices paid by private insurers in the nation's $1.2 trillion hospital sector are often far higher than the amounts paid to hospitals by the Medicare program, which are set by the government. Plans offered by insurers under Medicare or Medicaid often get rates tied to those mandated prices."

Insurers have a better chance of winning better rates if they can drive more patients to a certain hospital, another former insurance executive said . Hospitals, meanwhile, sometimes set their prices with "little bearing on the actual cost or value of a service", the report says. Rather, hospitals set prices based on their own targets for margins and according to what the market will pay.

Privately insured patients drive margins typically - and hospitals that boosted margins generally didn't cut costs, but rather raised revenue by increasing rates billed to commercial insurers, one study found. Economists have found that quality is generally no better at more expensive hospitals. Michael Chernew, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, said: "We have not found evidence that price is a great signal for quality."

The new data will draw the eyes of insurers and hospitals, moreso than consumers. Elizabeth Mitchell, chief executive of the Purchaser Business Group on Health, which represents major employers, said they will use the data to help choose which hospitals to use and how to negotiate with insurers.

The Journal examined one cardiac code for cardiac-valve procedures involving catheterization performed on patients with risk factors. It confirmed that the largest spreads on pricing were in procedures that cost the most:

Seven insurers pay the lowest negotiated rate, $89,752, for their Medicare plans. The lowest price for a commercial-insurance plan, the type offered to employers, is $197,900. At the top end, the charge is $515,697 for patients whose health plans don't have the hospital in-network.

For hip- and knee replacements, Medicaid and Medicare plans paid the lowest prices at the Modesto hospital, $3,264 and $16,349, respectively. The lowest price paid by a commercial insurer totaled $51,895. The highest rate reached $81,617, again for patients whose insurance didn't include the Modesto hospital in-network.

Recall, we first brought up President Trump's plans to institute these transparency plans back in January.

The $1.2 trillion industry comprising some 6% of the country's economy is now subjected to more transparency than it has seen in decades. The point of instituting the disclosures, according to the Trump administration, was the hope that good ol' fashioned market dynamics will kick in, and help lower prices across the board.

Previously, hospital pricing was negotiated confidentially between hospitals and the employer groups and insurance companies that pay for care.

Many criticized this system for obscuring market rates and helping drive up the cost of health insurance premiums paid by employers and workers. Rising hospital prices accounted for about one-fifth of the nation's health spending growth over the last 50 years.

Now, we will see first hand if a free and open market can help solve some of the industry's problems. At least, until President Biden reverses the new rules.

[Feb 02, 2021] New Report From Rep. Katie Porter Reveals How Big Pharma Pursues 'Killer Profits' at the Expense of Americans' Health - naked

Feb 02, 2021 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

New Report From Rep. Katie Porter Reveals How Big Pharma Pursues 'Killer Profits' at the Expense of Americans' Health Posted on January 30, 2021 by Yves Smith

Yves here. Go Katie Porter! While you were busy rubbernecking over Robinhood and GameStop, some people were staying focused on issues that matter to Americans.

We have written for many years about other elements of bad faith at Big Pharma, like whining they need more profits to fund drug development, when they spend more on marketing than R&D, and also spend a lot on buybacks. From Axios :

The big picture: When billions of dollars became available to the biggest drug companies, their main priority was to juice earnings, along with the paydays of their executives and investors -- not investments in new treatments or relief for patients who can't afford their drugs.

And on top of that, for decades, the overwhelming majority of FDA "new drug applications" are actually minor reformulations of existing drugs to extend patent life.

By Brett Wilkins, staff writer at CommonDreams. Originally published at CommonDreams

Rep. Katie Porter on Friday published a damning report revealing the devastating effects of Big Pharma mergers and acquisitions on U.S. healthcare, and recommending steps Congress should take to enact "comprehensive, urgent reform" of an integral part of a broken healthcare system.

The report, entitled Killer Profits: How Big Pharma Takeovers Destroy Innovation and Harm Patients , begins by noting that "in just 10 years, the number of large, international pharmaceutical companies decreased six-fold, from 60 to only 10."

While pharmaceutical executives often attempt to portray such consolidation as a means to increase operational efficiency, the report states that "digging a level deeper 'exposes a troubling industry-wide trend of billions of dollars of corporate resources going toward acquiring other pharmaceutical corporations with patent-protected blockbuster drugs instead of putting those resources toward' discovery of new drugs."

Merger and acquisition (M&A) deals are often executed to "boost stock prices," to "stop competitors," and to "acquire an innovative blockbuster drug with an enormous prospective revenue stream."

"Instead of spending on innovation, Big Pharma is hoarding its money for salaries and dividends," the report says, "all while swallowing smaller companies, thus making the marketplace far less competitive."

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=yvessmith&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1355238165515182082&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedcapitalism.com%2F2021%2F01%2Fnew-report-from-rep-katie-porter-reveals-how-big-pharma-pursues-killer-profits-at-the-expense-of-americans-health.html&siteScreenName=yvessmith&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

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The report calls M&As "just the tip of the iceberg of pharmaceutical companies' anti-competitive, profit-driven behaviors":

Pharmaceutical companies often claim that lowering the prices of prescription drugs in the United States would devastate innovation. Yet, as prices have skyrocketed over the last few decades, these same companies' investment in research and development have failed to match this same pace. Instead, they've dedicated more and more of their funds to enrich shareholders or to purchase other companies to eliminate competition.

"In 2018, the year that [former President] Donald Trump's tax giveaway to the wealthy went into effect, 12 of the biggest pharmaceutical companies spent more money on stock buybacks than on research and development," the report notes.

Some key findings from the report:

"Competition is central to capitalism," Porter said in a press release introducing the report. "As our report shows, Big Pharma has little incentive to invest in new, critically needed drugs. Instead, pharmaceutical giants are free to devote their resources to acquiring smaller companies that might otherwise force them to compete."

"Lives are on the line; it's clear the federal government needs to reform how it evaluates healthcare mergers and patent abuses," Porter added.

To that end, Porter's report recommends the following actions:

Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act , but must extend to include a larger class of drugs and cover all payers and the uninsured; and Preventing anti-competitive abuses of the drug patenting system. Congress should pass legislation, such as the such as the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act , the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act, and the Stop STALLING Act, to stop abuses of the regulatory process.

"It's time we reevaluate the standards for approving these mergers," the report concludes. "It's time we pass legislation to lower drug prices. And it's time we rethink the structure of leadership at big pharmaceutical companies. Together, these strategies can help us bring more innovative, and critically needed, cures and treatments to market."


P S BAKER , January 30, 2021 at 6:51 am

Katie Porter is brilliant – the total anti-Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh4nhkuvuFc

ChiGal in Carolina , January 30, 2021 at 11:00 am

Okay, this I didn't expect: top recipients of Pharma $ in the senate per Open Secrets: Bernie Sanders, twice the take of his nearest competitors, Warren and McConnell
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php ?

Everything isn't about Trump.

cnchal , January 30, 2021 at 7:00 am

Again, eclownomists are wrong.

Outsized profits has failed to draw competition to itself. Instead, outsized profits is used to kill competition. Another advantage for the bigs is using the carryforward losses of the soon to be devoured innovator to offset the big's profits, reducing taxes owed.

Sweet deal for those at the top. Taxpayer funded research -> innovative money losing company taking a risk -> devour the innovative company and use the generated losses by it to reduce your own taxes and kill the competition. Circle complete.

How is that circle to be broken when the bigs own congress?

oliverks , January 30, 2021 at 7:11 am

I think this is a wider problem that just the drug industry.

I was invited to a silicon valley party once at the partner of a big law firm. It was kind of a celebratory party for all the companies that had liquidity events that year.

I went around asking what their companies did. What struck me was how trivial most of the products these companies were making. Really most were minor upgrades to existing products.

It turns out that the healthcare industry would rather buy a minor update that do it themselves, because if they did it themselves it would be a cost. By buying the product it doesn't show up as cost (at least in the short run).

This makes everything less efficient. A small company starting from scratch takes much time and money to make this minor update. Once the acquisition occurs, the big healthcare company now has 2 products, which are similar, but made by different producers, with total different BOMs.

Bobby Gladd , January 30, 2021 at 9:37 am

I covered the health infotech VC startup space (mostly Silicon Valley) for a number of recent years. I was working in Health IT at the time (electronic medrecs, etc).

Then I watched "Silicon Valley HBO" at the urging of my kids.

I couldn't do it with a straight face after that.

Joe Brant , January 30, 2021 at 7:12 am

The content of this report of Big Pharma corruption should certainly be a national scandal, resulting in a generation of reform. But the corrupt mass media, corrupt legislature, corrupt executive, and corrupt judiciary will do nothing at all. They are the core problem.

The US needs constitutional amendments to restrict funding of mass media, political parties, and elections to limited individual donations, with very severe penalties for violations. Congress and the judiciary and most agencies must be purged and restaffed under strict controls, and monitored for life for corrupt influence. All branches and mass media corporations must be structured with multiple redundant cross-checking decision committees, with rotating memberships. Otherwise they sell out.

Steve Ruis , January 30, 2021 at 8:28 am

Hear, hear . . . but getting such legislation past the money already swamping the system will take some kind of miracle.

The Historian , January 30, 2021 at 10:20 am

"The content of this report of Big Pharma corruption should certainly be a national scandal, ."

You are absolutely right, and it is something that all Americans should know about, so I searched the major news outlets in this country to see who is carrying this story and guess what? NOT ONE! Vox is the closest to MSM coverage that I could find.

They are all carrying the Robinhood story though.

Tom Stone , January 30, 2021 at 8:38 am

Who pays at Pfizer calls the tune?

Chris Herbert , January 30, 2021 at 8:56 am

The 'small government' movement was always a total ruse. It wasn't even libertarian. It was just 'give me monopolies and tax cuts' populism for the One Percent. Meanwhile the plebes continue to believe in 'trickle down,' prosperity for themselves. A friend of mine found this quote. I think it is pertinent: "The Baltimore Evening Sun on July 26, 1920: ""As democracy is perfected, the office (of the President) represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." The only thing H.L. Mencken didn't consider when he wrote the sentiment was how many of a like mind and character would be swept into office by the wake." This is not a criticism of the new President, Joe Biden. He appears sane and maybe even quite progressive. A true populist, not the fake one we just collectively fired.

ObjectiveFunction , January 30, 2021 at 10:18 am

You can leave your dusty bottles on the shelf / An' you can keep your words of wisdom to y'self .

Codeine – The Dead South (cover)

[Aug 27, 2020] Trump's Executive Orders Will Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable -

Aug 27, 2020 | www.theamericanconservative.com

esident Trump recently introduced four executive orders aimed at reducing drug prices for all Americans. Affordability in health care is consistently a leading issue on the minds of the people, and the price of prescription drugs is a key component of that. Every president, regardless of party, wants to make medication more affordable. But more times than not, they fail to make much of a difference. President Trump's orders, however, should.

Insulin, a drug that has been in existence for nearly a century, continues to be cost prohibitive for many diabetics. We've all seen story after story of people having to choose between groceries and lifesaving drugs -- even at a time when the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Over the last 10 years, the price of Humalog, a commonly prescribed insulin, has increased from $75 to $250, with no changes to formula, packaging, or designs.

https://lockerdome.com/lad/13045197114175078?pubid=ld-dfp-ad-13045197114175078-0&pubo=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theamericanconservative.com&rid=www.theamericanconservative.com&width=838

Over the same time frame, the list prices established by pharmaceutical companies have skyrocketed, although their profits have remained relatively flat . The middlemen and insurers, however, have seen record growth and rampant consolidation due to the large rebates they command from the manufacturers that benefit from being on the insurers' drug lists. This is a broken system; it sounds like a business model straight out of The Godfather movies.

The next EO, the International Pricing Index (also known as the "most favored nation" order), seeks to compel pharmaceutical manufacturers to charge the U.S. no more than the lowest price available among economically advanced countries for Medicare Part B drugs. Clearly, this is rate-setting and not a sustainable solution, but the order is the only one that comes with a trigger mechanism. President Trump has given Big Pharma until noon August 24 to negotiate a substantive plan to lower the cost of drugs for the American people.

If the manufacturers are unsuccessful in producing a viable plan, it will pull the trigger that initiates most favored nation status. This tactic has given the president necessary leverage to push for a deal that makes sense.

The importation order achieves the same end, but it will ultimately be up to the states to implement, should they wish to import drugs from nations with which they negotiate. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has been a long-time proponent of this policy and has been leading the charge for his state.

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Another order that focuses on bringing down the cost of insulin and epinephrine was issued within the network of clinics known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). Patients that are seen in these clinics will now be able to take advantage of newly extended purchasing discounts that will allow them to get these life-saving drugs for pennies on the dollar.

The fourth and perhaps most substantive order makes rebates for Medicare patients available at the pharmacy. Insurers and other middlemen have often kept these rebates and counted them as revenue rather than passing them on to patients. This order makes Medicare patients the beneficiaries of these rebates, which will result in much greater affordability for our seniors who are often on fixed incomes.

Are the orders perfect? Perhaps not. But the absence of leadership from Congress to get this done has resulted in needed action from President Trump. The physicians and patients who attended the signing applauded this effort and encouraged the administration to press on to make health care even more affordable. We are all patients, and efforts like this are opportunities for us to unite in our effort to fix our broken health care system.

David Balat is the policy director of the Right on Healthcare initiative at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Victor_the_thinker 9 hours ago

I work for a Pharma company. I haven't heard anyone concerned about these EOs. If they were actually going to impact pricing, I would have heard the concern as I deal directly with upper level management.

Victor_the_thinker Victor_the_thinker 9 hours ago

Also, insulin and epinephrine are made by only a handful of companies. There are a ton more drugs around than these generic drugs. It's the on patent drugs which drive the extreme cost of healthcare. Focusing on genetics isn't remotely where the big dollars are for the industry. Yea, there is gouging going in for insulin, it's certainly not the biggest thing going on right now in pricing.

[Jun 01, 2020] Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes The Unstoppable Growth of Prescription Drug Prices

Jun 01, 2020 | www.amazon.com

In the warped world of prescription drug pricing, generic drugs can cost more than branded ones, old drugs can be relaunched at astronomical prices, and low-cost options are shut out of the market. In Drugs, Money and Secret Handshakes, Robin Feldman shines a light into the dark corners of the pharmaceutical industry to expose a web of shadowy deals in which higher-priced drugs receive favorable treatment and patients are channeled toward the most expensive medicines. At the center of this web are the highly secretive middle players who establish coverage levels for patients and negotiate with drug companies. By offering lucrative payments to these middle players (as well as to doctors and hospitals), drug companies ensure that inexpensive drugs never gain traction. This system of perverse incentives has delivered the kind of exorbitant drug prices - and profits - that everyone loves except for those who pay the bills.

[Jun 01, 2020] Drug Wars How Big Pharma Raises Prices and Keeps Generics off the Market

Jun 01, 2020 | www.amazon.com

David Wineberg , Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2017

...when first we practice to deceive

A measure of just how perverse US pharmaceutical markets have become is the "reverse payment" in which the original manufacturer sues the maker of the new generic version for patent infringement, then settles by paying the generic maker to go away for several months before launching its version. If that is intriguing instead of revolting, Drug Wars is for you.

Feldman and Frondorf have researched all the Food and Drug Administration's generics files going back to the turn of the century, and found a treasure trove of manipulation, waste and greed that prove why we need an FDA in the first place. That the FDA is being crippled by all these shenanigans is criminal. To the tune of billions of dollars a year.

The name of the game is delay. Every month of delay can mean tens of millions of dollars from consumers and insurers overpaying. A year's delay can easily mean a billion dollars' profit. The frightening total is that 45% of Pharma revenues worldwide come from American patients. Because no other country lets them get away with this.

Some of the tactics Big Pharma uses:

Big Pharma fills the courts with frivolous suits, loads down the FDA with nonsenses complaints (demanding tests that are already required, for example) and applications, and stalls. A finding that a drug might be dangerous may not be filed for years – until a generic appears on the scene. Bogus applications that slow down generic approvals are routinely rejected – but they serve the purpose by taking up valuable time, at taxpayer and patient expense. While Drug Wars has a worthy conclusion packed with sensible recommendations, it is clear Congress will not act on them, and that lifesaving drugs should not be left to the "free" market.

David Wineberg

Rebecca L. Elson , Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2017
Drug Wars

This article originally appeared on The Magical Buffet's website on 06/28/2017.

When you read that I'm about to discuss a book called "Drug Wars" your mind probably goes straight to America's "war" on illegal drugs, but you would be mistaken. There is a war involving prescription drugs going on right now that many of us had no idea existed. It's one where pharmaceutical companies always win and the public always loses.

A long time ago, before the mid-80's (I can't believe I called that a long time ago!) people realized that very few generic drugs were coming onto the market. Wait, let me back up for those of you who aren't constantly on meds like myself. So in the fashion world designer label Louis Vuitton sells its "Saint Michel" purse for $1,700. It's a bag, it holds stuff. You can also find on your better handbag websites what are subtly referred to as "knock off" versions for a couple hundred dollars. It's also a bag. It also holds stuff. That's essentially prescription drugs and their generic versions, except in this case the FDA makes sure that the bags are made of the same primary material. A prescription drug can be hundreds of dollars, but a generic drug is nearly identical at a fraction of the price. With the state of health insurance then, and now, there is an interest in generics for public consumption.

Thus in 1984 The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, often called the Hatch-Waxman Act, went into effect to stimulate a generic drug market. The Hatch-Waxman Act is a great idea. It attempts to strike a balance between capitalism and the common good. When a pharmaceutical company goes to market with a new chemical that company is given 5 years of exclusivity. It also streamlined the process for companies looking to bring a generic version to the market. Thus the originator gets 5 years of market dominance to recoup research costs, etc. while providing the eventual competition of a generic to make things easier on the consumer's pocketbook and encourage pharmaceutical companies to get back to the drawing board to innovate and bring another new drug to market that again gets 5 years of competition free existence. Pretty elegant, right?

What no one saw coming, but let's face it, those in the know probably did, was that pharmaceutical companies found ways to extend their periods of exclusivity, which of course makes things harder on us sickos of America. The use of lawsuits to stall generics going to market is common, and not surprising once you're reading "Drug Wars". What was shocking was the collusion between the manufacturers of the original drug and the companies making the generics. When these companies are in litigation they can fight it out, or settle. Oddly the settlement involves the manufacturer of the original drug paying obscene sums of money to the generic, and the generic agreeing to hold off going to market for several more years. There many ways safe and effect generic drugs are delayed from becoming available, and "Drug Wars" does an amazing job highlighting them. The authors, Robin Feldman and Even Frondorf, also make recommendations on how to fix these issues.

If you're into intricate bureaucracies, healthcare in America, and a few laugh out loud absurdities then you need to read "Drug Wars: How Big Pharma Raises Prices and Keeps Generics Off the Market" by Robin Feldman and Even Frondorf.

[May 12, 2020] PHARMA: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America

May 12, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

karlof1 , May 12 2020 16:01 utc | 125

Renegade Inc interview with Gerald Posner the author of PHARMA: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America is lively, timely, revealing, and very informative! An excellent 25 minute investment of your time today. In the book which was written well before the COVID-19 breakout, Posner did address the issue of pandemic which this article reported on along with other aspects of PHARMA . And there's much more at his website.

[May 12, 2020] Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime

May 12, 2020 | www.moonofalabama.org

Pft , May 12 2020 23:01 utc | 186

Interesting book "Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime " published in 2013 by PETER C GØTZSCHE

He points out "Science philosopher Karl Popper in "The Open Society and Its Enemies" depicts the totalitarian, closed society as a rigidly ordered state in which freedom of expression and discussion of crucial issues are ruthlessly suppressed. Most of the time, when I have tried to publish unwelcome truths about the drug industry, I have been exposed to the journal's lawyers, and even after I have documented that everything I say is correct and have been said before by others, I have often experienced that important bits have been removed or that my paper was rejected for no other reason than fear of litigation. This is one of the reasons I decided to write this book, as I have discovered that I have much more freedom when I write books. Popper would have viewed the pharmaceutical industry as an enemy of the open society.

Rigorous science should put itself at risk of being falsified and this practice should be protected against those who try to impede scientific understanding, as when the industry intimidates those who discover harms of its drugs. Protecting the hypotheses by ad hoc modifications, such as undeclared changes to the measured outcomes or the analysis plan once the sponsor has seen the results, or by designing trials that make them immune to refutation, puts the hypotheses in the same category as pseudoscience.

In healthcare, the open democratic society has become an oligarchy of corporations whose interests serve the profit motive of the industry and shape public policy, including that of weakened regulatory agencies. Our governments have failed to regulate an industry, which has become more and more powerful and almighty, and failed to protect scientific objectivity and academic curiosity from commercial forces."

Thats about it in a nutshell. Too bad the good scientists are all muzzled. Only the politicized fraudsters get the good press.

[Apr 06, 2020] What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know About Hospital Emergency Rooms

Apr 04, 2020 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Yves here. We've written regularly on Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt's important investigations into how private equity has taken over more and more of hospital staffing, including of emergency rooms. This in turn has allowed them to override patient efforts to have only in-network doctors assigned to their case, as well as to engage in other practices that greatly inflate patient charges (so-called surprise billing).

The legal fig leaf that allows private equity firms like Blackstone and KKR to play doctor is that their deals are structured so that MD or group of MDs is the nominal owner of the specialty practice, even though the business is stripped of its assets and the operating contracts are widely believed to strip them of any say. The now-notorious incident of Blackstone's TeamHealth firing whistleblower Dr. Ming Lim confirms who is really in charge.

By Eileen Appelbaum, the Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and visiting professor, School of Management, University of Leicester, UK and Rosemary Batt, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work, Cornell University ILR School. Produced by Economy for All , a project of the Independent Media Institute

Doctor Ming Lin is the first emergency room doctor to be fired for going public with his concerns about poor hospital emergency room safety practices and shortages of medical supplies and protective gear for health workers. He won't be the last.

Like many hospitals in the US, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham Washington, where Ming Lin worked for the past 17 years as an emergency room doctor, has outsourced the management and staffing of its emergency rooms. So, Lin works on-site at the hospital's emergency room, but he is employed by a physician staffing firm that runs the emergency room. These staffing firms are often behind the surprise medical bills for emergency room services that patients receive after their insurance company has paid the hospital and doctors, but not the excessive out-of-network charges billed by these outside staffing firms.

About a third of hospital emergency rooms are staffed by doctors on the payrolls of two physician staffing companies -- TeamHealth and Envision Health -- owned by Wall Street investment firms. Envision Healthcare employs 69,000 healthcare workers nationwide while TeamHealth employs 20,000. Private equity firm Blackstone Group owns TeamHealth, Kravis Kohlberg Roberts (KKR) owns Envision.

Care of the sick is not the mission of these companies; their mission is to make outsized profits for the private equity firms and its investors. Overcharging patients and insurance companies for providing urgent and desperately needed emergency medical care is bad enough. But it is unconscionable to muzzle doctors who speak out to advocate for the health of their patients and co-workers during the global pandemic that is rapidly spreading across the US.

Yet, that is what Blackstone-owned TeamHealth just did. Why would an experienced emergency room doctor be fired in the middle of a pandemic? One clue may be that Blackstone's CEO, Stephen A. Schwarzman, is part of President Trump's inner circle . He may not want to risk that relationship by allowing TeamHealth's doctors to inform the public about Washington's mishandling of the allocation of supplies and protective gear. The President might conclude that TeamHealth doctors didn't appreciate him enough, and where would that leave Schwartzman?

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center may have the distinction of being the first hospital to have a doctor outsourced from a physician staffing firm unceremoniously fired for telling the public the truth. But it won't be the last. Hospitals are now telling doctors treating coronavirus patients they will be fired if they speak to the press.

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine protested Dr. Lin's ouster and questioned how TeamHealth is allowed to provide hospital services when the law requires that physician practices must be owned by a licensed medical practitioner. TeamHealth skirts the law by owning all the assets of the physician practices it acquires -- the real estate, offices, equipment, supplies, inventory, and even accounts receivable.

On paper, the physician practices are owned by a doctor-led organization that TeamHealth has set up to comply with the law. But what does it mean to own a physician practice if the practice has no assets and no possibility to exist on its own?

The furor over patients hit by surprise medical bills revealed that TeamHealth controls the billing for the doctors it supplies to hospital emergency rooms. The firing of Doctor Ming Lin pulls back the curtain and reveals that TeamHealth controls the doctors as well.


sd , April 4, 2020 at 5:54 am

Private Equity = Non Essential

Furiouscalves , April 4, 2020 at 12:13 pm

So anyone who works for TeamHealth or Envision needs to stay home until the virus subsides Or until PE is out of ER. Right now is the time to be going after them hard. If they come out the other side of this with no changes to PE control of ER, it will be a missed opportunity to bring them to heel.

dan , April 5, 2020 at 8:54 am

Thats called group organizing. Our present gov. won't allow it. Or will they they don't seem to have much control over virus spreads.

Mel , April 4, 2020 at 12:53 pm

Way back when, an American banker named Paul Erdman tried to start an American bank in Switzerland, and wound up taken down, tried, and convicted under by a charge in Swiss law called (IIRC, this whole comment is IIRC basically) untreu Gesellshaftshandlung . He went on afterwards to write popular novels about what -- meanies -- Swiss bankers are. The one I read is really pretty good.
Anyway, although it would be really heavy lifting creating an American law against untreu Gesellshaftshandlung in the face of the modern American concept of business, a law like that could have excellent effects. It could penalize people who destroy the businesses they are pretending to manage. Think how wonderful that would be.

divadab , April 4, 2020 at 6:54 am

In what ethical system is profiteering on the sick and injured who are having a health emergency morally correct? What kind of people are these Blackstone owners? The kind of people who rob the dead and wounded on a battlefield, apparently. Ghouls. Morally depraved scum.

That Peace Health, which is owned by the Catholic Church, has contracted with these looters, is indicative of how low the Church has fallen in its mission in the world. They kicked out the nuns from any oversight of the hospital and brought in these Blackstone demons. Is it any wonder the moral authority of the Church is a thin thread when rather than supporting their flock they prey upon them? When did the Church start subcontracting to Satan?

ambrit , April 4, 2020 at 6:58 am

Oh for a reset. In olden times, often the victorious officers would mandate shoot on sight for looters caught on a battlefield.

Tom Doak , April 4, 2020 at 7:21 am

Yes, but unfortunately, that's what the "winners" in private equity are doing to us.

Off The Street , April 4, 2020 at 7:45 am

Gives new meaning to the Neo-Liberal 1-2 punch.
1. Because Markets.
2. Go Die.

hemeantwell , April 4, 2020 at 11:33 am

ambrit's suggested reset brought to mind another frame, the role of the tribunes in early Roman society. I've enthused about them before here, re their ability to block measures deemed harmful to the people, and the oath sworn to protect them, whereby anyone laying a hand on them would be hung by the rightfully enraged citizenry.

What we're seeing going on now between the administration and some of the governors is a loose fit. They are speaking out against the administration's deadly neglect and acting against it, while, hopefully, having a degree of immunity against reprisal. We'll see about a hanging, electoral or otherwise.

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 2:48 pm

Substitute " corporate board of directors ",
and or possibly, depending on the crime,
" upper level management "
for "looters."

allan , April 4, 2020 at 7:29 am

"What kind of people are these Blackstone owners?"

Steve Schwartzman is on the list of billionaires who supposedly urged Trump to reopen as soon as possible.
Given Blackstone's medical investments, that is quality talking-your-book.

NotTimothyGeithner , April 4, 2020 at 8:41 am

Start?

For the modern era, I would say john Paul II. He largely had free reign to control the bishop selection process (which for a long time was tied to local governance) and stamped out any opportunity for good or not heinous bishops to serve as counter examples or exist as threats to leadership.

tonycat , April 4, 2020 at 12:48 pm

Blackstone was a firm that was behind the stealing of houses from American homeowners in the foreclosure fraud heyday since 2008's financial crisis, I believe. I think they were owners of document-forging firms.

Ian , April 5, 2020 at 8:48 pm

tonycat,
I didn't think Blackstone had anything to do with document forgery, that was primarily the realm of LPS, ( lender processing services), who changed their name to Black Knight Services. Owned by Fidelity National , yes, the title insurance company.
Blackstone bought tens of thousands of foreclosed homes, the ones with irretrievably corrupted chains of title, formed a subsidiary to do so, and rented them all out.
If you could let me know who you have reason to believe Blackstone owned as far as document processors , or forgers, pls respond to me thanks-

Kirk Seidenbecker , April 4, 2020 at 1:21 pm

PeaceHealth . should be HealthGrift.

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 3:00 pm

Before the information is taken down, search for and file save
the board of directors. Save as a file on your hard drive. Guarantee that these same people will pop up like moles in future disasters and national looting.
https://www.blackstone.com/the-firm/our-people

Never (let them) forget.

That Peace Health, which is owned by the Catholic Church, has contracted with these looters, is indicative of how low the Church has fallen in its mission in the world. They kicked out the nuns from any oversight of the hospital and brought in these Blackstone demons."
How does the Catholic church contracting with them still allow their tax exempt status?
Care to comment?
PeaceHealth System Services
1115 SE 164th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98683
360-729-1000

Knot Galt , April 4, 2020 at 3:21 pm

In what ethical system is profiteering on the sick and injured who are having a health emergency morally correct?

Isn't the answer obvious? It's called ObamaCare.

Am I wrong?

EoH , April 4, 2020 at 9:13 pm

Yes.

Procopius , April 5, 2020 at 6:36 am

When did the Church start subcontracting to Satan?

I believe it was around 325 A.D., when they made a deal with the Emperor Constantine. It may have been earlier, when the tax collector, Saul of Tarsus, said, "Can't get new converts? Hold my beer."

jackiebass , April 4, 2020 at 7:04 am

Where I live our local hospital emergency room is staffed by doctors and nurses that aren't hospital employees. They are employed by a private group. This has been the case for at least a decade. There are signs telling people that they will get separate bills from the doctors. My wife and I both are on traditional medicare and a supplemental policy. Fortunately this group is part of my supplemental network. Also the hospital sold its dialyses unit to a private company. They used to do their own laundry now it is done by a private company. The same is true for the janitor services. The head of the hospital used to be a doctor. Now the head is an MBA. This hospital is considered a nonprofit hospital. Since all of these changes has been happening I have noticed that care has become just another business transaction. Tho corporations own everything , even doctors who are now employees. If you need to see a doctor immediately you now have to go to one of two walk in clinics. Health care in my area has become just another money making business. This is a county in upstate NY with a population of about 100,000 people. There are only 2 corporations providing all of the care. Both operate with the same business plan. My doctor of 13 years decided to move out of the area. Instead of the health care organization hiring a replacement his patients were left out in the cold to find a new doctor. My wife has had 5 primary care doctors in the last 2 years. Health care has become just another money making business with no real competition.

Susan the other , April 4, 2020 at 1:11 pm

There are lots of dimensions to the outsourcing going on in American hospitals. My experience last summer is instructive. My husband (on Medicare) got sepsis from a carpet tack, he's diabetic so it was very dangerous and I took him to the ER on instructions from his podiatrist. The ER hemmed and hawed, tried to confirm with the podiatrist who just happened to turn off his beeper so the ER called Bill'r regular doctor. His regular doctor was playing the system like a violin: because he gets bonuses for any cost saving measures he achieves. This was one – so instead of getting Bill on an emergency IV, his doctor sent him home with some crappy antibiotics, which he threw up; we lost a good 24 hours which could have been the diff between life and death. I was furious and I called all the people I knew on the board of the new hospital to complain. We returned to the ER the next morning and I was already a cat-5 tornado. They got Bill on an IV and they literally hid from me. After 10 days he was cured but his nitwit doctor (to cover his own ass) recommended some expensive anerobic antibiotics for another 7 days – by mouth. The gave me a prescription to get filled. No pharmacy in town had the stuff – it was special order only and took up to 3 days. Long-short when I finally got my hands on the pills, I called the hospital complaint line and told them how inept they were to let a patient go from the hospital with an un-fillable prescription – and she told me that that was not hospital policy, that hospital policy was to send such a patient home with a 3 day supply for the interim. So I only wish I had had the phone number of the person paying Bill's doctor his bonus for endangering his recovery in such a callous and insouciant manner. I tried to get through to Medicare to complain about him but I was blocked every time. It's a shame because that's first class malpractice in my opinion – and the system that encourages it is unconscionable. All those cost cuts by the system are death by a thousand cuts for patients – and an equivalent amount of profits in the pockets of the corporation.

cnchal , April 4, 2020 at 7:17 am

>. . . But what does it mean to own a physician practice if the practice has no assets and no possibility to exist on its own?

Public sector pension funds are investors in Pirate Equity, in case anyone has forgotten, so you could ask them or at the Trump's press conference today, ask him. He would know.

JTMcPhee , April 4, 2020 at 11:00 am

Pensioners don't have much, if any, say in how the people who run the pension funds do what they do. The long look we have had at CalPERS gives some idea of the corruption and malfeasance that's going on, protecting the "fees" and extractions of the "advisers" who in turn get their spiffs from the "market."

Not sure what your point is. The structuring of the "deal" obviously seems to be to maximize all looting possibilities and to shed any possible "legal" avenues of either control or redress by any of the institutions of governance.

Bryan , April 5, 2020 at 9:21 am

Luring the public sector pension funds into private equity was the historical turning point. Private equity has now lashed itself to the ship of state, its main goal.

John , April 4, 2020 at 7:27 am

Private equity is too greedy and rapacious to be permitted to exist.

Tom Doak , April 4, 2020 at 8:26 am

Instead of calling them private equity "firms" and "executives ", we should start consistently labeling them in the same way The New York Times labels the dictators we don't like with unflattering terms.

Since they have a long and questionable history in medicine, I nominate the term "private equity leeches".

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 3:06 pm

Tom, Don't be such a easy going pushover, how about

"Health Criminals"
=
"War Criminals"

They should be identified, shamed and or prosecuted the same way authentic Nazis and Human Rights violators were, and are, in the U.S.

The Historian , April 4, 2020 at 7:32 am

A doctor in Boise was fired for wearing her own M95 mask that she needs because of her own health problems. Listen to the runaround she got! This doctor wasn't afraid to speak out because she works for herself!

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/208/idaho-doctor-says-she-was-fired-after-trying-to-wear-a-mask-at-a-boise-hospital/277-008a2b17-fef4-4fc1-a070-672166c6286e

c_heale , April 4, 2020 at 10:29 am

This is happening in the UK too

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/04/nhs-worker-quit-when-she-was-stopped-from-wearing-face-mask

JBird4049 , April 4, 2020 at 7:56 pm

"The list included: if you wear it, everybody will want to wear PPE and we don't have it,"

In her termination phone call, Buckalew asked to see the policy saying she couldn't wear a mask.

"I need to have it in writing that you are asking me to leave because I want to protect myself," Buckalew said.

Still, she said nobody has been able to show her that policy. She was informed though that she was officially labeled as insubordinate, incompetent, and unethical for her actions.

I wonder how the hospital would handle mass death? Financially of course seeing as ethics don't matter.

Paul Jurczak , April 4, 2020 at 10:00 pm

The most telling sign that we are firmly in the post-truth era is the non-response statement from Encompass Health:
"We are continuing to tap every resource available to provide personal protective equipment that meets the needs of our patients and staff [ bla, bla, bla]".
Corporate PR considers not addressing the issue and spewing some unrelated sugar coated BS a normal operating procedure these days. Before you think that corporations are bad people, think about bad people inside the corporations. There are thousands of middle class employees who are writing these kinds of statements on behalf of their paymasters. Humanity has a lot of rot in it.

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 10:12 pm

Call me "The Listmaster"

Keep every letter, every email, better yet, email them back and ask for clarification about who authorized, authored, directed the policy. If you phone, record the call. Look up the board of directors, save the webpage, their names.
This will be useful in the future for potential prosecutions at the judicial and activist level.

pricklyone , April 5, 2020 at 12:28 am

Sorry Billy, it IS good advice, but others have suggested similar, like "when signing the authorization for treatment, include a statement about in-network only ".
While logical, in every hospital, doctors office, clinic, etc, in my network, you sign all of these authorizations on a "signature pad" attached to a computer. No addendums or changes can be made by the patient, and the staff are not authorized to alter it either.
Anything you want as a hard copy, they tell you you can print from the "patient portal"
on the web THEIR version, of course, perhaps not the same as the one you signed.
In the case of any legal actions, their politically connected 18 lawyer team will select their preferred judge, who will promptly throw out all of your careful documentation
MBAs and automation/IT run amok.

Rod , April 4, 2020 at 8:20 am

With 8b$ in the bank a 'non-profit" Atrium compensates the top well:

Atrium Health 's top 11 executives made a combined $27.6 million in 2019, the Charlotte-based health system said on Friday. That's a nearly 15% jump from a combined $24.05 million in 2018. Atrium CEO Gene Woods was at the top of the list with $7.25 million in compensation in 2019.

Here's what Atrium Health's top executives earned in 2019
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/02/07/heres-what-atrium-healths-top-exe

Rod , April 4, 2020 at 8:40 am

Here's a trick they used to get to that Executive pay which was stopped in 2018–

The Department of Justice announced a settlement with Atrium Health, formerly known as Carolinas HealthCare System, that prohibits Atrium from using "anticompetitive steering restrictions" in contracts between commercial health insurers and its providers in the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area. The settlement, revealed Thursday, also bans Atrium from seeking contract terms or acting in such a way as to prohibit, prevent, or penalize steering by insurers in the future.

KLG , April 4, 2020 at 9:32 am

Working link
https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2020/02/07/heres-what-atrium-healths-top-executives-earned-in.html

jfleni , April 4, 2020 at 8:27 am

SUprise billing is just a pluticrat swindle that will increase by millions when Biden gets in; Bernie was right and every body knows
it. Consider every advanced country has medicare for all BUT not
here in plutocrat heaven; Bernie was totally right!!!

rd , April 4, 2020 at 5:34 pm

Other countries have systems different from Medicare for all, especially some of the European ones. But they are heavily regulated which eliminates all of the efficiencies and improvements you get with a free market .. I assume that is why we have such an inexpensive and effective system compared to the heavily regulated ones.

Noel Nospamington , April 4, 2020 at 10:38 pm

From a Canadian perspective I don't understand why the vast majority of Americans don't support political candidates which promote universal single payer healthcare.

Maybe healthcare isn't something most people think about until they have the misfortune of accidents or illnesses.

If there is one positive outcome from the current pandemic, it might be that many more Americans will be shown how badly broken their health care is, including the per capita death rate compared to other countries.

However right wing parties are masters of deception, and they are likely working on some dog whistle issues to change the focus away from health care after the pandemic settles down.

Jonathan , April 5, 2020 at 11:10 am

Because most have been brainwashed since birth and couldn't imagine better governance exists elsewhere.

From a Singaporean perspective, US is such a crappy place in terms of income versus overall cost of living + public safety + government efficiency + convenience that it makes me LOL whenever I hear Americans dissing us as "an authoritarian nanny state". Well, I say they have the freedom to keep believing whatever that floats their rotten boats.

rob , April 4, 2020 at 8:34 am

What is mind boggling is the dysfunction that can be wrought by lawyers.
It seems to me that the fulcrum under private equity's; arrogance,greed,uninhibited vile existence leading to the takeover of the public medical infrastructure ; rests on peoples ability to "BS" some excuse to a bunch of lawyers . and have it "cleaned" up into some legal footing that can be defended. Not because of the merit of the idea . but because of some standing granted to a "legal framework" of some kind.
The reality completely divorced from the effort to promote the scheme.
On all sides.
Not only the vile, morally repugnant private equity types.
But the people on the other side of the negotiation, who are enticed to make a quick buck ,by selling out the ship the passengers without a lifeboat, are floating on.
And all of this dealing is made "right" ,by lawyers .
Is it because there is some contagion in law school? that divorces people from "right and wrong" Or is it partly, sociopaths finding a setting where they fit right in?
Whether it is the prosecutors all over the country, "legally" screwing nominally guilty people of all kinds of things, making money for their systems by taking it from the general public
Or the ones who fight to allow every scumbag with a dollar to get non disclosure agreements , so they can "pay off" justice and continue to go about damaging society.
Or the ones who allow these medical ownership rule "work-arounds" by saying to private equity," now , we all know that you are looking to plunder a population but hey . we can just say "you're helping them on to their final journey" and "it all meets the requirements" . so sign here how about a round of golf ,down at the club?

Felix_47 , April 4, 2020 at 9:23 am

Great comment. That is the real cancer we are facing in this society. I note Joe Biden is a lawyer, I believe he said he was at the top of his class at Syracuse, and Sanders is not a lawyer. Americans seem to want lawyers as leaders because they know how to make everything look fine and they can keep a straight face saying it.

Schtubb , April 4, 2020 at 12:33 pm

Biden lies about his academic record:

https://apnews.com/cd977f7ff301993f7976974ba07c5495

"WASHINGTON (AP) _ Sen. Joe Biden claimed during a campaign appearance in New Hampshire last spring that he finished in the top half of his law school class, although records indicate he finished near the bottom."

sd , April 4, 2020 at 6:43 pm

Why am I not surprised.

DJ , April 4, 2020 at 10:55 am

Whatever else is going wrong, at the root we are experiencing a crisis of integrity. Such a word, "integrity." It requires that we say it like it is. "The state of being whole and undivided" the dictionary says. It is not, of course, a state that we, being human, can fully achieve. But it is something that we, as humans, must aspire to achieve. Our huckster society places no value on the simple virtue of telling the truth. It is a loser's creed, a false refuge of Pollyannas, we are told by the grizzled veterans of economic warfare. In fact, though, it is the lubricant that ensures the smooth functioning of all of society. We are awash in falsehood, victims of Bill Black's "Gresham's Dynamic." We can get back on course by punishing false representation, starting at the highest levels, where the greatest damage is done by those entrusted with the greatest responsibility, who should be punished accordingly. We should do this not out of a sense of retribution against the bad guys (a class which, in fairness, may include many of us), but as a necessary means of survival.

David in Santa Cruz , April 4, 2020 at 3:06 pm

Former SIGTARP Neil Barofsky was interviewed by Bill Moyers earlier this week. Barofsky expressed his concern that we have developed a culture of casual lying at every level of our society:

It is different. They lied then. They lied now. That hasn't changed. But the way those lies are perceived, and how people have their alternate realities, I think that's very different, and very scary as we go into this next crisis.

https://billmoyers.com/story/here-we-go-again/

The human race is entering its extinction event, and there is no longer any such thing as long-term thinking. Personal honor was the first casualty. Many people suddenly feel entitled to "get theirs" at the expense of everyone else.

I see this sort of casual lying every day now.

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 10:17 pm

That is a symptom of civic decay, not a cause. Once moral relativism is acceptable in "choices", then it becomes so in civics, then contracts then the entire society. You reap what others have sowed and you casually accepted.

eg , April 4, 2020 at 1:44 pm

Yup.

Read all about the history of this in Katharina Pistor's "The Code of Capital"

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2019/09/26/book-review-the-code-of-capital-how-the-law-creates-wealth-and-inequality-by-katharina-pistor/

pebird , April 4, 2020 at 8:57 am

Universal service
High quality
Profit

Pick 2 of 3

periol , April 4, 2020 at 2:53 pm

I'll take Universal Service and High Quality for $400, Alex

Answer: Daily Double

I'll risk everything.

Answer: How do we MAGA?

Jesper , April 4, 2020 at 9:17 am

Private equity might be leading the decline, however, the decline happens everywhere. In the public sector it might be seen less but it happens due to New Public Management (NPM): https://www.managementstudyguide.com/new-public-management.htm

As far as I can tell the story is:
Once an organisation gets large enough (private or public) then it starts to attract management accountants (often MBA degree holders). The management accountant believe they can improve efficiency using the tools that (often) worked in improving efficiency in manufacturing. Process flow-charts and statistical analysis leading to the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Sadly the management accountants are often lacking in knowledge and they are often insecure so they don't dare to ask questions. Their understanding of statistics is either bad or they simply decide to torture data to get their preferred (or indeed any as they need an) answer.
The end result is often KPIs which are seldom Key and often not even Indicators of Performance.
(Their own KPI is billable hours which can and often does affect the quality/usefulness of their work)

In medicine then it might result in something like providing a doctor with a KPI of number of patients seen during a day. Seems reasonable, right?
The problem with that KPI is that the patients differ, some visits are short and some take longer. That might lead to a doctor deciding to call in patients who might as easily have been helped over the phone. The doctor needs the quick and easy visits to meet the KPI, the patient might end up with a two hour trip for something that might have been resolved over the phone but the doctor might have no choice but doing this to meet the KPI.
Or alternatively, if the KPI is about resolving queries over the phone then patients who needs to come to the office are instead refused to come in and instead treated/diagnosed (or as it happens, not) over the phone.

The drive for efficiency can lead to more waste and worse outcomes, when it comes to management accountants then my opinion is: A little knowledge (and that is all they have, a little) can be a dangerous thing. Their lack of knowledge has caused and is continuing to cause a lot of waste and a lot of problems for many people.

Oregoncharles , April 4, 2020 at 3:38 pm

What struck me about the story is that the hospital(s) are every bit as guilty as the PE's. Why would they sign these contracts? There must be some sort of kickbacks for them. Ultimately, it's nothing but a way to squeeze more blood out of the turnips – and that seems to be exactly the way they think of patients.

Technical question: are hospitals legally responsible for the quality of care and honesty of billing in their own emergency rooms? Seems to me that question should be settled by a big, expensive lawsuit by cheated patients.

Jesper , April 4, 2020 at 7:08 pm

My guess is that the hospital first tried outsourcing the canteen and the outsourcing of the canteen might have worked well so they then decided to outsource something else. Why the ER was chosen for the outsourcing might be related to wanting to be able to blame the outsourcer for things that might cause bad publicity. Surprise-billing in the ER might cause bad publicity. By outsourcing the ER the hospital might get more money from the ER and deflect blame for the surprise-billing to the outsourcer.
And I would not be surprised if another reason for signing those deals might have generated some personal benefits for the people who signed the agreement on behalf of the hospital. Probably not a common occurrence but there is a risk that it could happen.

jrkrideau , April 4, 2020 at 9:39 pm

I have worked for an industrial catering firm and properly managed by the contracting organization contracting out a peripheral function such as as food services can work well. Contracting out your key business is madness.

Billy , April 4, 2020 at 10:23 pm

Sodexo-Marriot has replaced many fine in house hospital cafeterias.

From "just OK, to excellent food" has become corporate, tasteless, expensive, profit wringing slop.

Boycott any place that tries to foist that off on you in a captive audience situation.

pricklyone , April 4, 2020 at 11:43 pm

I have been operating under the hypothesis that the escape from legal liability was key to these subcontracting deals.
I am not an insider and have not direct knowledge of such a mechanism, but JTMcPhee may have some insight, if he thinks about it for a few

JTMcPhee , April 5, 2020 at 10:45 am

There's probably no way a hospital, as a business entity, can avoid being sued In a malpractice situation. The law on this is murky and fact-driven. Plaintiffs' attorneys sue all deep pockets where there is a "colorable claim" and assets and insurance behind the defendant. The hospital corps have deep pockets that fund the best lawyers and expert opinion providers that money can buy. They can drown many victims in paper and procedure. So your lawyer can sue the hospital, but will have an uphill battle piercing through to the imposition of liability on the hospital.

Here's an article discussing the issue of entity liability in malpractice:

https://www.plaintiffmagazine.com/recent-issues/item/when-is-a-hospital-liable-for-a-physician-s-malpractice

Often a case against the hospital turns on whether "vicarious liability" can be established. As you note, the structure discussed is an effort to maximize the distance between the hospital entity and the physician. And of course the PE real-party-in-interest owners of the profitable part of the business are even further removed.

I've got to say, firing Dr. Lin was maybe unwise since it establishes a much closer link between the PE entity as controlling the physician's practice and thus makes it easier to establish agency, direct employee and vicarious liability by the PE entity. Though of course those snakes are very careful to revise their own trench-warfare defenses against personal liability in constructing their shells and disconnects.

Jeff , April 4, 2020 at 9:19 am

Yves, I don't get it. Why would a hospital not hire these docs in the ER and give up that revenue stream to a private company? If it's so profitable, why would a hospital just give that money away? I can see why a small rural hospital or single site facility might not have the consistent ER volume to justify multiple ER docs, but larger hospital groups can move er docs around in a geography to cover greater needs.

Felix_47 , April 4, 2020 at 9:55 am

As a doc the answer is management and cost control. If they have a lot of doctors they get a hefty discount on malpractice premiums which can be in the hundreds of thousands or they self insure with umbrella coverage. ER billing is a huge issue. It requires full time people and a lot of phone calls and follow up and tons of paperwork. Don't forget the insurance carriers see their job as looking for loopholes to not pay and the doctor groups see their job as bypassing those loopholes. If it is a large group and someone goes on vacation or is sick or can't make a shift coverage has to be maintained. A large pool of doctors makes that possible. A lot of ER doctors chose the specialty because they did not want to be tied down to an office and a business. They want to do the job and then have time off. For that they are willing to take a substantial cut in pay. Overhead costs could easily be over 50%. Pay for doctors has really not kept up with inflation over the last 30 years .unless they cheat .and the more the payers cut them the more that happens. And consider the risk of seeing children with fevers brought in to ERs by non English speaking people often without insurance at 3 in the morning. One case of meningitis, and a certain small percentage will have it, and you could be wiped out. The lawyers are all over it. Think about the two febrile kids who died with ICE a few months ago as they were brought over the border by the parents. Combining these sorts of high risk cases with our legal system is more than a single doc or small group can handle. For example, I alway saw the problem with the asylum wave to be more the legal risk of holding these folks than anything else. I think there were hefty settlements in those cases and I am sure the doctors did not do much wrong .just bad luck .but their careers might well have been significantly impacted. The only answer is a national health system with significant tort reform in medicine. Doctors should be on government salary just like firemen. There is no reason the payment structure should change between the most important moments of care like 911 and the next part after you go through the swinging doors of the ER. If health care is a government guaranteed right then it should be free of profiteering and should be provided by the government and that goes for the pharma and hospital industry as well. The recent primary suggests that Americans like the health care they have and the way it is done. It is no accident the health insurance stocks bumped up to 30% the day after Super Tuesday.

Rod , April 4, 2020 at 10:47 am

thanks for this insight overall.
You state the bottom line:

The only answer is a national health system with significant tort reform in medicine.

rd , April 4, 2020 at 12:21 pm

Canada

UK-NHS is similar but way underfunded compared to Canada.

Societal Illusions , April 4, 2020 at 10:11 pm

I'm not convinced the "only" answer is the one you provide – national healthcare with significant tort reform.

that said, it certainly is one answer. i wonder if most any answer could be worse than what we have currently.

wonder how the super tuesday voting would have changed if done over now?

lyman alpha blob , April 4, 2020 at 10:23 am

I had no idea that hospitals did this. Just when you think you can't get any more cynical

cripes , April 4, 2020 at 10:08 pm

lyman alpha blob:

I commend your healthy lifestyle choices that have kept you from an ER visit over the past 10 years or so and from the out-of-network double billing that is now endemic. Everywhere.

vegeholic , April 4, 2020 at 10:24 am

People have developed an exquisitely tuned sensitivity to some swindles, such as when the oil companies collude to increase gasoline prices, with or without justification. They even invented a phrase to describe the practice called "price gouging", and demand action from their elected representatives. Everyone becomes a raging, full-throated socialist when being squeezed by this particular variety of market leverage. Yet when faced by other, even more egregious looting, such as described in this post, they fall in line like compliant sheep being led to the slaughter. I don't get it. Maybe someone can explain this.

a different chris , April 4, 2020 at 11:25 am

I am not going to claim to be able to explain it, but:

I *think* it's the horrible cross-pollination of the complexity issue vs the dire outcome of the wrong choice.

You can, although most won't, find a way to save gas. It's pretty understandable, your vehicle gets X MPG and you drive so many miles. You can adjust the second usually, and also occasionally adjust the first. You have a chance (even if your in negative territory you can buffer that period with a credit card) to somehow buy time while you make the adjustments.

How the heck do you figure out if you really need to be cut open (your GP choice), who to actually cut you open (references?) and where to have him/her do it (if the surgeon works across hospitals).

And if the GP is right, the clock is ticking .

Oregoncharles , April 4, 2020 at 3:44 pm

Medicine is a massive example of market failure, for the reasons your example outlines. So all that stuff about "choice" and "markets" is just self-serving BS.

K teh , April 4, 2020 at 10:27 am

The University Hospital Complex system is the most corrupt part of the economy, and as we now see it is the weapon being employed. The curtain comes down.

Government essentially guarantees private corporate revenue, so those corporations can focus on minimizing costs, which are labor. The non-profits sow up the trap with legal exemptions, generating profit that is not taxed. The three-headed hydra is the least common denominator of herd behavior, distilling labor.

That money supply chart is essentially an implosion ripe for explosion. You want to harness that and direct parts of that energy toward some useful function.

K teh , April 4, 2020 at 10:31 am

If you gotta go, talk to the overnight secretary and get the best nurse and PA to keep an eye on you.

The doctors signed their life away when their education began.

Dean , April 4, 2020 at 10:46 am

Is there a place on the web where these relationships and transactions are published / researched? State boards of medicine? State Attorney's General? Or is this another opaque backwater where the details don't see the light of day?

jef , April 4, 2020 at 11:08 am

Private equity is like someone standing between you and the milk at the grocery store where you say "excuse me I need to get a gallon of milk" and he says "Ok, that will be six dollars" and you say "but it says four dollars right there" he says "well I say six dollars is the new price take it or leave it".

It's about time we told these a$$hole$ to get the hell out of the way.

JTMcPhee , April 4, 2020 at 11:31 am

A little anecdote from my Army basic training experience that might be a potential scenario as all this goes "healthSouth:"

Troop barracks used to be these two-story buildings with "Open plan" layout -- ten double bunks down each side, a latrine (bathroom facilities with a row of unenclosed toilets and sinks and gang showers.) If you have seen "Full Metal Jacket," you remember the drill. In any event, forty males on each floor sharing everything including microbes.

My experience was at Ft. Leonard Wood ("Fort Lost-In-The-Woods, in the state of Misery",) in the fall and early winter of 1966. Meningitis started in the troop population, so the Commanding General mandated that all the windows were alternately to be kept open 9 inches, top and bottom, to air the place out. This with outside air temps being in the 20s.

So despite the window-open attempts to limit the spread of this infectious disease in a pretty bad kind of social propinquity situation, one of the guys in in my barracks, a draftee farm kid from Iowa, started having really bad headaches and a stiff neck. He was finally allowed to go to "sick call" at the dispensary, the equivalent of the Emergency Room. He went, they gave him Tylenol, and sent him back to duty. This was repeated for three days.

On the morning of the fourth day, his squad members found him in convulsions with a raging fever and he was carted off by a GI ambulance. He died that night in the base hospital, from meningitis. We troops were then made to remove his gear and bedding which was burned, and also to "GI" ("deep clean") the whole barracks with some nasty disinfectant from a 55-gallon drum in GI green.

A week or so later, the guy's father showed up with a shotgun. He'd collected his son's body Earlier, but someone had told him about his son's failed efforts to get treatment. He wanted to find the NCOs, officers and the sick bay doctor and staff that were responsible. The MPs showed up in force and hauled him off to the stockade (jail).

I wonder if there have been episodes like this happening in our current looting-based system? For sure, they are not likely to be reported very widely.

And the corporate scum have done a pretty good job of insulating themselves from visibility, let alone responsibility and liability. Kind of unfair to shoot the ER doctor or the mope in the billing department that was "just following orders."

flora , April 4, 2020 at 11:59 am

Thanks. Yep, and the higher ups who allowed that probably got promoted. Whereas commanders (and now doctors and nurses) who do the right thing to save lives get fired.

Capt. Crozier.

https://twitter.com/mccaffreyr3/status/1246146257480908801

The heros are the one's doing the right thing in the face of threats and retaliation. Crozier is a hero. So are the ER docs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/opinion/coronavirus-crozier-roosevelt.html

rd , April 4, 2020 at 12:25 pm

Expect COVID-19 case numbers to spike upwards soon along with deaths attributed to it. Trump rejected re-opening Obamacare and therefore hospitals will rely on Federal CARES dollars for reimbursement of Covid testing and care. So they will have every incentive to test everything but a dog or cat that walks through their door to ensure they will get paid because they will only be assured of being paid by the Feds if it is Covid.

ambrit , April 4, 2020 at 1:35 pm

They can also test cats and dogs, since, supposedly, they can catch it from humans, and bill it to the Agriculture Department.

Knot Galt , April 4, 2020 at 3:12 pm

PPE, NOT PE.

antidlc , April 4, 2020 at 3:35 pm

About a third of hospital emergency rooms are staffed by doctors on the payrolls of two physician staffing companies -- TeamHealth and Envision Health -- owned by Wall Street investment firms. Envision Healthcare employs 69,000 healthcare workers nationwide while TeamHealth employs 20,000. Private equity firm Blackstone Group owns TeamHealth, Kravis Kohlberg Roberts (KKR) owns Envision .

Anybody know if these guys have anything to do with Envisionrx?
https://envisionrx.com/

mtnwoman , April 4, 2020 at 3:51 pm

This got a hearty Amen! from me:

Stop Silencing Doctors: A Clinical Manifesto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvlqh0JN55M&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

antidlc , April 4, 2020 at 5:40 pm

About a third of hospital emergency rooms are staffed by doctors on the payrolls of two physician staffing companies -- TeamHealth and Envision Health -- owned by Wall Street investment firms. Envision Healthcare employs 69,000 healthcare workers nationwide while TeamHealth employs 20,000. Private equity firm Blackstone Group owns TeamHealth, Kravis Kohlberg Roberts (KKR) owns Envision .

Same Envision as envisionrx -- or is envisionrx owned by something else?
https://envisionrx.com/

Carla , April 4, 2020 at 6:13 pm

The whole story here is that for-profit medicine won't work. And in the U.S. of A., ALL medicine is for-profit, including our beloved (which has always required supplemental insurance, and now with "Advantage" plans is increasingly crapified) Medicare system.

Capitalism and Caring Cannot Co-Exist.

Give it up!

CanCyn , April 4, 2020 at 6:17 pm

As a Canadian, I had to stop reading this article when I got to the paragraph about Dr. Ming Lin working for a staffing company. I. Can't. Even.
The entire US healthcare system is complete and utter insanity! I don't know how anyone can even try to have a rational discussion about it.
Privatization and for profit craziness is creeping around the edges of Canada's system and has f'd up our long term care system (certainly in Ontario where I live). It scares the bejeezus out of me to think that anyone in Canada would want to go down the US road and I hope I never live to see the day.
The head or our provincial, Conservative, gov is quite to the right (fun fact : he is the brother of the crazy Toronto drug using mayor, Rob Ford, whose notoriety some of you may remember from a few years back) his mother-in-law is apparently in long term care, where Covid is hitting hard here in Canada and Ontario. I am hoping (faint though the hope might be) that this personal experience wakes him up to the complete and utter wrong that is profit in healthcare.

jrkrideau , April 4, 2020 at 9:51 pm

It's hard to tell but I almost get the feeling Doug is growing up. I think the Covid-19 pandemic was a real awake call for him.

Once we are out of the worst of it he probably go back to being an ***hole but I hope a better one.

BTW, we should be able to get Dr. Ming Lin an expedited visa and provisional licensing in no time.

Tom Stone , April 4, 2020 at 10:00 pm

I have long been aware that the only way the American Healthcare system could be reformed was if it totally collapsed, which is happening now.
Lots of unnecessary pain and death.

As many of you know I have in excess of $300K in medical debt accrued in roughly 18 months, the last trip to the Hospital ran $88K and change for a 32 hour stay.

If I had any easily ascertainable assets I'd have been sued multiple times already.
Fortunately every spare penny for the last 5 years has gone to my Daughter Rosetta's 529 plan, between that and a very nice scholarship she will graduate debt free.
And yes, that really is her name.
She's cool with it and we're planning to get matching Mohawks when I'm done with Chemo, I'll likely go with the same cobalt blue I did when I knew Chemo was on the way.
A man's gotta do

Jonathan , April 5, 2020 at 1:16 pm

All of that medical debt would be $0 if you lived in Singapore and opted in to pay ~USD300 per year in cash premiums for upgraded govt insurance, assuming you are in the 30-40 age bracket Even if you didn't opted in and without employer insurance, you most likely won't fork out more than USD 20K cash copay cash after all is said and done.

Also, you would probably pay only <1% of your total yearly income in income taxes and not be blowing some USD 2-3K in rent every month.

So frankly I have NO idea how you Americans can tolerate living in that "exceptional" sh!thole called the US.

mrtmbrnmn , April 5, 2020 at 12:53 am

In Pagan days human sacrifices were thrown into the fiery pits to appease the Mad Gods & Big Nature. We may want to revisit that in the present terrible circumstances. High on the list of nominees would be the Werewolves of Wall Street & all those Hedge Fund Hooligans.

Sound of the Suburbs , April 5, 2020 at 4:47 am

In Europe, doctors are facing difficult life and death decisions they are not prepared for.
US doctors are fully prepared to make difficult decisions.
Do you have health insurance?
If not, get lost.

That's what I like to see.
Markets forces at work.
If you can't afford it, you get nothing.

[Apr 05, 2020] Drug Wars How Big Pharma Raises Prices and Keeps Generics off the Market - Kindle edition by Feldman, Robin, Frondorf, Evan. P

Apr 05, 2020 | www.amazon.com

While the shockingly high prices of prescription drugs continue to dominate the news, the strategies used by pharmaceutical companies to prevent generic competition are poorly understood, even by the lawmakers responsible for regulating them. In this groundbreaking work, Robin Feldman and Evan Frondorf illuminate the inner workings of the pharmaceutical market and show how drug companies twist health policy to achieve goals contrary to the public interest. In highly engaging prose, they offer specific examples of how generic competition has been stifled for years, with costs climbing into the billions and everyday consumers paying the price. Drug Wars is a

... ... ...

Price increases had occurred across the board, on everything from gallstone treatments to, A shocking Wall Street Journal piece revealed that between 2010 and 2014, U.S. prices for the thirty best- selling drugs rose four times faster than prescription volume, and eight times faster than inflation. 24 Put another way, 80 percent of the growth in profits of the twenty largest drug companies in 2015 resulted from price increases. 25 Put still another way, customers of CVS Health spent 12.7 percent more on drugs in 2015 than in the previous year, and more than 80 percent of that additional spending was the result of price increases. -- U.S. President Barack Obama even got into the academic mix, publishing a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association that, in part, called attention to rising spending on prescription medication. 22 And in the days before his 2017 inauguration, the next U.S. president, Donald Trump, sharply criticized the pharmaceutical industry. "We have to . . . create new bidding procedures for the drug industry because they're getting away with murder. . . . Pharma, pharma has a lot of lobbies and a lot of lobbyists and a lot of power." --

The brunt of the pain is felt by U.S. citizens - one drug that costs less than $400 a year in some countries has a list price around $300,000 in the United States. 24 The rest of the world, however, has not been immune to the plague of skyrocketing prices...

[Mar 29, 2020] Medical Expert Who Corrects Trump Is Now a Target of the Far Right

Money quote " There is this sense that experts are untrustworthy, and have agendas that aren't aligned with the people"
That was always true about neoliberal economists. So it might well be true about mecuacl bureaucrats like Fauci. Did he disclose his stock holdingd and financial interests? Is he a part of neoliberal "medical-industrial complex" which wants to rake profits at the expense of people health?
His email to Hillary suggest that he is medical professional but a politician.
Actually any top medical honcho in Washing is compromised as they did nothing to stop "balance billing" fraud and too over of ambulance business by private equity sharks.
Notable quotes:
"... There is this sense that experts are untrustworthy, and have agendas that aren't aligned with the people ..."
"... In the email, Dr. Fauci praised Mrs. Clinton for her stamina during the 2013 Benghazi hearings. The American Thinker falsely claimed that the email was evidence that he was part of a secret group who opposed Mr. Trump. ..."
Mar 29, 2020 | www.nytimes.com

Adding that Dr. Fauci is bearing the brunt of the attacks, Mr. Bergstrom said: " There is this sense that experts are untrustworthy, and have agendas that aren't aligned with the people . It's very concerning because the experts in this are being discounted out of hand."

... ... ...

Anti-Fauci posts spiked, according to Zignal Labs. Much of the increase was prompted by a March 21 article in The American Thinker, a conservative blog, which published the seven-year-old email that Dr. Fauci had written to an aide of Mrs. Clinton.

In the email, Dr. Fauci praised Mrs. Clinton for her stamina during the 2013 Benghazi hearings. The American Thinker falsely claimed that the email was evidence that he was part of a secret group who opposed Mr. Trump.

... ... ...

In an interview, Mr. Fitton said, "Dr. Fauci is doing a great job." He added that Dr. Fauci "wrote very political statements to Hillary Clinton that were odd for an appointee of his nature to send."

...One anti-Fauci tweet last Sunday read: "Dr. Fauci is in love w/ crooked @HillaryClinton. More reasons not to trust him."

[Mar 28, 2020] The best book on big pharma criminality

Mar 28, 2020 | www.unz.com

tomo , says: Show Comment March 27, 2020 at 12:44 pm GMT

@Mustapha Mond this is the best book on big pharma criminality I have ever seen (written by an English doctor who writes for the Guardian )
You will not believe what's 'legal' for them to do in their 'research'
It's beyond criminal – but they obviously got their politicians/friends to change laws to allow what they are doing to proceed – it's really almost unbelievable
and it seems to be even worse in Europe than in the US (another thing I initially found hard to believe)

https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_h8hKOfsbUkiUQn&asin=B008RLTUUA&tag=kpembed-20

[Mar 28, 2020] Neoliberalism and medicine

Mar 28, 2020 | www.unz.com

JackOH , says: Show Comment March 27, 2020 at 12:06 pm GMT

Pepe, thanks.

As I've seen it, America's medical establishment enjoys extraordinary powers of initiative and veto in its engagement with the public, and much of that originates in the asymmetric doctor-patient relationship, the bad consequences of which were noticed by Hippocrates 2500 years ago when he tried calling physicians to their better instincts with his oath.

Good health is indeed a very important factor in Big Medicine's public engagement. So, too, revenues and profits, autonomy of practice, fee for service, overwhelming influence and downright control of the distribution of medicine for its own purposes, etc. Will elements of Big Medicine sacrifice good health for those other factors?

Yes. But you have to look at discrete instances to see how Big Medicine's players are tempted to go outright criminal. See, for example, the oxycodone killings.

I can't speak to the specifics of your article, Pepe, but it sure as hell meets some minimum threshold of plausibility to warrant further investigation in my opinion. Thanks again.

[Mar 04, 2020] Why Are We Being Charged? Surprise Bills From Coronavirus Testing Spark Calls for Government to Cover All Costs by Jake Johnson

Highly recommended!
Notes of disaster capitalism in action...
Notable quotes:
"... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not billing patients for coronavirus testing, according to Business Insider . "But there are other charges you might have to pay, depending on your insurance plan, or lack thereof," Business Insider noted. "A hospital stay in itself could be costly and you would likely have to pay for tests for other viruses or conditions." ..."
"... Congress needs to immediately pass a bill appropriating funding to cover 100% of the cost of all coronavirus testing & care within the United States. We will not have a chance at containing it otherwise. @tedlieu - as my rep, can you please ensure this is brought up? ..."
"... In the case of the Wucinskis, Kliff reported that "the ambulance company that transported [them] charged the family $2,598 for taking them to the hospital." ..."
"... Last week, the Miami Herald reported that Osmel Martinez Azcue "received a notice from his insurance company about a claim for $3,270" after he visited a local hospital fearing that he contracted coronavirus during a work trip to China. ..."
"... Did anyone expect the unconscionable greed of capitalism to cease when a public health crisis emerges? This is just testing for the virus, wait until a vaccine has been developed so expensive that the majority of the US populace can not afford it at all and people are dropping like flies. Wall Street, never-the-less, will continue to have its heydays ..."
"... The very idea that the defense and "Homeland" security budgets are bloated and additional funding approved year after year but the citizens of this country are not afforded 100% health coverage In a time of global health crisis that could become a pandemic. ..."
Mar 03, 2020 | www.commondreams.org

"Huge surprise medical bills [are] going to make sure people with symptoms don't get tested. That is bad for everyone." by Jake Johnson, staff writer Public health advocates, experts, and others are demanding that the federal government cover coronavirus testing and all related costs after several reports detailed how Americans in recent weeks have been saddled with exorbitant bills following medical evaluations.

Sarah Kliff of the New York Times reported Saturday that Pennsylvania native Frank Wucinski "found a pile of medical bills" totaling $3,918 waiting for him and his three-year-old daughter after they were released from government-mandated quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California.

"My question is why are we being charged for these stays, if they were mandatory and we had no choice in the matter?" asked Wucinski, who was evacuated by the U.S. government last month from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

"I assumed it was all being paid for," Wucinski told the Times . "We didn't have a choice. When the bills showed up, it was just a pit in my stomach, like, 'How do I pay for this?'"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not billing patients for coronavirus testing, according to Business Insider . "But there are other charges you might have to pay, depending on your insurance plan, or lack thereof," Business Insider noted. "A hospital stay in itself could be costly and you would likely have to pay for tests for other viruses or conditions."

Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, told the Times that

"the most important rule of public health is to gain the cooperation of the population."

"There are legal, moral, and public health reasons not to charge the patients,"

Gostin said.

Congress needs to immediately pass a bill appropriating funding to cover 100% of the cost of all coronavirus testing & care within the United States. We will not have a chance at containing it otherwise. @tedlieu - as my rep, can you please ensure this is brought up?

-- William LeGate (@williamlegate) March 2, 2020

In the case of the Wucinskis, Kliff reported that "the ambulance company that transported [them] charged the family $2,598 for taking them to the hospital."

"An additional $90 in charges came from radiologists who read the patients' X-ray scans and do not work for the hospital," Kliff noted.

The CDC declined to respond when Kliff asked whether the federal government would cover the costs for patients like the Wucinskis.

The Intercept 's Robert Mackey wrote last Friday that the Wucinskis' situation spotlights "how the American government's response to a public health emergency, like trying to contain a potential coronavirus epidemic, could be handicapped by relying on a system built around private hospitals and for-profit health insurance providers."

We should be doing everything we can to encourage people with #COVIDー19 symptoms to come forward. Huge surprise medical bills is going to make sure people with symptoms don't get tested. That is bad for everyone, regardless of if you are insured. https://t.co/KOUKTSFVzD

-- Saikat Chakrabarti (@saikatc) March 1, 2020

Play this tape to the end and you find people not going to the hospital even if they're really sick. The federal government needs to announce that they'll pay for all of these bills https://t.co/HfyBFBXhja

Last week, the Miami Herald reported that Osmel Martinez Azcue "received a notice from his insurance company about a claim for $3,270" after he visited a local hospital fearing that he contracted coronavirus during a work trip to China.

"He went to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he said he was placed in a closed-off room," according to the Herald . "Nurses in protective white suits sprayed some kind of disinfectant smoke under the door before entering, Azcue said. Then hospital staff members told him he'd need a CT scan to screen for coronavirus, but Azcue said he asked for a flu test first."

Azcue tested positive for the flu and was discharged. "Azcue's experience shows the potential cost of testing for a disease that epidemiologists fear may develop into a public health crisis in the U.S.," the Herald noted.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, highlighted Azcue's case in a tweet last Friday.

"The coronavirus reminds us that we are all in this together," Sanders wrote. "We cannot allow Americans to skip doctor's visits over outrageous bills. Everyone should get the medical care they need without opening their wallet -- as a matter of justice and public health."

Last week, as Common Dreams reported , Sanders argued that the coronavirus outbreak demonstrates the urgent need for Medicare for All.

The coronavirus reminds us that we are all in this together. We cannot allow Americans to skip doctor's visits over outrageous bills.

Everyone should get the medical care they need without opening their wallet -- as a matter of justice and public health. https://t.co/c4WQMDESHU

-- Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 28, 2020

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged by more than two dozen over the weekend, bringing the total to 89 as the Trump administration continues to publicly downplay the severity of the outbreak.

Dr. Matt McCarthy, a staff physician at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, said in an appearance on CNBC 's "Squawk Box" Monday morning that testing for the coronavirus is still not widely available.

"Before I came here this morning, I was in the emergency room seeing patients," McCarthy said. "I still do not have a rapid diagnostic test available to me."

"I'm here to tell you, right now, at one of the busiest hospitals in the country, I don't have it at my finger tips," added McCarthy. "I still have to make my case, plead to test people. This is not good. We know that there are 88 cases in the United States. There are going to be hundreds by middle of week. There's going to be thousands by next week. And this is a testing issue."

Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.


Harry_Pjotr 13h

Did anyone expect the unconscionable greed of capitalism to cease when a public health crisis emerges? This is just testing for the virus, wait until a vaccine has been developed so expensive that the majority of the US populace can not afford it at all and people are dropping like flies. Wall Street, never-the-less, will continue to have its heydays

Smerl fern 12h

A wall street bank or private predator may own your emergency room. A surprise bill may await your emergency treatment above insurance payments or in some instances all of the bill.

An effort was made recently in congress to stop surprise billings but enough dems joined repubs to kill it. More important to keep campaign dollars flowing than keep people alive. fern Smerl 12h I know emergency rooms are being purchased by organizations like Tenet (because they are some of the most expensive levels of care) and M.D.s provided by large agencies. I'm not as up on this as I should be but a friend of mine tells me that some of this is illegal. I have received bills that were later discharged by challenge. This is worth investigating further. Atlas oldie 11h Hmmmm A virus that overwhelmingly kills the elderly and/or those with pre-exisitng conditions.

Sounds like a medical insurance companies wet dream. As well as .gov social security/medicare wet dream.

Just sayin'

Ticki 11h

The very idea that the defense and "Homeland" security budgets are bloated and additional funding approved year after year but the citizens of this country are not afforded 100% health coverage In a time of global health crisis that could become a pandemic. And as has been stated, the unconscionable idea suggested that a possible vaccine (a long way away or perhaps not developed at all) might not be affordable to the workers who pay the taxes that fund the government? That's insane.

leftonadoorstep 11h

Another example of "American Exceptionalism." China doesn't charge its coronavirus patients, neither does South Korea. I guess they are simply backward countries.

Barton 11h

I own my own home after years of hard work paying it off. It's the only thing of value, besides my old truck, that I have. If I get the virus, I will stay home and try to treat it the best I can. I can't afford to go to the hospital and pay thousands in medical bills, with the chance that they'll come after my possessions. America, the land of the _______. Fill in the blank. (Hint: it's no longer free).

fern 1 Barton 11h

There are other ways to protect your home. Homesteading or living trust. I'm not good at this but I know there are ways to do it. Hopefully, it would never come to that but outcomes are not certain even with treatment in this case.

Giovanna-Lepore oldie 11h

As someone who lost a mother at 5 years old I can sympathize with your grief in losing a daughter-in-law and especially seeing her four children orphaned. However, I think you miss the point here: This is about we becoming a society invested in each others welfare and not a company town that commodifies everything including the health and well being of us all.

fern 1 Giovanna-Lepore 11h

I'm going by: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1129/text

As a revision it is better but flawed. It is a cost containment bill based on the same research as the republican plan with global budgets and block grants.

Edited: I encourage you to read this:
-ttps://www.rand.org/blog/2018/10/misconceptions-about-medicare-for-all.html Giovanna-Lepore 10h oldie:

Part D

Higher education is not free but they do need to become free for the students and payed by us as a society.

Part D is a scam, a Republican scam also supported by corporate democrats because of its profit motive and its privatization

Medicare only covers 80% and does not cover eye and dental care and older folks especially need these services. Medicaid helps but there are limits and one cannot necessarily use it where one needs to go. Expanded, Improved Medicare For All is a vast improvement. because it covers everyone in one big pool and, therefore, much more dignified than the rob Paul to pay peter system we have.

Social Security too can be improved. Why should it simply be based on the income of the person which means that a person working in a low paying job in a capitalist system gone wild with greed will often work until they die.

Pell grants can be eliminated when we have what the French have: publicly supported education for everyone.

The demise of unions certainly did not help but it was part of the long strategy of the Right to privatize everything to the enrichment of the few.

Yunzer SuspiraDeProfundis 10h

Thank goodness for the "/s". Poe's Law you know

The overall competence that Canada is handling this outbreak, compared to the USA, is stark. First world (Canada) versus third-world (USA). Testing is practically available for free, to any suspect person, sick or not, as Toronto alone can run 1000 tests a day and have results in 4 hours. That is far more than all the US's capacity for 330 million people.

I wonder how long before Canada closes its borders to USAns? Me and my wife (both in a vulnerable age/medical group) should seriously consider fleeing to my brother's place in Toronto as the first announced cases in Pittsburgh are probably only days away. What about our poor cat though? We could try to smuggle her across the border, but she is a loud and talkative kitty

Greenwich 10h

Don't want to discourage anyone from any protective measures – but the "low down" from my veggie store today was that a lot of health professionals shop there and they think it's being hyped by media. Did get this from my NJ Sen. Menendez –

Center for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC)

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, everyday preventive actions can help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases:

  • Wash your hands often
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • For more information : htps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
  • How it spreads : The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. [Read more.]
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html )
  • Symptoms : For confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death. Symptoms can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Seeker 9h Greenwich:

Don't want to discourage anyone from any protective measures – but the "low down" from my veggie store today was that a lot of health professionals shop there and they think it's being hyped by media.

I agree it is being hyped by the media to the point of being fear mongering. At the same time it is being ignored by the administration to such an extent that really little almost nothing is being done. At some point the two together will create an even bigger problem.

It is like the old adage: "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Each over/under reach in considering the reality of the situation has its own problem, which multiply when combined. Every morning when I wake up I say a little atheistic prayer to myself before I get out of bed: "Another day and for better or worse...".

Seeker 8h

Well, two reported here in Florida tonight. One in my county, one in the county next door. And more of the "we already knew, but told you late". One person checked into the hospital on Wednesday. We hear it Monday night. Both were ignored far a long time it seems, and 84 in particular are being watched (roommates, friends, hospital workers not alerted for several days, the usual). But no one knows every place they had been since becoming infected.

Oh, and they have tested a handful of people. No worry?

I can't see anyway that this level of incompetency is an accident. Spring break is just starting usually a 100's of thousand tourist bonanza.

So the question is do they want to kill us, or just keep us in fear?

I think the later. But the end result is a crap shoot. So once again, it is a gamble with our lives.

Archie1954 7h

The business of America is business. Sometimes that can go too far and this is one of those times. Making money from the loss, distress, harm and suffering of others is perverse beyond belief.

[Feb 21, 2020] Private Equity's War to Preserve Surprise Billing

Notable quotes:
"... If you want proof that private equity is predatory, you need go not further than its concerted efforts to extend and intensify the devastating practice of surprise billing. ..."
"... Physicians' groups, it turns out, can opt out of a contract with insurers even if the hospital has such a contract. The doctors are then free to charge patients, who desperately need care, however much they want. ..."
"... This has made physicians' practices in specialties such as emergency care, neonatal intensive care and anesthesiology attractive takeover targets for private equity firms . ..."
"... Emergency rooms, neonatal intensive care units and anesthesiologists' practices do not operate like an ordinary marketplace. Physicians' practices in these specialties do not need to worry that they will lose patients because their prices are too high. ..."
"... It's not only patients that are victimized by unscrupulous physicians' groups. These doctors' groups are able to coerce health insurance companies into agreeing to pay them very high fees in order to have them in their networks. ..."
"... and it needs to be annual ..."
Feb 21, 2020 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

If you want proof that private equity is predatory, you need go not further than its concerted efforts to extend and intensify the devastating practice of surprise billing.

Bad enough that patients develop afflictions or have accidents that land them in the hospital. Recovering physically is hard enough. But to then have the stress and financial damage of large and unexpected bills, which are exercises in rent extraction, is the sort of thing that creates Madame DeFarges.

Private equity experts Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt did the sleuthing to document how private equity has greatly extended and profited from this abuse. What most people do not realize is the degree to which hospitals have outsourced what most people would assume were core functions provided by doctors on the hospital's payroll, such as emergency room doctors. With many large nominally not-for-profit hospital groups run by MBAs out to justify higher pay packages for themselves, many practice areas are in fact outsourced. Private equity has hoovered up these groups. They, and not the hospital, provide the personnel for a particular case, and they make sure to get some out of network practitioners on the team to pad the bills.

One metric: a Stanford study determined that the odds of getting a surprise bill had increased from 32% in 2010 to 43% in 2016, and the average amount had risen over that time period from $220 to $628. A new study in Health Affairs found that this out of network billing raises health care costs by $40 billion per year .

Appelbaum gave a high-level overview in a op-ed in The Hill last May :

Physicians' groups, it turns out, can opt out of a contract with insurers even if the hospital has such a contract. The doctors are then free to charge patients, who desperately need care, however much they want.

This has made physicians' practices in specialties such as emergency care, neonatal intensive care and anesthesiology attractive takeover targets for private equity firms .

Emergency rooms, neonatal intensive care units and anesthesiologists' practices do not operate like an ordinary marketplace. Physicians' practices in these specialties do not need to worry that they will lose patients because their prices are too high.

Patients can go to a hospital in their network, but if they have an emergency, have a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit or have surgery scheduled with an in-network surgeon, they are stuck with the out-of-network doctors the hospital has outsourced these services to .

It's not only patients that are victimized by unscrupulous physicians' groups. These doctors' groups are able to coerce health insurance companies into agreeing to pay them very high fees in order to have them in their networks.

They do this by threatening to charge high out-of-network bills to the insurers' covered patients if they don't go along with these demands. High payments to these unethical doctors raise hospitals' costs and everyone's insurance premiums.

Appelbaum cited Yale economists who'd examined what happened when hospitals outsourced their emergency room staffing to the two biggest players, EmCare, which has been traded among several private equity firms and is now owned by KKR and TeamHealth, held by Blackstone:

.after EmCare took over the management of emergency services at hospitals with previously low out-of-network rates, they raised out-of-network rates by over 81 percentage points. In addition, the firm raised its charges by 96 percent relative to the charges billed by the physician groups they succeeded.

The study also described how TeamHealth extorted insurers by threatening them with high out-of-network charges for "must have" services:

in most instances, several months after going out-of-network, TeamHealth physicians rejoined the network and received in-network payment rates that were 68 percent higher than previous in-network rates.

California and the Federal government tried to pass legislation to curb surprise billing. As we noted, the California bill was yanked suddenly and no one felt compelled to offer an explanation. The bi-partisan Federal effort also failed.

Appelbaum and Batt, in a new article at CEPR, explain how private equity has been throwing money at astroturf group to keep its scam going :

Early in the summer of 2019, Congress appeared poised to protect consumers from surprise medical bills and to hold insured patients financially harmless in situations where they were unable to choose their doctor .

Two solutions, both of which take surprise charges to patients out of the equation, have been put forward. Employers, patient advocates, and insurance companies favor paying out-of-network doctors a rate "benchmarked" to rates negotiated with in-network doctors to hold down health costs. Not surprisingly, this solution is opposed by large physician staffing companies and specialist physician practices that want to continue to charge prices higher than the in-network fees. These doctors' practices, some backed by private equity firms, have been lobbying intensively for a second option that would allow doctors dissatisfied with a negotiated rate to seek a higher fee via an arbitration process that they believe will ensure higher physician pay and higher company revenues and profits.

The campaign by Physicians for Fair Coverage, a private equity-backed group lobbying on behalf of large physician staffing firms, launched a $1.2 million national ad campaign in July to push for this second approach.8 The lobbying campaign bore fruit. In July, [sponsors of the House bill] Pallone and Walden accepted an amendment to allow arbitration, but only in special cases, and it required the arbitrator to use negotiated rates instead of provider charges when deciding on disputes over payment.9 But the private equity-owned physician staffing companies were not satisfied. In late July, a mysterious group called Doctor Patient Unity launched a $28 million ad and lobbying campaign (now up to nearly $54 million) aimed at keeping any legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills from passing. In mid-September, a representative for Doctor Patient Unity finally revealed what many observers already suspected -- that PE-owned doctor staffing firms Envision Healthcare and TeamHealth were behind the campaign

Agreement on a joint House and Senate bipartisan bill by Senators Alexander and Murray and Congressmen Pallone and Walden nearly made it into the omnibus continuing resolution that passed in December 2019. It was stymied when Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, offered a last-minute alternative. The Neal bill protects consumers from surprise medical bills but requires disputes between providers and insurance companies to be resolved through arbitration. This, of course, is what the PE-owned staffing firms and the doctors' practices they own lobbied for. Lack of support from the Democratic leadership in the Senate and the House delayed passage of the legislation. In his September 2019 fundraising report, Neal reported receipt of $29,000 from Blackstone, owner of TeamHealth.

The entire article is very much worth reading , since it offers more detail on how the private equity firms tightened their grip on these chokepoints. And the threat of legal curbs has had an impact. As the piece also explains, the value of the debt on Envision, the parent of EmCare, and TeamHealth both fell into junk terrain and rebounded a bit when the bills were sidelined for 2019, but remains distressed:

Appelbaum and Batt are pessimistic that anything will get done in 2020:

In the current legislative session, Congress is again working to pass legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills. But the disagreements in Congress remain unresolved Chances of a compromise bill emerging in this session of Congress do not look good as of this writing (mid-February 2020), and relief for insured patients from unexpected medical bills does not appear to be on the horizon.

However, bond investors clearly think there's still a risk of legislation with some teeth, although the earliest possibility is 2021. Keep your fingers crossed.


jackiebass February 21, 2020 at 6:31 am

Where I live the emergency room doctors are contracted out to a private group. This has been the practice for over a decade. Recently the local hospital got rid of their dialysis services by selling it to a private company. When a person is sick they don't think about asking if the provider is in their network. They simply want treatment to help recover.Another problem is in many areas there isn't a choice. Expensive services can have only one or no providers. That means you have to go out of you area and probably your network. I'm on medicare and chose to be on traditional medicare. You aren't locked into a small network of providers. My supplemental is through my former employer. Unfortunately it's network plan. Occasionally I have services not paid because they are out of network, even though medicare covers 80%. The deductible for out of network is so high that I end up with paying the 20%. I believe there is only one reason for network heart care. It's to increase profits and has little to do with reducing costs.

Shiloh1 February 21, 2020 at 8:02 am

If Al Capone was around today he would be in this criminal enterprise.

Criminal prosecution is the solution. Not "single payer for racketeering" or "mob protection for all".

Best government money can buy.

human February 21, 2020 at 1:05 pm

Capone famously once answered a reporter that, "Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class."

flora February 21, 2020 at 4:11 pm

I was thinking of Al Capone and his almost untouchable Chicago 'enterprise'. He was untouchable in Chicago because his racket paid off the judges, prosecutors, aldermen, and politicians. It took the feds stepping in to shut Capone down.

How many more people will go bankrupt, or avoid going to the doctor or hospital for fear of bankruptcy because of this PE surprise billing racket? Several state leges are passing or trying to pass legislation to block surprise billing.

Thanks for this post.

hoonose February 21, 2020 at 9:51 am

I hope that you've been negotiating your out of network billings! A third or half off may not be unreasonable. Heck, the hospital only collects about 25% of its total billings!

flora February 21, 2020 at 4:24 pm

This is one reason we need traditional M4A. Traditional Medicare has payment limits that the provider has to accept if they bill Medicare. (Medicare fraud is a problem, but it is tracked and prosecuted.)

Note: Medicare Advantage plans do not have this surprise billing limits protection. see:
https://pnhp.org/news/kathleen-sebelius-and-bill-frist-digging-for-the-medicare-advantage-gold/

John Anthony La Pietra February 21, 2020 at 6:34 am

Maybe I'm missing something, but offhand I don't see how this can even be a thing under a single-payer health-care system. If someone knows better otherwise, please enlighten me.

If I've got that much right, could this be another part of the motivation against M4A?

human February 21, 2020 at 7:35 am

Of course it is. A single-payer system will have massive leverage to achieve fair pricing and compensation.

hoonose February 21, 2020 at 11:34 am

Of course providers are all worried that compensations will be too meager and oppressive. For instance if the docs' income expectations go unmet, then they will certainly buck!

Yves Smith Post author February 21, 2020 at 4:58 pm

But the "providers," as in the MDs, are not the beneficiaries, or at least not much. It's the companies that own the practices .which are owned by PE funds.

Cripes February 21, 2020 at 7:05 am

This reminds me of the TV ad running lately featuring a nice young couple opening their cable bill and declaring "Its a ransom note!" as if its the height of comedy that we are living in a kleptocracy where everyone is constantly subject to "your money or your life" banditry we pretend were left behind in central park muggings of the 1970s.

I have recently had multiple occasions that I needed to write on patient responsibility forms that out of network and balance billing is refused, followed with letters citing applicable state laws and CMS contracts barring conduct in my state. It's insane.
Still I have stacks of collection notices I must beat back and win every time. They only need to win once to destroy someone. Have we no prisons?

The rapine and dispossession of late-stage American crapitalism (can we finally get to End Stage?) always exceeds our worst expectations.
Crime-infested swamp of a country.

Dare we hope a movement can coalesce and endure after a decent man in his waning years is thrust into an historical opportunity to move this train wreck from disaster?

He's the community organizer Obama never was and the new dealer FDR never quite was.

In the flatness of our current political terrain, Bernie's grandfatherly menscheism makes him a moral colossus next to the sniveling careerists and the nefarious old crassus.

1776, 1860, 1932, 1968. What will we make of this year?

On to Milwaukee

John Anthony La Pietra February 21, 2020 at 7:29 am

Can you put the rebuttal into your own easily reproducible form? Either a neat page to staple thoroughly to the bills (copied/printed in needed quantities) or a big rubber stamp with blanks to fill in if applicable?

Yves Smith Post author February 21, 2020 at 5:01 pm

Yes, if you can provide it, I would make it a post. Your version with your state's language and how to find similar language in other states. This is VERY important.

Note I have heard one reader say that their doctors said they wouldn't schedule the surgery if she made an issue out of out of network MDs, that she needed to go elsewhere. So those doctors were completely on board with this practice.

DHG February 21, 2020 at 7:22 am

Anyone who has not made themselves judgment proof really is the fool. No assets, nothing for them to get.

floyd February 21, 2020 at 8:23 am

Disagree -as Chris Hedges says, those people have value as prisoners where they can generate $40K+/yr for some private prison.

flora February 21, 2020 at 5:35 pm

Yep.

"You wouldn't think you'd go to jail over medical bills": County in rural Kansas is jailing people over unpaid medical debt

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coffeyville-kansas-medical-debt-county-in-rural-kansas-is-jailing-people-over-unpaid-medical-debt/

fnx February 21, 2020 at 1:48 pm

Doesn't mean that can't get a judgment against you! Then you spend the rest of your life trying to avoid having people send money via Paypal or other services direct to your bank account since they can take it. Or winning the lottery or buying a new car the list is endless.

TG February 21, 2020 at 12:14 pm

I am currently visiting some old colleagues in Denmark. I told them about the new practice in the United States of "surprise medical billing."

They were shocked. "Sure that's something Trump would do, but surely the Democrats would stop it?"

Hahahaha.

Susan the other February 21, 2020 at 12:48 pm

As in "Privatize Sovereignty, Socialize Property" by David Cieplay, Blackstone and its ilk have this very business model. In this case they are buying up emergency room doctors' practices – with the promise they will make more money – and passing the cost on to insurance companies (poetic justice) and the state and federal gov. Because we have no laws against this sort of corporate privateering (heaven forbid congress should suddenly remember how and why to legislate), all the costs of health care are socialized and because the PE funds are untouchable they have effectively privatized sovereignty. When we all realize their useful function in this scam is one big nothing burger, congress will have to act. It's just another testament to how venal, immoral, lazy and rotten congress is. I can smell it from here.

Howard February 21, 2020 at 1:37 pm

Besides PE, it also makes sense that the real estate sector in general would be opposed to anything that reduces financial burden (particularly anything that would lessen medical debt) on middle- and lower-middle-income households, because foreclosures and desperation fire sales would then dry up.

TimH February 21, 2020 at 1:59 pm

Here's the California situation, from https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/Portals/0/HealthCareInCalifornia/FactSheets/fsab72.pdf

The law protects consumers from surprise medical bills when:
An enrollee goes to an in-network facility such as a hospital, lab or imaging center, but services are provided by an out-of-network health provider.

An enrollee receives emergency services from a doctor or hospital that is not contracted with the patient's health plan or medical group.

JCC February 21, 2020 at 4:13 pm

Yet another anecdote

I've been a relatively healthy individual and so rarely use my insurance. I used it for the first time in 20 years for a full yearly physical (just because it was "that time", not for any health problems). The annual full checkup is, supposedly, fully covered, and I chose a local clinic in my network.

The various clinics involved ended up billing me directly, so far, for over $3500.00, and that was before the colonoscopy bill which still hasn't arrived. I checked my Insurance Portal and, sure enough, the supposed covered charges were listed as "Denied".

So, considering all these costs were supposed to be covered, I took a full day off work (6 solid hours on various phone calls) to get it straightened out. While going through all these bills and working through each charge I discovered 1 bill for a clinic appt (a subsidiary of CVS) that never happened and 1 very high bill for standard blood tests (Quest) that never happened due to a screwup initiated by the CVS-owned clinic. We'll see what happens.

But while talking with one of the Insurance Co. reps she told me a classic surprise billing horror story that happened to her. She gets occasional nosebleeds and one day got a serious one while on the highway before her exit. A CHP officer pulled up behind her after she pulled over to take care of the situation and refused to let her continue on without going to the nearest Emergency Room, so she went.

Her visit lasted 1/2 hour. She was handed a bucket of clean water and a towel. After cleaning up, she waited around for awhile, gave up waiting, washed the towel out, cleaned the bucket out and left. She went on to tell me that 30 days later she recieved a bill from the Emergency Services group at the hospital for $45,000.00. For a towel and a bucket of water.

It took her two days of unpaid time off to get it straightened out and the bill removed.

She then told me she's voting for Sanders, too.

So I've learned three lessons from this; 1) even with insurance things go wrong far too often when it comes to billing issues, and 2) Surprise Billing is far more common than I was led to believe, and 3) Health Insurance/care in this country is riddled with fraud and outright criminality.

Yves Smith Post author February 21, 2020 at 5:07 pm

Hate to tell you, but with a colonoscopy, the exam is covered by Obamacare, but any snipping of polyps is not, and that can easily run to $1000.

The US Is the only advanced economy where colonoscopies are recommended for everyone over 50. In other countries, they are recommended only for people in high risk groups.

If you get an annual ( and it needs to be annual ) fecal occult blood test (easy and cheap, MD puts gloved finger in you, wipes test panel, and tells you right there), the results in terms of detection are on par with colonoscopies.

[Feb 19, 2020] Suprise Billing To Be Resolved in February 2020 to be Enacted in 2022 by run75441

Feb 18, 2020 | angrybearblog.com

Suprise Billing To Be Resolved in February 2020 to be Enacted in 2022

run75441 | February 18, 2020 11:40 am

Healthcare I had wondered why the Senate (Schumer) had backed off on legislation controlling surprise billing. It turns out there is a House bill also and I am sure they are going back and forth on this. Recently, two bills have emerged in the House and one from the Senate. Medscape , "House Committees Advance Bills to Address Surprise Billing."

Of course if Congress's butt was on the line, a solution would have been found quickly and enacted in 2020. At the end, see which one I would back.

The House Ways and Means Committee bill passed by a voice vote bipartisan bill. It seeks to establish more use of third-party negotiators ( arbitration) for settling certain disputes about payment for out-of-network care. This bill has the support of the American Hospital Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians. The American Medical Association also praised the committee's reliance on mediation for disputes on bills.

The House Education and Labor Committee advanced a hybrid proposal seeking to use established prices in local markets to resolve many disputes about out-of-network bills. Key to this bill is the use of arbitration above a certain cost. Bills greater than $750 or in the case of air ambulance services $25,000; clinicians and insurers could turn to arbitration for an independent dispute resolution. House Education and Labor passed this bill in a 32-13 mixed vote with some Republicans and Democrats opposing and in favor.

The latest Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee of legislative proposals also addresses surprise medical billing. The HELP bill called for mandating that insurers reimburse out-of-network costs on the basis of their own median rates for in-network providers.

The Education and Labor Committee bill is estimated to save $24 billion, the Senate HELPS bill is estimated to save $25 billion, and the Ways and Means' bill would save almost $18 billion all over 10 years. It is suggested the greater use of arbitration in the Ways and Means' bill will result in less savings.

Read on about the private equity involved and providers.

Outside Opponents of Legislation

The American Hospital Association : "Setting a rate in statute gives insurers few incentives to develop robust networks with hospitals and physicians, and paying for emergency care at the median in-network rate would surely underpay for these services and create an incentive for insurers to avoid paying fair reimbursement for these services. This approach is an obvious windfall for the insurance industry without any assurance that health plans will pass these savings on to consumers through lower premiums."

Other physician organizations have joined the fight to make balance billing appropriate; the American College of Emergency Physicians, Envision Healthcare, US Acute Care Solutions and US Anesthesia Partners -- gave roughly $1.1 million in 2019 to members of Congress, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

Doctor Patient Unity : "We support a federal solution to surprise medical bills that makes insurance companies pay their fair share and supports patients' right to quality medical care."
"We oppose insurance-industry-backed proposals for government rate setting that will lead to doctor shortages, hospital closures and loss of access to medical care, particularly in rural and underserved communities."

Early on in 2019, Doctor Patient Unity spent more than $28 million on ads opposing legislation without disclosing its staff or its funders. It was later revealed its largest financial backers are two private equity backed firms Team Health and Envision Healthcare. Together they own physician practices and staff emergency rooms around the country according to spokesperson Greg Blair. Blackstone Group owns Team Health and KKR owns Envision Healthcare

As is typical of political ads being run to influence people, they do not tell the whole story and omit references to surprise bills. Instead, they warn of "government rate setting" harming patient care and doctor/patient relationships.

The Direct Providers

ER doctors, anesthesiologists, radiologists and other specialists who typically charge out-of-network prices are among the highest-compensated practitioners. I have found this to be true during my hospital visits. Doctors, 3rd party contracting companies, and hospitals complain Healthcare Insurance Companies have the upper hand due to size and can pay the increased costs of out-of-network pricing.

The argument by doctors, the 3rd party contracting companies, and hospitals has been made the healthcare insurance companies control the market and are able to secure better pricing from providers which is not passed along to the insured. In markets where both providers and insurers are highly concentrated, insurers have bargaining power to reduce prices for hospital admissions and visits to certain physician specialists. The Market Concentration chart for insurers and providers reveals the concentration (concentration chart) for providers is greater than it is for insurers overall. Furthermore and if we are talking about ACA policies, additional moneys gained must be used for treatment or the excess beyond 15 and 20% overhead and profit is refundable. It can be said also, when the total cost goes up, the portion (15 or 20%) of the total price increases in real dollars.

ER doctors, anesthesiologists, radiologists and other specialists who typically charge out-of-network prices are among the highest-compensated practitioners. I have found this to be true during my hospital visits. If the insurance company can not convince them to take a lesser rate, you are stuck will the bill. I have been tempted to ask at the time of need whether they are all in network and employees of the facility I am visiting that day. Countering the argument by insurance, doctors, and hospitals complain healthcare insurance companies have the upper hand due to size and market control and can pay the increased costs of out-of-network pricing. As shown chart 1, their claims are not precisely true and the market for healthcare has become less competitive as hospitals and ACOs buy up the competition.

"Providers are more concentrated than insurers in almost 60 percent of US metro areas . Health plans hold an edge in only 6 percent of local markets. National and state level studies reveal a steady rise in concentration among specialist physicians, primary care providers, and hospitals alike. As Brent D. Fulton notes, concentration of insurers fell slightly from 2010 to 2016, while concentration rose for both specialist physicians and hospitals. The evidence suggests provider organizations will retain significant bargaining leverage even after out-of-network billing reform, leaving little scope or incentive or capability for insurers to push prices down sharply. "

Meanwhile, the naysayers are battling constructive resolution with $millions in countering ads and intense lobbying of Congress to delay and/or deny resolution of overpriced surprised billing of patients of which had no choice, many more are still being hit with bills there is little explanation for except greed. We do need Single Payer. Nough said . . .

Congress has till February 22nd to resolve the deadlock before the current temporary bill expires. I would take the Education and Labor approach, which is also backed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Health Committee. It would set the payment rate based on the median amount paid for that service in the geographic area with the option of going to arbitration for some higher-cost bills. It result in greater savings.

steve , February 18, 2020 5:25 pm

We (anesthesiology) are par with everything that our network accepts. I am not a fan of surprise billing, but I dont think you grasp all of the issues here. Medicare reimburses at much lower rates than does private insurance in my specialty. If you work in a place with a high percentage of Medicare (or Medicaid which is worse) like we do, you cannot come close to earning market salaries. So we, many years ago, ended up working 95th percentile or worse hours (over 70 per week) while earning in the 15th-20th percentile in income. We lost a lot of staff. The hospital had to make up the difference so that we could hire and retain people. We were fortunate that our hospital had the resources to do that.

Up north of us another hospital faced a similar situation, but they didn't have the resources to subsidize their staff. So they fired a good team and brought in another. Told them it was OK to not bill in accordance with what the hospital accepted, like the prior group did. That let the new group earn enough, for a while, to hire and retain people. Hospital eventually failed anyway and had to be bought out.

I think most of the groups that I know are surprise billing are pretty greedy and sleazy, so I stay away from them. However, there are other cases where groups are in a tough situation and pretty desperate. Especially smaller rural hospitals that have trouble finding staff to begin with.

Steve

[Feb 16, 2020] Doctor Surprise Billing: this is the same price inflation dynamic that we observe in body shops and car insurance companies. Kind of evil symbiosis that develops

Feb 16, 2020 | angrybearblog.com

likbez , February 16, 2020 11:48 am

run75441,

Thank you for this post. This is an important topic that needs to be discussed.

Again Dr. ZDogg: "Guess what's going to happen to her insurance premiums next year? They're going to go up by 10%, 15%, 20 percent. And what will happen at employers around the country who are paying most of the bill? They're going to drop or keep wages flat (happening today). Healthcare becomes a financial albatross with collusion between healthcare providers charging a bunch of money and insurance companies paying it, hospitals overbuilding, overcharging, and doing stuff we don't even need. The results of these money games are a minority of people getting rich and everybody else's wages staying stagnant. 1 in 5 Americans have collection agencies coming after them for medical bills that are inflated and unnecessary.

BTW this is the same price inflation dynamic that we observe in body shops and car insurance companies. Kind of evil symbiosis that develops. So this is a more general phenomenon than just healthcare.

See also: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/02/what-the-heck-happened-to-surprise-billing-legislation-or-its-never-too-late-for-the-lobbyists-to-win.html

[Feb 15, 2020] Doctor Surprise Billing

Highly recommended!
This is the same spiral of cost inflation that we observe in dealing with repair shops and car insurance companies. They form symbiosis that prosper by mutual inflation of costs.
Notable quotes:
"... The Insurance company must apply 80% of healthcare insurance premiums to actual care. and 20% to Overhead and Profit. Dr. ZDogg states most of the tests were not needed such as a Pan-Viral test when a rapid-strep swab would do. Dr. ZDogg contends this was a virus and the most one should do is the swab the throat or just wait to see what develops . . . this sounds familiar to me as a patient too. ..."
"... The hypothetical? Lets say at the most, what was done should be about $1000 or $800 to actual care and $200 to Overhead and Profit. Multiple this by 26 and see what it amounts to. In Dr. ZDogg's words: "What if we make the pie bigger and 3% of a bigger pie is more money? What if we actually let people overcharge for procedures they don't need? Then all we have to do next year is raise the premiums to cover the actual medical cost, which is now higher, and then we make a higher amount of profit." That was the untoward side effect of the government policy on this, which, by the way, happens with many policies that are top-down. You can't predict what happens and then it happens. " ..."
Feb 15, 2020 | angrybearblog.com

Going to her PCP located in Manhattan, a woman complains of a sore throat. Forget the Manhattan part of this as various versions (surprise billing) of this situation are happening everywhere. The doctor swabbed the throat, sent it off to the lab, ordered some tests, and then gave her a prescription for antibiotics. She took her meds and went on vacation feeling better.

The tests came back negative. She later received a bill for ~$26,000.

The lab was out of network which usually results with insurance only paying a portion of the bill and the patient the balance unless the insurance negotiates a lesser charge (hospital 3rd party employees) which they will pay. This is another version of Surprise Billing, not in a hospital setting, which we have heard so much about, and the patient gets screwed with the balance of the Surprise Billing.

More Information

The lab was out of network but it was a part of the employer the PCP worked for also. Usually doctors use the hospital they are affiliated with to run tests or do lab work which are also in network (today). I suspect more hospitals will relegate lab work to 3rd parties to cut costs and improve profits.

There was a time when I had catastrophic insurance which only paid 50% of costs. I had pneumonia and really could not afford to go to my PCP at $150 (then) as I was out of work. My PCP was not sympathetic and wrote me script to take to the hospital for imaging and another test. I called the U 0f M hospital and talked to a clerk there about cost. He finally told me to go to Quest (outside lab) and they would be half the cost in doing imaging, etc. U of M has some major Overhead to pay for today.

By the way, Blue Cross Blue Shield paid almost all of the bill for this lady with the sore throat.

Even More Information and a Hypothetical

The Insurance company must apply 80% of healthcare insurance premiums to actual care. and 20% to Overhead and Profit. Dr. ZDogg states most of the tests were not needed such as a Pan-Viral test when a rapid-strep swab would do. Dr. ZDogg contends this was a virus and the most one should do is the swab the throat or just wait to see what develops . . . this sounds familiar to me as a patient too.

The hypothetical? Lets say at the most, what was done should be about $1000 or $800 to actual care and $200 to Overhead and Profit. Multiple this by 26 and see what it amounts to. In Dr. ZDogg's words: "What if we make the pie bigger and 3% of a bigger pie is more money? What if we actually let people overcharge for procedures they don't need? Then all we have to do next year is raise the premiums to cover the actual medical cost, which is now higher, and then we make a higher amount of profit." That was the untoward side effect of the government policy on this, which, by the way, happens with many policies that are top-down. You can't predict what happens and then it happens. "

I would like to think doctors, hospitals, and healthcare insurance companies are not prone to this. Yet we have record of numerous surprise billing instances by hospitals, this one is an example of one by a doctor. Medicare Advantage plans are over billing CMS for treatments running totals up to $10 billion per year. And what about Commercial Healthcare Insurance? I have not heard of insurance pushing back on over charges. Usually, they reject a bill or a portion of it and the patient pays the balance.

And what Happens as a Result?

Again Dr. ZDogg: "Guess what's going to happen to her insurance premiums next year? They're going to go up by 10%, 15%, 20 percent. And what will happen at employers around the country who are paying most of the bill? They're going to drop or keep wages flat (happening today). Healthcare becomes a financial albatross with collusion between healthcare providers charging a bunch of money and insurance companies paying it, hospitals overbuilding, overcharging, and doing stuff we don't even need. The results of these money games are a minority of people getting rich and everybody else's wages staying stagnant. 1 in 5 Americans have collection agencies coming after them for medical bills that are inflated and unnecessary.

Dr. ZDogg recommended exposure to sunlight might cure the problem.

The patient; "I made it very clear [to the doctor's office] that I was unhappy about it." And told them I would report the doctor to New York state's Office of Professional Medical Conduct. She also reached out to "Bill of the Month," a joint project of NPR and Kaiser Health News. After a reporter started asking questions about the bill, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota stopped payment on the check it issued and is now investigating.

The bottom line to this is, it should have never got this far or even happen.

Recently it was disclosed Michigan No Fault Accident Coverage was paying an ~289% of Medicare rates to hospitals and clinics to care for patient injuries suffered from automobile accidents. No Fault coverage will die in a few years as the new legislation sponsored by Quicken Loans Dan Gilbert and Michigan Repubs have allowed people to opt out or take lesser coverage which will now pay hospitals and clinics 220% of Medicare rates. No Fault would not disclose what it was paying caregivers. Another surprise which should have never happened . . .

This story is from December 2019 and was in NPR For Her Head Cold , Insurer Coughed Up $25,865, NPR, Richard Harris.

Paperwork: Manhattan Specialty Care
$26,000 for a Throat Swab?! , ZDoggMD, MedPage Today, February 6, 2020
The Doctors Who Bill You While You're Unconscious , The Atlantic, Olga Khazan, February 11, 2020


Chris, February 14, 2020 1:19 pm

The solution is to have one network and a single payer. Simple.

run75441 , February 14, 2020 7:49 pm

Chris:

You remind of someone else who insists it is that simple. It is not unless you have 60% of Congress inline. And if you do make the change, look forward to much of the Senate and the House being replaced as the population likes their Employer sponsored commercial healthcare insurance in spite of being screwed over by commercial healthcare, healthcare, and the pols who kiss the industries butt. What you and others are insisting on as being so simple is not so simple to enact.

davebarnes , February 14, 2020 1:39 pm

I have Kaiser Medicare Advantage and am happy.
Colon cancer fix cost me $2500 for surgery + chemo.
Perianal abscess cost me $300. Three surgeries.

EMichael , February 14, 2020 2:49 pm

Chris,

The solution is indeed simple. Getting to the solution is a huge task.

Meanwhile, It would be very simple legislation to stop this criminal treatment by providers. Person has insurance and is treated by someone out of network without giving specific orders to go out of network, is only liable for the in network charges.

Hard to vote against that, but we all know how many will, and who they are.

[Jan 14, 2020] I also think that if I call 911 and need emergency assistance, it should be provided by the city or county, not a private company

Jan 14, 2020 | angrybearblog.com

Angry Bear " Preventing Surprise Medical Bills ,

Mike B. , January 13, 2020 10:15 am

The only surprise medical bills I have received is for claims that were denied by my insurance company. Then the provider does not just demand what they would have received if the claim had been approved, but the full billed amount, which is generally 2 to 10 times the insurance amount. Providers should have to charge everyone the same price for the same thing. Now they have an incentive to order dubious tests or procedures, because if a claim is denied, they can bill for more money. I assume people without insurance are also billed for the full amount, and they can least afford it.

I also think that if I call 911 and need emergency assistance, it should be provided by the city or county, not a private company. That's true if police or fire engines are needed, and likewise it should be for EMTs or ambulances.

[Jan 12, 2020] Preventing Surprise Medical Bills by run75441

Notable quotes:
"... If you are on Medicare, do not stay for observation unless you have a Plan G or Plan F. If you are on Plan N Supplemental to Medicare or lower, the plan will NOT pay 100% for Observation. You have to be admitted. You can go anywhere with Medicare for treatment. ..."
"... Medicare Advantage? You had better be in network or have some type of alternative program within your plan. ..."
Jan 11, 2020 | angrybearblog.com

The idea I have is not to be surprised. I am a careful patient who asks a lot of questions and also advocate for myself. I have refused treatment when they use drugs which may threaten my health further (Heparin). I am also not well liked by the bloodsuckers who come in to draw blood and stab me through the vein for two weeks and destroyed my left arm in the process. Ask them questions and do not be so willing to accept treatment (if cognizant) until they answer your questions and then get their name. Take names and dates. It is ok to be a forceful advocate for yourself. When all is said and done, the bill will come to you alone.

If you are on Medicare, do not stay for observation unless you have a Plan G or Plan F. If you are on Plan N Supplemental to Medicare or lower, the plan will NOT pay 100% for Observation. You have to be admitted. You can go anywhere with Medicare for treatment.

Medicare Advantage? You had better be in network or have some type of alternative program within your plan.

There are good points to this article which is why I C and P-ed it here per their request.

As taken from Preventing Debt from Surprise Medical Bills , Bankrate, Madison Blancaflor. July 19, 2019

The cost of healthcare has become a hot topic in American politics in recent years, and with good reason. A recent survey found that 22 percent of Americans are losing sleep over healthcare or insurance costs, up from 13 percent just one year ago.

One aspect in particular has even gained attention from both Congress and the President within the past two months: surprise medical bills.

Congress has proposed bi-partisan legislation that sets up consumer protections against surprise billing in certain situations. President Trump also issued an executive order in June that calls for hospitals to be more transparent upfront about prices for common tests and procedures, a measure that should go into effect later this year. ( While the House took out the 10 year exclusivities for Biologic drugs, it ended up in the Budget bill giving exclusivity for 12 years on new biologics. As I have pointed out repeatedly, risk adjusted R & D costs are recouped in a median period of 3- 5 years. It is another give-away to pharma. )

Past the leap, causes and prevention of Surprise Billing.

The cause of surprise billing

Unexpected medical bills, often outrageously expensive, can catch patients by surprise if they see a doctor who is not within their insurance network. It's a common issue, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that an estimated 51 percent of ambulance rides, 22 percent of ER visits and 9 percent of elective cases lead to surprise medical costs.

What often happens is that while the hospital or clinic might be considered in-network, a specific doctor might not be in-network (or vise versa). The legislation proposed by the Senate includes cost protections for situations such as these, plus scenarios where patients receive emergency care or follow-up care at an out-of-network facility due to travel restrictions.

While the new legislation and executive action may help patients and their families, surprise billing will persist in situations outside the purview of these new protections. ( The proposed prevention of surprise billing did not make it through the Senate this time for reasons I am not aware of today. More later .)

Preventing surprise healthcare bills

The best way to combat surprise billing is to prevent it whenever possible. This requires staying up-to-date on your insurance policies and looking at your options when scheduling appointments.

Know the details of your insurance policy

The first step is understanding your specific insurance policy. Check with your provider for a list of in-network hospitals, specialists and primary care physicians in your area so you can know ahead of time where you'll have coverage. If you have an upcoming appointment, it's worth calling your provider to double-check whether the facility and doctor you're seeing are in-network and covered.

Your provider may also require prior authorization before an appointment in order to cover some healthcare services or prescriptions, especially when visiting specialists.

Ask about costs upfront

Whether you're visiting a new primary care physician, seeing a specialist or have a planned procedure coming up, call ahead to see what out-of-pocket costs you will be responsible for paying. If you find that the facility or physician is out-of-network, you can request a referral to a facility or physician that is in-network.

For planned visits, you can also ask about the billing codes for the tests or procedures you'll be having so that you can confirm that your insurer will cover them. While many standard preventative procedures like a basic cardiac stress test or mammogram are covered by insurance policies, more advanced screenings such as a 3D mammogram may be billed under a different code that is not covered by your insurance.

Make an emergency plan

While it's impossible to predict when emergencies will happen, you can make a plan to help you prepare. If you know which emergency care providers are covered by your insurance plan, you can have an idea of where to go. While it requires some research on the front-end, you can save some stress and a lot of money in the long-run.

Understand your rights

In addition to new federal protections, many states have additional regulations regarding "balance billing," when patients are billed for out-of-network providers at an in-network facility. Don't be afraid to negotiate with hospital billing managers or doctors who billed you when you are balance billed, and keep your insurance company in the loop on the situation. Knowing your state's specific protections can help you get fees waived or lowered in these cases.

Combating debt from surprise medical bills

Unfortunately, it's impossible to entirely prevent surprise medical bills -- especially in the case of emergency services. In an emergency room, you have little to no control over which physicians you see and what tests are run. You also don't always have time to call ahead to check prices or request transfers to in-network facilities.

While it might not be possible to prevent some surprise healthcare costs, there are still steps you can take to combat debt in these cases.

1. Double check itemized medical bills.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes patients are billed for tests, procedures or medications that they didn't actually receive. Ask for an itemized bill, and ensure that you are only being charged for services received. If you find a mistake in your bill, talk to the hospital's billing department and the service provider.

In the case that a procedure or service on your bill should have been covered by your insurance provider, ask about the specific billing code the hospital used. It's possible that while the insurance provider covers a basic or general service, the billing code used may not fall under the billing code your insurance company lists as covered. Talk with both the hospital billing department and your insurance provider to see what can be done.

2. Avoid using credit cards whenever possible

Credit cards average around a 17 percent interest rate, meaning they are less-than-ideal for covering high medical costs . There are medical credit cards out there that offer short and long term financing plans to cover medical expenses with minimal interest, which is an option for those who can realistically pay off the debt within the specified time period.

When using a credit card is unavoidable, consider a credit card that offers a long intro period to help you save on interest charges, such as well known Platinum Visa Card might offer. If you end up with bills spread across multiple credit cards, a balance transfer credit card can also help you eliminate debt and save money on interest charges.

Just keep in mind that for all of these credit options, it's imperative that you can pay off the debt within the 0% interest offer period. Otherwise, you'll be subject to high interest rates that can cause even more financial stress.

For larger medical bills or debts, consider a personal loan (which offer lower, fixed interest rates) to help cover the cost.

3. Protect your credit score

If for any reason you are unable to pay your medical bills on time, it's important to take steps to protect your credit score. When you go more than 90-180 days without paying a medical debt, it could become an unpaid collection account, which can show up on your credit report and negatively affect your score. Luckily, newer credit score models such as the VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 9 often reduce the impact of these types of collection accounts.

If you know you'll be unable to pay medical bills, be open and honest with the hospital or provider. You might be able to set up a plan that better fits your budget. At the very least, you can explain the situation, pay as much as you can at the moment and potentially prevent them from writing off your debt as a loss and selling it to a collection agency.

4. Open a savings account for unplanned medical costs

While you can't predict unplanned medical costs, you can prepare for them by saving money for a rainy day. One option is contributing to a Healthcare Savings Account (HSA), which allows you to add pre-tax/tax-deductible money into a savings account that you can use for approved healthcare costs.

You can also set up a savings account with any bank to be used for healthcare costs. While these accounts may not be tax-exempt, you can often get a better interest rate and avoid regulations on what medical expenses you can and can't cover with the account.

Even if you only contribute $20 a month, it will add up over time and can help offset costs to make medical expenses more affordable.

The Bottom Line

While it's promising that both Congress and the President are making strides towards eliminating surprise medical bills and helping lower overall healthcare costs, sometimes surprise billing is unavoidable. These tips can help you prevent these charges or combat excessive debt that can often result from unplanned medical expenses.


davebarnes , January 11, 2020 9:28 pm

Kaiser Medicare Advantage.
Have NEVER has a strange nor bogus charge.

My colon cancer surgery + chemo was $2500 which I consider reasonable.
My 3 surgeries for a perianal abscess (trust me, you don't want one) was a few hundred bucks.

4.5 miles to the hospital/medical center/pharmacy.

run75441 , January 11, 2020 11:42 pm

That is nice. Your time will come when they will charge more for those operations. You are there forever and can not come back to Medicare. What do you think is happening with commercial healthcare today for a majority of the people who have commercial healthcare?

likbez , January 12, 2020 12:09 am

Great post on a very important in the USA topic. Thank you run75441!

I would add the danger of calling ambulance from home in non-critical cases. Taxi to the hospital is approx. 100 times cheaper and most cases is as effective :-).

In case the case is critical (like a real heart attack) be ready to pay out of network changes ($5K-$15K) for the ride in states that do not provide protection against surprise billing. Less then a half of the USA states some minimal (really minimal) protection against those sharks.

Ambulances in the USA are overtaken by private equity and venture capital firms.criminals. They are real Mafiosi. Or even worse because they profit of human sufferings. Private equity sharks circle around and if they smell blood they will devour the victim without any merci. I sometimes wonder why among around 40K of gun violence victims (39,773 in 2018) in the USA per year this category is so underrepresented 😉 .

The core of the problem is that ambulances and private insurance companies do not agree on a fair price, so the ambulance service doesn't join the insurance network. That leaves patients stuck in the middle with out-of-network charges..

See for example:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/taken-ride-ambulances-stick-patients-surprise-bills-n824141

One patient got a $3,660 bill for a 4-mile ride. Another was charged $8,460 for a trip from one hospital that could not handle his case to another that could.

Still another found herself marooned at an out-of-network hospital, where she'd been taken by ambulance without her consent.

These patients all took ambulances in emergencies and got slammed with unexpected bills. Public outrage has erupted over surprise medical bills -- generally out-of-network charges that a patient did not expect or could not control -- prompting 21 states to pass laws protecting consumers in some situations.

But these laws largely ignore ground ambulance rides, which can leave patients stuck with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills, with few options for recourse, finds a Kaiser Health News review of 350 consumer complaints in 32 states.

Patients usually choose to go to the doctor, but they are vulnerable when they call 911 -- or get into an ambulance. The dispatcher picks the ambulance crew, which, in turn, often picks the hospital. Moreover, many ambulances are not summoned by patients. Instead, the crew arrives at the scene having heard about an accident on a scanner, or because police or a bystander called 911.

Betsy Imholz, special projects director at the Consumers Union, which has collected over 700 patient stories about surprise medical bills, said at least a quarter concern ambulances.

"It's a huge problem," she said.

[Dec 24, 2019] Congress refuses to ban surprise billing racket: "We've started to realize it's not us versus the hospitals or the doctors, it's us versus the hedge funds," said James Gelfand, senior vice president of health policy at ERIC, a group that represents large employers.

Dec 24, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

tegnost , December 23, 2019 at 8:49 am

As the days go by I become more convinced that the impeachment drama was used to cover up the passing of the usmca and axing of the venture capital in health care bill and containing surprise medical billing
https://khn.org/news/investors-deep-pocket-push-to-defend-surprise-medical-bills/
FTA
"We've started to realize it's not us versus the hospitals or the doctors, it's us versus the hedge funds," said James Gelfand, senior vice president of health policy at ERIC, a group that represents large employers.

Kayfabe

paddlingwithoutboats , December 23, 2019 at 9:14 am

From the KHN article on surprise billing
"surprise medical bills, which generally arise when an insured individual inadvertently receives care from an out-of-network provider."

How did "inadvertently" get in there when it is a revenue generation model? Asymmetry of information is always how profits are made.

I like to invert the model and estimate the outcomes for a lot of these fictions: if working class people controlled the upward distribution of wealth, how would society be different?

Joe Well , December 23, 2019 at 11:11 am

Yves has posted about how private equity firms specifically make this a business model.

[Dec 22, 2019] This neoliberal maggot Schumer managed to defeat 'suprise blling" legistlation

Notable quotes:
"... Where is AOC in all this? She was th e prime mover on impeachment, specifically impeachment over a phone call rather than concentration camps and genocide. And now with impeachment she gave Pelosi cover to sell the country out again. I was wondering why many libreral centrists were expreasing admiration for her, a socialist. Maybe they recognized something? ..."
Dec 22, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

flora , December 21, 2019 at 7:41 am

re:impeachment redux

Interesting, to me at least, that the rocket docket timetable of the House impeachment coincided with the deadline to pass a budget to avoid a(nother) govt shutdown. While all msm eyes were transfixed by the hyperventilating spectacle, behind the scenes the budget passed through the Dem House was filled with more tax breaks for the corporations and the .001%, more money than the admin asked for the MIC, and killed a bill that would end medical 'surprise billing' (another gift to medical PE investors and giant hospital corporations), basically a whole neolib wish list.

Interesting the two events coincided, and, that Nancy decided not to sent on the articles to the Senate at this time. What gives? Is she hold on to them for a future time when she'll need to use them as another distraction for the msm to report on? (no, that could not be the reason. ;) )

Spring Texan , December 21, 2019 at 9:44 am

Schumer and a top House Democrat with ties to private equity were instrumental in defeating the surprise medical bill legislation: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/20/schumer-revealed-key-industry-ally-defeat-effort-curb-surprise-billing
https://www.salon.com/2019/12/18/top-house-democrat-kills-effort-to-end-devastating-surprise-medical-bills/
https://slate.com/business/2019/12/surprise-medical-bills-legislation-congress-democrats.html

Pat , December 21, 2019 at 2:31 pm

Pointed this out a couple of days ago (Slate and Buzzfeed). Happy that it is not just the online press pointing out it was Democrats killing this measure, Democrats in leadership positions. I also like that few, if any, of our media is falling for the kabuki used by Neal to stick the shiv in. Everyone gets that the 'competing plan' was there strictly to derail a law that end the hugely profitable but fraudulent price gauging of healthcare by private equity.

If he keeps this up, walking POS Schumer might make me miss Al D'Amato nah Al and Chuck are just two different colors of tulle, adding illusion to the political process.

Carey , December 21, 2019 at 3:51 pm

..and they could have just passed it for the good PR and then de-fanged it
administratively, but it looks like they wanted to press the point:
"No, Proles, we're not gonna let you breathe, not a bit."

Good to know.

Joe Well , December 21, 2019 at 11:03 am

Where is AOC in all this? She was th e prime mover on impeachment, specifically impeachment over a phone call rather than concentration camps and genocide. And now with impeachment she gave Pelosi cover to sell the country out again. I was wondering why many libreral centrists were expreasing admiration for her, a socialist. Maybe they recognized something?

[Sep 25, 2019] UK Labour Party plan for reducing drug prices includes public funding for research and having new drugs available as generics

Sep 25, 2019 | economistsview.typepad.com

anne , September 24, 2019 at 06:47 PM

https://twitter.com/DeanBaker13/status/1176657390235803649

Dean Baker @DeanBaker13

UK Labour Party plan for reducing drug prices includes public funding for research and having new drugs available as generics (patents in public domain). Maybe progressive Democratic presidential candidates can learn something

http://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Medicines-For-The-Many.pdf

5:39 PM - 24 Sep 2019

[Sep 07, 2019] Private Equity and Surprise Medical Billing naked capitalism

Notable quotes:
"... By 2013, physician staffing firms owned by Blackstone Group and Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) – among the largest PE firms in the country – cornered 30 percent of this market. Since then, private equity ownership of these services has continued to grow. ..."
"... The Stanford study found that the likelihood that a patient admitted to an in-network hospital would face a surprise medical bill because at least one out-of-network doctor cared for them increased from 26.3 percent 2010 to 42.0 percent in 2016. A particularly egregious instance occurred when an assistant surgeon sent a bill for $117,000 to a patient who had surgery for herniated discs in his neck. ..."
"... Commenting on EmCare's relations with hospitals, Benedic Ippolito, a research fellow in public finance and health economics at the American Enterprise Institute, noted, "Right now, EmCare surprise bills patients and hospitals effectively turn a blind eye. ..."
"... A team of Yale University health economists examined the billing practices of EmCare, Envision's physician staffing arm. [xx] They found that when EmCare took over the management of emergency departments, it nearly doubled its charges for caring for patients compared to the charges billed by previous physician groups. These egregious practices have resulted in a Congressional investigation headed by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, lawsuits from shareholders, and court actions involving Envision and UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. insurer. [xxi] ..."
Sep 06, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

September 6, 2019 by Jerri-Lynn Scofield By Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt Originally published at The Institute for New Economic Thinking website

Surprise medical billing has become a critical issue facing Americans across the country because of purposeful corporate practices designed to increase profits. As hospitals have outsourced emergency rooms and other specialty care to reduce costs, private investors have bought up specialty physician practices, rolled them into powerful national corporations, and taken over hospital emergency services. The result: large out-of-network surprise bills. The hidden actors: Leading private equity firms looking for 'outsized' returns.
Surprise medical billing made headlines in 2019 as patients with health insurance found themselves liable for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unforeseen medical bills. When patients with urgent medical problems go to an emergency room (ER) or are treated by specialty doctors at a hospital that is in their insurance network, they expect that the services they receive will be 'in-network' and covered by their insurance. But often a doctor not in their insurance network is under contract with the hospital and actually provides the care. When this happens, patients are stuck with unexpected and sometimes unreasonably high medical bills charged by these 'out-of-network' doctors. This typically occurs when the hospital has outsourced the ER or other specialized services to a professional staffing firm or a specialty doctors' practice. This problem has exploded in recent years because hospitals are increasingly outsourcing these services to cut costs.

And more and more patients are faced with surprise medical bills -- adding substantially to the already impossible medical debt that working people face. Hospital outsourcing of emergency, radiology, anesthesiology, and other departments has provided an opening for physician practices to operate these services as independent organizations. Initially, hospitals outsourced these services to small, local doctors' groups

But over the past decade, private equity firms have become major players -- buying out doctors' practices and rolling them up into large corporate physician staffing firms that provide services to outsourced emergency rooms, anesthesiology and radiology departments, and other specialty units. By 2013, physician staffing firms owned by Blackstone Group and Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) – among the largest PE firms in the country – cornered 30 percent of this market. Since then, private equity ownership of these services has continued to grow.

Private equity firms also own two of the three largest emergency ambulance and air transport services – another major source of surprise medical billing. Private equity ownership matters because the business model of private equity firms is to use a lot of debt in a leveraged buyout of companies they acquire and then extract as much cash as possible out of them in order to pay down the debt and reward their investors with 'outsized returns' that exceed stock market gains. They can be thought of as for-profit corporations on steroids. Buying up specialty practices is financially attractive because there is a large and growing demand for outsourced doctors, and out-of-network doctors can command a substantial premium for their services.

Emergency rooms and certain medical services provided in hospitals are not really part of a competitive 'marketplace' because patients in emergency medical situations rarely have a choice: they need immediate medical care and cannot 'shop around' for an in-network trauma doctor or radiologist.

Thus, surprise bills are difficult to avoid if patients face a medical emergency and must go to the ER or if they are hospitalized and require access to specialty medical services. How Widespread is Surprise Billing and Why Has It Grown?

Surprise medical billing is exacerbating the already serious problem of medical debt in this country, which is a leading cause of bankruptcy for American families. [i] And surprise billing is growing rapidly. Forty percent of Americans surveyed by the Kaufman Family Foundation in April, 2019, reported receiving an unexpected medical bill; and 20 percent of those surveyed said it was due to out-of-network charges – or surprise billing. [ii] A study by health researchers at Stanford University, for example, examined fees charged to patients with private insurance who were treated by the emergency department of a hospital. They reviewed 13.6 million trips to the ER that occurred over the period 2010 to 2016. About a third (32.3 percent) of these trips in 2010 resulted in a surprise medical bill. But by 2016, that figure had increased to 42.8 percent. That is, more than 4 in 10 trips to the ER ended with patients getting a surprise medical bill. [iii]

For in-patient stays, surprise billing rose from 26 percent to 42 percent, and the average costs per patient also jumped from $804 to $2,040. At this rate of increase, the estimated percent of hospital visits resulting in a surprise bill would be 48 percent in 2019 – or almost one half.

The study also found that in 2016, 86% of ER visits and nearly 82% of hospital admissions incurred surprise ambulance service bills. Similarly, another 2019 study found that patients who are admitted to a hospital from the ER are much more likely to receive an out-of-network charge -- as many as 26% of admissions from the emergency room were found to include a surprise bill. The study also found that 38 percent of Americans are 'very worried' and another 29 percent are 'somewhat worried' about being able to afford surprise medical bills.

People particularly vulnerable to these charges are those with coverage from large employers that are self-insured. And vulnerability also varied by region, with Texas, New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Kansas having higher rates of surprise billing; and Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Maine, and Mississippi having lower rates. [iv] While large surprise medical bills are typically associated with doctors in the ER or in specialties such as radiology, anesthesiology, or critical care units such as neo-natal, burn, or trauma centers, other out-of-network physicians may also issue surprise bills. For example, those who assist a patient's doctor in a procedure or hospitalists who check on patients during hospital stays can also charge separately for their services.

The Stanford study found that the likelihood that a patient admitted to an in-network hospital would face a surprise medical bill because at least one out-of-network doctor cared for them increased from 26.3 percent 2010 to 42.0 percent in 2016. A particularly egregious instance occurred when an assistant surgeon sent a bill for $117,000 to a patient who had surgery for herniated discs in his neck.

The patient's own in-network surgeon sent a bill for $133,000, but accepted a fee of $6,200 negotiated with the insurance company. The out-of-network assistant surgeon is seeking full payment of his charges. This is a particularly egregious example, but surprise bills for a few thousand dollars are not uncommon. [v]

The problem of surprise billing has grown substantially in recent years because hospitals have been under financial pressure to reduce overall costs and have turned to outsourcing expensive and critical services to third-party providers as a cost-reduction strategy. Outsourcing is not new, as hospitals began outsourcing non-medical ancillary services such as facilities management and food services in the 1980s, in response to a round of structural changes in government financing.

By the 1990s, hospitals were experimenting with the use of independent 'hospitalists' to care for patients between rounds by the local admitting doctors who had a hospital affiliation. Hospitalists' numbers increased over the next two decades as hospital staffing firms grew and provided a range of temporary or short-term professionals to fill shortages in nursing, technical, or clinical positions. [vi]

Recent outsourcing, however, has expanded to critical care areas – emergency rooms, radiology, anesthesiology, surgical care, and specialized units for burn, trauma, or neo-natal care. Now hospitals contract with specialty physician practices or professional physician staffing firms to provide these services – even if the patient receives treatment at a hospital or at an outpatient center that is in the patients' insurance network. According to one study, surprise billing is concentrated in those hospitals that have outsourced their emergency rooms. [vii] A recent report found that almost 65 percent of U.S. hospitals now have emergency rooms that are staffed by outside companies. [viii] Hospitals and healthcare systems have accelerated their outsourcing of critical care areas since 2010 in part due to declines in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements and to incentives under the Affordable Care Act to reduce costs and improve care quality. [ix]

At the same time, on the supply side, hospitalist companies were merging and buying up practices of specialists employed mainly in hospitals. Hospitalist companies evolved into physician staffing firms and expanded to include staffing for emergency rooms (ERs), anesthesiology and radiology departments, and burn and neonatal intensive care units in hospitals across the country. The business case for hospitals to outsource was straightforward. Emergency rooms are a major point of entry for patients who are admitted to hospitals, and thus, a major conduit for the in-patient hospital stays that are critical for hospital revenue generation. But they are costly and difficult to manage as they must be adequately staffed on a 24/7 basis regardless of patient flow, which is unpredictable. Outsourcing the management, staffing, and billing of ER services shifts these management problems and the risk of underpayment for these services to the staffing firm or a specialty doctors' practice. Hospital emergency rooms cannot turn patients away if they lack adequate insurance coverage or any insurance at all; they must treat all patients. Emergency departments make money on ER visits of patients with commercial insurance, but lose money on those with Medicare or Medicaid, and see very high losses when patients have no insurance. [x]

Private Equity's Business Model: Its Role in Outsourcing and Consolidating Specialty Services Private equity firms have played a critical role in consolidating physicians' practices into large national staffing firms with substantial bargaining power vis-à-vis hospitals and insurance companies. They have also bought up other emergency providers, such as ambulance and medical transport services. They grow by buying up many small specialty practices and 'rolling them up' into umbrella organizations that serve healthcare systems across the United States. Mergers of large physician staffing firms to create national powerhouses have also occurred. As these companies grow in scale and scope and become the major providers of outsourced services, they have gained greater market power in their negotiations with both hospitals and insurance companies: hospitals with whom they contract to provide services and insurance companies who are responsible for paying the doctors' bills. Hospitals have consolidated in order to gain market share and negotiate higher insurance payments for procedures.

Healthcare costs have been driven up further by the dynamics associated with payments for out-of-network services. As physicians' practices merge or are bought out and rolled up by private equity firms, their ability to raise prices that patients or their insurance companies pay for these doctors' services increases. The larger the share of the market these physician staffing firms control, the greater their ability to charge high out-of-network fees. The likelihood of surprise medical bills goes up, and this is especially true when Insurance companies find few doctors with these specialties in a given region with whom they can negotiate reasonable charges for their services. The design of the private equity business model is geared to driving up the costs of patient care. Private equity funds rely on the classic leveraged buyout model (LBO) in which they use substantial debt to buyout companies (in this case specialty physician practices as well as ambulance services) because debt multiplies returns if the investment is successful. They target companies that have a steady and high cash flow so they can manage the cash in order to service the debt and make high enough returns to pay their investors 'outsized returns' that exceed the stock market. [xi]

Emergency medical practices are a perfect buyout target because demand is inelastic, that is, it does not decline when prices go up. Moreover, demand for these services is large – almost 50 percent of medical care comes from emergency room visits, according to a 2017 national study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and demand has steadily increased. [xii]

PE firms believe they face little or no downside market risk in these buyouts. Private-equity owned companies differ from publicly traded for-profit chains not only in their greater use of debt, but also because the private equity firm, via the general partner of the investment fund it sponsors, makes all investment decisions on behalf of the investor shareholders. Investors commit capital to a PE-sponsored fund, typically for 10 years, and have no say in investment decisions. Thus, the PE general partner's power is concentrated and largely unaccountable, as investors cannot 'exit' or sell their shares if they are dissatisfied – unlike shareholders in publicly traded corporations. [xiii]

In addition, PE firms charge their portfolio companies additional 'advisory fees' and 'transactions fees' that can amount to millions of dollars over time. And because PE owned companies are not publicly traded on the stock exchange, they are not required to file a detailed report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the way that publicly traded companies must do. Their activities and their financial transactions are largely hidden from the public eye, despite the fact that they receive substantial taxpayer funding from Medicare and Medicaid for their services, though not for surprise charges. Two private-equity owned physician-staffing firms dominate the market for outsourced doctors' practices -- Envision Healthcare, owned by KKR with 69,300 employees, and TeamHealth owned by Blackstone Group with 20,000 employees. KKR also is a major owner (along with other private equity firms) of AirMedicalGroup Holdings -- one of the nation's three largest ambulance and air transport companies.

We also showcase private equity owned Air Methods medical transport company. These examples help illuminate how and why private equity firms have become national powerhouses in the provision of professional healthcare services and why their activities and those of other private equity firms in this sector are leading to higher healthcare costs for patients and the industry as a whole.

Envision Healthcare
Envision Healthcare today is the result of fifteen years of private equity transactions in buying up and consolidating emergency ambulance and specialty physicians' practices. It was formed in 2005 when private equity firm Onex took over two companies -- American Medical Response (AMR) and EmCare -- and merged them. In and out of private equity ownership since 2005, Envision most recently was acquired by KKR in October, 2018 in a public to private leveraged buyout worth $9.9 billion. Its sprawling organization employs tens of thousands of healthcare professionals; and it supplies doctors in 774 physician practices to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers throughout the United States. It provides ER doctors, anesthesiologists, radiologists, hospitalists, and other specialists covering intensive care, medical, neo-natal, pediatrics, psychiatric, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and other inpatient units.

Its outpatient ambulatory surgical arm (AMSURG) provides trauma and acute care general surgery in 260 facilities in 35 states. [xiv]

Between 2005 and 2018, Envision provided two types of emergency medical services: an ambulance and medical transport business through American Medical Response (AMR) and emergency physician staffing through EmCare Holdings.

Today, Envision focuses on physician staffing services as it sold the ambulance and transport business in a $2.4 billion leveraged buyout in 2018 to another private equity consortium that still includes KKR (as we detail below). The prior ownership patterns of AMR and EmCare were similar. American Medical Response was listed as a publicly traded company as of August 1992; and in February, 1997, it was acquired by ambulance company MedTrans, a subsidiary of Laidlaw International. At an undisclosed date between 1997 and 2005, PE firm Peak Capital invested an undisclosed amount in the company. Like AMR, EmCare Holdings was acquired by Laidlaw International in the summer of 1997 and subsequently received an undisclosed amount of investment from PE firm Peak Capital.

Emergency physician practices figured prominently among EmCare's 10 acquisitions and 17 sister physician staffing and management firms. [xv] In December 2005, just months after acquiring and merging AMR and EmCare, Onex brought Envision Healthcare to the public market via an IPO in which it retained a majority of the shares. Subsequent sales of shares left Onex with 31 percent of the company's equity at the time it was again taken private, this time by Clayton Dubilier & Rice with participation of PE firm Ardian through a $3.2 billion LBO in May 2011. An IPO in 2013 returned Envision Healthcare to the public market. The PE owners retained about two-thirds of the shares of the now-publicly traded company. The PE companies subsequently sold some of the stock. And in September 2017, two hedge funds – Starboard Value and Comex Management – took minority stakes in Envision Healthcare.

Between July 2006 and October 2018, Envision Healthcare acquired 39 companies. [xvi] Envision Healthcare bought out AMSURG in December 2016 after AMSURG failed in an attempt to acquire TeamHealth (described below). The deal brought together two seemingly complementary healthcare companies to form a single organization with pro forma market capitalization of $10 billion and an enterprise value including debt of approximately $15 billion. A little over $8 billion of this was new debt.

However, KKR contributed $5.57 billion to the deal, using $4.43 billion to retire Envision's prior liabilities and the remainder mainly as equity in the LBO.

Adding AMSURG's large chain of ambulatory surgical centers was supposed to make Envision Healthcare a dominant player across the outsourced medical services landscape – emergency room doctors, hospitalists, outpatient surgery, and ground and air ambulance. But integrating the two health care companies – with a combined 69,300 employees as of December 2017 – proved difficult for publicly traded Envision Healthcare. [xvii] Envision Healthcare appears to be extremely profitable, but its financials are murky, with no publicly available accounting of its transactions with each round of private equity buyouts. And under private equity ownership, when companies are taken private or pass from one private equity fund to another, there is no transparency.

Each private equity buyout, however, is typically accompanied by levering substantial debt on the target company, which must be serviced by managing for cash. Emergency medical services are attractive to private equity firms and are very lucrative because they throw off a lot of cash, and as noted earlier, demand is inelastic and the fees are not subject to competitive market pricing. The contracts negotiated between these physician staffing companies and hospitals also are not publicly available. Depending on how they are crafted, they may provide incentives to outsource even more ER departments, and in turn increase out-of-network billing. One Wall Street investor analysis, for example, highlights Envision's 'joint venture' model that raises serious questions.

A 2013 analysis by Deutsche Bank Securities described a 2012 joint venture between EmCare and the HCA Healthcare chain – with a history of private equity ownership between 2006 and 2011 and substantial PE ownership of shares following its 2011 IPO. HCA apparently agreed to give up directly charging for physicians' services and outsourced these services to EmCare in exchange for a 50-50 profit split once EmCare achieved a 13% margin threshold, according to the Deutsche Bank calculation. This allowed EmCare to " penetrate HCA's 160+ hospital portfolio more deeply with its physician offerings." As of 2014, EmCare valued its HCA joint venture at a net revenue of $124 million, with assets of $155 million and liabilities of $31 million, according to the company's SEC filing. The filing identified similar joint ventures with hospitals involving Evolution Health (also owned by Envision). [xviii]

Commenting on EmCare's relations with hospitals, Benedic Ippolito, a research fellow in public finance and health economics at the American Enterprise Institute, noted, "Right now, EmCare surprise bills patients and hospitals effectively turn a blind eye." [xix] Envision has come under heavy scrutiny for the huge out-of-network surprise medical bills it sends to ER patients.

A team of Yale University health economists examined the billing practices of EmCare, Envision's physician staffing arm. [xx] They found that when EmCare took over the management of emergency departments, it nearly doubled its charges for caring for patients compared to the charges billed by previous physician groups. These egregious practices have resulted in a Congressional investigation headed by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, lawsuits from shareholders, and court actions involving Envision and UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. insurer. [xxi]

TeamHealth

TeamHealth has also grown into a powerful national healthcare professional staffing company with 20,000 employees. It contracts with hospitals to provide doctors and other healthcare professionals as ER staff, anesthesiologists, hospitalists, and hospital specialists (OB/GYN, orthopedics, general surgery, pediatric services); and in post-acute care, ambulatory care, and behavioral health. [xxii] The company experienced successive rounds of private equity leveraged buyouts punctuated by IPOs that returned it to the public markets – only to be taken private again through another LBO. In 1999, private equity firms Cornerstone Equity Investors and Madison Dearborn Partners, with minority participation of Becken Petry O'Keefe and Company, acquired TeamHealth as a platform for a physician staffing company. According to PitchBook (an industry research and data firm), TeamHealth acquired an anesthesiology practice, a hospitalist company, and a health management business in its first two years. It made no further acquisitions until after it was acquired by the Blackstone Group in 2005 in a leveraged secondary buyout (in which one PE fund sells a company to another PE fund). TeamHealth made two more acquisitions between 2005 and 2009 – an emergency physician's group and a hospitalist company.

In 2009, Blackstone Group returned TeamHealth to the public market via an IPO, but retained possession of a majority of shares in the newly public company. Passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, with its promise of cost containment via capitated and bundled payments, spurred TeamHealth to go on a buying spree. Between 2010 and 2016, TeamHealth acquired 51 companies, mainly practices of emergency doctors and anesthesiologists and a few hospital management companies. One very large exception to this pattern was TeamHealth's 2015 acquisition of IPC Healthcare. [xxiii]

IPC Healthcare was a major hospitalist company. In its early years, it attracted four rounds of venture capital investments between 1998, when it was launched as IPC The Health Company, and 2002. In June 2002, IPC had an IPO and began its life as a publicly traded company. Between 2002 and 2009, IPC acquired 20 physician practices. Between 2010 and 2015, following passage of the ACA, it acquired 78 more. The companies acquired by IPC were overwhelmingly hospitalist companies with a smattering of doctor's practices in specialties such as geriatrics. [xxiv]

TeamHealth's acquisition of IPC in 2015 raised questions. There was no evident fit between TeamHealth's specialty physician practices and IPC's hospitalist companies. IPC was also in trouble with the Department of Justice, which in June 2014, had filed a civil lawsuit against the company for "knowingly engaging in systematic overbilling" for services billed to Medicare and Medicaid and other government health programs. Ultimately, TeamHealth paid $60 million plus interest to resolve these allegations. [xxv] This fueled speculation that TeamHealth, which had rebuffed AMSURG's attempt to acquire it, wanted this very large acquisition in order to protect itself from being taken over. TeamHealth's explanation was that it wanted IPC's expertise in participating in Medicare and Medicaid bundled payments programs. [xxvi]

In February 2017, Blackstone Group once again took TeamHealth private in a $6.1 billion leveraged buyout. Similar to Envision Healthcare, the financials of TeamHealth are murky. After many LBOs, its revenues, debt load, and financial stability remain unknown, as do the contracts it negotiates with the phyisician groups it has acquired and the hospitals it contracts with for services.

And like Envision, its billing practices are being scrutinized. The Yale researchers who investigated EmCare and found excessive use of surprise medical billing also examined TeamHealth's billing practices. They found that Blackstone owned TeamHealth has taken a somewhat different tack. It uses the threat of sending high out-of-network surprise bills for ER doctors' services to an insurance company's covered patients to gain high fees from the company as in-network doctors. In most cases, the researchers noted, TeamHealth emergency physicians would go out-of-network for a few months, then rejoin the network after bargaining for in-network payment rates that were 68 percent higher than in-network rates received by the previous ER doctors. [xxvii] While this avoids the situation of a patient getting a large, surprise medical bill for the services of ER doctors, it raises healthcare costs and premiums for everyone.

Emergency Ambulance and Air Transport Services

Emergency ambulance and air transport is also a lucrative target for private equity investment, which has fueled consolidation in this industry segment. Demand is inelastic – there is no competitive market pricing. And demand for air transport has grown considerably because many rural hospitals have closed or consolidated, leading to far longer distances for access to emergency care. Two of the three air transport companies that together control two-thirds of this US market are private equity owned – AirMedicalGroup Holdings and Air Methods. The third, PHI Air Medical, is privately owned. [xxviii]

Returning to the Envision story, recall that American Medical Response (AMR) was the ambulance service division that Envision spun off in 2018. Before the divestiture, however, AMR grew to a national powerhouse in the decade from 2007 to2017 through 12 acquisitions of ambulance and medical transport businesses and one air ambulance company7. In addition to these acquisitions, AMR has seven sister companies – mainly ambulance companies, including several air ambulance businesses. It was acquired in 2017 by air ambulance company, AirMedicalGroup Holdings (AMGH) -- owned by PE firms Ardian, Koch Equity Development, and KKR -- in a $2.4 billion leveraged buyout. With this acquisition, AirMedicalGroup now holds a leading position in emergency and medical transport across a range of transport modalities. [xxix] The acquisition merged the largest provider of ground ambulance services in the U.S. with a leading operator of medical helicopters, with over 320 locations in 38 states. [xxx] The combined entity creates the opportunity for KKR to substitute its more expensive medical helicopters for short trips previously done by AMR's ambulances. [xxxi]

Air Methods became private equity owned in 2017, when it was acquired by American Securities and Alpinvest Partners through a $2.5 billion public-to-private LBO. The company's air medical transport services operate out of over 300 bases in 48 states. [xxxii] The buyout came in response to pressure from activist hedge fund investor, J. Daniel Plants, founder of Voce Capital Management. Concerned about the bad publicity surrounding predatory charges by air ambulance companies, Plants wanted Air Methods to agree to be taken private by a PE firm in order to keep information about its billing practices out of public view. According to the hedge fund, Air Methods big price hikes created economic and political risks for the company. Going private would shield its financial documents from patients and insurers. The hedge fund was right to be concerned about Air Methods predatory billing practices. The average bill for being transported in one of its medical helicopters was $17,262 in 2009 and had risen to $40,766 in 2014. Air Methods calculates that it accounts for nearly 30 percent of total air ambulance revenue in the U.S. Its profit increased sevenfold from 2004 to 2014. [xxxiii]

In general, charges for out-of-network ambulance services are likely to be high. In the case of air ambulances, they are exceedingly high – not only due to the high costs of air travel, but especially because an estimated 69 percent of charges are out-of-network -- according to a 2017 US General Accountability Office (GAO) study of private insurance records for 2012-2017. That is, insured patients in these cases ended up being billed for most of the charge. The GAO study also found that the median price for helicopter service doubled between 2010 and 2014 – from roughly $15,000 to $30,000 per tri;p it also found that the average cost of an air ambulance trip is over $36,000. . [xxxiv] Another study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found charges were likely to be – as they put it – sky high. The study found that air ambulance charges had risen substantially from 2012 to 2016, and in 2016 these charges ranged from 4 to 9 times higher than what Medicare paid for this service. Some of the largest providers had among the highest charges. Between 2012 and 2016, the median charge ratios (the charge divided by the Medicare rate) for the services increased by 46-61 percent. [xxxv]

Legislative Solutions

Some hospitals have attempted to solve the problem of surprise billing on their own by simply requiring all attending physicians in their hospitals to remain in-network – receiving payment from the insurance companies with whom the hospital has contracted. This has been the traditional approach used by hospitals in managed care networks. According to John Cascell, Senior Vice President of Managed Care at MemorialCare Health System in Fountain Valley, California, "Such stipulations were commonplace decades ago, but some experts say the practice slipped out of favor around 2000 as major physician staffing companies -- which tend to make more money when they're out of network -- gained market power." [xxxvi] MemorialCare, however, has retained this long-standing policy, which Cascell supports. The downside of this approach, however, is that it may shift bargaining power to insurance companies who will seek to set lower in-network payments for specialty services. In these cases, according to Cascell, MemorialCare takes a strong role in negotiating with insurance companies to maintain reasonable payments. [xxxvii]

More generally, the public, healthcare providers, insurers, and state and federal legislators recognize that individual solutions are only stop-gap measures and that no individual hospital can solve the pervasive problem of surprise medical billing on its own. Twenty-five states have passed legislation that aims to protect patients from surprise billing, but these laws do not fully cover all types of situations. Over seventy-five percent of Americans believe that the federal government should step in and protect them from surprise bills, according to a Kaufman Family Foundation April, 2019 national survey. The same survey found that 90 percent of Democrats, three-quarters of Independents, and 60 percent of Republicans favored federal legislation to protect patients. [xxxviii] Americans differ, however, in who they think should bear the costs of care. According to the Kaufman survey, about half say insurance companies alone should cover the costs of care (43 percent) while about half favor joint responsibility between providers and insurance companies (47 percent). [xxxix]

Two approaches to 'fixing' surprise medical bills have been put forward. One would benchmark the fees paid to out-of-network doctors to the negotiated fees received by in-network doctors in that region for the procedure performed or the service provided. This would have the effect of holding down health care costs by setting limits to what out-of-network physicians can charge. In the second approach, out-of-network doctors would immediately be paid a given amount by the patient's insurance company – possibly 125 percent of the Medicare payment or, alternatively, the median payment for that procedure or service in the geographic region – and could then take the insurance company to arbitration in an effort to collect the balance of the patient's bill.

The second approach has the potential to raise health care costs if arbitration panels award out-of-network doctors all or a major part of the fees they charge. This approach, which is favored by investor-owned physician staffing firms and by large physician practice groups, would further raise health care costs for consumers. Even if many of these physician practices became in-network doctors, as Envision now claims to be doing [xl] , the threat of going out-of-network remains. As the TeamHealth example illustrates, this allows physician staffing firms to negotiate high in-network rates that drive up premium costs for consumers.

In sum, there is growing concern over the pricing practices of companies like Envision, TeamHealth, AirMedicalGroup, and Air Methods -- leading emergency healthcare companies owned and operated by private equity firms. There is little oversight of the prices they charge, and evidence suggests that these companies are among those responsible for driving up health costs by taking advantage of the possibilities for surprise medical billing. But they are not alone, as private equity firms buy out medical services in specialties other than trauma and radiology and as large physician practices take a page from the PE playbook when setting fees. Reining in these charges is critical to efforts to slow the growth or even reduce health care costs.

[i] Mireya Villarreal. 2019. "Insurance Gap Leaves Patients on the Hook for Unexpected Hospital Bills." CBS News TMarch 18, 6:45 PM https://www.cbsnews.com/news/insurance-gap-leaves-patients-on-the-hook-for-unexpected-hospital-bills/ (last accessed August 17, 2019)

[ii] Ashley Kirzinger, Bryan Wu, and Mollyann Brodie. 2019. "KFF Health Tracking Poll – April 2019: Surprise Medical Bills and Public's View of the Supreme Court and Continuing Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions." Figure 13. Kaufman Family Foundation. April 24. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-april-2019/ (last accessed August 20, 2019)

[iii] Eric C. Sun, Michelle M. Mello, Jasmin Moshfegh, et al. 2019. "An Assessment of Out-of-Network Billing for Privately Insured Patients Receiving Care in In-Network Hospitals," American Medical Association JAMA Internal Medicine, August 12. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2740802?guestaccesskey=9fba6e0c-f029-401a-9675-737db3e67b5d&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=081219&alert=article (last accessed August 18, 2019)

[iv] Karen Pollitz , Matthew Rae , Gary Claxton , Cynthia Cox and Larry Levitt . 2019. "An Examination of Surprise Medical Bills and Proposals to Protect Consumers from Them." Kaiser Family Foundation . June 20. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/an-examination-of-surprise-medical-bills-and-proposals-to-protect-consumers-from-them/# (last accessed August 16, 2019)

[v] Elisabeth Rosenthal. 2014. "After Surgery, Surprise $117,000 Medical Bill from Doctor He Didn't Know," New York Times , September 20. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/us/drive-by-doctoring-surprise-medical-bills.html ; (last accessed August 12, 2019); Sun, Mello, Moshfegh, et al. 2019.

[vi] Mark A. Marinella. 2002. "Hospitalists – Where They Came From, Who They Are, and What They Do," Hospital Physician , May.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c1a1/4f8e3e2f70489380db025235661b80d84349.pdf (last accessed July 23, 2019) ,

[vii] Zack Cooper, Fiona Scott Morton and Nathan Shekita. 2018. "Surprise! Out-of-Network Billing for Emergency Room Services in the U.S.," Yale University Working Paper , March. https://isps.yale.edu/sites/default/files/publication/2018/03/20180305_oon_paper2_tables_appendices.pdf (last accessed August 1, 2019)

[viii] Mireya Villarreal. 2019.

[ix] Beckers Hospital Review. 2013. "Outsourcing is Exploding in Healthcare -- Will the Trend Last?" October 4. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/outsourcing-is-exploding-in-healthcare-will-the-trend-last.html (last accessed August 25, 2019)

[x] Zack Cooper, Fiona Scott Morton and Nathan Shekita. 2018.

[xi] For a detailed explanation of the PE business model, see Chapter 2, Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batt. 2014. Private Equity at Work: When Wall Street Manages Main Street , NY: Russell Sage Foundation Press.

[xii] Jeff Lagasse. 2017. "Nearly Half of Medical Care Comes from Emergency Rooms, Study Shows."

https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/nearly-half-medical-care-comes-emergency-rooms-study-shows (last accessed July 13, 2019).

[xiii] Rosemary Batt and Eileen Appelbaum. 2019. "The Agency Costs of Private Equity: Why do Limited Partners Funds Still Invest?" Academy of Management Perspectives. Forthcoming.

[xiv] Envision Physician Services. https://www.envisionphysicianservices.com/; https://www.amsurg.com/ (last accessed August 22, 2019)

[xv] PitchBook_EmCare_2019_08_10_14_18_43, EmCare Company Profile dated July 27, 2019.

[xvi] PitchBook_Envision_Healthcare_2019_08_10_16_06_31, Envision Healthcare Profile dated July 27, 2019; Brooke Sutherland. 2018. "It's the Great Health Care Buyout Shuffle," Think Advisor , June 11. https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2018/06/11/its-the-great-health-care-buyout-shuffle/?slreturn=20190710143530 (last accessed August 13, 2019)

[xvii] PitchBook. 2019. Envision Healthcare Profile dated July 27, 2019.

[xviii] Susannah Luthi. 2019. "In Battle Over Surprise Bills, Senate Ponders Requiring In-Network Rates." June 12. https://www.modernhealthcare.com/physicians/battle-over-surprise-bills-senate-ponders-requiring-network-rates (last accessed August 10, 2019).

[xix] Susannah Luthi. 2019.

[xx] Zack Cooper, Fiona Scott Morton and Nathan Shekita. 2018.

[xxi] Michael J. de la Merced. 2018. "K.K.R. Said to Be Near Deal to Acquire Envision Healthcare," New York Times , June 10. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/10/business/dealbook/kkr-envision-healthcare-deal.html?dlbk=&emc=edit_dk_20180611&nl=dealbook&nlid=70726928_dk_20180611&te=1 ; Shelby Livingston. 2018. "UnitedHealth Hits Back at Envision over ER Billing Practices," Modern Healthcare , March 20. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180320/NEWS/180329992 ; Senator Claire McCaskill's letter to Envision can be found here https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2017-09-20%20CMC%20Ltr%20to%20EmCare%20re%20Pricing.pdf (last accessed August 2, 2019)

[xxii] TeamHealth. 2019. Our Company. https://www.teamhealth.com/our-company/ (last accessed August 22, 2019).

[xxiii] PitchBook. 2019. Team_Health_Holdings_2019_08_09_17_21_39, TeamHealth Holdings Company Profile dated July 27, 2019.

[xxiv] PitchBook. 2019. IPC_Healthcare_2019_08_09_17_57_38, IPC Healthcare Company Profile dated July 27, 2019.

[xxv] U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois. 2014. "U.S. Files Lawsuit against IPC The Hospitalist Company, Alleges Overbilling of Federal Health Insurers for Physician Services," Department of Justice , June 17. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/us-files-lawsuit-against-ipc-hospitalist-company-alleges-overbilling-federal-health ; M.L. McLaren. 2017. "$11M Whistleblower Award on TeamHealth $60M Overbilling Medicare & Medicaid at IPC Healthcare," Whistleblower News Review , February 27. https://www.whistleblowergov.org/healthcare-and-pharma.php?article=TeamHealth-pays-60M-on-IPC-Healthcare-Upcoding-Fraud-Whistleblower-Allegations_107 (last accessed August 19, 2019)

[xxvi] Jason Carris. 2015. "TeamHealth Announces $1.6 Billion Acquisition of IPC Healthcare," The Hospitalist , August 4. http://www.the-hospitalist.org/article/teamhealth-announces-1-6-billion-acquisition-of-ipc-healthcare/ ; Steven Ross Johnson. 2015. "Why TeamHealth Plans to Pay $1.6 billion for IPC Healthcare," Modern Healthcare , August 4. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150804/NEWS/150809978 (last accessed August 16, 2019)

[xxvii] Zack Cooper, Fiona Scott Morton, and Nathan Shekita. 2018.

[xxviii] United States Government Accountability Office. 2019. "Air Ambulance: Available Data Show Privately-Insured Patients Are at Financial Risk," GAO, March. https://www.gao.gov/assets/700 (last accessed August 25, 2019)

[xxix] PitchBook. 2019. American_Medical_Response_2019_8_10_13_21_18, American Medical Response Company Profile dated July 27, 2019.

[xxx] AirMedCare Network. 2019. https://www.airmedcarenetwork.com/coverage/ (last accessed August 22, 2019)

[xxxi] Carl O'Donnell. 2017. "Exclusive: Buyout Firm KKR in Lead to Acquire Envision's Ambulance Unit – Sources," Reuters , July 14. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-envision-healthcare-m-a-kkr-idUSKBN19X309 (last accessed July 19, 2019)

[xxxii] PitchBook. 2019. Air Methods Company Profile dated August 25, 2019.

[xxxiii] Bob Herman. 2017. "Air Methods Bought Out for $2.5 Billion," Axios , March 14. https://www.axios.com/air-methods-bought-out-for-25-billion-1513300942-29d45472-f787-4c79-9eea-7f38ae92a371.html ; Peter Eavis. 2015. "Air Ambulances Offer a Lifeline and Then a Sky-High Bill," New York Times , May5. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/business/rescued-by-an-air-ambulance-but-stunned-at-the-sky-high-bill.html?_r=0 (last accessed July 28, 2019)

[xxxiv] United States Government Accountability Office. 2019.

[xxxv] Ga Bai, Arjun Chanmugam, Valerie Y. Suslow, and Gerard F. Anderson. 2019. "Air Ambulances with Sky-High Charges," Health Affairs , July: 38(7):1195-1200. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31260345 (last accessed August 19, 2019)

[xxxvi] Tara Bannow. 2019. "Hospitals' Solution to Surprise Out-Of-Network Bills: Make Physicians Go In-Network." Modern Healthcare. January 12. https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20190112/TRANSFORMATION04/190119990/hospitals-solution-to-surprise-out-of-network-bills-make-physicians-go-in-network (last accessed August 13, 2019)

[xxxvii] Tara Bannow. 2019.

[xxxviii] Ashley Kirzinger, Bryan Wu, and Mollyann Brodie. 2019. Figures 10-11.

[xxxix] Ashley Kirzinger, Bryan Wu, and Mollyann Brodie. 2019. Figures 12.

[xl] Envision's website states that it is committed to negotiating contracts for 'in-network status whenever possible.' https://www.evhc.net/endsurprisecoverage (last accessed August 20, 2019)

[Aug 30, 2019] Angry Bear Purdue Offers Up $10 12 Billion to Settle All Lawsuits MedPage Update by run75441

Aug 27, 2019 | angrybearblog.com

Just revealed:

The opioid/OxyContin maker Purdue and members of the billionaire Sackler family owning the company have offered to settle thousands of lawsuits against the company for $10 to $12 billion. according to people briefed on the offer. More than 2,000 states, cities, and counties across America are pursuing the OxyContin maker over the large bills for cleaning up the opioid crisis -- and are deciding whether to accept the offer by Friday. The Financial Times is reporting on this offer from the Sacklers and Purdue.

On August 26, Purdue paid $270 million to Oklahoma and Teva Pharmaceuticals paid $75 million also to Oklahoma.

From the Financial Times: "Purdue said it believes a 'constructive global resolution is the best way forward' and is working with state attorneys-general and other plaintiffs to achieve it. While Purdue Pharma is prepared to defend itself vigorously in the opioid litigation, the company has made clear that it sees little good coming from years of wasteful litigation and appeals".

For all the harm done to this nation due to purposeful deceit and lies on the use of opioids claiming it was not addictive, someone needs to go to prison from the Sackler family.

Purdue Exposed

Medpage Today, Kristina Fiore, August 28,2019

I suspect with the new information being available, Purdue finally threw in the towel and offered a settlement. I also suspect this will impact other companies decisions to appeal as J & J is doing.

STAT News Wins Legal Fight Over Purdue Documents

A trove of documents detailing Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid epidemic will be made public, STAT News reported, as the Kentucky Supreme Court denied the company's request to review lower courts' decisions to release them.

STAT waged a 3.5-year legal battle to make those records public. While some remain under seal, the outlet posted a sought-after video deposition of Richard Sackler. It had obtained a transcript of that deposition in February, which gained further attention when comedian John Oliver hired famous actors including Bryan Cranston and Michael Keaton to re-enact it.

The documents promise new information on how Purdue promoted its oxycodone product OxyContin and what, exactly, its executives knew about its risk of addiction. Among those documents are depositions of other Purdue executives; physician testimony; emails and memos about marketing strategies; internal reports on clinical trials; and communications about earlier legal cases.

All of the documents were part of Kentucky's lawsuit against Purdue over its alleged illegal marketing of OxyContin. That suit was settled in 2015, with Purdue shelling out $24 million.

Purdue may soon be paying a far higher bill, with media including NBC News reporting that the company has pitched a $10 to $12-billion settlement in the consolidated cases set to go to trial before a federal judge in Ohio in October.

This does not bode well for Purdue, its settlement, or threat of years of litigation. The smoking gun was always there and pieces of it can be found in previous posts of mine. Relating the US Senate Joint Committee numbers to when Oxycontin was introduced after 1995 and the incremental increase in deaths from opioids, the use of a part of the Porter and Jink letter to the NEJM which said opioids were not addictive " minus the part where it said when used in a hospital setting ," the abuse of the Porter and Jink letter in the number of citations , the millions spent in lobbying state legislatures to block new laws, etc.

John Oliver uses Keaton and Cranston to portray Richard Sackler in this 20 minute Clip. It is worth watching. " the launch (Oxycontin) would be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition. The blizzard will be so deep, dense, and white,."

  1. wooley , August 28, 2019 10:19 am

    Run .I am a 30 year veteran of being a sales person and at times, a sales executive in the networking industry. What these stories reveal is a sustained effort by this company and others to sell as many pills as possible without any controls or brakes on what any responsible sales executive would notice the second his point of sale report came in showing massive amounts of sales to certain individuals or areas. There is no way I can accept that this was not under the control of both sales and marketing at this company. They made bundles of money for years on sales of these highly addictive drugs. They ignored sales to abusers of prescriptions that likely formed the basis for the addiction of millions in order to make quotas and gain bonus money. This stinks to high heaven. Some blame doctors rightly so but do not let them off the hook. A point of sale report shows exactly where all these pills are being sold and Perdue sales management decided not to give a damn.

  1. mike shupp , August 28, 2019 3:03 pm

    These people at Purdue Pharma and Teva are never going to go to prison or even face individual financial penalties -- after all, they are upper class capitalists!

    My suggestion: (1) Reflect that courts have decided that "Corporations are individuals!" And decide to punish the guilty individuals -- seize the corporations. The governments of the UK and USA ought to act to take over all assets of Purdue and Teva -- including all pharmacological products they own or have rights in. Nationalize them. Pay not one cent in compensation to stock holders. Stop paying all employees, and terminate any payments to pension funds. Cease all outgoing payments to suppliers and terminate all leases and real estate transactions.

    Then either operate the seized firms as a government operation, transfer all assets to the National Institute of Health for research purposes, or sell the real property on the open market to the highest bidder, with the purchase money being diverted to compensation of individuals unwittingly addicted to opioids. No one else should benefit from the continued existence of the guilty firms.

    (2) Alternately, state governments should feel encouraged to press for as much compensation as possible from the firms AND THEIR EXECUTIVES until all forced into complete bankruptcy.

    (3) Whichever alternative occurs, economic "experts" should recount this case and its resolution in the first chapter of any ECON 101 textbook they write, or describe the details in the first week or so of freshman/sophomore economic courses. Beginning economics students need to be made really clear about what "the Free Market" actually entails in the modern world. instead of swallowing Ayn Rand-ish fantasies.

    Sigh! To think I used to call myself a libertarian.

[Aug 29, 2019] Opiod epidemic is a a neoliberal Epidemics

Notable quotes:
"... My judgement includes findings of fact and conclusions of law that the state met its burden that the defendants Janssen and Johnson & Johnson's misleading marketing and promotion of opioids created a nuisance as defined by 50 O.S. Sec. 1 , including a finding that those actions compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans. ..."
"... Specifically, defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome in Oklahoma ..."
"... "As I just stated, the opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma. It must be abated immediately. For this reason, I am entering an abatement plan that consists of costs totaling $572,102,028 to immediately remediate the nuisance," Balkman said. "This is the amount of costs that I am constrained to order Janssen and Johnson & Johnson to pay based on the particulars of a nuisance claim and the evidence that was presented at trial. ..."
"... Gorsky also assured Johnson & Johnson's business partners the stimulants it plans to produce will be every bit as addictive as opioids and accompanied by an equally widespread misinformation campaign. ..."
Aug 29, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

Everything went according to neoliberal dogma: Greed is good

As nondoc.com reported:

"I've opted not to read the entire 42-page judgment," Balkman told a packed courtroom in Norman shortly before announcing the numbers in his verdict. "The opioid crisis is an eminent and menace to Oklahomans.

My judgement includes findings of fact and conclusions of law that the state met its burden that the defendants Janssen and Johnson & Johnson's misleading marketing and promotion of opioids created a nuisance as defined by 50 O.S. Sec. 1 , including a finding that those actions compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans.

Specifically, defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome in Oklahoma."

Balkman said the opioid crisis is a "temporary public nuisance that can be abated."

"As I just stated, the opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma. It must be abated immediately. For this reason, I am entering an abatement plan that consists of costs totaling $572,102,028 to immediately remediate the nuisance," Balkman said. "This is the amount of costs that I am constrained to order Janssen and Johnson & Johnson to pay based on the particulars of a nuisance claim and the evidence that was presented at trial.

"Whether additional programs and fundings are needed over an extended period of time, those are determinations to be made by our legislators and policy makers. In this moment and based on this record, this is what the court can and will do to abate the nuisance."

Balkman noted that he still has jurisdiction over the case , and that he almost certainly will be asked to make additional rulings.

"So it impossible for me to make any further statements about the trial or my ruling other than what I have said today," Balkman said.

Note that a judge, not a jury set the amount of damages to be awarded. A jury would almost certainly have awarded a higher payout by J & J (although that hypothetical amount may then have been reduced after appeal).

The amount J & J must now pay the state of Oklahoma is significantly greater than the $270 million Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin owned by the Sackler family, and the $85 million Teva Pharmaceuticals, separately agreed previously to settle each's respective Oklahoma claims. \

Additionally, Purdue and Teva also avoided incurring the costs of contesting a trial.


John Zelnicker , August 28, 2019 at 12:25 pm

Jerri-Lynn – Thank you for keeping us updated on the progress of these lawsuits. The pharmaceutical drug dealers need to be held accountable for the damage they have caused. The claim that OxyContin was not addictive, or less so than other opioids, was laughable to anyone who had some experience with them.

There have been three prosecutions locally of doctors who were giving out opioids like candy, even letting nurses write the scrips so the "patients" could be moved through the process more quickly.

I was a patient of one of those doctors (back problems, including surgery) for a while a couple of years before he was prosecuted, lost his license, and had to do some time in prison (IIRC). He seemed to follow most of the rules (and wrote all scrips himself), but was easily persuaded to increase a patient's dosage. Fortunately, I stopped taking opioids before things got hot.

Adam1 , August 28, 2019 at 12:39 pm

Unless it comes with several decades of jail time and confiscation of all private property obtained with ill begot gains (that's what we'd hand a major heroin dealer) then it's not a reasonable settlement.

J&J the company didn't do anything. It's just a legal, non-person thing. The criminals are the people running it and they need to be the ones held liable.

Don't get me wrong. J&J as a company needs to help fix this mess, but we can't let the real criminals slither into the night and drift off on their yachts drinking champagne bought with money taken from ruined families and communities.

PKMKII , August 28, 2019 at 12:43 pm

For context, J&J's net income for 2018 was $15.29 billion. So this particular verdict represents 3.74% of J&J's annual net income.

Annieb , August 28, 2019 at 1:37 pm

To get the full extent of Purdue's criminality, read "American Overdose." The author is Chris McGreal While reading it, I thought that this opioid epidemic began and developed in a similar fashion to the subprime mortgage fiasco with the same type of warnings, collusions and criminal fraud. Huge profits for the corporate criminals. And , tragically, the resulting human consequences, financial ruin in the one case and death in the other.

notabanktoadie , August 28, 2019 at 4:16 pm

In a healthy society, i.e. one with economic justice*, the demand for drugs would be small since there would be little need to escape reality per:

Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to him whose life is bitter.
Let him drink and forget his poverty
And remember his trouble no more.

Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Proverbs 31:6-9 [bold added]

*Which certainly would not include government privileges for private credit creation, i.e. for the banks and the rich, the most so-called credit worthy of what is then, in essence, the PUBLIC'S credit but for private profit.

DonCoyote , August 28, 2019 at 4:35 pm

Johnson & Johnson Pledges To Push Uppers For Couple Decades To Even Things Out (The Onion)

Gorsky also assured Johnson & Johnson's business partners the stimulants it plans to produce will be every bit as addictive as opioids and accompanied by an equally widespread misinformation campaign.

I think they forgot to mention that that's where $544 million of the $572 million settlement will go–back to J&J to produce, market, and distribute the uppers.

[Aug 25, 2019] Pruning the tree when spring starts

Aug 25, 2019 | angrybearblog.com

run75441 | August 25, 2019 8:00 pm

Healthcare Hot Topics End of month July and Pfizer is spinning off Upjohn to generic drug/device company Mylan NV. Pfizer bought 57% of the unnamed (mid – 2020) new company. This move comes under Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla who took over the reins from Ian Read in January, 2019. Bourla has been with Pfizer for 25 years. Before becoming the CEO, Bourla was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) overseeing the company's commercial strategy, manufacturing, and global product development functions.

CEO Bourla has been making strategic moves following what he has called a "pruning the tree when spring starts and Pfizer is in the spring of high growth" strategy. What caught my eye is this one comment in the Wall Street Journal about remaking Pfizer into a company focused on patent-protected prescription medicines with the potential for significant sales growth from a more diversified but slower-growing player. To me, this translate into a; "hey the Mylan EpiPen strategy worked, lets do the same with other products" strategy.

To date, he has overseen a restructuring at the company and made smaller deals to boost Pfizer's pipeline of cancer and other drugs under development. Still not the biggest deal which would make Pfizer a giant. He has been guiding the combining of a division selling Advil, vitamins, bathroom found meds with GlaxoSmithKline PLC's own consumer-health business to be spun off in a joint venture. Nothing earth-shattering there.

CEO Bourla focus for Pfizer on higher profit, exclusive, prescription drugs while moving the rest of its lower profit operations into other ventures. Off-patent drugs such as Lipitor and Viagra having lower profit margins would be targeted for joint ventures and Pfizer would still retain sizeable amounts of cash flow from these drugs to fund R&D. Pfizer is shifting the declining brands to Upjohn. The intent is to consolidate this business with Upjohn and merge Upjohn with the EpiPen company Mylan and rename the two.

The new Pittsburgh – based unnamed company is expected to be among the world's largest sellers of generic and off-patent medicines with more than $19 billion in yearly sales. Pfizer Shareholders will own 57% of the new company and Mylan shareholders would the rest. Pfizer would be paid $12 billion raised from new debt acquired from the joint venture. Upjohn would return to the US from its corporate base in Shanghai, a reversal of its earlier inversion.

To me, this is a strategic move along the lines of Pfizer selling off the marketing of EpiPen to Mylan and keeping the manufacturing of it. Pfizer owned Meridian Medical Technologies manufactured EpiPen for Mylan and it will now be a part of the sale to Mylan. EpiPen was a huge success story for Mylan. A quadrant strategy of milking of a cash cow to fund new ventures.

Including EpiPen, " Mylan's operating profit for its Specialty segment grew from about 35% in 2012 to roughly 60% in the second quarter of 2016." Most of this can be traced back to the change in design of the EpiPen (cap) , exclusivity of it due to design changes which was covered by patents, and the rejection of Teva's generic by the FDA due to a difference in application.

Add to this strategy story, Eli Lilly's Alex Azar's success profiteering off of the decades old diabetes drug Humalog and one can begin is imagine what the new "unnamed" company's role will be under CEO Albert Bourla's direction . . . more of the same.

In its analysis, World Health Organization determined the expenditure of one dollar in R&D being covered by $14.50 profit for cancer pharmaceuticals or more than enough to recoup expenditures for R&D and provide a healthy return for investors. The generics Upjohn will acquire have more than paid back the costs of R&D and are more than likely to be in a decline in producing profits. The question then becomes how to enhance the return on these generics.

Mylan changed Pfizer's EpiPen design to achieve patented exclusivity. Teva could not duplicate it as a generic because patients could not use the Mylan instructions in applying the Teva generic. According to FDA'a rules, the Teva product could not be cast as a generic for the Mylan EpiPen in the marketplace as it could "not" be used in the same manner..

EIi Lilly's Humalog, same formulation as what was made decades ago. The list price for one vial of Humalog has nearly tripled over the last decade. No new and improved or patent changes. Lilly appears to be taking increased profits from the price changes and passing on a larger slice to Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers to gain preference by healthcare insurance plans represented by the PBMs.

The same at the other diabetes med manufacturers Sanofi and Novo. Sanofi , a diabetes drug manufacturer and competitor to Eli Lilly gave insurers and pharmacy benefit managers rebates totaling more than half of its gross sales in the U.S. last year, resulting in net price declines across its portfolio despite list price hikes taken on dozens of its prescription products.

What is occurring is "shadow pricing" increases where one company raises pricing and the others follow.

A lawsuit filed in 2017 alleged three companies ( Eli Lilly , Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi) intentionally raised the list prices on their drugs to gain favorable treatment from pharmacy benefit managers, who work with health insurers and drug makers and help decide how a drug will be covered on a list of approved drugs. Insurance companies do not pay manufacturer list pricing. The PBMs negotiate a rebate to the insurance companies from which they take a portion of it for themselves. The insured gets the net price after Rebates are paid to insurance company minus the PBM bonus for negotiated price.

It is in this circus of net profits after rebates and bonuses, I believe the Upjohn/Mylan "nameless" new company battle will be fought to increase Pfizer's profit. This is not like the EpiPen medical device where a change in design of the pen can be made and a new patent secured. Some drugs may be changed which would result in a new patent. I suspect much of Upjohn/Mylan product profit improvement will be fought by getting preference from Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

CEO Albert Bourla will be watching the new company to see how successful they are in creating preference with PBMs and the resulting profit.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aeG2lWxYO_Y Why are our drugs so Costly? Watch the YouTube Presentation to Understand why Drugs are so Expensive to You.

[Aug 08, 2019] Free Market Drugs Are a Really Big Deal

Aug 08, 2019 | economistsview.typepad.com

anne , August 03, 2019 at 07:39 AM

http://www.socialisteconomist.com/2019/08/why-arent-democrats-talking-about.html

August 2, 2019

Big Pharma Current Affairs Dean Baker United States
Why Aren't the Democrats Talking About Ending Patent-Financed Drug Research?
By DEAN BAKER

Direct Public Funding: The Alternative to Patent Monopolies.
________________________________
It would be nice to see Democrats propose plans that would stop the government from making drugs expensive in the first place.
________________________________

Many of the leading Democratic candidates, especially Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have been putting forward bold progressive plans in a wide variety of areas. Sanders and Warren have both supported a quick transition to a universal Medicare program, with no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Several candidates have supported a Green New Deal, which in some versions would guarantee every worker in the country a decent paying job.

Such policies are really big deals. They would both have a huge impact on people's lives and also pose serious problems of implementation. The willingness of Democrats to think big in other areas makes their determination to think small on prescription drugs surprising. Replacing government-granted patent monopoly financing of research is both a huge deal and one that can be implemented gradually without threatening massive disruptions in a transition process.

Free Market Drugs Are a Really Big Deal

First, it is necessary to realize that having drugs available at free market prices, without patent monopolies or other forms of exclusivity, would have an enormous impact on the economy and the health care system. On the first point, we will spend more than $460 billion on prescription drugs in 2019. Without patent protection, these drugs would almost certainly sell for less than $80 billion, implying a savings of more than $380 billion. (I go through this calculation here .)

To put this $380 billion figure in context, it is more than five times the annual food stamp budget. It is more than twice the size of the Trump tax cut. If we project out the savings over the course of a decade, they would come to more than $5 trillion. That is more than three times the amount that is projected to be needed to cover the cost of full forgiveness for outstanding student loan debt. This is more than $30,000 per household. In short, there is huge money at stake by any measure.

On the first point, we will spend more than $460 billion on prescription drugs in 2019. Without patent protection, these drugs would almost certainly sell for less than $80 billion, implying a savings of more than $380 billion.

Of course this goes well beyond a dollar and cents calculation. Millions of people facing debilitating conditions or potentially fatal diseases struggle to come up with the money needed to pay for their drugs. This often requires patients and/or their families to battle with insurance companies. The need to raise money for drugs is also now a major use of GoFundMe pages.

If the research was paid in advance, so drugs could be sold as generics, it would not be a struggle to pay for even the newest and most innovative drugs. The price of generics is often less than 1.0 percent of the cost of high-priced drugs in the United States. For example, when the Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi was selling for $50,000 in the United States, a high-quality generic version was available in India for just over $300 for a 12-week course of treatment.

There would be comparable stories for breakthrough drugs and treatments in other areas, many of which now sell for more than $100,000 a year in the United States. The most expensive now cost more than $1 million. Without government-granted patent monopolies, the prices would almost certainly be less than 1.0 percent as high, and possibly closer to 0.1 percent of the current U.S. price.

The basic story is drugs are cheap. It is rare that the manufacturing and distribution process involves major costs. Prices are a problem because of government-granted monopolies.

The patent problem goes beyond prescription drugs. It applies to medical equipment and medical tests as well. An MRI or other scan would just be a couple of hundred dollars if it was a question of covering the wear and tear on the equipment and the pay for a skilled technician to conduct the scan and a doctor to read and assess the findings. It is patent monopolies that make these scans expensive. The savings from ending reliance on patent monopolies in these other areas would probably add $100 to $150 billion annually to the total, another 1.5-2.0 multiples of the annual food stamp budget.

National Public Radio recently did a piece about a woman who had a surprise bill of $94,000 for neuromonitoring services during a surgery on her spine. The reason this process could be billed for $94,000, as opposed to perhaps one-twentieth of this amount, is that the process is patented. If the neuromonitoring system had been developed with public funds, there would be no huge bill with which to surprise patients.

In short, the main reason that so many aspects of medical care are tremendously expensive is that we give companies patent monopolies. Since they are selling items that are essential for people's health or their life, these monopolies allow them to charge outlandish prices. This is the same story as if firefighters set prices based on what it is worth to have family members rescued from burning houses. Needless to say, we would all be willing to pay lots of money in such situations, especially if we could get a third party (e.g., our insurance company or the government) to foot the bill.

Direct Public Funding: The Alternative to Patent Monopolies

The pharmaceutical industry and its supporters in Congress try to pretend that we couldn't possibly develop new drugs without the incentive of patent monopolies. For some reason we are supposed to believe that, even though in all sorts of jobs people work for money, they can only develop drugs with the prospect of getting a patent. I suppose you have to be on the pharmaceutical industry's payroll to understand this logic.

The industry's argument gets even more bizarre when we consider that it is the biggest advocate of increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH and other agencies get more than $40 billion a year to do biomedical research. This money is primarily spent on basic research.

Somehow we are supposed to believe that this money is well spent, but if the government were to spend more to replace the industry's patent-supported research and clinical testing, it would be the same thing as throwing the money in the toilet. The industry's argument is especially bizarre since many important drugs have actually been developed with government funding. In addition, the NIH has supported thousands of clinical trials.

One interesting comparison is the $2.6 billion that the industry claims it costs it to develop a single drug through patent monopoly financing, with the dozens of drugs and treatments that have been developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative with a cumulative 15-year budget that is less than half of this amount. While there are differences that make the two efforts not strictly comparable, the comparison shows why it is difficult to take seriously the pharmaceutical industry's claims that we have the best possible system for financing research.

There is a good argument for not having all research done directly by the government, but there is no reason that it could not be contracted out to private companies who would operate under long-term contracts. The condition of getting a contract would be that all findings are posted on the internet as soon as practical and that all patentable inventions would be placed in the public domain. (As a practical matter, it would probably be desirable to "copyleft" the patents. This is discussed in somewhat more detail in chapter 5 of Rigged.)

The incentives for a company operating on a long-term contract would be to try to make a case for having a contract renewed and expanded. This would mean doing as much as possible to improve public health in the areas for which they have contracted research. This includes not just developing useful drugs, but also scientific breakthroughs that could lead others to develop useful drugs or other treatments.

Under this public funding system, they would have incentive to publicize their findings as widely as possible..

In this way, the incentives are directly at odds with the patent system. Under the patent system, companies have incentive to keep their findings secret (apart from having to disclose information to get the patent) in order to be best positioned to be able to profit from them. Under this public funding system, they would have incentive to publicize their findings as widely as possible so that they could get credit if they eventually lead to the development of a product or process with important public health benefits.

Another huge advantage of this system is that it would take away the corruption that is endemic to the system of patent-supported drug research. Patent monopolies give drug companies an enormous incentive to push their drugs as widely as possible, even when they may not be the most effective drug or have harmful side effects. Purdue Pharma would not have been pushing OxyContin so vigorously if it were selling at generic prices. While the opioid epidemic is an extreme case, drug companies exaggerate the benefits of their drugs and conceal negative side effects all the time.

Going from Patent Monopolies to Free Market Drugs

There is one other important aspect to the switch away from patent monopoly-supported research to direct public funding; it can be done piecemeal. There is no reason to deny companies the opportunity to go ahead and do research with the expectation that they will recover the costs with their patent monopolies. They just would have to worry that they will be competing with a new drug that is every bit as good, or possibly even better, selling at generic prices.

We don't even have to try to displace patent-supported research all at once. There is no reason the government can't add $4 or $5 billion to its annual spending on NIH to support the development and testing of drugs in specific areas, such as cancer or heart disease. This can allow us both to see how the effectiveness of direct funding compares to patent-supported research and also to uncover whatever problems exist with this mechanism.

Given this simple story, it is difficult to see why none of the more progressive Democratic presidential candidates have taken up the cause of ending patent-monopoly financing of prescription drug research. This failure is especially peculiar, since both Sanders and Warren (along with Senators Booker, Gillibrand, and Klobuchar) were sponsors of a bill that would provide some public funding for research that would lead to new drugs being introduced as generics.

It's great to see the candidates proposing plans that would bring down the cost of prescription drugs. It would be even better to see them propose plans that would stop the government from making them expensive in the first place.

ilsm -> anne... , August 03, 2019 at 08:40 AM
why, democrats are not talking about ending the perpetual wars.... their base in not us.

[Aug 06, 2019] Marianne Williamson suggests that the antidepressants are hugely and recklessly overused.

Notable quotes:
"... My problem is not with antidepressants per se, which clearly have and do help many people. My problem is only with their overprescription, and the practices of pharmaceutical companies when drugs are marketed in predatory ways." ..."
"... I have met hundreds of people going through hell trying to get off antidepressants that should never have been prescribed to them. I've worked with people going through normal human crises since 1983. And I have seen what has been, in many cases, the devastating effects of overprescription. ..."
Aug 06, 2019 | www.nytimes.com

In books, interviews and posts on social media, Ms. Williamson has criticized the widespread use of antidepressants ; suggested they were to blame for some celebrities' suicides ; characterized treatment guidelines for postpartum depression as a way for pharmaceutical companies to make more money ; and called the distinction between ordinary sadness and clinical depression "artificial."

How widely antidepressants should be prescribed, and under what circumstances, is a real debate among psychiatrists. But Ms. Williamson has tended to make broad arguments, suggesting that the drugs are hugely and recklessly overused. Mental health experts say comments like these can increase stigma and make people less likely to seek treatment, even if that is not the intention.

... ... ...

"I have no judgment -- nor do I believe I have ever expressed any -- of anyone taking antidepressants," she added in a text message after the interview. "I'm happy for anyone who is finding the help they need for any ailment whatsoever. My problem is not with antidepressants per se, which clearly have and do help many people. My problem is only with their overprescription, and the practices of pharmaceutical companies when drugs are marketed in predatory ways."

... ... ...

She also says she has twice received diagnoses of clinical depression, and writes:

However deep my suffering, I didn't want to be anesthetized as I went through it. Like an expectant mother who wants to give birth naturally, rejecting drugs during labor because she wants to experience "natural childbirth," I wanted to be fully available to the depths of my pain. Why? Because I knew it had something to teach me. I knew that somehow, in some way, my suffering would lead to a blazing new dawn in my life -- but only if I was willing to endure the deep, dark night preceding it.

... ... ...

I have met hundreds of people going through hell trying to get off antidepressants that should never have been prescribed to them. I've worked with people going through normal human crises since 1983. And I have seen what has been, in many cases, the devastating effects of overprescription.

That's not to say that some people do not have serious -- and by the way, I have certainly had experiences where I have said, "I think you should go see a psychiatrist." I can tell you the difference.

One is, "I'm crying because my boyfriend left," and one is someone who can't even look up. I understand the difference, and when someone is showing certain symptoms, I'm the first to say, "I think you should go see a psychiatrist."

[Aug 01, 2019] Private Equity: The Perps Behind Destructive Hospital Surprise Billing

Aug 01, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Yves Smith I have to confess to having missed how private equity is a central bad actor in the "surprise billing" scam that is being targeted by Federal and state legislation. This abuse takes place when hospital patients, even when using a hospital that is in their insurer's network, are hit with charges for "out of network" services that are billed at inflated rack rates. Even patients who have done everything they can to avoid being snared, like insisting their hospital use only in-network doctors for a surgery and even getting their identities in advance to assure compliance, get caught. The hospital is in charge of scheduling and can and will swap in out-of-network practitioners at the last minute.

Private equity maven and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research Eileen Appelbaum explained in an editorial in The Hill in May how private equity firms have bought specialist physicians' practices to exploit the opportunity to hit vulnerable patients with egregious charges:

Physicians' groups, it turns out, can opt out of a contract with insurers even if the hospital has such a contract. The doctors are then free to charge patients, who desperately need care, however much they want.

This has made physicians' practices in specialties such as emergency care, neonatal intensive care and anesthesiology attractive takeover targets for private equity firms .

Emergency rooms, neonatal intensive care units and anesthesiologists' practices do not operate like an ordinary marketplace. Physicians' practices in these specialties do not need to worry that they will lose patients because their prices are too high.

Patients can go to a hospital in their network, but if they have an emergency, have a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit or have surgery scheduled with an in-network surgeon, they are stuck with the out-of-network doctors the hospital has outsourced these services to .

It's not only patients that are victimized by unscrupulous physicians' groups. These doctors' groups are able to coerce health insurance companies into agreeing to pay them very high fees in order to have them in their networks.

They do this by threatening to charge high out-of-network bills to the insurers' covered patients if they don't go along with these demands. High payments to these unethical doctors raise hospitals' costs and everyone's insurance premiums.

As an example, Appelbaum cites the work of Yale economists who examined what happened when hospitals outsourced their emergency room staffing to the two biggest players, EmCare, which has been traded among several private equity firms and is now owned by KKR and TeamHealth, held by Blackstone:

.after EmCare took over the management of emergency services at hospitals with previously low out-of-network rates, they raised out-of-network rates by over 81 percentage points. In addition, the firm raised its charges by 96 percent relative to the charges billed by the physician groups they succeeded.

The study also described how TeamHealth extorted insurers by threatening them with high out-of-network charges for "must have" services:

in most instances, several months after going out-of-network, TeamHealth physicians rejoined the network and received in-network payment rates that were 68 percent higher than previous in-network rates.

We'd wondered why California legislation to combat surprise billing got yanked so quickly, with the opponents not even bothering to offer excuses . The official story was that hospitals objected, but the speed of the climbdown looks to have much more to do with the political clout of private equity donors.

The Financial Times yesterday made explicit how proposed Federal legislation would hit KKR's EmCare and other private equity health care predators :

A push on Capitol Hill to stop US patients from being caught unaware by medical bills is weighing on the debt of KKR-backed Envision Healthcare, the target of one of the biggest leveraged buyouts last year

Investors are concerned that a new so-called "surprise billing" law could crimp revenues at companies such as Envision, which employs emergency-room doctors and anaesthetists through its subsidiary EmCare .

"It is like a ransom negotiation: 'I'll hit your enrollees with giant bills unless you pay me enough money not to do that'," said Loren Adler, associate director at USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

The debt that has gone wobbly. Recall that so-called credit funds, also managed by private equity firms, are big buyers of the leveraged loans that private equity firms use to finance their acquisitions. And public pension funds like CalPERS invest in these credit funds:

Envision's $5.4bn loan due in 2025, sold in September when investor demand for leveraged loans was very strong, slid from almost 97 cents on the dollar at the start of May to just 87.8 cents on the dollar on Thursday, as more detail surrounding possible legislation has been released.

Leveraged loans for Blackstone's TeamHealth and private-equity-owned air ambulance companies Air Methods and Air Medical have also taken hits.

The normally cool-headed, pro-business Financial Times readers were almost without exception appalled: "..highway robbers .smacks of fraud sheer criminality .ambushing patients .criminals." Welcome to health care, USA style.

Sadly, the article says that while both parties are eager to be seen to be Doing Something about health care costs, neither wants to give the other side a win, making new Federal legislation unlikely in the current session. But exposing private equity as the hidden hand behind this extortion may lead to more inquisitiveness about the degree to which private equity finding and exploiting economic choke-points has contributed to the suffering.


Tom Stone , August 1, 2019 at 6:50 am

The Hospital that both my Primary Care Physician and my Cardiologist are affiliated with has outsourced their Emergency Room.
If you show up needing care RIGHT NOW, your choice is to scrawl an assent on their little I Pad or die.
I landed there twice this year, and the bills are just starting to show up from the first trip.
Fuck'em.
If I live long enough to bother I'll fight them on the basis that I signed under duress and if that doesn't fly there's Bankruptcy.

Christopher Herbert , August 1, 2019 at 7:26 am

One of the peculiarities of our wildly inefficient medical care industry is that there are so many 'pens' in the ink bottle that overhead costs eat up money that should be used to improve services.

I describe our medical care system as a '100 silos' system. The jumble is enormously expensive. We generously fund this industry, but we do not get anywhere near the benefit.

Mark , August 1, 2019 at 7:53 am

"Consent is for in-network services only and excludes out-of-network services"

Elisabeth Rosenthal in "An American Sickness" suggested that one add this statement to the consent forms one is required to sign as a strategy to inoculate oneself against this practice. I've not had an opportunity to try it and was wondering if anyone has done it and if there was a reaction or objection from the provider.

Also Mark , August 1, 2019 at 11:06 am

For years, I have written words to the effect of "All charges not covered by insurance will be paid at a rate to be negotiated" on health care providers' financial responsibility forms, and initialed the addition. I've never had a doctor's office or hospital challenge it. I think most don't even notice that I've done it.

I've also never had to invoke it, so I don't know how effective it is, but thinking I am at least somewhat protected from surprise bills gives me some comfort in the face of our crazy health care system.

By the way, I routinely cite "An American Sickness" when making the point to people that it's not just the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies. It's pretty much every part of the health care industry.

Elspeth , August 1, 2019 at 11:45 am

I do it, every time, you just need to smile when you do so they know you still love them.

Jim A. , August 1, 2019 at 8:31 am

Which brings up what I was thinking about during last night's debate: Insurance companies are only SOME of the profit seeking pigs chowing down at the healthcare trough. Even if we eliminate them in a "medicare for all" plan the rest of of them will gladly eat their share. It would take something more like a VA for all plan with hospitals run by the government to deal with some of the others.

jfleni , August 1, 2019 at 8:41 am

What a surprise the medical OFFAL will #### you to the max when you need help;
YAHOO, up ###, Medicare for ALL,RIGHT NOW!!! SCREAM it to your congress-critter!

Mark , August 1, 2019 at 8:41 am

Who 'yanked' the California legislation?

Their names would help voters to hold them accountable.

TBone , August 1, 2019 at 9:19 am

If this does not change in 2020 I'm moving to a civilized nation like Canada even if I have to walk there. Grrrrrr this is SO WRONG. How do retirees apply to move to Canada? Are they letting us in anymore???

TBone , August 1, 2019 at 9:23 am

Oh new plan necessay, I can't pay that much for 5 years.
https://www.sapling.com/8474864/can-retire-canada-citizen

TBone , August 1, 2019 at 9:26 am

I'm just gonna avoid the medical system forever and die at home of natural causes or go to New Jersey for assisted suicide if necessary. Thanks USA medical crapification you filthy greedy (family blog)

ambrit , August 1, 2019 at 10:14 am

Don't just crawl off to an obscure corner and expire passively. Take some Medical Industry execs with you when you go. /s?

hemeantwell , August 1, 2019 at 10:49 am

/s? = ?

ambrit , August 1, 2019 at 11:03 am

/s = ending sarcasm tag. So that s/ = beginning sarcasm tag.
/s? = ending sarcasm tag indicates real sarcasm?

Chris , August 1, 2019 at 10:03 am

Class action lawsuit against south western Ohio hospital's and surgeon for balance billing:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime–law/lawsuit-filed-against-premier-health-surgeon/DSEkWli4T4RR7VKoE8VJfP/amp.html

softie , August 1, 2019 at 10:09 am

In 2012, a neighbor's kid stayed three days in the hospital when his motorcycle got him into an accident. The bill is almost half million dollars.

flora , August 1, 2019 at 10:27 am

Thanks very much for this post. This is a PE medical extortion racket, imo.

Off The Street , August 1, 2019 at 10:40 am

My plumber showed me a type of client rights form that he is required to present during various repairs. That form is essentially a mitigant against being extorted, given the potential for such behaviors during exigent circumstances. Drip, drip, drip turns into flooding, or no hot water turns into challenges with dishes and washing clothes. Now envision your elderly relative in that situation.

An unscrupulous repairman could make some extra money by exploiting such circumstances, turning a seemingly innocent service call into triple golden time toward that new Mercedes. Disclosure: phrase inspiration from an old Frasier episode.

ambrit , August 1, 2019 at 11:11 am

I once worked for such a dishonest plumbing service company, for a very short time. I was fired after I refused to do unnecessary work at a customers house so as to jack up the bill. That outfit, and another I briefly worked for later were both cases where investor syndicates had 'bought' the companies, with predictable implementation of maladaptive behaviours.
"For the love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Timothy 6:10

Susan the other` , August 1, 2019 at 11:37 am

Thank you. This is astonishing info. Because medicine is changing quicker than lumbering, conniving private equity can kludge together new extortion rackets. It almost feels like PE is running in place. And everybody is on to them thanks to info like this. Just FYI, our new hospital that claims it is a non-profit health care corporation has just built a new wing for "specialty clinics" housed on site. And of course it has been their billing practice from day one to inform you that you might receive additional bills from any of these physicians. So far this seems to be under control. We've had 4 same-day surgeries there and no big surprises. But there is obviously a reason to establish this loophole. The takeover of emergency rooms by KKR/EM Care and Blackstone Team Health is pure extortion. Extortion lurking in the wings. I hope PE rots in hell sooner than later.

Anon , August 1, 2019 at 12:14 pm

The intro to the post could have been an instant replay of my hospital experience. Reading the many comments about medical billing shenanigans is somewhat "comforting" in that my experience wasn't singular. However, it is important that more people recognize the hospital billing scam and that some doctors have never memorized the Hippocratic Oath. If today's modern medicine saves you, the medical billing will likely "kill" you.

sleepy , August 1, 2019 at 12:19 pm

Speak of the devil. Right now, I'm sitting in a clinic waiting room while my wife has minor surgery for a basal cell carcinoma. She went to a medicare advantage plan awhile back due to the high premiums of her medicare supplemental plan. She was assured everything was in her network. We'll see, I guess.

[Jun 22, 2019] 1 In 6 Insured Hospital Patients Get A Surprise Bill For Out-Of-Network Care

Notable quotes:
"... By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News reporter. Originally published at Kaiser Health News . ..."
"... On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge. Most of those came from doctors offering treatment at the hospital, even when the patients chose an in-network hospital, according to researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Its study was based on large employer insurance claims. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) ..."
"... The research also found that when a patient is admitted to the hospital from the emergency room, there's a higher likelihood of an out-of-network charge. As many as 26% of admissions from the emergency room resulted in a surprise medical bill. ..."
"... Each time ..."
"... "but most people don't: an ER encounter is an "outpatient visit" for billing purposes. For Medicare benes, that makes it a "Part-B" claim subject to different (i.e. higher) deductibles and co-pays." ..."
"... inpatient stays ..."
Jun 22, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

1 In 6 Insured Hospital Patients Get A Surprise Bill For Out-Of-Network Care naked capitalism

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Lambert Strether Lambert here: But it doesn't matter. People love their health insurance companies! (And do note the role, entirely accidental I am sure, played by body shops outside staffing firms.)

By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News reporter. Originally published at Kaiser Health News .

About 1 in 6 Americans were surprised by a medical bill after treatment in a hospital in 2017 despite having insurance, according to a study published Thursday.

On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge. Most of those came from doctors offering treatment at the hospital, even when the patients chose an in-network hospital, according to researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Its study was based on large employer insurance claims. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The research also found that when a patient is admitted to the hospital from the emergency room, there's a higher likelihood of an out-of-network charge. As many as 26% of admissions from the emergency room resulted in a surprise medical bill.

"Millions of emergency visits and hospital stays left people with large employer coverage at risk of a surprise bill in 2017," the authors wrote.

The researchers got their data by analyzing large-employer claims from IBM's MarketScan Research Databases, which include claims for almost 19 million individuals.

Surprise medical bills are top of mind for American patients, with 38% reporting they were "very worried" about unexpected medical bills.

Surprise bills don't just come from the emergency room. Often, patients will pick an in-network facility and see a provider who works there but isn't employed by the hospital. These doctors, from outside staffing firms, can charge out-of-network prices.

"It's kind of a built-in problem," said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation and an author of the study. She said most private health insurance plans are built on networks, where patients get the highest value for choosing a doctor in the network. But patients often don't know whether they are being treated by an out-of-network doctor while in a hospital.

"By definition, there are these circumstances where they cannot choose their provider, whether it's an emergency or it's [a doctor] who gets brought in and they don't even meet them face-to-face."

The issue is ripe for a federal solution. Some states have surprise-bill protections in place, but those laws don't apply to most large-employer plans because the federal government regulates them.

"New York and California have very high rates of surprise bills even though they have some of the strongest state statutes," Pollitz said. "These data show why federal legislation would matter."

Consumers in Texas, New York, Florida, New Jersey and Kansas were the most likely to see a surprise bill, while people in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Maine and Mississippi saw fewer, according to the study.

Legislative solutions are being discussed in the White House and Congress. The leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee introduced a package Wednesday that included a provision to address it. The legislation from HELP sets a benchmark for what out-of-network physicians will be paid, which would be an amount comparable to what the plan is paying other doctors for that service.

That bill is set for a committee markup next week.

Other remedies are also being offered by different groups of lawmakers.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

https://acdn.adnxs.com/ib/static/usersync/v3/async_usersync.html

https://c.deployads.com/sync?f=html&s=2343&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedcapitalism.com%2F2019%2F06%2F1-in-6-insured-hospital-patients-get-a-surprise-bill-for-out-of-network-care.html

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Arizona Slim , June 22, 2019 at 7:26 am

Seriously, who are these people who love their health insurance?

Pat , June 22, 2019 at 8:58 am

At this point, I am pretty sure with few exceptions the people who love their insurance are top management and or the companies that negotiate these profiteering contracts with those same insurance companies. Only the bubble beltway hasn't gotten the message. Witness all those people at the Fox Town Hall with Sanders that shocked the moderators when they asked the gotcha question about their employer health insurance.

Amfortas the hippie , June 22, 2019 at 7:55 am

""It's kind of a built-in problem," said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation and an author of the study. She said most private health insurance plans are built on networks, where patients get the highest value for choosing a doctor in the network. But patients often don't know whether they are being treated by an out-of-network doctor while in a hospital."

again no menu, no price tags, no team shirts .
it ain't a "market".

(""rational actors with perfect information" lol)

we've got around 10k in debt for the first month or so of our long emergency with cancer the period before medicaid kicked in.
some of it will get paid.
most of it will likely not(something about blood and turnips )

interestingly and apparently largely unknown is that one can get a "debt consolidation loan" for credit card, mortgage, and other "consumer" debt .but not for medical debt.
you must, instead, deal with fifty bill collectors representing many medical outfits you may have never heard of -- -imaging, labs, that guy in a white coat who walked by and looked in the door --
one of the articles of faith with the neoliberal order, is that since transactions are inherently Good, it makes sense to maximise them.
so instead of the floor doctor being employed by the hospital, itself she is employed by an LLC with an anodyne, hard to remember, name.

"It's kind of a built-in problem,"

a global economy of pickpockets.
yay.

Monty , June 22, 2019 at 10:08 am

Sounds awful. The last thing you need is extra stress at a time like that. Deepest sympathies. Here's hoping it works out for you all.

NY Geezer , June 22, 2019 at 8:20 am

The problem here is not the health insurer. It is corruption in the provision of medical services by the in network hospital that permits out of network doctor staffing agencies and doctors to perform expected medical services on its premises.

I live in the Capital district area of NY. I discovered recently that almost all the hospitals here have entered into contracts with emergency care staffing corporations for the provision of medical care. In addition, Urgent care facilities staffed by only Physician's Assistants are proliferating here. This area is apparently regarded as a good target for medical profiteers.

Pat , June 22, 2019 at 8:52 am

In a rational society, you know one where the recognizes the captive or powerless entity and provides them the protection they are denied, the hospital/medical group etc would be responsible to make sure all parities working there are in network. And by law all additional out of network charges would be theirs.

Of course in a truly enlightened and rational society we would have single payer and the government would use all its power making sure that society at all levels were healthy and well cared for when they weren't. And massive profits would be on things that were truly discretionary like private jets and yachts not on emergency care.

Bobby Gladd , June 22, 2019 at 9:29 am

In 2015 I came down with sepsis after a prostate biopsy (which turned out positive for cancer). Was admitted to John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek via the ER (I was a Muir system patient at the time). Subsequently got a bill advising that the Emergency Dept at Muir was "out of your Network" (an "independent contractor"). Eye roll.

'Nuther thing I already knew, but most people don't: an ER encounter is an "outpatient visit" for billing purposes. For Medicare benes, that makes it a "Part-B" claim subject to different (i.e. higher ) deductibles and co-pays.

ambrit , June 22, 2019 at 9:46 am

Ah. Now that's news I can use. As I mentioned below, I spoke to a claims adjuster yesterday concerning my bus accident. One of the questions she asked was about my eligibility for Medicare. So, the question wasn't just informational in nature. Real money is involved.
Thanks for the enlightenment.

Bobby Gladd , June 22, 2019 at 10:32 am

My late daughter was a Kaiser-Permanente member. She was admitted to a KP hospital several times during her recent Stage IV pancreatic cancer ordeal (she died 15 months ago). Each time , she had to go through the ER for admission. Even Kaiser , who owns their own hospitals, subs out their ERs to "independent contractors," which, of course, raised Danielle's co-pays and "co-insurance." The only route to admission was an 8-12 hr "triage" stint in the ER.

There's hardly any such thing as a through-the-front-door "elective admission" any more.

ambrit , June 22, 2019 at 11:02 am

That's the definition of fraud, right there.
When I was on a jury hearing a "pill mill" case from Biloxi Mississippi, we were told that one definition of a "pill mill" was when the 'patient' was required to go through, and pay for, a full doctors appointment for what was essentially a renewal of a pre-existing prescription. The mandatory "triage" endurance each time a "regular" patient was admitted for an already diagnosed condition fits this definition. Perhaps a resort to the RICO provision would be salutary.
Sorry about your daughter. I hope she 'passed' peacefully.

Bobby Gladd , June 22, 2019 at 4:26 pm

Thanks. Danielle died peacefully (6 weeks into home hospice care), but her illness was anything but.

Talk about "surprise bills," the night at the ER she decided to go into hospice care rather than do another futile admit, they insisted she come home via ambulance (subbed out to the city fire & rescue dept) -- all 1.9 miles to our house. After she died, I kept getting bills for her, one of which was about $2,500 for the ambulance ride ( "Seriously?" ). Needless to say, that did not get paid. Wish in one hand, [bleep] in the other, see which one fills up faster. She died way beyond broke, there was no "estate" to be probated or attached. Not that a host of claimants didn't repeatedly try. They all came to know Bad Bobby, who, while not a lawyer, was way ready for all of them (It wasn't my first rodeo, and I didn't want anyone BS'ing my grandson into assuming any bogus liabilities).

Cal2 , June 22, 2019 at 12:54 pm

Good to know, many of my friends are getting Medicare Part B insurance solicitations from Kaiser. Will inform them to look elsewhere. My condolences to you Sir.

Everyone needs to use things like Yelp and other rating services to make such things known to the curious public.

jake , June 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

"but most people don't: an ER encounter is an "outpatient visit" for billing purposes. For Medicare benes, that makes it a "Part-B" claim subject to different (i.e. higher) deductibles and co-pays."

I don't get it. You want ER services to fall under Part B ("out patient"), because it has a relatively small deductible. And once it's satisfied, you're clear for the year.

Part A, for hospital admissions, has a much larger deductible, and it's applied per admission, not per year.

Bobby Gladd , June 22, 2019 at 5:48 pm

Well, legally, because you're not yet admitted "to the floor," it's necessarily an outpatient encounter. People just don't know that generally. You're right about the "deductible." The co-insurance is quite another matter ( apropos of both A and B). Which is why one needs a "Medi-Gap" supp. Humana Medi-gap lost their butts on me last year. In June after Danielle died I had hernia surgery, followed by open heart aortic valve replacement ("SAVR px") in late August. My OoP for the year was nil. Thank you Humana.

In a bit of irony, I'm now Kaiser, "Medicare Advantage." My OoP caps for the year at $6,700. Though, I don't expect anything major, got all my heavy lifting done in 2015 and last year.

Oh , June 22, 2019 at 9:35 am

They prey on the weak and helpless, especially the ones that go for emergency care. This is another example of hospitals not really caring for the well being of the sick. Once they capture a victim, their aim is to suck him dry.

The insurance companies are to blame too because they allow the out of network charges to occur. The insured doesn't know what service or provider is "in network". He makes a good faith attempt to go to "in network" hospitals but then the gougers take over.

ambrit , June 22, 2019 at 9:41 am

The 'attending physician' I saw during my ER sojourn after last month's bus accident was a "Body Shop Droid." The bill I received, which was the one I described earlier, the semi-threatening one, was from an "Emergency Room Physicians Management Company LLC." I have nothing to compare it to, but it came to just over $700 dollars US, for two or three 'look see's' at my battered carcass.
The ambulance "service," a properly neo-liberalized separate commercial entity, (anyone remember when ambulances were a part of the hospital apparat?,) billed me just over $1000 dollars US. I finally reached a claims adjuster for the bus companies insurance company yesterday. One of the questions she asked me, after I had established that I had been 'ambulanced' to the hospital was, how many people were transported in that one ambulance? When I quipped about 'double dipping' on the part of the ambulance "services," she laughed and said, "If you only knew."
I have still not heard from the hospital itself.

Mark , June 22, 2019 at 10:15 am

In Elisabeth Rosenthal's excellent book "An
American Sickness" she recommends adding the following statement to any consent form you sign in the hospital "Consent is limited to in-network services only and excludes out-of-network services". My wife and I carry copies of this in our wallets just in case. Haven't had occasion to try this yet and see their reaction.

Bobby Gladd , June 22, 2019 at 10:21 am

" An American Sickness ," yes, an important read.

Oh , June 22, 2019 at 12:16 pm

Yes, a well written expose.

Cal2 , June 22, 2019 at 1:07 pm

"I read 1,182 emergency room bills this year. Here's what I learned."

https://www.vox.com/health-care/2018/12/18/18134825/emergency-room-bills-health-care-costs-america

The corollary of "Someone has to pay!" is "Someone gets it for free."

What happens locally at San Franciscan General Hospital:

Undocumented person or homeless guy;
1.Get ride to hospital in ambulance.
2. Get free translator, if needed
3. Claim no I.D.
4. Get treatment.
5. Pick up free meds at pharmacy.
6. "No hope of recovery"= "Free"

American citizen with insurance
1. Walk in hospital.
2. Spend half an hour proving I have insurance.
3. Get treatment.
4. Get bill for hundreds of thousands because they "are out of network ."

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/7/18137967/er-bills-zuckerberg-san-francisco-general-hospital

A state bill is in the works to ban this. However, taxpayers will still provide free care for indigents and now, per a new state law, not only illegals in emergency rooms, but all illegals, until age 26, get full medical inpatient insurance coverage, paid by taxpayers.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/california-to-provide-full-health-benefits-to-illegal-immigrants-under-age-26/

Joe Well , June 22, 2019 at 3:47 pm

If you have to link to the National Review to support your opinion, maybe you should rethink your opinion.

Cal2 , June 22, 2019 at 4:28 pm

E pur si muove!
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article231310348.html
Facts
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/446075-california-lawmakers-vote-to-offer-health-insurance-to-undocumented
Are
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-will-give-health-coverage-to-13964206.php
Facts

Synoia , June 22, 2019 at 2:00 pm

I'm with Kaiser in CA.

I just send their member services this, based on the wording by Mark above.

"Kaiser Emergency Room Consent is limited to in-network services only and excludes out-of-network services."

I will post responses from Kaiser.

samhill , June 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

Being first gen Italian I applied for Italian citizenship back before Eurolandia was consummated just in case the rules were changed. Main reason was worries over my on and off health insurance, so just to be safe. Sure enough found myself in my fifties w/o insurance, which is a seriously unwise situation, and hesitently moved to Italy. It's been rough to say the least, the country is deep in the dumps, but the health system is WONDERFUL. Yeh, everyone moans and complains about a long list of valid problems with health care here, but they have no idea the alternative. I tell everyone here to mark my words and protect what they got from the devious, erosive neo-liberal threat.

Preaching to the choir on NC but just in case anyone has doubts the positives; no financial stress to compound health stress, no corporate bureaucracy, state system is quite well streamlined, no copays if you're unemployed or poor, outweighs ALL the negatives.

dk , June 22, 2019 at 4:55 pm

I think the title is a little inaccurate, it's not 1-in-6 patients, it's 1-in-6 visits (or stays). Two visits in a year bring an individual's odds to 1-in-3, etc.

On average, 16% of inpatient stays and 18% of emergency visits left a patient with at least one out-of-network charge.

Also, note "at least," aggregation removes detail.

From the study:

Even when patients were admitted to in-network facilities, though, 16% of these stays resulted in at least one out-of-network charge for a professional service.

And out-of-network charges can occur for simple services like a blood test, this recently happened to a friend. She visited a service office listed by her insurer, but the office had contracted with an out-of-network analysis lab, resulting in a non-covered $1100+ charge. Which is a bit amazing in itself, during a recent checkup (my first in 12 years) which was covered by a Medicaid plan, I inquired about the costs for my various tests, to understand affordability; how much would this or that cost if I walked in without any coverage plan? My comprehensive blood test would have cost $183, my echo-cardiogram $118. What about the hormone-level test my friend got? Under $500. All these prices are for cash up front of course, avoiding the 25%+ in interest and finance fees that a payment plan would incur.

GroundZeroAndLovinIt , June 22, 2019 at 5:05 pm

Tangentially, I just saw an anti-Medicare for All ad on TV in my market yesterday (the DC metro area), the first such I have seen. The focus of the ad was that M4A would result in long wait times for procedures; 4 weeks for a cancer consultation, 8 weeks for a kidney replacement consultation, and so on. The ad was so patently misleading it was kind of astonishing: people already wait many many weeks for medical consultations under our gloriously inefficient "excellent" healthcare system–a fact I'm sure most Americans are familiar with. I know of people with cancer diagnoses who have had to wait months to get an appointment with a specialist. So, I'm surprised that's the tack that the lobbyists would take in their "M4A will ruin everything" scary ad. That was the whole focus of the ad: wait times. Seemed like a weak tea argument to me.

flora , June 22, 2019 at 5:16 pm

In the DC metro area?
The healthcare industry spends four times as much on lobbying as the MIC.
That ad is part of the lobbying blitz, imo.

[Jun 05, 2019] Lawmakers Push To Stop Surprise ER Billing

Jun 05, 2019 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

May 30, 2019 by Yves Smith Yves here. This article is a bit fuzzier than I'd like on the details of how the proposed California legislation to bar balanced billing would work, and past failures to halt this practice says that details matter.

However, as I read this piece, the intent is make health insurance work like old-fashioned indemnity plans, at least as far as emergency room coverage is concerned. Indemnity plans were once the norm, and the insured could go to any doctor. No network, no GP gatekeeping.

The sticky part here is the patient is supposed to be on the hook for only what he'd have to pay if he went to an emergency room that was in network. That would seem to give the upper hand to the insurance companies, since the hospital has no recourse to the patient beyond his obligation for an in-network visit. The insurer sends the same reimbursement to the out-of-network hospital as it would to an in-network hospital, and washes its hands of the matter.

One downside for the insurer is that they will now be on the hook for ER bills from any hospital. So they will wind up increasing premiums as a result. But routine care, managing chronic conditions like diabetes, and scheduled surgeries still constitute the substantial majority of what those premiums are intended to cover.

By Ana B. Ibarra, Reporter for California Healthline, based in Sacramento. Previously, she covered health in California's Central Valley for the Merced Sun-Star. She is a 2015 Center for Health Journalism fellow and a Cal Poly Pomona graduate. Originally published at Kaiser Health News

California has some of the nation's strongest protections against surprise medical bills. But many Californians still get slammed with huge out-of-network charges.

State lawmakers are now trying to close gaps in the law with a bill that would limit how much hospitals outside of a patient's insurance network can charge for emergency care.

"We thought the practice of balance billing had been addressed," said state Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), author of the bill . "Turns out there are major holes in the law potentially impacting millions of Californians with different types of insurance."

"Balance billing," better known as surprise billing, occurs when a patient receives care from a doctor or hospital -- or another provider -- outside of her insurance plan's network, and then the doctor or hospital bills the patient for the amount insurance didn't cover. These bills can soar into the tens of thousands of dollars .

Chiu's proposal would prohibit out-of-network hospitals from sending surprise bills to privately insured emergency patients. Instead, hospitals would have to work directly with health plans on billing, leaving the patients responsible only for their in-network copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. Hospitals are fighting the proposal, calling it a form of rate-setting.

"If we are able to move this forward in California, it could be a model and standard for what happens around the country," Chiu said of his measure, which the state Assembly is expected to consider this week.

Surprise billing is a scourge for patients around the country.

Last year , a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that two-thirds of Americans are "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about being able to afford a surprise bill for themselves or a family member. (Kaiser Health News, which produces California Healthline, is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

Health policy experts say the problem demands federal action rather than an inconsistent patchwork of state laws. And President Donald Trump has called on Congress to pass legislation this year to put a stop to surprise medical bills.

"In one swipe, the federal government can offer a universal approach in protecting consumers," said Kevin Lucia, a research professor with Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute.

Lawmakers in both the U.S. Senate and House have introduced bills to end surprise billing. But passing federal legislation promises to be an uphill battle because two influential lobbying groups -- health insurers and health providers -- have been unable to agree on a solution.

Frustrated by waiting for federal lawmakers to act, states have been trying to solve this issue. As of December 2018, 25 states offered some protection against surprise billing, and the protections in nine of those states were considered "comprehensive," according to the Commonwealth Fund . California, New York, Florida, Illinois and Connecticut are among the nine.

New state laws also have been adopted since, including in Nevada , which will limit how much out-of-network providers, including hospitals, can charge patients for emergency care, starting next year.

In California, a 2009 state Supreme Court ruling protects some patients against surprise billing for emergency care, and a state law that took effect in 2017 protects some who receive non-emergency care.

But millions remain vulnerable, largely because California's protections don't cover all insurance plans. The California Supreme Court ruling applies to people with plans regulated by the state Department of Managed Health Care. That leaves out the roughly 1 million Californians with plans regulated by the state Department of Insurance and the nearly 6 million people with federally regulated plans, most of whom have employer-sponsored insurance.

The state law governing non-emergency care also doesn't apply to the millions of residents with health plans regulated by the federal government.

Chiu's bill attempts to close those loopholes by targeting hospitals and their billing practices. With this strategy, a patient's health plan -- and the agency that regulates it -- would not matter, explained Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, a Sacramento-based advocacy group that is sponsoring the legislation.

The proposal "extends protections to a broader set of Californians," Wright said.

The California Hospital Association opposes the measure, which would limit the amount hospitals could charge insurance plans to a certain rate for each service, varying by region .

The association believes that would equate to the state setting prices, which could discourage health plans from entering contracts with hospitals, said Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokeswoman for the association.

"We fully support the provision of the bill that protects patients. It is the rate-setting piece that is our concern," she said.

Chiu said his bill was prompted by the peculiar billing practices at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital spotlighted by Vox in January.

Unlike most large hospitals, San Francisco General does not contract with private insurers. Vox found that the hospital considered patients with private insurance out-of-network, and was slapping many of them with whopping bills.

Stefania Kappes-Rocha was one of them.

On April 30, 2018, Kappes-Rocha, 23, landed in San Francisco General's emergency room with a fever and intense pain in her lower right back caused by a kidney infection. A student at Hult International Business School at the time, she had a private plan through the college.

"I didn't know it at the time, but that was the problem -- that I did have insurance," Kappes-Rocha said.

She was sent home a day later with ibuprofen. About two months later, she was billed $27,767.70.

"I couldn't move because of the pain," she said. The last thing on her mind was that she'd be on the hook for the entire cost of her hospital visit.

Her insurance eventually agreed to pay about $24,000 of her bill.

"I fought back, I pressured them every week," she said. "But some people don't know they should do that."

Skewered by media reports, the hospital announced in April that it would no longer balance-bill privately insured patients.


Joe Well , May 30, 2019 at 10:21 am

I think it is "balance billing" as in "your insurer pays part and you pay the remaining outstanding balance."

Thank you so much for this article on yet another crime against the 99%!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_billing

Cal2 , May 30, 2019 at 11:40 am

There's a reason that this state bill originated in the civic disaster that is San Francisco.

San Francisco General, now named for the billionaire, used to be an excellent public teaching hospital affiliated with the University of California. It has one of the better trauma units in California, thanks to the proximity of nearby gang turf wars and housing projects that keep it replenished with fresh gunshot wounds.

Someone has to pick up the tab for San Francisco being a magnet for the uninsured homeless and undocumented from all over the western hemisphere. All this is very expensive.

The city has a dedicated health plan for the "undocumented."
https://healthysanfrancisco.org/en/

Billions have been spent on free health care for "homeless" people.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/Businesses-must-contribute-more-to-city-s-13178743.php

More spending coming:
https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/01/san-francisco-homeless-spending-proposition-c/

The word among some locals, third generation Americans, who grew up in the city, even those who have insurance , if they go to the emergency room, is to claim to not be insured, give a false name and social security number for emergency treatment. That idea came from refugees flushing their passport down the toilet on the plane.

Joe Well , May 30, 2019 at 12:50 pm

OK, I actually followed the link to the SF Chronicle you posted to support the claim that in SF, one city, "billions have been spent on free health care for 'homeless' (scare quotes?? why??) people."

In fact, that article does not even use the word "healthcare" and implies the exact opposite of what you claim, stating that 2.2% of a $250 million annual budget dedicating to homelessness issues was spent on "health services" for the homeless. The vast bulk of the budget went to fight evictions and keep housed people from becoming homeless. It does not discuss emergency departments at all.

You're making stuff up, not just little things, but enormous things.

Might I add, IMHO, this kind of thing is typical of conservatives, and dovetails nicely with today's post about conservative ideology dying out.

Cal2 , May 30, 2019 at 1:21 pm

You corrected my pre-coffee error. Thank you.
People that make things up don't post a contradictory URL.

"Billions have been spent on the homeless in San Francisco", is what I meant to say. Healthcare is part of that, which includes ambulance rides, fire department calls. BTW, there's lots of debate about numbers. "Billions includes housing, subsidies etc.

Why "homeless" quotes? There are actual Homeless people who have been kicked out of public housing or who simply cannot afford rents. The majority of the "homeless" in San Francisco are recently arrived who have never had a home here, move from place to place and are mostly just junkies and drug users, who would continue to be, even if given "a home."

I'm a Bernie, Medicare for All, Peace in The Middle East, free transit, tax the wealthy "conservative", glad they are coming around.

Joe Well , May 30, 2019 at 10:10 pm

You should actually read that article you linked to.

Where is your figure for the billions that were supposedly spent on the homeless in San Francisco coming from? As that article makes clear, most of the money is being spent on people who live in apartments in San Francisco, to keep them from becoming homeless. Another huge chunk is spent on people who are homeless and in precarious temporary arrangements rather than on the street. Very little is being spent on the "visible homeless" as the article calls them.

Your general impression that SF is a net economic contributor in any way to American society is absurd. It is sucking wealth out with scam companies like Uber while it is casting out lower income people to every other corner of the state and country.

If SF did take in some homeless people and provide them a few thousand dollars a year of services, that would be a drop in the bucket compared to the damage its citizens have done. But you have not provided one word of evidence that the homeless in SF have primarily come from out of town, much less out of state. Given the Bay Area's efforts to gentrify over the decades, it seems quite likely that they were formerly housed inhabitants of the city.

Cal2 , May 31, 2019 at 8:53 pm

"Your general impression that SF is a net economic contributor in any way to American society is absurd."
You must be confusing me with someone else?
I think San Francisco is a giant black hole of exorbitant social services for "homeless", illegals, and profit sucking billionaires that often pay zero local taxes. i.e. Twitter, in it's special Mid Market Resurrection Zone. All those stock options think of the savings.
Add up the money spent over the last 25 years or so on homeless and preventing homelessness and it's in the billions.
$40,000 per "homeless" person per year. With the passage of Proposition C, to go to $70,000 per year.

Here's article with per year expenditures on homeless:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/Businesses-must-contribute-more-to-city-s-13178743.php

I grew up in San Francisco and have been involved in local politics for half a century. So where are you from? Where are you getting your numbers? Please share. We can all learn from each other.

KevinD , May 30, 2019 at 11:54 am

As long as the people making the rules are monetarily above worrying about health care costs, the rest of us will continue to get squeezed out of existence. Put some people in charge who cannot afford today's medical costs and you will see them go down. Pretty simple actually ( at least in my head)

Anon , May 30, 2019 at 1:54 pm

I have direct experience with this sort of 'balance billing'. It's not just the hospitals that do it. Doctors are a big part of the problem, too.

My doctor recommended major surgery and so we scheduled a specific time and date with the hospital. My medical insurance required the use of in network doctors. So I explained to the chief nurse (in a long discussion prior to admittance) at the in-network hospital I needed to vet ALL doctors for their network status. Actually put it in writing. (I gave them a list of the known in-network doctors affiliated with the hospital.)

Survived the surgery (as you can tell). But to my surprise a 'balance bill' appeared in the mail. Then another. What?! I don't recognize any of these people (doctors). In California the Legislature has given the State Medical Board authority over hospital operating room procedure. The medical board 'requires' three doctors to be 'present' in the operating room for certain major surgeries; they are selected by the primary surgeon. These other two doctors, whom I was never introduced to (before or after surgery) had sent me the unexpected billing (with no discussion of the medical work they performed– or not) in the mail. Of course, they were not in-network and my insurance initially refused to pay them.

Long story shortened, I was able to convince my insurance provider to pay them in-network fees. The doctors refused it, we went to court, they got nothing (zero, nada, zilch). Written record carried the day.

Hospital care in America is a wild ride. You literally need a personal advocate every minute you are in one.

Joe Well , May 30, 2019 at 10:13 pm

Congratulations on your victory and for fighting the good fight.

I have tried hard to get as much of my healthcare as possible outside the US.

I am confident that many American specialist doctors are decent people, but too many of them are clearly greedy.

wilroncanada , May 31, 2019 at 4:53 pm

Canadian specialist doctors who are REALLY greedy may stay around and join those trying to privatize our system, or they may move to the US where greed is king. We made the mistake back in the 1970s of engaging an obstetrician at a maternity hospital in Vancouver for the birth of our first two children. For our oldest he showed up seconds before the birth, leaving a me and a resident who had not done a birth before. Of course, the nurses knew exactly what to do. His fee from medicare was, I guess, being there to catch. With our second two years later, he knew exactly what might happen–my wife would race through the transition phase of labour and almost immediately into delivery. That did not matter to him, he still arrived within seconds of delivery completion.
Our third was with a GP in a different city. He was a REAL doctor, present and supportive. It didn't matter, though, because the obstetrician had moved to Texas where he could schedule caesareans around his golf game.

baldski , May 30, 2019 at 10:29 pm

I have a Medicare PPO from Humana. The hospital selected by them for emergencies is Northern Nevada. I happened to fall off my porch and hurt my arm. I went to the emergency room and was told I had a fractured elbow. Some time later Humana denied the payment for the attending doctor because he was in the group of emergency physicians that man the emergency room and were not in Humana's network. Catch-22 – The emergency room bill is in network but the doctors are not.

Calling all lawyers: Please answer.

Is this not Agency of Estoppel on Humana's part?

The Emergency Room of Northern Nevada Hospital is writ large by a large neon sign. The doctors there are contracted with Northern Nevada and practice in their facility. I contend that the doctors are agents of the hospital and Humana is denying that agency by not paying the bill. Agency of Estoppel is illegal, I was taught in my limited business law course.

Any lawyer out there please respond.

run75441 , May 31, 2019 at 10:31 pm

baldski:

What you have just described is pretty common in Texas. These doctors do not have a contract with the hospital and are usually 3rd party. Is your PPO supplemental or are you in an Advantage (BS) Plan? If you are truly in Medicare and using a Supplemental for the 20% of Part B not covered, you are safe.

If you are in an Advantage Plan I would go back to Humana and ask them to negotiate a price. Not an attorney; but, doctors are agents of the hospital whether 3rd party and contracted or employed.

Paul P , June 1, 2019 at 2:23 am

The hospital is in network, they ask for your insurance,
and then supply out of network doctors, who don't contact you to enter into a contract to provide out of network services. i don't see how a contract has been
made with these out of network doctors.

You probably signed an ABN ("I'm responsible for what
insurance does not pay."} So, that is an "I gotcha" in favor of their right to bill you. I've been crossing out their ABNs and writing I will only be responsible for what insurance pays.

run75441 , June 1, 2019 at 9:58 pm

Paul:

When you go to the ER, you get whoever comes through the door which baldski got. Again what I will say, this is happening with greater frequency and especially in Texas where a hospital contracts the ER doctors out to a 3rd party and does not negotiate the ER rates. It is like having a vendor in your hospital who is contracted to the hospital and charges whatever price. There is a term for this and it is little more than entrapment.

Janie , May 30, 2019 at 2:25 pm

Every one of us should be concerned about this. We are vulnerable, even in our homes. Ambulances take you to the nearest hospital where there is space in Emergency, not necessarily to one in your network. You may be unconscious or incoherent.

Next issue:. Ongoing care. A friend had a pancreatitis attack while on vacation. After ER, he was admitted and told he needed immediate surgery. His insurance company refused to pay for the surgery, saying he could have returned home safely. As you can imagine, the bill was a big one. Insurance never came through, and he settled with the hospital for a large amount.

Joe Well , May 30, 2019 at 10:17 pm

I think the issue with balance billing is not whether the ER is in your network. Here in Massachusetts, for instance, health plans cover every ER visit to every ER on earth. The issue is that some of the doctors provide services which are for whatever reason not considered "emergency" for the purposes of your health plan and if that doctor is out of network, you get charged for the "balance" beyond whatever small amount the plan will pay. Oftentimes the doctors are greedy sharks and pile on the charges which understandably the insurer is unwilling to pay.

The ER admission itself is only a manageable amount, about $500 when I went. It was the fees and medications that added up.

run75441 , May 31, 2019 at 10:33 pm

Joe:

As you "may" know, they are 3rd party and contracted.

Bob Hertz , May 31, 2019 at 12:54 pm

In Yves's fine piece, a spokesman for hospitals complained that the new legislation was a form of 'rate setting."

Well heck yes. When consumers are helpless and a legitimate contract is impossible, it is accepted that courts and legislatures can regulate the fees.

For that matter, Maryland has had regulated hospital charges for several decades, and I know of no crisis that has occurred nor of a hospital that went broke.

The very idea that every hospital bill for emergencies should involve attorneys and the media is grotesque. Seeiing the hospital as a greedy, grabbing institution that sets fees at $100,000 and accepts $10,000 would be considered idiotic in most nations. In Germany, a bargaining unit for all hospitals meets annually with a bargaining unit for all insurers and they set all the fees. In America, hospitals
"bargain" esssentially by financial terrorism.

run75441 , May 31, 2019 at 10:53 pm

Bob:

That is Maryland which does regulate pricing.

The other 49 states do not regulate pricing and set market rates. Places like University of Michigan hospital charge more than other generic hospitals, As hospitals consolidate, there is less competition as the most recent Commonwealth Fund funded Health Affairs study determined in their findings. Indeed from 2007 to 2014, hospital-prices for inpatient care grew 42% compared to 18 percent for physician-prices for inpatient hospital care. For hospital-based outpatient care, hospital-prices rose 25 percent compared to 6 percent for physician-prices.

If you go to a hospital with 3rd party doctors, they can balance bill you. We are not in Germany and it varies state by state what can be done.

You being an insurance guy like ME should already know this as you expound about it over at Charles Gaba's site.

[May 30, 2019] Trump: Today I'm announcing principles that should guide Congress in developing bipartisan legislation to end surprise medical billing

Notable quotes:
"... May 9 - surprise medical bills will be outlawed ..."
May 30, 2019 | www.moonofalabama.org

powerandpeople , May 29, 2019 6:45:22 PM | 8

Regarding a candidate addressing a really important domestic issue in USA, Pres. Trump has drawn the teeth (to an extent) on that one, and put the Democratic party in the position of either supporting the Republican initiative, or throwing sand in the wheels of a measure which will be very popular with the American public:

May 9 - surprise medical bills will be outlawed

"...Today I'm announcing principles that should guide Congress in developing bipartisan legislation to end surprise medical billing...we have bipartisan support, which is rather shocking..."

powerandpeople , May 29, 2019 6:49:29 PM | 9

website URL for press release info on ending surprise medical billing and provision for cheap generics

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-ending-surprise-medical-billing

[May 21, 2019] CounterPunch

May 21, 2019 | www.counterpunch.org

May 20, 2019 Private Equity is a Driving Force Behind Devious Surprise Billings by Eileen Appelbaum Surprise medical bills are in the news almost daily. Last Thursday, the White House called for legislation to protect patients from getting surprise doctor bills when they are rushed to the emergency room and receive care from doctors not covered by insurance at an in-network hospital.

The financial burden on patients can be substantial -- these doctor charges can amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

What's behind this explosion of outrageous charges and surprise medical bills? Physicians' groups, it turns out, can opt out of a contract with insurers even if the hospital has such a contract. The doctors are then free to charge patients, who desperately need care, however much they want.

This has made physicians' practices in specialties such as emergency care, neonatal intensive care and anesthesiology attractive takeover targets for private equity firms.

As health reporter Bob Herman observed , acquisition of these health services "exemplifies private equity firms' appetite for buying health care providers that wield a lot of market power."

Emergency rooms, neonatal intensive care units and anesthesiologists' practices do not operate like an ordinary marketplace. Physicians' practices in these specialties do not need to worry that they will lose patients because their prices are too high.

Patients can go to a hospital in their network, but if they have an emergency, have a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit or have surgery scheduled with an in-network surgeon, they are stuck with the out-of-network doctors the hospital has outsourced these services to.

This stands in stark contrast to other health-care providers, such as primary-care physicians, who will lose patients if they are not in insurers' networks.

It's not only patients that are victimized by unscrupulous physicians' groups. These doctors' groups are able to coerce health insurance companies into agreeing to pay them very high fees in order to have them in their networks.

They do this by threatening to charge high out-of-network bills to the insurers' covered patients if they don't go along with these demands. High payments to these unethical doctors raise hospitals' costs and everyone's insurance premiums.

That's what happened when private equity-owned physician staffing firms took over hospital emergency rooms.

A 2018 study by Yale health economists looked at what happened when the two largest emergency room outsourcing companies -- EmCare and TeamHealth -- took over hospital ERs. They found:

" that after EmCare took over the management of emergency services at hospitals with previously low out-of-network rates, they raised out-of-network rates by over 81 percentage points. In addition, the firm raised its charges by 96 percent relative to the charges billed by the physician groups they succeeded."

TeamHealth used the threat of sending high out-of-network bills to the insurance company's covered patients to gain high fees as in-network doctors. The researchers found:

" in most instances, several months after going out-of-network, TeamHealth physicians rejoined the network and received in-network payment rates that were 68 percent higher than previous in-network rates."

What the Yale study failed to note, however, is that EmCare has been in and out of PE hands since 2005 and is currently owned by KKR. Blackstone is the once and current owner of TeamHealth, having held it from 2005 to 2009 before buying it again in 2016.

Private equity has shaped how these companies do business. In the health-care settings where they operate, market forces do not constrain the raw pursuit of profit. People desperate for care are in no position to reject over-priced medical services or shop for in-network doctors.

Private equity firms are attracted by this opportunity to reap above-market returns for themselves and their investors.

Patients hate surprise medical bills, but they are very profitable for the private equity owners of companies like EmCare (now called Envision) and TeamHealth. Fixing this problem may be more difficult than the White House imagines.

This column first appeared on The Hill .

[Jan 19, 2019] Three Bernie Sanders Bills to Arrest the Highway Robbery in the Prescription Drug Market

Jan 19, 2019 | economistsview.typepad.com

anne , January 15, 2019 at 05:59 PM

https://prospect.org/article/three-bernie-sanders-bills-arrest-highway-robbery-prescription-drug-market

January 14, 2019

Three Bernie Sanders Bills to Arrest the Highway Robbery in the Prescription Drug Market
Allowing foreign imports, authorizing Medicare bargaining, or setting prices at what other nations pay -- all good options
By DEAN BAKER

The prescription drug market in the United States is an incredible mess. From an economic standpoint, everything is wrong. Drugs that would sell for a few hundred dollars in a free market often sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars because we give their manufacturers patent monopolies. This leads to the sort of distortions and inefficiency that would be expected from tariffs as high as many thousands percent.

From a heath perspective the situation is no better. The huge markups give drug companies enormous incentive to misrepresent the safety and effectiveness of their drugs and to push them for uses where they may not be appropriate. This is a big part of the story of the opioid epidemic.

Cumulatively, it is a huge deal in both economics and health. We spent more than $430 billion (2.2 percent of GDP) on prescription drugs last year. These drugs likely would have cost less than $80 billion in a free market. The difference of $350 billion is almost five times the annual federal budget for food stamps. This is real money.

This is the backdrop for three bills proposed last week by Senator Bernie Sanders, along with Representatives Elijah Cummings and Ro Khanna, to address the high and rapidly rising cost of prescription drugs. The three measures provide alternative paths for reducing drug prices.

The first one, "The Prescription Drug Price Relief Act," would end the patent monopoly for any drug that sold for a price exceeding the median price in five other major countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. This would allow large savings since drug prices in these countries are roughly half as much as in the United States. Drug companies would have a choice of either lowering their prices or losing their patent monopoly.

In the latter case, the competition is likely to push the price well below the levels in the five countries. While these nations do regulate drug prices, patent monopolies still let the companies charge a price that is far higher than the price that would exist in a competitive market with generic competition.

The second bill is "The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act." This bill would allow Medicare to negotiate collectively for the drugs purchased through Medicare prescription drug insurance. Since this program spends roughly $100 billion annually on drugs, it should have serious bargaining power.

Anyone designing a rational drug insurance program would have required negotiation when the program was created, but rational design was not necessarily the top priority at the time this program was enacted.

Anyone designing a rational drug insurance program would have required negotiation when the program was created, but rational design was not necessarily the top priority at the time this program was enacted. Representative Billy Tauzin, who headed the Energy and Commerce Committee, which structured the Medicare prescription drug legislation, resigned immediately after the bill was signed into law to become head of the pharmaceutical industry's trade association.

The third bill, "The Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act," is also an effort to take advantage of the fact that drugs are so much cheaper in other countries than in the United States. This bill would allow people to freely import drugs from other wealthy countries that have safety standards that are comparable to those in the United States.

This bill both highlights the sharp differences in prices between the United States and other countries and calls out one of the big lies used to justify these differences. Allies of the drug industry often claim that we cannot count on getting safe drugs from other countries, implying that countries like Canada and Germany do not protect their populations from unsafe drugs.

This is, of course, absurd. The standards in these countries are every bit as high as in the United States. And, if we think the quality of imported drugs is a problem, we all should already be very worried because many of the drugs and ingredients in drugs sold in the United States are already imported, largely from China. So the idea that we can't be assured of the safety of imported drugs is simply an industry talking point, not a real concern.

Which of these paths for reducing drug costs is best? Importation is probably the most far-reaching, since it should quickly bring our prices down to the level of other wealthy countries. As a practical matter, however, progressives should back anything that moves the debate forward.

We really need to turn the industry on its head, paying for research upfront and then having drugs sold in a free market, like paper plates and shovels. It is absurd to pay for research that has already been done, at the point when people are suffering from serious conditions jeopardizing their health or their life.

No one thinks it makes sense to pay firefighters based on the value of their work when they come to our burning house with our families inside, yet this is essentially how we pay for drug research under the patent monopoly system. In fact, the story is even worse with drugs, since typically we have a third party payer (either an insurance company or the government) who we are trying to get pick up most of the tab.

These bills would not fully solve the problem, but each would be a big step in the right direction. Sanders, Cummings, and Khanna have done a great service in pushing them forward.

mulp -> anne... , January 16, 2019 at 04:33 PM
"No one thinks it makes sense to pay firefighters based on the value of their work ..."

We value fire fighters as worthless, by not paying most fire fighters in the US.

After all, requiring the people saving your life to be paid kills jobs, so we end up with unpaid life savvers.

We should appply the same principle to people providing life saving food, the people building the roads needed to deliver life savings, the people making the vehicles used by those providing life saving services.

In fact, no one should be paid to work! Thats free lunch economics!

Sarcastic, yes.

Dean Baker meantioned nothing about costs, which are always labor costs.

Look, Keynes argued that when there were unemployed workers, and capital is scarce, government should tax and spend to pay workers to build capital.

For drugs, paying unemployed researchers to build capital, eg, life saving drugs, then taxing the drugs produced to repay the cost of developing the drugs, with so many new drugs developed, the private capital in drug factories, etc will produce so many drugs that drug prices fall to total labor costs per unit, plus the drug tax.

We know there are unemployed drugresearchers because NIH always runs out of money to pay all thre recent collage grads seeking grants to fund their hoped for job as a researcher.

Plp -> mulp ... , January 18, 2019 at 01:41 PM
Mulp what about monopoly profits my friend

Research could rise and marketing cuts pay for it

Yes there's slack created
In marketing jobs and funding entertainment of course

Plp -> anne... , January 17, 2019 at 08:40 AM
Bernie and Liz are too valuable to waste running for
The Dem nom

Leave that for a clever weather vane
Like Harris and that jersey senator

The gal from the Bronx
is another Bill Bryan

She is the future

anne -> Plp... , January 18, 2019 at 09:21 AM
The gal from the Bronx
is another Bill Bryan

She is the future

[ Funny and right and especially clever. ]

Julio -> Plp... , January 18, 2019 at 09:21 AM
Agreed completely.
Warren, in particular, makes a great senator but I doubt would make a great president.
Christopher H. said in reply to Julio ... , January 18, 2019 at 10:01 AM
Disagree, unfortunately in the American system the President gets all the attention and can spread the message.

Either Bernie or Warren would be good. I'd much prefer Bernie.

Plp -> Christopher H.... , January 18, 2019 at 01:43 PM
No problem if they win the POTUS job

Still I'd prefer AOC

[Jan 08, 2019] Risk On Again - Distractions from the Real Problems and Issues

Jan 08, 2019 | jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - Risk On Again - Distractions from the Real Problems and Issues

"On April 3, Nina Dang, 24, found herself in a position like so many San Francisco bike riders -- on the pavement with a broken arm.

A bystander saw her fall and called an ambulance. She was semi-lucid for that ride, awake but unable to answer basic questions about where she lived. Paramedics took her to the emergency room at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where doctors X-rayed her arm and took a CT scan of her brain and spine. She left with her arm in a splint, on pain medication, and with a recommendation to follow up with an orthopedist.

A few months later, Dang got a bill for $24,074.50. Premera Blue Cross, her health insurer, would only cover $3,830.79 of that -- an amount that it thought was fair for the services provided. That left Dang with $20,243.71 to pay, which the hospital threatened to send to collections in mid-December..."

Sarah Kliff, A $20,243 bike crash: Zuckerberg hospital's aggressive tactics leave patients with big bills

"Monopolies hurt the public and the republic alike; the job of policing that power must be taken seriously."

Elizabeth Warren

Within so many of the corporate dominant monopolies like Healthcare, Banking, Pharmaceuticals, some companies seem to be free to do just about whatever they wish in billing consumers.

Healthcare in the US is bordering on insane when it comes to billing practises and lack of practical recourse or common sense, with Big Pharma running a close second. But the Banks are not all that far behind.

I have met many, many dedicated professionals in the healthcare industry, but like most participants they are just being swept along because they have little practical recourse or power. To speak up is to be punished, and severely.

A simple law that states that when a patient is brought into a hospital emergency room for treatment, their private insurance and the treatments must be provided at the network rates in their insurance policy, or at the prevailing rate for a Medicare patient, whichever is lower. And any uncollectible services to be written off or compensated by government will be done at the Medicare rate and not at some ficitonal billing statement.

I believe that New York State has a law requiring ER and Hospital doctors to accept private insurance for patients as if they are in-network. This includes those 'consultations' which happen during a hospital stay by doctors who accept no insurance and who charge whatever they feel like charging for some service, of which provider or price the patient is never informed beforehand.

The real solution is of course universal healthcare, which has been implemented for years by every major developed nation but the US. This will not happen for the same reason that we are seeing no movement towards meaningful reform in Pharma or Banking. And you know exactly why, unless you have been living in a bubble or are willfully blind.

Stocks managed to extend their rally today despite some setbacks.

We will see what Trumpolini has to say about our 'crisis' at the southern border this evening, and the trade war, and probably whatever else crosses his mind. My only certainly is that it will not involve any meaningful reform in healthcare, finance, insurance, or pharmaceuticals.

Have a pleasant evening.

[Mar 21, 2018] Big pharma racket: Bottom line, it's doctors and patients fault for not defending themselves against the ludicrously corrupt health insurance industry

Notable quotes:
"... instruction manual ..."
"... Bottom line, experts say, medical professionals should make the patient aware if they prescribe a high-priced medicine and explain why it's beneficial. Patients should play defense and ask their physicians about the cost of every new prescription. ..."
"... " experts say " ..."
"... medicine is less expensive if you pay the cash price and we don't run it through your health plan ..."
Mar 21, 2018 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

Enquiring Mind , March 20, 2018 at 9:17 am

Shame is a 20th century concept ill-suited to this modern post-tobacco settlement world. Where some saw a consumer victory after decades of warnings on packs by getting big tobacco to acknowledge risks, others saw methodology victory for the neo-liberal machine, and an instruction manual .

Like the Big C, cancer, that machine keeps rolling along. Now it is mainstream, to be emulated instead of castigated. At least that is what appears to have happened among those shame-free star pupils of Big Pharma and their fellow travelers in FIRE, aided and abetted on the Big Screen where deviancy got defined down so far it got erased. Political and economic trends ebb and flow, with some elements of populism appearing on the horizon. Greater awareness of the plight of one's fellow humans may help focus the mind.

RabidGandhi , March 20, 2018 at 6:16 am

Bottom line, experts say, medical professionals should make the patient aware if they prescribe a high-priced medicine and explain why it's beneficial. Patients should play defense and ask their physicians about the cost of every new prescription.

Bottom line, it's doctors and patients fault for not defending themselves against the ludicrously corrupt health insurance industry. Bottom line, medical professionals and patients have to spend their time and effort (increasingly dwindling, because markets) to try to avoid being charged a month's pay for a tube of ointment. Because, bottom line, changing the system is not an option, so keep banging your head against that wall!

notabanker , March 20, 2018 at 6:36 am

Yeah, try getting a straight answer on what this stuff will cost BEFORE you take possession, er , are treated. "$200" has turned into $1000 bills from a third party device company that magically turns to $0 after 3 months of emails and phone calls. I've walked out of hospitals after getting full disclosure of costs minutes before a procedure that was scheduled weeks in advance.

The neolib corruption numbness has to seep through the cartilage into the bones to call these practices anything but criminal.

oh , March 20, 2018 at 2:30 pm

There is really no excuse for the crooks in the medical (health care? nah!) industrial complex not to provide costs of any procedure or service ahead of time. I admire you for walking out minutes before the procedure and more people should do the same. I would do the same and have.

Amfortas the Hippie , March 20, 2018 at 4:15 pm

If there's no "Price Discovery", is it really a "Marketplace"?

towards the end of my six and a half year slog through the disability process(sic), I learned about Cuba. I got a price for a new hip pretty easily from them (around 10 grand, including a "bungalo on the beach with a private nurse for recovery")

so I called the nearest hospital, and asked what a new hip would cost me, cash money, walking in the door.

The person obviously didn't understand the question, and after some time of me waving my arms and trying to word the question in a form she would understand she said" oh insurance takes care of that and it depends on many factors"

"such as?" sez I

Her:" like what kind of replacement they use which is up to the surgeon and many things"

This went on and on, and I finally got her not nailed down at around 300 grand.

Then I asked her what medicare would pay for the same thing and she hung up on me. It ain't a "Market", it's a Racket.

(and, about the toenail fungus my grandmother would tell her to just pee on it .)

Bukko Boomeranger , March 20, 2018 at 7:06 am

By the "logic" of the guest post, bottom line is it's that baby's fault for not being strong enough to defend itself against the big kid who took its candy. It's the woman's fault for dressing that way before she was raped.

The victims should be blamed because they didn't play defence well enough against the criminals who write the rules of the system. I presume your comment is to flesh out the BS justification from the article, Gandhi, not to endorse it. Excuses like the one capping the guest post, instead of rabid outrage, are part of what allows the crimes to continue. I can see why so many Merkins want to burn the (family blog)er down, even though they wind up voting for Trump as a means of expressing that feeling.

HistoricalPerspective , March 20, 2018 at 11:32 am

" experts say "

Seriously, who are these 'experts'!?!? Between the 'experts' , who blame the victims, kick cans down the road and pass the bucks to the lay-people (no one is an expert in everything, i.e. everyone is ignorant about something at some point in their lives) they're suppose to be advising whenever 'expertise' is required, and the 'journalists' who give them a venue to spew their apocryphal twaddle in an attempt to portray themselves as 'experts' when their true intentions are to gaslight, obfuscate and divide common sense and decency. Throw in the politicians, crony capitalists and all the other puppet masters and you have the perfect storm so many Americans, like myself, finds themselves drowning in. Once upon a time expertise inferred wisdom. Those days are history.

jackiebass , March 20, 2018 at 6:31 am

I don't know if it works but I've been told that petroleum jelly will cure toenail fungus. it seems salves or topical medicines are usually expensive. I use a salve that I apply to the rash from my. Eczema. I have used it for years and the price is constantly increasing. When I started using it the cost was $50 per tube. The last tube I got cost $480. I was prescribed an inhaler for Bronchitis. It cost almost $500 and didn't seem to do much to relieve the symptoms. Fortunately my insurance payed for the medicine. It still makes me mad when I think about what was charged for these prescriptions.

divadab , March 20, 2018 at 8:00 am

There are much cheaper alternatives to inhalers for asthma or bronchitis. Buy a "Nebulizer" (we just bought a portable one for $50), which is a vaporiser, and get your doctor to prescribe "nebules" of albuterol sulphate and/or sodium chromalyn to load into the nebulizer. We get a prescription refill of nebules for $3.49 v. over $50 for a ventolin inhaler . And there is no propellant in the nebulizer which there is on an inhaler.

The greed and parasitism of the pharmaceutical cartel is criminal.

Arthur J , March 20, 2018 at 10:13 am

My gp told me to use Vick's VapoRub for my toenail fungus. I asked the pharmacist and she said it has about a 10% success rate, same as the petroleum jelly from which Vick's is made. There was some branded treatment, $40 for a 2ml bottle that she said worked maybe 15% of the time. Only been a few weeks, but so far I haven't seen much of a change.

Eudora Welty , March 20, 2018 at 12:32 pm

Yes, I used Vick's Vaporub on a toe fungus and it worked. I was told it wouldn't work.

home for wayward trout , March 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm

The People's Pharmacy has a lot of information on toenail fungus and also has an article recommending treatment with mentholatum.

I now go to their website before filling any prescription I'm given by a doctor.

RalphR , March 20, 2018 at 8:22 pm

I did (after trying other topical but non-prescription products) and it didn't initially.

But then I used it in conjunction with a lotion with a lot of hyaluronic acid in it. Hyaluronic acid is widely used in cosmetic products to increase penetration of the active ingredients into the skin.

Worked great.

Just by sure to apply any treatment to the cuticle, particularly at the root of the nail. That is where the fungus lives.

donw , March 20, 2018 at 12:42 pm

It is a fungus, so being outside in the sun wearing flip flops might kill it.

Marie Parham , March 20, 2018 at 6:42 am

Last summer I had toenail fungus and researched how to treat it. Soaked my feet is diluted vinegar a few days and scrubbed the area. Then I used https://www.cvs.com/drug/miconazole . It worked. Next time I have an annual checkup I will talk to my nurse practitioner. Web MD was a big help. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/fungal-nail-infections-topic-overview#1

So was Mayo clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nail-fungus/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353300

I am not recommending websites replace physicians, but apparently it is necessary to always second guess the physicians.
My treatment cost less than $10.

Normal , March 20, 2018 at 6:42 am

How about requiring every provider to give a firm quotation on every product and service? Every other industry has to live with this constraint.

XXYY , March 20, 2018 at 10:22 am

I'm amazed this simple idea never gets traction. Car mechanics, e.g., are required by law to provide a written estimate before work begins; if something is found that will change the estimate, they have to get your OK. Car repairs are usually much cheaper than medical bills and are often equally or more opaque to diagnose.

Having doctors and medical offices provide you with an estimate after diagnosis but before treatment does not seem like it would be terribly hard. They (uniquely) have visibility into your insurance arrangements, their reimbursement rates, their costs, overhead, profit rates, and so on. Software for this purpose would make pretty short work of boiling this down to the out-of-pocket for the patient. The patient could then either OK it, negotiate other options, or decide to shop around. If the provider later tries to charge more, the patient would have something on paper to justify refusing it.

There's no reason patients should be treated like a bottomless bank account by the medical industry.

sharonsj , March 20, 2018 at 12:58 pm

Many doctors have no clue what things cost. I received a single shot of cortisone for an arthritic shoulder and was charged $200. When I complained to the health care system, I was told that, had I been insured, the cost to me would be $100 less. When I complained to my doctor, he had no idea about any of this.

P.S. I knew the owner of an herb farm who had foot fungus. She visited a podiatrist and was prescribed some expensive salve which didn't work. The woman then went out on her farm, gathered some herbs according to an old remedy, made her own salve and was cured.

oh , March 20, 2018 at 3:02 pm

I was told to get the shot for shoulder pain (was a bad idea from this quacK). The "doctor" had no idea what it would cost!! At any rate it cost me over a $100 even with Kaiser coverage and it did NOT help. It hurt a lot for a few days (in more ways than one). What a fraud this industry is.

I dread the day I'd have to go to the hospital where I it was such an emergency that I'd be at the mercy of this robber baron system

JTMcPhee , March 20, 2018 at 10:25 am

Had any car or truck repair work done lately? Or speaking of things automotive, have any of us had experiences with the sales machinery of car and truck dealers, new or used? Speaking of transparency in pricing, firm quotes and all that? As just one example of how The Machine actually works? Catch-22: "They can do anything to us they want that we can't keep them from doing." http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/08/seeing_catch22_twice.html

FluffytheObeseCat , March 20, 2018 at 11:19 am

Big ones twice in the past four years on the RAV4. 2 different shops, in different states. They both gave me firm, up front price quotes. One was wrong on the low side, and the owner called me with the real price and an apology before doing the work. Just like the law requires.

This kind of fair dealing and respect for the customer never happens in medical practices. The doctors rarely soil their highly educated minds with matters of cost; everyone else in the office has little authority, and the chubby young women who sit up front in scrubs do as little as possible for the captives they call patients.

nycTerrierist , March 20, 2018 at 3:07 pm

"This kind of fair dealing and respect for the customer never happens in medical practices. "

This! And stress over billing affects health!
it is stressful and aggravating that doctors can't/won't address cost at the point of service. This destroys patient's trust in the physician as well.
Therapeutic relationship is wrecked as well as health and personal finances.

Paul P , March 20, 2018 at 7:19 pm

This NYS law applies to services, not drugs. It's a start:

Emergency Medical Services and Surprise Bills Law – New York State
https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/ bill /ems_and_surprise_bills_law_faq.htm
If they do not participate in a patient's health care plan, they must upon request from a patient inform the patient of the estimated amount they will bill absent unforeseen medical circumstances that may arise. Under subdivisions (3) and (4), physicians in private practice also must provide information regarding any other ..

anonymous , March 20, 2018 at 6:57 am

"We're talking about mild toenail fungus. The price tag is difficult to rationalize, experts ( and every breathing human ) said."

Eureka Springs , March 20, 2018 at 7:03 am

We're talking about mild toenail fungus. The price tag is difficult to rationalize, experts said.

What kind of "expert" tries to rationalize cost of prescription on severity, rather than, say, cost of making the product?

16,500 for the course of an eleven month treatment with 6 percent chance of working. Seems like a medical RX vacation almost anywhere else in the world would be prudent.

Enquiring Mind , March 20, 2018 at 9:07 am

What kind of expert, you ask?

Today's fast-paced, stimulating world in pharmaceutical revenue management and marketing needs H1-B visa assistance to hire the kind of expert that is not available in sufficient quantity or quality to allow efficient pursuit of medical excellence. In past years, such personnel were to be found only in select industries such as tobacco and other personal care products. Building the right team, with applicable key performance indicators and mission-critical elements, is too important to be left to chance so every avenue must be explored, every base touched. Consumer options are opened up in the free market of healthy competition for products rather than stifled under excess regulatory and legal layers.

That kind of expert. /s

Jon S , March 20, 2018 at 12:34 pm

I really enjoyed that!

sgt_doom , March 20, 2018 at 1:54 pm

Man oh man!!!!

Had a deja vu moment there -- thought I was back as an employee during a leveraged buyout by the typically sleazy PE firm of Baird Private Equity!!!!!

Lambert Strether , March 20, 2018 at 7:07 am

Sounds like Soloviev wasn't a "smart shopper"!

Miamijac , March 20, 2018 at 7:28 am

Teatree oil, anti fungal. >$3.00. They only have a license to practice.

Croatoan , March 20, 2018 at 8:17 am

Just be careful with the natural stuff

"The results of our laboratory studies confirm that pure lavender and tea tree oils can mimic the actions of estrogens and inhibit the effects of androgens ," said Korach. "This combinatorial activity makes them somewhat unique as endocrine disruptors."

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/lavender-tea-tree-oils-may-cause-breast-growth-boys

Kevin , March 20, 2018 at 9:06 am

My wife is a massage therapist and dispenses oils occasionally. NEVER use straight oils – ALWAYS use a carrier oil in conjunction.

BTW – anyone else notice the toe fungus ad placed above the comments we're being watched!

oh , March 20, 2018 at 3:14 pm

Another myth propagated by the hand maidens to the Pharma industry.

cnchal , March 20, 2018 at 8:29 am

The title of the post is a bit misleading.

It should have been "Bill Of The Month: For Toenail Fungus, A $16,500 Prescription and less than 10% effective".

. . . She began swabbing it on the two toenails, as directed, having been told it would take about 11 months to treat the fungus .
– – – –
Unbeknownst to her, Kerydin, which it turned out costs nearly $1,500 per monthly refill . . .
– – – –
In its application for Food and Drug Administration approval granted in 2014, Anacor Pharmaceuticals highlighted that a yearlong treatment of Kerydin completely cured toe fungus in 6.5 percent of patients for one trial, and 9.1 percent of patients in another.

The post's title diminishes the scale of the scam by a factor of at least 100.

sgt_doom , March 20, 2018 at 1:55 pm

Very well articulated and thought out!

Props and kudos!!!

lyman alpha blob , March 20, 2018 at 3:52 pm

That last bit blew my mind. Why in the hell is the FDA approving anything as a treatment that can only be shown to cure what it's supposed to less than 10% of the time!?!? And we know how the approval process scam works – the companies only submit the best results in the first place and leave out the data the shows treatments to be less successful.

That being said, who would like to try out my new wonder drug? It cures absolutely everything that ails you at least 5% ot the time. I call it Plaisibeaux – the ingredients are French and they're a trade secret. Any FDA employess around who can fast track this one for me?

Joel , March 20, 2018 at 8:35 am

My simple stupid solution just avoid them entirely, the docs the tests the meds the hospitals. Advil is cheap and works for most of the pain. A couple of other basic meds for occasional random stuff that I buy when I travel outside the US. Try to work out a bit and eat more or less right. Except for easy obvious stuff I never met anyone that actually got better by going to a doctor. When its time to die I guess I will die.

Stillfeelinthebern , March 20, 2018 at 2:43 pm

X1000

Couldn't agree more.

oh , March 20, 2018 at 3:16 pm

+1

sierra7 , March 20, 2018 at 10:00 pm

In our healthcare system (and I guess totally), when you're healthy you're wealthy!

mark , March 20, 2018 at 8:35 am

It's really worse than the article suggests. Kerydin (tavaborole) isn't even all that effective. In one trial, "cure" was achieved in about 7% of cases and in other trials "completely or almost clear nail rates" were achieved in 15 – 30% of cases:

In clinical trials, tavaborole was more effective than the vehicle (ethyl acetate and propylene glycol) alone in curing onychomycosis. In two studies, fungal infection was eliminated using tavaborole in 6.5% of the cases vs. 0.5% using the vehicle alone, and 27.5% vs. 14.6% using the vehicle alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavaborole#Therapeutic_trials

For those interested, this is the original paper that the Wikipedia entry is based on:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962215015121

Thomas Briggs , March 20, 2018 at 9:14 am

Last visit was a snake bite. Antivenom was about 60k. Pretty sure same can be had in Mexico for less than $1,000, maybe much less. That was 5 years ago. I refuse to participate any longer, & I have good insurance. I hope eating better, exercise, & homeopathic treatments can work for me. Have not seen a doctor since & won't unless taken unconscious.

oh , March 20, 2018 at 3:18 pm

Agree with you. Eat healthy foods, exercise, homeopathic or ayurvedic treatment when absolutely necessary. No need to go for their "free" physicals. Listen to your body.

Pat , March 20, 2018 at 9:19 am

So a physicians assistant diagnosed a fungus strictly on observation, calls in a prescription for an ineffective and more difficult to use but massively expensive prescription and it is the patient's fault.

Don't know about the rest of you, but I see at least three problems in that that have nothing to do with the patient OR even the obscene greed of the pharmaceutical industry but a whole lot with the Braun Dermotological Center.

XXYY , March 20, 2018 at 10:32 am

I have no proof, but my guess is that these medical centers have sweetheart deals with mail-order pharmacies for various overpriced drugs. We took my son to a dermatology place several times for acne treatment; they would commonly propose something I had never heard of and urge us to order from a particular mail-order pharmacy, often providing coupons. I saw no reason not to get it from our local pharmacy but they were strangely insistent on us doing it by mail.

One obvious problem with mail-order pharmacies is made clear in this piece: by the time you find out how much things cost, it's already a done deal. At a retail pharmacy, you can walk away without paying. This is obviously a feature of mail-order pharmacies, not a bug.

Kevin , March 20, 2018 at 11:02 am

The proliferation of specialty medical centers around the western Chicago suburbs has been amazing to witness – similar to the proliferation in the number of bank outlets prior to the crash

Katniss Everdeen , March 20, 2018 at 11:33 am

No kidding. How is prescribing a drug, even a cheap one, that's "effective" only 7% of the time even considered medical "treatment?"

And what in the world is that "statement" pictured above? It's flat out false. Is it somehow supposed to be official? Where did it come from?

"Total Rx cost" in January: $56.52???? No, it was $1,496.09–same as in February.

"You paid" (Patient paid?) in January: $56.52? No, the patient paid $1,439.57, "funded" through her HRA and shown with an asterisk at the bottom. $56.52 was apparently a drug company rebate / coupon.

About the only true thing in January was that the insurance paid $0.

The "You paid" in February was not, in fact paid by the patient, but by another drug company rebate / coupon. She was not even asked to write a check for the copay, an expense she would have expected.

The "Your Cost" of $620.43 at the top appears to be the sum of the two drug company coupons for January and February, although no time frame is specified. At this point, the patient had written NO checks, even for the copays.

As an aside, where is the $60 "Copay/Co-insurance for January?

The patient's actual "cost" over the two months would most accurately be represented as the sum of the two months' Rxs–about $3000–plus two $60 copays. "You Paid" should be what she actually paid, either out of pocket or through the HRA, and any fees or copays that were covered by drug company rebates should be clearly noted as CHARGED but ABROGATED.

I'd suggest that deliberately confusing and understating seemingly obvious terms such as "cost" and "paid"
deliberately obfuscates the situation in order to sell expensive drugs that people would balk at purchasing if they knew the true "cost."

And all of this is before figuring out, for a Medicare recipient, how all these worthless, expensive drugs, coupons and rebates propel the patient toward the "donut hole," an entirely different kettle of fish in which nobody pays for nuthin' except the patient.

Joel , March 20, 2018 at 4:45 pm

+1 These "statements" web pages or whatever are designed by either morons or sadistic fiends. Probably the same ones that design cell phone bills

anonymous , March 20, 2018 at 9:48 am

This reminds me of the time I was billed $300 for a foot splint by a podiatrist that my insurance refused to pay for. I could have bought a foot splint off Amazon for $30.

Always ask for prices for any treatments or medicines. I trust my dentist way more than any doctor I've been too.

vidimi , March 20, 2018 at 10:05 am

this stuff is free in france for anyone with a social security number

Bugs Bunny , March 20, 2018 at 10:46 am

Kerydin has not been approved by the European Medicines Agency. You shouldn't state things as fact unless you can back them up.

Jon S , March 20, 2018 at 12:40 pm

I'm sure he meant "medicine that fixes toe fungi" is free in France, not Kerydin. And of course Kerydin isn't approved in Europe, with a 7% efficacy rate, it's doesn't really have medicinal value. It would only be prescribed in the US.

crittermom , March 20, 2018 at 10:15 am

Stories such as this are infuriating.

I went to a Podiatrist a couple years ago for a different problem but mentioned I thought I had a toenail fungus, too.

The Dr confirmed that but instead of prescribing something he recommended coconut oil. He said it worked much better & faster than any pills he could prescribe & he was right.

I had a large jar of solid coconut oil (around $6) & applied it with a Q tip.
In very short time the fungus was gone.

A girlfriend had gone to her Dr who prescribed pills.
Her fungus returned within a few months.
Mine hasn't.

Lord Koos , March 20, 2018 at 1:08 pm

This is not surprising – before I read your post I was thinking, there is probably a simple home remedy for that condition. There are a lot of useful drugs out there, but there are probably just as many that are useless, ineffective, or that have dangerous side effects and unintended consequences. I took over-the-counter anti-allergy meds for my hay fever for years, only recently reading that they (Claritin, etc) are now implicated in the onset of Alzheimer's. Thanks a lot

JamesG , March 20, 2018 at 10:41 am

I caught a similar prescription with a high co-pay and refused to pick up the merch from the pharmacist.

I then treated my fungus with Lamisil an OTC product which works for me.

Steve Roberts , March 20, 2018 at 10:42 am

I was written a script for a tube of cream that supposedly cost nearly $3k. It's hard to know what the pharmacy benefit manager actually paid because they are pretty secretive about that sort of thing. Per a friend she estimated it at probably $50 which is still idiotic. It was an anti-itch cream and wasn't any better than a $2.50 tube of cortisone cream.

otis , March 20, 2018 at 11:22 am

For the love of Pete. Isopropyl alcohol costs $1.79. Cut your toenails then apply with q tip. No more nail fungus. One bottle = many years supply.

I'm amazed people will take pills to cure nail fungus. So Dumb.
$14.000 annual toe cream. Dumb dumb dumber.
Thanks for posting these absurd bills. It lays bare the financialized health care holocaust underway in the USA.

perpetualWAR , March 20, 2018 at 11:32 am

Toenail fungus? Get apple cider vinegar.
Why do people not first look at home remedies?
Apple cider vinegar clears that up in a snap.

Synoia , March 20, 2018 at 11:49 am

Fungus can be treated by soaking in a 25% solution of vinegar, twice a day for two weeks.

Change the pH, kill the fungus.

That was my prescription for a fungus on my foot, by my doctor. And it worked.

Fred , March 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm

I pay less for my medicines when I pay cash as the pharmacy gives me a discount. But, because Part D has a penalty for not enrolling, I use it for 5 of medicines and then pay cash for one of them and pay about $5 more per month. Not to mention my doctor offered to do my stints for half price if I paid for cash. The whole healthcare system is a mess.

Pogonip , March 20, 2018 at 1:16 pm

I don't know about other countries, but here in the U.S. you should always, always, always assume that in any transaction you engage in, the seller has been financialized and will actively try to squeeze more money out of you, the ideal being to take all your available money and give you nothing in return. Be wary.

There are plenty of honorable exceptions, like the honest doctors and the mechanics described above. Cherish those sellers, patronize them, spread the word of mouth, especially if you think capitalism is the best of all possible economic worlds. The rent-seekers, if they continue unchecked, will destroy capitalism, because it requires some minimum level of trust to work. The odds that the seller will provide a good product or service have to be at least better than even.

Anonymous , March 20, 2018 at 1:54 pm

Philia is a necessary casualty of identity politics. Society depends on the collective will of people to take actions that are not in their direct benefit because they know others will make them. The "Tragedy of the Commons" does not occur when philia is strong because people know they can trust others not to abuse common resources. Once people do not trust others to act for the greater good it is a race to the bottom. The problem with identity politics is that it creates distrust of others outside ones own identity group as 'others' who cannot be trusted.

jrs , March 20, 2018 at 3:51 pm

oh yes identity politics created that, as if there wasn't far stronger prejudice by dominant groups long before identity politics was even a glimmer in it's dad's eye.

CrosslakeJohn , March 20, 2018 at 3:12 pm

Ten years ago or so in Corte Madera California, I was very lucky to find a podiatrist who was doing research on toenail fungus. I had nine of ten toe nails involved, some since high school (so for decades). His protocol for this was
1) pulse dose of two Lamasil tablets at the start of treatment
2) OTC bottle of fungoid tincture (with little brush built into the cap) from drug store with half a Lamasil tablet dissolved in it
3) every morning in the shower, scrub the nail ends with a toothbrush and a chlorine powder cleaner like Comet
4) brush a small amount fungoid tincture onto nail ends after morning shower and at night before bed.
5) keep nails short with clean cut ends

As I recall, the Lamasil pulse dose kills the fungus in the nail bed right away, and the fungoid tincture wicks into the nail every time and carries the anti-fungal drug to the fungus residing within the nail. The chlorine cleaner acts as a dessicant and pH modifier.

Ultimately, he gave me the few necessary Lamasil tablets as free samples, and back then the fungoid tincture was maybe $4/bottle at walgreens.

The new nails grew in from the nail beds perfectly, and after many months I had perfect toe nails and ceased treating them. They have remained so ever since.
I have always wondered if this approach was ever published in a medical journal. No significant money to be made from it by the manufacturer of Lamasil, so it's hard to see who had an incentive to promote it.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advice. Pursue at your own risk.
Thanks!!

rps , March 20, 2018 at 4:48 pm

Why your pharmacist can't tell you .
WASHINGTON -- As consumers face rapidly rising drug costs, states across the country are moving to block "gag clauses" that prohibit pharmacists from telling customers that they could save money by paying cash for prescription drugs rather than using their health insurance The pharmacist cannot volunteer the fact that a medicine is less expensive if you pay the cash price and we don't run it through your health plan ."

The White House Council of Economic Advisers said in a report this month that large pharmacy benefit managers "exercise undue market power" and generate "outsized profits for themselves."

P Fitzsimon , March 20, 2018 at 4:57 pm

I'm going to get in trouble for saying this but toenail fungus isn't exactly leprosy. I've had a case continuously for 40 years after damaging my toenails in an accident. About 20 years ago I went to a doctor to see what could be done to get rid of it. He said I can give you a prescription that may cure it . But would you rather risk your liver or take the fungus with you to the grave after a full and healthy life with the fungus. I dont know what it would have cost because I chose the fungus. If it had cost $1500 and he hadn't told me the cost I would have been most unhappy.

Bill Carson , March 20, 2018 at 6:09 pm

This is shameful and absurd. However, the article mentions that there are "pills" that can be prescribed to treat the toe fungus, but some people taking those pills (terbinafine aka lamisil) have developed severe liver damage leading to liver transplant or death.

How much does it cost to just remove the toenail?

Bill Carson , March 20, 2018 at 6:28 pm

Why does this prescription cost $1,650 per month and not $16,500? Or $165,000? Or $1,650,000? Who decided that $1,650 was reasonable and $1,650,000 wasn't?

Bill Carson , March 20, 2018 at 6:46 pm

Oops, I meant $1,500 per month. But it probably costs more now anyway.

And how do they make an ointment last only a month? I've got some ointments under my sink that are 30 years old.

Bill Carson , March 20, 2018 at 6:39 pm

I'm a lawyer. I took Contracts 25 years ago in law school, but I seem to remember that there are certain elements to a contract that have to be present before the parties can be bound. Let's see

1. Offer
2. Acceptance
3. Consideration
4. Mutuality

Now, it seems to me that Consideration can't just be left blank. It is a very rare (non-medical) contract indeed where the buyer says, "I want X, no matter what it costs."

If I stay at a hotel and they have a mini-fridge with various refreshments and snacks, and I take a Diet Coke and a Milky Way, they can't legally charge me $10,000 for that.

I don't know why this isn't considered defrauding the consumer. We should be able to sue the crap out of these companies.

mtnwoman , March 20, 2018 at 7:40 pm

Give the medical practitioners a break! So now they need to puruse the Wall St Journal daily to see what pirate has acquired what formerly cheap generic drup to monopolize it and raise the price 500%?

Yes, the price was outrageous. How is the practitioner supposed to know every patients health care coverage and what one particular insurance carrier will cover for what drug? What's $50 for one person is $1500 for another, depending on their insurance.

Our entire health care system sucks. The only people who like it are the Insurance and Pharma execs.

Tim , March 20, 2018 at 9:09 pm

I won't give a doctor a break that prescribes a non-essential medicine with a 6% success rate.

[Mar 17, 2018] How to negotiate directly with physicians and hospitals

That's a fantasy: "It is important to lock this agreement in, quickly, before my account is sold to a third-party collection agency, which is nowhere near as likely to accept such a deep discount" Many hospitals sells you to collection immediately.
Mostly this is a cheap self-promotion of a yet another snake oil salesmen... Some more tidbit still might be useful You are warned.
If you try to fight medical-industrial complex alone most of the time you will be crushed. As a minimum you need a legal help. Often you need insurance too: at the end it is cheaper to have insurance then to fight astronomic bills. But those bottom feeders still can get to you via balance billing. and in most case, when you stay in hospital they do get back to you with the additional biils. That's why you will need a lawyers to fight this.
The usual trick of this scammers is to get "out of the network" ambulance and bill you $5K or more. Even the transfer from one hospital to another via ambulance can cost you tons of money.
Unnecessary procedures is another important danger. Stents is one such danger, in case of suspicion for the heart attack. You can get several several of them even if do not need them as a courtesy of those greedy jerks ;-)
And they will never agree for Medicare rates. Forget about it.
Notable quotes:
"... As we have already learned, all healthcare services have been assigned a code by the AMA, a five digit CPT code. So, if you trip and fall off your patio, you might get a doctor's bill like the following table located in your handouts: ..."
"... You may receive other bills from several doctors such as anesthesiologists and radiologists, as well as laboratory services, therapists, and the ambulance company. The bills all look similar, and the strategy and tactics I am presenting, today, should work for each of them as well. ..."
"... The purpose of this overpricing by the medical providers is to force the insurance companies to the negotiating table. The insurance company is bringing a large volume of patients to the medical providers, the members in their network, so they are able to negotiate a lower discounted allowable fee from the medical providers. However, if the insurance carrier is not able to negotiate a contractual allowable fee schedule, then they will end up paying the higher billed charges of the out-of-network provider for the members that still end up being treated by that medical provider in emergencies when precertification is not required. ..."
"... Now, on to where you can find these prices. Well, if you have insurance, then after you receive medical care and the healthcare providers send their claims to the insurance carrier, you should receive from the payer an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), or you probably can go online and view an Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA). For every CPT code that the providers billed , you will see both a billed charge and allowable. ..."
"... Fortunately, as you will now learn, there is a much more simple and better way to be 100% certain of your diagnosis, diagnosis code, procedure, procedure code, and even the medications the physician will offer you, at least for elective conditions. Here it is. If it isn't an emergency, then make a doctor's appointment! ..."
"... Does this sound unlikely? Too good to be true? Then consider this: Medical providers are highly incentivized to give the patients they treated huge discounts. Why? Because they know that collecting money from patients foments malpractice litigation. They would rather have you pay them pennies, than have you sue them for millions. ..."
"... I recently had breakfast with a pharmacist friend of mine that has worked as a manager for Walgreens for more than a decade. mrs_horseman is probably smiling when she hears that I have a pharmacist friend, because she knows how I feel about most of the people in that industry. Nonetheless, I told him about this presentation I am making, and asked if he had any advice for negotiating directly with the pharmacies for medications. It turns out, he does, and I would have never guessed the tactic he described. ..."
Mar 17, 2018 | www.zerohedge.com

... ... ...

Approximately 63% of Americans have no emergency savings for things such as a $1,000 emergency room visit or a $500 car repair, according to a survey released Wednesday of 1,000 adults by personal finance website Bankrate.com, up slightly from 62% last year. Faced with an emergency, they say they would raise the money by reducing spending elsewhere (23%), borrowing from family and/or friends (15%) or using credit cards to bridge the gap (15%).

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-07/sad-state-affairs-two-thirds-a

... ... ...

You are going to need five things, which I am going to give to you, today, free of charge!

  1. Some absolutely critical industry vocabulary
  2. A clear understanding of how healthcare is priced in the USA
  3. Insight into to actual pricing
  4. A proven negotiation strategy, including:
    • a. The point of contact
    • b. Foreknowledge of what prices medical providers will usually agree to
    • c. A sample offer and agreement
  5. The confidence to successfully negotiate

Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a better way to impart to you an understanding of the industry lingo, other than these simple handouts. However, this information is so important for you to be able to understand any negotiation strategy that I simply must slog through each term with you now. Please, I ask that you hold your questions and comments until I get through the vocabulary. Many of the terms are cross-referenced, and will become more clear after we here them all.

... ... ..

To begin to understand how healthcare is priced, we are going to look at

  1. the doctor's bill given to a patient,
  2. the claim forms the doctor and hospital send to the insurance carrier, and
  3. ERAs that the insurance carrier then send back to the patient and the providers.

As we have already learned, all healthcare services have been assigned a code by the AMA, a five digit CPT code. So, if you trip and fall off your patio, you might get a doctor's bill like the following table located in your handouts:

On the hospital's bill you might see something like this:

It is important to understand that the amounts shown on both of these bills are un-discounted Billed Charges (Usual and Customary Fees). They are the highest price the provider might ever hope to receive for the service, also known as full retail, or MSRP. Don't panic when you get these bills, because as everyone knows, "Never pay retail."

You may receive other bills from several doctors such as anesthesiologists and radiologists, as well as laboratory services, therapists, and the ambulance company. The bills all look similar, and the strategy and tactics I am presenting, today, should work for each of them as well.

If you have insurance, the providers will send your carrier a claim with essentially the same data as is on the bill they will provide to you if you are not insured, or if you simply request a copy.

An important fact is that Federal Law, as a requirement for the medical provider's participation in Medicare, requires that a medical provider charge every patient the same amount for a given CPT item. What it does not require, however, is that a medical provider accept the same payment amount from every patient for a given CPT item. This allows insurance companies, government payers, and you to negotiate a discounted fee, known as a contracted allowable, and not be in violation of the law.

The purpose of this overpricing by the medical providers is to force the insurance companies to the negotiating table. The insurance company is bringing a large volume of patients to the medical providers, the members in their network, so they are able to negotiate a lower discounted allowable fee from the medical providers. However, if the insurance carrier is not able to negotiate a contractual allowable fee schedule, then they will end up paying the higher billed charges of the out-of-network provider for the members that still end up being treated by that medical provider in emergencies when precertification is not required.

This creates a tiered-pricing structure for medical services that looks very much like this table in your handouts:

At this point, if you are paying close attention, then it should start to dawn on you where I am leading you with this talk, which, after all, is titled: How to negotiate directly with physicians and hospitals.

Spoiler Alert: You are learning how to negotiate for Medicare rates, at worst, and Medicaid rates, at best. In our example, a bilateral elbow fracture patient in Texas received surgeon and hospital bills totaling $179,219. Medicare allows $30,542 and Medicaid $22,600, which means the government negotiated an 83% or 87.4% discount, respectively. You can too!

Before we move on to providing you with access to these fee schedules, and then a negotiation strategy, do you have any questions about how healthcare is priced in the USA?

Now, on to where you can find these prices. Well, if you have insurance, then after you receive medical care and the healthcare providers send their claims to the insurance carrier, you should receive from the payer an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), or you probably can go online and view an Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA). For every CPT code that the providers billed , you will see both a billed charge and allowable.

Quick show of hands: how many of you have received a medical bill, or an EOB, and threw it away because you could not understand it? That is intentional! They want you to be confused. However, after today, I doubt that you will ever do that again.

What if we do not have insurance, or we want to know the allowable, because we think this is important information to know so that we can negotiate before receiving healthcare? Think having a baby or elective surgery. Do not worry! The federal government provides us with the Medicare rates online, and I believe that each state provides its Medicaid fee schedules online.

You would soon discover, however, that it is much easier to determine the allowable for a physician service than a hospital service, for which you will likely need to look up the DRGs for the ICD codes and then try to cross-reference them with the IPPS Fee Schedule, at a minimum, or you may even need to look up and calculate conversion factors. It is not easy, again, intentionally so!

Regardless, we would first need the CPT codes for the services you are seeking from the physician, and probably the ICD codes, too, in order to price hospital services. You could try to guess at the diagnosis and the services you think the doctor is going to provide to you, and then try to use a search engine to determine the ICD codes and CPT codes, or buy a coding book.

"I know I need a hip replacement. My trainer at the gym told me so. I'll just Google, hip replacement ICD and CPT code."

Good luck with that! The odds of you guessing the correct diagnosis and appropriate procedures (without going to medical school) are incredibly slim, especially with the new ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Also, chances are good that your athletic trainer doesn't know what the hell she is talking about when it come to medicine, and in reality, you probably just need a new athletic trainer, and not a new hip.

Is your head spinning, yet? Good! Now, stop it, because you will see that we don't need to do any of that! It's all just a red herring designed to keep us confused and the health insurers in business and profitable. Sounds a lot like our banking system, no?

Fortunately, as you will now learn, there is a much more simple and better way to be 100% certain of your diagnosis, diagnosis code, procedure, procedure code, and even the medications the physician will offer you, at least for elective conditions. Here it is. If it isn't an emergency, then make a doctor's appointment!

You may be thinking, "Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Don't we want to know the costs in order to negotiate the fees before the services are provided?" The surprising answer is, no! Why? Well, because we only need to negotiate the fee schedule, specifically, Medicare or Medicaid, and not the exact fee. This is very important. Think back to the tiered-pricing structure.

Eventually, we may want to know the actual (or sometimes estimated) allowable amounts in order to budget for elective procedures, but this occurs after, or at the time of the physician's office visit, when they can provide us with the ICD codes, CPT codes, and usually the allowable amount, too! Later, we may choose to audit the allowable amount they give us, to make sure it is correct, and we were not over charged, but this is seldom done, as most people still trust their doctor, and the discounts you will be receiving are so HUGE you may feel a little guilty. Also, I will tell you, the auditing process is very tedious, not to mention the appeal process.

Therefore, we are now going to start talking about a negotiating strategy before we even attempt to access any pricing data. Again, we first need to know the diagnoses and proposed treatments. So, the solution is to start with a simple negotiation with the physician's office, probably just for the cost for the initial office visit, at the very least, and maybe some expected diagnostic tests. This is best done over the telephone, is easier and more successful than you might think, and is analogous to finding a mechanic to, "just take a look," at your car and tell you what is wrong with it, and then getting an estimate to repair it. Just like we expect to pay a little bit for the mechanic to diagnose our car, we should expect to pay a little bit for the doctor to diagnose us. The funny thing is that my mechanic and Medicare both charge or allow about $100 for a diagnosis. This is not so funny if you are the surgeon that spent 13 more years in school than the auto mechanic with a high school diploma.

Here we go, step by step:

1) I usually prefer to skip the added expense of going to a GP or family practice intermediary just to get a referral to a specialist that can actually help, especially when I can determine what medical specialty is likely to be most helpful for by medical condition by visiting the website of the American Board of Medical Specialties. (Is your ignition system acting up, your suspension riding a little rough, need new tires, brakes squeaking, transmission grinding?)

http://www.abms.org/member-boards/specialty-subspecialty-certificates/

2) Use the links on abms.org to visit the appropriate specialty board's website, and then use their "find a physician" with the sub-specialty likely to be most helpful for the condition

3) Start calling the sub-specialty physician offices listed, tell them you are a prospective new patient, and ask to speak to the Business Office Manager. Ask him or her the following questions:

a) "Do you accept Medicare and/or Medicaid insurance?" If yes, then...

b) "Super! Do you accept cash payment at the time of service?" If yes, then...

c) "Great! Then, of course, you will accept as payment in full, the Medicaid allowable, but paid in cash by me to you, directly, at the time of service? Correct?" If yes, then (e). If no then (d).

d) "I guess I understand. Well, then surely you will at least accept as payment the Medi­care allowable, paid in cash by me to you, directly, at the time of service? If yes, then (e). If no then conclude the call, because you cannot fix stupid.

e) "Thank you! Can you please tell me what the estimated amount is for an office visit, using this fee schedule, so I can know how much money to bring, and please make a note on my account that we have negotiated a Single Case Agreement for me to pay these rates to you, in cash, at the time of service?

f) Tell him or her your specific reason for the visit (I am leaking red fluid on the floor of my garage) and that you want to be fully prepared for the visit. Ask what diagnostic tests, if any, are usually required for this type of problem, lab, X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc., and which ones would probably need to be done outside the physician's clinic?

g) Make sure to get the BOM's name and contact information, and the appointment time and date.

After your office visit, if it turns out that you need a procedure such as day surgery at an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC), an inpatient admission at a hospital, a diagnostic test like an MRI or CT, or a series of treatments such as physical therapy, then you simply repeat the above negotiation, starting with the facility your physician recommends, and in the case of a hospital or ASC, always where he or she has privileges. ASC's allowable rates are always much lower than a hospital, so act accordingly. When telling the BOM that you are a prospective new patient, make sure to give the name of your physician. Instead of just making a note of any negotiated agreement in your account, the BOM and you should execute a written Single Case Agreement. It is usually a one-page agreement that looks something like this sample found in your handouts:

It should be obvious to you why, when possible, these negotiations should occur before treatment, which is more often than you might imagine. In general, elective conditions are negotiated in advance in this manner. Next, we are going to look at emergency conditions, which are more than likely negotiated after examination and treatment.

Before we do, are there any questions?

Ok, so I experience some kind of true medical emergency, where my life or limb is in jeopardy, like a heart attack. mrs_horseman puts me in an ambulance that rushes me to the Emergency Room at the hospital, and they run all kinds of tests, and give me some very expensive medications. Fortunately for me, a long enough timeline has not yet passed, my survival rate has not dropped to zero, and I don't even get to go to the cath lab or have emergency heart surgery. However, we do get several large medical bills from the hospital, ER doctor, ambulance, laboratory, and cardiologist. I either have no insurance, am self-insured, or I have a catastrophic insurance plan with a very high deductible that I am not likely to meet with this event, or this year. What do I do?

When I receive each bill, I immediately call each provider and get the name and address of the BOM. I then draft a Single Case Agreement Offer and Acceptance, and I offer to pay the estimated Medicaid allowable clearly labeled as such (by using the tiered-pricing structure I covered earlier) and expiring 10 days after it is received. I may also include some horseshit narrative about how I just received a small windfall, and was advised by my attorney to settle my hospital bill before I piss it away on fast women and slow horses, or worse, squander it. I send this to the BOM, Certified Mail-Return Receipt Requested , with my attorney copied on the bottom of the offer. The BOM may argue the accuracy of my Medicaid estimate, and make a counter offer with a more accurate Medicaid allowable, but the odds are very, very, high that he or she either agrees to the Medicaid allowable, or counters with something like a Medicare allowable. Either way, at this point I have successfully negotiated somewhere around an 83% - 87% discount on average, less for doctors, more for hospitals.

It is important to lock this agreement in, quickly, before my account is sold to a third-party collection agency, which is nowhere near as likely to accept such a deep discount, and far better than a healthcare provider at actually getting blood from a turnip. Medical providers are now turning their accounts over to collections as soon as 90 days from the date of service, which can mean that you are still being treated for this condition when this happens! Do not let this happen to you! Open the bills! Mail the offer! Maybe they say no, but that is not likely. On the other hand, the collections agencies are working very hard to get you on a payment plan for Billed Charges, with interest, for the rest of your life!

Does this sound unlikely? Too good to be true? Then consider this: Medical providers are highly incentivized to give the patients they treated huge discounts. Why? Because they know that collecting money from patients foments malpractice litigation. They would rather have you pay them pennies, than have you sue them for millions.

There it is. I said it. Think about that for a moment.

Now, considering the minimal risk of negotiating, and the large potential reward, do you now have the confidence to successfully negotiate directly with physicians and hospitals?

Before I spend just a few more minutes talking about pharmacies, and then finally some self-insurance goals, are there any questions or comments?

I recently had breakfast with a pharmacist friend of mine that has worked as a manager for Walgreens for more than a decade. mrs_horseman is probably smiling when she hears that I have a pharmacist friend, because she knows how I feel about most of the people in that industry. Nonetheless, I told him about this presentation I am making, and asked if he had any advice for negotiating directly with the pharmacies for medications. It turns out, he does, and I would have never guessed the tactic he described.

Are you ready? Coupons and free discount cards. He explained that if one simply goes online and searches for Walgreens coupons, it is usually possible to save between 5% and 60%. He specifically recommends Good Neighbor Pharmacy Prescription Savings Club.

http://www.mygnp.com/prescription-savings-club

He says that when you purchase medications, then you have 5 days to return to the same location Walgreens and bring a coupon for reimbursement of any savings. He says that if you are paying cash, then you must be sure to request a generic, if available. For long term meds, he explains that the drug manufacturer's web sites will often offer a free co-pay assistance card. If you have insurance, then you can present the free card from the manufacturer to the Walgreens pharmacy, and it will cover your co-pays. In closing, I want to talk just a bit about insurance and one of the situations where we would want to be able to negotiate directly with physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies.

As we have discussed, today, one of the primary benefits of having health insurance is to take advantage of the discounts negotiated by the insurance company or government. However, we just learned that providers are usually willing to accept similar discounted rates from cash pay patients.

The other big benefit of health insurance is to share with other people the risk of having to pay large bills that are the result of serious and unexpected injuries or illnesses. This is the traditional role of insurance. However, the costs and benefits of sharing risk are directly related to the health and healthcare consumption habits of all the members of the risk pool. As the post-vasectomy head of a healthy household, do I really want to be swimming in the Obamacare risk pool with millions of morbidly obese, perpetually pregnant, HIV infected drug abusers? No. It is too expensive!

What to do? Well, what do many smart employers in Texas do to save money with Worker's Compensation Insurance? They self-insure! They have money put away in case of an emergency. If they have an employee that is injured, then they negotiate directly with the healthcare providers, and pay deep discounts well below the statutory Worker's Compensation allowable, which we learned earlier is usually the highest allowable. They pay themselves a premium each month, which is effectively a forced savings plan. Sometimes, these companies may also purchase a relatively inexpensive health insurance plan called catastrophic, just in case a really big and expensive event occurs, like the whole oil refinery blows up and puts a few hundred employees in the hospital. However, if nothing happens, and the employees don't have any accidents, the company gets to keep most of the money, instead of giving it all to the insurance companies!

Hmmm. I wonder. Could I do that for my health insurance? Yes, and in fact mrs_horseman and I do exactly this. We have a high-deductible catastrophic health insurance plan and a $600 savings line item in our budget that we pay ourselves every month. We bet on ourselves to be healthy, unlike an HSA, where you bet on yourself to be unhealthy. This is true, and why we simply refuse to take the pre-tax bait of an HSA.

... ... ...

[Nov 30, 2017] A comprehensive health care program for social services recipients can be provided for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers rake 20%. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:12 pm

Mark, today's posting provided is a nice change of pace to a topic of local impact (for me at least). UGC presented a good overview peppered with supporting data.

In an earlier career incarnation, I worked as a systems analyst involved with development of online systems for state social services. Data showed that our systems were able to administer a comprehensive health care program for social services recipients for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers required approximately 20% of the cost of services to provide similar services. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets – its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

One more thing, prescription drugs costs may exceed $600 billion in the US by 2021:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugspending-quintilesims/u-s-prescription-drug-spending-as-high-as-610-billion-by-2021-report-idUSKBN1800BU

That would be nearly $2,000 per year for every American!

If a tiny fraction of that amount were spent on prevention, education, improved diets and other similar initiatives, the population ought to be healthier and richer. But, greed overpowers the public good every time. The US health care system is a criminal enterprise in my opinion. The good that it does is grossly outweighed by greed and exploitation of human suffering.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 12:10 am
I believe the author is also a systems analyst, so you are thinking along similar lines.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:05 pm
I agree with that. Plus, it seems like they have an entire staff dedicated to giving their "customer" the run around. A friend of mine had to deal with several different departments regarding his healthcare bill. The billing office told him that they only deal with billing questions, and that for explanations for the bill, he should call the doctor's office. The doctor's office told him to call the hospital, since that's where the service took place. The hospital told him to call his primary doctor, who sent him there, and his primary doctor referred him back to the specialist, where he was referred back to the billing department, which promptly told him that they're closing for the day, since he spent 6 hours being transferred from one department to the next.

[Nov 30, 2017] I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties.

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

[email protected] , November 27, 2017 at 6:02 pm

I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties. I cannot possibly see the problem with paying your income for 5 years, knowing that you get access to a caste that will allow you make good money into your eighties.

Second, the debt is not that high as you claim. Harvard Medical School tuition is 64 thousand. You can rent across the street with 20 thousand a year – I currently live there.

Third, med students know all this. The reason why they borrow far more is because they know they can afford it. I went to med school somewhere in a developing world. We shared toilets in the dorm. As a matter of fact, most under-30s in Boston live in shared accommodation. The outliers? Med students. Even the lowly Tufts and BU students that I met own cars and live by themselves, mainly in new buildings across the street from their hospitals.

Every time I go to the doctors, I am thinking how I am going to sue their asses if they make a mistake.

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:08 pm
It's not an excuse. It's a bill. When you rent an apartment, did you know that most landlords also factor in the property tax when figuring out what your rent payment should be? Similarly, the interest payments on the doctoral students' loans are passed off to the consumer, and that is yet another reason why Healthcare is so expensive. That's why I think that medical school should be free for those students who promise to charge their patients no more than x amount of money.

[Nov 30, 2017] The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system)

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:40 am

With health care in general, there's a bit of a trade-off. The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system). On the other hand, systems that give people a little more choice, like the system in Germany, tend to be a little on the pricey side. I think, given American political culture, something along the lines of the German model is much more likely to attract widespread public support. In any case, it's still cheaper than the American system, and achieves some of the best results in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Germany

[Nov 30, 2017] The most interesting insight into healcare in the USA: The cost is shocking

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

James lake , November 28, 2017 at 12:21 am

This is s very interesting insight into healcare in the USA. The cost is shocking.
I live in the UK and the healthcare system is paid for from taxation.
When it was established over 70 years ago it's
The health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that people paid into it according to their means.
It was the best thing in my view that government has ever done.
Good healthcare should be available to all and not dependent on peoples ability to pay.

However there always a private healthcare system that ran alongside it

And over the years it had been unpicked as successive governments have tried to privatise it. Claiming they will save the taxpayer money

– opticians and dentistry have become part private after 18 if you are employed.
Which many people do not mind.
-Elderly care was also privatised as it's the most expensive
-care for the disabled also is a issue for local councils
-Mental health became care in the community – society's problem!

Privatisation has meant profits for businesses, poor services to vulnerable groups.
And yet still more and more taxation is needed for the NHS!
The issue of more money was even part of the Brexit debate as it was stated that leaving the EU would mean more money for the NHS which people are proud of.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
There was a quote I was thinking of using in the lead-in, but decided in the end not to since I didn't want to have too many and it might have become confusing. It related that you would get the best medical care of your lifetime – after you died, when they were rushing to save your organs, for transplant. Obviously this would not be true if you were not an organ donor (at least in this country) or died as the result of general wasting away so that you had nothing left which would be particularly coveted. But this is a major issue in medicine in some countries and there have been various lurid tales of bodies being robbed of their organs without family permission, bodies of Ukrainian soldiers harvested of their organs and rackets in third-world countries where the poor or helpless are robbed of organs while they are alive. From my standpoint, since I haven't done much research on it, I have seen little proof of any of them despite plenty of allegation, but it is easy to understand that traffic in organs to those who will pay anything to live a little longer would be tremendously profitable, and the potential for disproportionate profit seldom fails to draw the unscrupulous.

As I alluded in the lead-in, Canada has what is sometimes described as 'socialized medicine' and alternatively as 'two-tier healthcare' although I have never seen any real substantiation for the latter charge. My mom had an operation for colon cancer some time back, and she paid nothing for the hospitalization or the operation. My father-in-law is scheduled for the same operation as soon as he gets his blood-sugar low enough, and he already had one for a hernia and removal of internal scar tissue from an old injury – again, we paid nothing. He had a nurse come here for a couple of months, once a week, to change his dressing (because the incision would was very slow to heal because he is diabetic – nothing. That's all great, from my point of view, and I've paid into it all my life without ever using it because I was covered by the government under federal guidelines while I served in the military, although I was a cheap patient because I never had to be hospitalized for anything and was almost never even sick enough not to come to work. But the great drawback to it, as I said, is the backlog which might mean you have to wait too long for an operation. And in my small practical experience – the two cases I have just mentioned – both were scheduled for surgery within a month of diagnosis. So perhaps the long wait is for particular operations such as heart or brain surgery.

Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 12:49 pm
The Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army harvested organs from captured Serb civilians and soldiers:

https://thebloodyellowhouse.wordpress.com/

In December 14th 2010, Dick Marty, Rapporteur of EU Commission pass for adoption to the Council of Europe a report on allegations of inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo organized by KLA leader and Kosovo Prime minister Hashim Thaçi . An official report accusing Kosovo's prime minister of links to a "mafia-like" network that killed captives in order to sell their organs on the black market was yesterday endorsed by a Council of Europe committee.

Bold text emphasis added.

Nothing came of the charges that I am aware of and it is business as usual with Kosovo and Albania.

Per Wikipedia:

The Washington Times reported that the KLA was financing its activities by trafficking the illegal drugs of heroin and cocaine into western Europe.[16]

A report to the Council of Europe, written by Dick Marty, issued on 15 December 2010[23] states that Hacim Thaçi was the leader of the "Drenica Group" in charge of trafficking organs taken from Serbian prisoners.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Thaçi became Prime Minister of the newly independent state.

So, there you have it – the war criminal, drug runner, murderer and organ thief/butcher became the PM of Kosovo, a nation created and nurtured by NATO with a nod and a wink from the EU. Simply disgusting but typical treatment for Serbia by the fascist/racist and genocidally inclined West.

et Al , November 28, 2017 at 1:32 am
Thank you very much for a very interesting article UCG! Quite the horror story. I've heard quite a few about the US over the years from people I know too. I think one of the BBC's former America correspondent gave an interview to the Beeb as he was leaving America a few years back (MAtt Frei?) and was asked what were the best and worst things about living there. The worst was certainly healthcare.

I've also read that healthcare costs for the self-employed, independents, freelancers can also be crushing in the land of the free where everyone can become rich. Has this changed? I would have thought that those were the ideal Americans, making it off their own back, but apparently not.

There's also another issue that is not addressed: an ageing population. This is a very current theme and it is now not at all unusual for people to live another 30 odd years after retirement. Now how on earth will such people manage their healthcare for such a period? Will they have to hock absolutely everything they have? America is already at war with itself (hence the utmost need to for foreign enemies), but nothing is getting done. Just more of the same. Meanwhile the Brits are trying to copy the US through stealth privatization of their health system. It might work as well as privatizing its rail service

yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 3:21 am
Thanks for an interesting post, UCG. Hopefully this will stimulate some ideas on how to fix the American healthcare system, which seems to be badly broken.
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 4:34 am
Broken for us but working perfectly for Big Pharma and insurance companies. That is a fundamental reason why it will be extremely difficult to "fix" because it ain't broken as a money making machine.
yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 1:25 pm
True. And the insurance companies, in particular, have been really raking it in, especially with Obamacare and the various Medicare Advantage options.

[Nov 30, 2017] Looks like the rot in the US healthcare system is terminal

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

kirill , November 27, 2017 at 8:38 pm

Interesting article. Looks like the rot in the US is terminal. But Canada and its "socialized" medicine is not far behind. Operating an emergency ward with only one doctor doing the rounds at the rest of the hospital during the night is absurd. But that is what major Canadian hospitals do. Don't bother going to emergency at 2 am unless you are literally dying. Wait until 7 am when the day day crew arrives and you can actually receive treatment.

The problem in Canada, as in the USA, is overpaid doctors and not enough of them (because they are overpaid). Instead of paying a doctor $300,000 per year or more, the system needs to have 3 or more doctors earning $100,000 per year. Then there is no excuse about being overworked and "requiring" a high compensation. Big incomes attract crooks and not talent. If you want to be a doctor then you should do 5 years of low income work abroad or at home. That would weed out a lot of the $$$ in the eyeballs leeches. A nasty side effect of having overpaid doctors and living adjacent to the US, is that they act like a mafia and extort the government by threatening to leave to the USA. I say that the Canadian provinces should make all medical students sign binding contracts to pay the cost difference between their Canadian medical education and the equivalent in the USA if they decide to run off to America.

At the undergraduate level, the physics courses with the highest enrollment are aimed at streams going into medicine. There are hordes of money maker wannabes trying to make it big in medicine. But they are all nearly weeded out and never graduate from medical school. So the system maintains the fake doctor shortage and racket level salaries. On top of this, hospitals pay a 300% markup for basic supplies (gauze, syringes, etc). It is actually possible for private individuals to pay the nominal price so this is not just a theory. Clearly, there is no effort to control costs by hospital administrations since basic economics would imply that hospitals would pay less than individuals for these items due to the volume of sales involved. At the end of the day North American public medicine is a non-market bloating itself into oblivion since the taxpayer will always pay whatever is desired. That is, the spineless politicians will never crack the whip.

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:19 am
This is part of the problem in Canada. One way to help deal with it in my view, beyond simply cutting doctors' fees (which any government with the political will to do so can do) is to simply make it easier for International Medical Graduates to get licensed in Canada. Canada has legions of immigrants (and could have pretty much however many more it likes) with full medical qualifications who would be thrilled to work for much less than the current pay rates. It's a scandal how many qualified doctors we have in Canada driving taxis rather than practicing medicine. If we just took advantage of the human resources we already have, we could easily say to doctors who threaten to leave for the US, "Fine, go. We've got 10 guys from India lined up to do your job." This isn't to say that doctors shouldn't be very well-paid. Anyone who has ever known someone in med school knows it's hell. But doctors would be very well-paid at half the rates they're getting now.

Another part of the problem is an over-reliance on hospitals. There are a lot of people in the hospitals more in "holding" than anything else, because there's no space in the proper facilities for them (The book "Chronic Condition" talks about this). The problem with this is that the cost per day to keep someone in the hospital is much higher than in other kinds of facilities. This is an entirely unnecessary loss.

For all that though, the Canadian system is leaps and bounds better than the American. We spend a vastly smaller percentage of our GDP on health care, and in return achieve higher health outcomes, as measured by the WHO. If we were willing to spend the kind of money the Americans do on health care, we could have patients sleeping in golden beds even with the structural flaws of our current system. That's worth constantly remembering, because some of the proposals for health reform floating around now lean in the direction of privatization, and we've seen where that road leads.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:32 am
Before he retired from politics, Keith Martin was my MLA, and he was also a qualified MD. He used to rail against the convoluted process for certification in medicine in Canada, while others complained that we were subject to an influx of doctor-immigrants from India because Canada required less time spent in medical school than India does. I never checked the veracity of that, although we do have quite a few Indian doctors. My own doctor – in the military, and still now since he is in private practice – is a South African, and he explained that he had gone in for the military (although he was always a civilian, some military doctors are military members as well but most are not) because the hoop-jumping process to be certified for private practice in Canada with foreign qualifications was just too onerous.

Unsurprisingly, I completely agree on the subject of privatization, because it always leads to an emphasis on profit and cost-cutting. I don't know why some people can't see that.

[Nov 30, 2017] Looks like the rot in the US healthcare system is terminal

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

kirill , November 27, 2017 at 8:38 pm

Interesting article. Looks like the rot in the US is terminal. But Canada and its "socialized" medicine is not far behind. Operating an emergency ward with only one doctor doing the rounds at the rest of the hospital during the night is absurd. But that is what major Canadian hospitals do. Don't bother going to emergency at 2 am unless you are literally dying. Wait until 7 am when the day day crew arrives and you can actually receive treatment.

The problem in Canada, as in the USA, is overpaid doctors and not enough of them (because they are overpaid). Instead of paying a doctor $300,000 per year or more, the system needs to have 3 or more doctors earning $100,000 per year. Then there is no excuse about being overworked and "requiring" a high compensation. Big incomes attract crooks and not talent. If you want to be a doctor then you should do 5 years of low income work abroad or at home. That would weed out a lot of the $$$ in the eyeballs leeches. A nasty side effect of having overpaid doctors and living adjacent to the US, is that they act like a mafia and extort the government by threatening to leave to the USA. I say that the Canadian provinces should make all medical students sign binding contracts to pay the cost difference between their Canadian medical education and the equivalent in the USA if they decide to run off to America.

At the undergraduate level, the physics courses with the highest enrollment are aimed at streams going into medicine. There are hordes of money maker wannabes trying to make it big in medicine. But they are all nearly weeded out and never graduate from medical school. So the system maintains the fake doctor shortage and racket level salaries. On top of this, hospitals pay a 300% markup for basic supplies (gauze, syringes, etc). It is actually possible for private individuals to pay the nominal price so this is not just a theory. Clearly, there is no effort to control costs by hospital administrations since basic economics would imply that hospitals would pay less than individuals for these items due to the volume of sales involved. At the end of the day North American public medicine is a non-market bloating itself into oblivion since the taxpayer will always pay whatever is desired. That is, the spineless politicians will never crack the whip.

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:19 am
This is part of the problem in Canada. One way to help deal with it in my view, beyond simply cutting doctors' fees (which any government with the political will to do so can do) is to simply make it easier for International Medical Graduates to get licensed in Canada. Canada has legions of immigrants (and could have pretty much however many more it likes) with full medical qualifications who would be thrilled to work for much less than the current pay rates. It's a scandal how many qualified doctors we have in Canada driving taxis rather than practicing medicine. If we just took advantage of the human resources we already have, we could easily say to doctors who threaten to leave for the US, "Fine, go. We've got 10 guys from India lined up to do your job." This isn't to say that doctors shouldn't be very well-paid. Anyone who has ever known someone in med school knows it's hell. But doctors would be very well-paid at half the rates they're getting now.

Another part of the problem is an over-reliance on hospitals. There are a lot of people in the hospitals more in "holding" than anything else, because there's no space in the proper facilities for them (The book "Chronic Condition" talks about this). The problem with this is that the cost per day to keep someone in the hospital is much higher than in other kinds of facilities. This is an entirely unnecessary loss.

For all that though, the Canadian system is leaps and bounds better than the American. We spend a vastly smaller percentage of our GDP on health care, and in return achieve higher health outcomes, as measured by the WHO. If we were willing to spend the kind of money the Americans do on health care, we could have patients sleeping in golden beds even with the structural flaws of our current system. That's worth constantly remembering, because some of the proposals for health reform floating around now lean in the direction of privatization, and we've seen where that road leads.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:32 am
Before he retired from politics, Keith Martin was my MLA, and he was also a qualified MD. He used to rail against the convoluted process for certification in medicine in Canada, while others complained that we were subject to an influx of doctor-immigrants from India because Canada required less time spent in medical school than India does. I never checked the veracity of that, although we do have quite a few Indian doctors. My own doctor – in the military, and still now since he is in private practice – is a South African, and he explained that he had gone in for the military (although he was always a civilian, some military doctors are military members as well but most are not) because the hoop-jumping process to be certified for private practice in Canada with foreign qualifications was just too onerous.

Unsurprisingly, I completely agree on the subject of privatization, because it always leads to an emphasis on profit and cost-cutting. I don't know why some people can't see that.

[Nov 30, 2017] The most interesting insight into healcare in the USA: The cost is shocking

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

James lake , November 28, 2017 at 12:21 am

This is s very interesting insight into healcare in the USA. The cost is shocking.
I live in the UK and the healthcare system is paid for from taxation.
When it was established over 70 years ago it's
The health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that people paid into it according to their means.
It was the best thing in my view that government has ever done.
Good healthcare should be available to all and not dependent on peoples ability to pay.

However there always a private healthcare system that ran alongside it

And over the years it had been unpicked as successive governments have tried to privatise it. Claiming they will save the taxpayer money

– opticians and dentistry have become part private after 18 if you are employed.
Which many people do not mind.
-Elderly care was also privatised as it's the most expensive
-care for the disabled also is a issue for local councils
-Mental health became care in the community – society's problem!

Privatisation has meant profits for businesses, poor services to vulnerable groups.
And yet still more and more taxation is needed for the NHS!
The issue of more money was even part of the Brexit debate as it was stated that leaving the EU would mean more money for the NHS which people are proud of.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
There was a quote I was thinking of using in the lead-in, but decided in the end not to since I didn't want to have too many and it might have become confusing. It related that you would get the best medical care of your lifetime – after you died, when they were rushing to save your organs, for transplant. Obviously this would not be true if you were not an organ donor (at least in this country) or died as the result of general wasting away so that you had nothing left which would be particularly coveted. But this is a major issue in medicine in some countries and there have been various lurid tales of bodies being robbed of their organs without family permission, bodies of Ukrainian soldiers harvested of their organs and rackets in third-world countries where the poor or helpless are robbed of organs while they are alive. From my standpoint, since I haven't done much research on it, I have seen little proof of any of them despite plenty of allegation, but it is easy to understand that traffic in organs to those who will pay anything to live a little longer would be tremendously profitable, and the potential for disproportionate profit seldom fails to draw the unscrupulous.

As I alluded in the lead-in, Canada has what is sometimes described as 'socialized medicine' and alternatively as 'two-tier healthcare' although I have never seen any real substantiation for the latter charge. My mom had an operation for colon cancer some time back, and she paid nothing for the hospitalization or the operation. My father-in-law is scheduled for the same operation as soon as he gets his blood-sugar low enough, and he already had one for a hernia and removal of internal scar tissue from an old injury – again, we paid nothing. He had a nurse come here for a couple of months, once a week, to change his dressing (because the incision would was very slow to heal because he is diabetic – nothing. That's all great, from my point of view, and I've paid into it all my life without ever using it because I was covered by the government under federal guidelines while I served in the military, although I was a cheap patient because I never had to be hospitalized for anything and was almost never even sick enough not to come to work. But the great drawback to it, as I said, is the backlog which might mean you have to wait too long for an operation. And in my small practical experience – the two cases I have just mentioned – both were scheduled for surgery within a month of diagnosis. So perhaps the long wait is for particular operations such as heart or brain surgery.

Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 12:49 pm
The Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army harvested organs from captured Serb civilians and soldiers:

https://thebloodyellowhouse.wordpress.com/

In December 14th 2010, Dick Marty, Rapporteur of EU Commission pass for adoption to the Council of Europe a report on allegations of inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo organized by KLA leader and Kosovo Prime minister Hashim Thaçi . An official report accusing Kosovo's prime minister of links to a "mafia-like" network that killed captives in order to sell their organs on the black market was yesterday endorsed by a Council of Europe committee.

Bold text emphasis added.

Nothing came of the charges that I am aware of and it is business as usual with Kosovo and Albania.

Per Wikipedia:

The Washington Times reported that the KLA was financing its activities by trafficking the illegal drugs of heroin and cocaine into western Europe.[16]

A report to the Council of Europe, written by Dick Marty, issued on 15 December 2010[23] states that Hacim Thaçi was the leader of the "Drenica Group" in charge of trafficking organs taken from Serbian prisoners.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Thaçi became Prime Minister of the newly independent state.

So, there you have it – the war criminal, drug runner, murderer and organ thief/butcher became the PM of Kosovo, a nation created and nurtured by NATO with a nod and a wink from the EU. Simply disgusting but typical treatment for Serbia by the fascist/racist and genocidally inclined West.

et Al , November 28, 2017 at 1:32 am
Thank you very much for a very interesting article UCG! Quite the horror story. I've heard quite a few about the US over the years from people I know too. I think one of the BBC's former America correspondent gave an interview to the Beeb as he was leaving America a few years back (MAtt Frei?) and was asked what were the best and worst things about living there. The worst was certainly healthcare.

I've also read that healthcare costs for the self-employed, independents, freelancers can also be crushing in the land of the free where everyone can become rich. Has this changed? I would have thought that those were the ideal Americans, making it off their own back, but apparently not.

There's also another issue that is not addressed: an ageing population. This is a very current theme and it is now not at all unusual for people to live another 30 odd years after retirement. Now how on earth will such people manage their healthcare for such a period? Will they have to hock absolutely everything they have? America is already at war with itself (hence the utmost need to for foreign enemies), but nothing is getting done. Just more of the same. Meanwhile the Brits are trying to copy the US through stealth privatization of their health system. It might work as well as privatizing its rail service

yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 3:21 am
Thanks for an interesting post, UCG. Hopefully this will stimulate some ideas on how to fix the American healthcare system, which seems to be badly broken.
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 4:34 am
Broken for us but working perfectly for Big Pharma and insurance companies. That is a fundamental reason why it will be extremely difficult to "fix" because it ain't broken as a money making machine.
yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 1:25 pm
True. And the insurance companies, in particular, have been really raking it in, especially with Obamacare and the various Medicare Advantage options.

[Nov 30, 2017] The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system)

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:40 am

With health care in general, there's a bit of a trade-off. The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system). On the other hand, systems that give people a little more choice, like the system in Germany, tend to be a little on the pricey side. I think, given American political culture, something along the lines of the German model is much more likely to attract widespread public support. In any case, it's still cheaper than the American system, and achieves some of the best results in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Germany

[Nov 30, 2017] I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties.

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

[email protected] , November 27, 2017 at 6:02 pm

I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties. I cannot possibly see the problem with paying your income for 5 years, knowing that you get access to a caste that will allow you make good money into your eighties.

Second, the debt is not that high as you claim. Harvard Medical School tuition is 64 thousand. You can rent across the street with 20 thousand a year – I currently live there.

Third, med students know all this. The reason why they borrow far more is because they know they can afford it. I went to med school somewhere in a developing world. We shared toilets in the dorm. As a matter of fact, most under-30s in Boston live in shared accommodation. The outliers? Med students. Even the lowly Tufts and BU students that I met own cars and live by themselves, mainly in new buildings across the street from their hospitals.

Every time I go to the doctors, I am thinking how I am going to sue their asses if they make a mistake.

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:08 pm
It's not an excuse. It's a bill. When you rent an apartment, did you know that most landlords also factor in the property tax when figuring out what your rent payment should be? Similarly, the interest payments on the doctoral students' loans are passed off to the consumer, and that is yet another reason why Healthcare is so expensive. That's why I think that medical school should be free for those students who promise to charge their patients no more than x amount of money.

[Nov 30, 2017] A comprehensive health care program for social services recipients can be provided for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers rake 20%. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets – its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

Nov 30, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:12 pm

Mark, today's posting provided is a nice change of pace to a topic of local impact (for me at least). UGC presented a good overview peppered with supporting data.

In an earlier career incarnation, I worked as a systems analyst involved with development of online systems for state social services. Data showed that our systems were able to administer a comprehensive health care program for social services recipients for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers required approximately 20% of the cost of services to provide similar services. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets – its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

One more thing, prescription drugs costs may exceed $600 billion in the US by 2021:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugspending-quintilesims/u-s-prescription-drug-spending-as-high-as-610-billion-by-2021-report-idUSKBN1800BU

That would be nearly $2,000 per year for every American!

If a tiny fraction of that amount were spent on prevention, education, improved diets and other similar initiatives, the population ought to be healthier and richer. But, greed overpowers the public good every time. The US health care system is a criminal enterprise in my opinion. The good that it does is grossly outweighed by greed and exploitation of human suffering.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 12:10 am
I believe the author is also a systems analyst, so you are thinking along similar lines.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:05 pm
I agree with that. Plus, it seems like they have an entire staff dedicated to giving their "customer" the run around. A friend of mine had to deal with several different departments regarding his healthcare bill. The billing office told him that they only deal with billing questions, and that for explanations for the bill, he should call the doctor's office. The doctor's office told him to call the hospital, since that's where the service took place. The hospital told him to call his primary doctor, who sent him there, and his primary doctor referred him back to the specialist, where he was referred back to the billing department, which promptly told him that they're closing for the day, since he spent 6 hours being transferred from one department to the next.

[Nov 29, 2017] The Best Health Care You Can Afford by marknesop

Notable quotes:
"... "No, I mean I'm sorry that you've inherited such a miserable, collapsing Old Country. A place where rich Bankers own everything, where you've got to be grateful for a part-time job with no benefits and no retirement plan, where the most health insurance you can afford is being careful and hoping you don't get sick ..."
"... "Until fairly recently, every family had a cornucopia of favorite home remedies–plants and household items that could be prepared to treat minor medical emergencies, or to prevent a common ailment becoming something much more serious. Most households had someone with a little understanding of home cures, and when knowledge fell short, or more serious illness took hold, the family physician or village healer would be called in for a consultation, and a treatment would be agreed upon. In those days we took personal responsibility for our health–we took steps to prevent illness and were more aware of our bodies and of changes in them. And when illness struck, we frequently had the personal means to remedy it. More often than not, the treatment could be found in the garden or the larder. In the middle of the twentieth century we began to change our outlook. The advent of modern medicine, together with its many miracles, also led to a much greater dependency on our physicians and to an increasingly stretched healthcare system. The growth of the pharmaceutical industry has meant that there are indeed "cures" for most symptoms, and we have become accustomed to putting our health in the hands of someone else, and to purchasing products that make us feel good. Somewhere along the line we began to believe that technology was in some way superior to what was natural, and so we willingly gave up control of even minor health problems." ..."
"... The Complete Family Guide to Natural Home Remedies: Safe and Effective Treatments for Common Ailments ..."
"... "The vast wealth of the financial oligarchy, expressed in their ownership of massive corporations, must be seized and expropriated, while the complex technologies, supply chains, and advanced transportation systems must be integrated in an organized, planned manner to harness the anarchic force of the world economy and eliminate material scarcity. ..."
"... Interesting article. Looks like the rot in the US is terminal. ..."
"... This is s very interesting insight into healcare in the USA. The cost is shocking. I live in the UK and the healthcare system is paid for from taxation. When it was established over 70 years ago it's. The health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that people paid into it according to their means. It was the best thing in my view that government has ever done. Good healthcare should be available to all and not dependent on peoples ability to pay. ..."
"... Privatisation has meant profits for businesses, poor services to vulnerable groups. ..."
Nov 27, 2017 | marknesop.wordpress.com

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."

"No, I mean I'm sorry that you've inherited such a miserable, collapsing Old Country. A place where rich Bankers own everything, where you've got to be grateful for a part-time job with no benefits and no retirement plan, where the most health insurance you can afford is being careful and hoping you don't get sick

Cory Doctorow; Homeland

"Until fairly recently, every family had a cornucopia of favorite home remedies–plants and household items that could be prepared to treat minor medical emergencies, or to prevent a common ailment becoming something much more serious. Most households had someone with a little understanding of home cures, and when knowledge fell short, or more serious illness took hold, the family physician or village healer would be called in for a consultation, and a treatment would be agreed upon. In those days we took personal responsibility for our health–we took steps to prevent illness and were more aware of our bodies and of changes in them. And when illness struck, we frequently had the personal means to remedy it. More often than not, the treatment could be found in the garden or the larder. In the middle of the twentieth century we began to change our outlook. The advent of modern medicine, together with its many miracles, also led to a much greater dependency on our physicians and to an increasingly stretched healthcare system. The growth of the pharmaceutical industry has meant that there are indeed "cures" for most symptoms, and we have become accustomed to putting our health in the hands of someone else, and to purchasing products that make us feel good. Somewhere along the line we began to believe that technology was in some way superior to what was natural, and so we willingly gave up control of even minor health problems."

Karen Sullivan; The Complete Family Guide to Natural Home Remedies: Safe and Effective Treatments for Common Ailments

No, I haven't abandoned Uncle Volodya, or shifted my focus to American administration; what follows is a guest post on the American healthcare system, by our friend UCG. As I've mentioned before – on the occasion of his previous guest post, in fact – he is an ethnic Russian living in the Golden State.

As an American in America, naturally his immediate concern is going to be healthcare in America; but there are lessons within for everyone. Don't get me wrong – doctors have done a tremendous amount of good, and medical researchers and many others from the world of medicine have made tremendous advances to which many of us owe their lives. Sadly, though, once a field goes commercial, the main focus of attention eventually becomes profit, and there are few endeavors in which the customer base will be so desperate. While there are obvious benefits to 'socialized medicine' such as Canada enjoys and American politicians scorn as 'Commie' – enough to earn the admiration of many – it results in such a backlog for major operations that those who don't like their chances of dying first, and have the money or can somehow get it, often flee to America, where you can get a good standard of medical care without running out of time waiting for it.

Without further ado, take it away, UCG!!

Healthcare in America

This article is my opinion. My hope is that others will do their own research on America's Healthcare Industry, because this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and for this article to be a mere starting point in this research. The reason for my citations is so that you, the reader, can verify them. Once again, this is my opinion. I write this in the first paragraph, so that I can avoid stating "in my opinion" before every sentence.

Let's start with Owen Davis who was charged $14,018 for going to a hospital because he sliced his hand, and they fixed it . A study published by Johns Hopkins showed that for $100 of ER treatment, some hospitals were charging patients up to $1,260 . A redditor claimed that :

I tore my ab wall a month ago and didn't think much of it until my pain kept worsening. I went to an immediate care facility to rule out a hernia (I had all the symptoms) and they told me to get to ER ASAP. I go to the ER and they give me a CT scan and one x-ray and say it's not a hernia and let me go. Fast forward to today and I got a bill for $9,200 and $3,900 of it is out of pocket. $9,200 for two tests???? No pain meds were administered; it was literally those two tests. What should I do to contest it? I will be calling tomorrow to demand an itemized bill, but is there anything else I should do in the meantime?

All of these took me a few minutes on Google to find, and another few minutes to post. The reason I chose that reddit, is because one of the readers offered an ingenious solution: Next time you hurt yourself – book a return ticket to NZ – go to accident and emergency, say you're a tourist and you hurt yourself surfing, pay nothing – fly home and pocket $8,000 in spare change. If that was me, I'd spend at least $2,000 on tourism in New Zealand. You guys have that system, so you clearly deserve the money! Anyone interested in a startup?

But I am not done with examples just yet. Shana Sweney described her experience in the emergency room : I delivered in 15 minutes. During that time, the anesthesiologist put a heart rate monitor on my finger and played on his phone. My bill for his services was $3,000. $200/minute. I talked to the insurance company about it – and since I ran my company's benefit plans, I got a little further than most people, but ultimately, that was what their contract with the hospital said so that's what they had to pay. Regardless of if he worked 15 minutes or 3 hours. Similarly, my twins were born prematurely and ended up in the NICU for 2 weeks. While the NICU was in-network for my insurance, for some mysterious reason, the neonatologists that attended the NICU were out of network. I think that bill was $16k and they stopped by to see each kid for an average of about 30 min/day.

Almost done with the examples, just please bear with me. How would you like a hospital billing you $83,046 for treating a scorpion sting , if a Mexican ER might have treated you for the same type of sting for $200? Perhaps being charged $546 for six liters of saltwater is more to your liking? $1,420 for two hours of babysitting ? $55,000 for an appendicitis operation ? $144,000 to deliver a perfectly healthy, albeit quite impatient baby? According to my interpretation of the sources linked, all of these actually happened. I encourage you to do your own research.

The World's Biggest Legalized Corruption (IMHO)

$984.157 billion. That's $984,157,000,000. That is how much money I believe the United States wastes on Healthcare. Not spends; wastes. As in money down the drain. The astute reader figured out that equates to five percent of America's 2016 GDP . Said reader is absolutely correct. How did I estimate such a gargantuan amount? According to the OECD data , in 2013 the United States spent 16.4 percent of its GDP on Healthcare; the two next biggest spenders, Switzerland and the Netherlands spent 11.1 percent. Even if one was to give the United States the benefit of doubt, and claim that the United States healthcare is just as efficient as that of Switzerland or the Netherlands – which is most likely not true according to an article from Business Insider , but even if it was – that meant that the United States wastes 5.3% of its GDP on healthcare. Wastes. I just want to make sure that the amount of this alleged legalized corruption, which will most likely reach a trillion dollars by 2020, is noted.

Let me place those funds into perspective: it's almost as much as the amount that the rest of the World spends on the military, combined . The SCO member states, including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan spent roughly $360 billion on the military . The wasted amount is equivalent to the GDP of Indonesia, and greater than the GDP of Turkey or Switzerland . In 2016, the US Federal Government spent $362 billion, or 36.8% of the wasted amount, to run all Federal Programs , including the Department of Education and NASA, with the exception of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Veteran's Affairs, the military, and net interest on the US debt. All other Federal Programs were covered with the $362 billion. The US Federal Debt stands at $20.4 trillion , meaning that the debt can be paid off in 30 years, merely if the Healthcare Waste is eliminated.

But why stop there? The US Housing Crisis started partly because loans were allowed to be taken out without the 20% down payment. Could this funding, if applied directly to the housing market, stop the 2008 Great Recession? Absolutely, and all the Federal Government had to do was to gear these funds towards down payment on subprime mortgage loans to meet the 20 percent barrier. I can go on and on about what can be accomplished, like making collegiate attendance free, or at least very inexpensive, or drastically improving the quality of education, paying off the national debt, reinvesting into the economy, reinvigorating the rural sector, and so on, and so forth. A trillion dollars is a lot of money.

Lobbyists, the Media and the Waste

Any guess how much was spent on lobbying by the Healthcare, Insurance, Hospitals, Health Professionals, and HMOs? How about 10.5 billion dollars? I knew that was your guess! That's a lot of money, and that does not include "speaking fees", or when a politician who constantly made calls beneficial to the Healthcare Lobby gets $150,000 to speak in front of an audience after they retire from politics. Obama made a speech in front of Wall Street, netting $400,000 . And by pure coincidence, only one Wall Street Broker was jailed as a result of the scandal. That $10.5 billion is just a tip of the iceberg, because "speaking fees" are notoriously hard to track, and not included in said amount.

Obama genuinely tried to reform US Healthcare to the Swiss Model. He was going to let Wall Street slide, he was going to let Neocons conduct foreign policy, just please, let him have healthcare! First, the lobbyists laughed in his face. Second, they utilized the Blue Dog Coalition to block Obama's attempt at Healthcare Reform, until it was phenomenally nerfed, and we have the disaster that we have today. As a result, Obama's Legacy, Obamacare is having major issues, including the rise of racism.

Obamacare helped the poor, (mostly minorities,) at the expense of the middle class, (mostly whites,) thus transferring funding from whites to minorities. While the intent was not racial, it is being called out as racial by the mainstream media . This probably suits the lobbyists, because if the debate is about racism, one cannot have a genuine discussion about Healthcare Reform.

Racism strikes both ways. Samantha Bee came out with a "fuck you white people" message right after the election. Jon Stewart, without whom she probably wouldn't have her own show, pointed out that it was simply economics, like the healthcare insurance premium increase , that brought Donald Trump to power. Interestingly enough, James Carville made the same argument when Bill Clinton beat George Bush, but when Hillary Clinton lost, Carville was quick to blame Russia. These delusions on the Left are letting the Right mobilize stronger than ever before. And all of this takes away from the Healthcare Debate.

In an attempt to blame Trump's Election on white racism, rather than basic economics, numerous outlets simply fell flat. For instance, Eric Sasson writes : white men went 63 percent for Trump versus 31 percent for Clinton, and white women went 53-43 percent. Among college-educated whites, only 39 percent of men and 51 percent of women voted for Clinton What's more, these people hadn't suffered under Obama; they'd thrived. The kind of change Trump was espousing wasn't supposed to connect with this group.

Did this group thrive? The collegiate debt went from $600 billion to $1.4 trillion under Obama's Administration, while the health insurance increased from $13,000 to $18,000 per family . This is thriving? Was the author experimenting with medical marijuana when said article was written? Nevertheless, the parade of insanity continued, with Salon assuring us that it was blatant racism that gave us Trump . The Root, which also claimed that Russians attempted to hack election machines, pointed out that Russia exploited America's racism , and thus Trump won the election. Washington Post claimed that racism motivated white people more than authoritarianism . Comedian Bill Maher tried to sway the discussion back to economics, by pointing out that outrage over Pocahontas or Halloween should not stop the Democrats from working for the working man . Sadly, Maher and Stewart are in the minority, and instead of a Healthcare Debate, the US is now stuck in a debate over racism, which isn't even three-fifths as effective. Meanwhile the US continues to waste almost a trillion dollars on healthcare .

Who Benefits?

Let's start with the banks. Medical students graduate with an average of $416,216 in student debt . The average interest rate on said loan is seven percent. Roughly 20,055 students go through this program, per year . Presuming a twenty year loan, the banks are looking at about $7.185 billion in interest payments. It really is a small fraction of the cost. Prescription drug prices are another story. In 2014, Medicare spent $112 billion on medicine for the elderly . Oh la la! Cha-ching. I would not be surprised if at least half of that was wasted on drug price inflation. You know the health insurance companies? It's a great time to be one, since profits are booming – to the tune of $18 billion in projected revenue for 2017.

Of course the system itself is quite wasteful, with needless hours spent on paperwork, claim verification, contractual review, etc, etc, etc. Humana's revenue was $54.4 billion , Aetna's was $63.2 billion , Anthem's was $85 billion , Cigna's was $39.7 billion , and UnitedHealth's was $184.8 billion . Those are just the top five companies. None of them ia a mom-and-pop shop or small business store. Do any of these insurers support Obamacare? Even if they do, it is without much enthusiasm . They are leaving, and leaving quite quickly. Thirty-one percent of American counties will have just one healthcare insurer . Welcome to a monopoly that is artificially creating itself. And despite the waste, 28.2 million Americans remain uninsured . Mission accomplished!

Who else benefits? Those who hire illegal immigrants instead of American workers, since illegal immigrants cost the United States roughly $25 billion in Healthcare spending . Meanwhile those who hire them can avoid certain types of taxes and not have to cover their Healthcare; communism for the rich, capitalism for the rest of us. Of course that is just a rough estimate, since this spending is also quite hard to track.

The Future

The problem with changing Healthcare is that too many people have their hands in the proverbial pie. There is not a single lever of power that isn't affected by Healthcare, and most of the levers that are affected, benefit quite a bit. Insurance companies will fight to the death, because Universal Healthcare will be their death knell. Banks will defend it, because who doesn't want to make billions from student loans? Medical schools too – since it lets them charge higher and higher tuition. Pharmaceutical companies can use the increase in Healthcare expenditure to justify their own price hikes, even though a major reason for those price hikes is artificial patent based monopoly.

What is an artificial monopoly? In my opinion, it's when a patent is utilized to prevent competitors from manufacturing the same exact drug. In less than a decade, the price of Epi-Pen soared from $103.50 to $608.61. When asked the justify said increase, one of the reasons provided by the CEO was that the price went up because we were making investment; as I said, about $1 billion over the last decade that we invested in the product that we could reach physicians and educate legislatures. "Reaching" doctors and legislators; I wonder, how was said "education funding" spent? According to US News, a website that is extremely credible when it comes to internal decision making within the United States, drug companies have long courted doctors with gifts , from speaking and consulting fees to educational materials to food and drink. But while most doctors do not believe these gifts influence their decisions about which drugs to prescribe, a new study found the gifts actually can make a difference – something patient advocates have voiced concern about in the past. Do you feel educated? Would you feel more educated if I paid you a $150,000 consulting fee? What about $400,000? What? It's just consulting; no corruption here!

Everyone knows that this is going on. But there is not going to be change. Why not? The same reason that there was not change with Harvey Weinstein, until Taylor Swift came along. Remember how I said that almost everyone has their hands in the Healthcare Pie? It was not much different with Weinstein. Scott Rosenberg explained why it took so long for people to speak out against Harvey , and the reasons were numerous. First, Harvey gave many people their start in Hollywood, and treated all of his friends like royalty. That drastically increased their loyalty. Second, he ushered the Golden Age of the 1990s, with movies like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Clerks, Swingers, Scream, Good Will Hunting, English Patient, Life is Beautiful – the man could make phenomenal movies. Third, even if one was willing to go against his own friends, workers, mass media, and so on, there was no one to tell. There was no place to speak out. Fourth, some of the victims took hefty settlements.

That fourth reason enabled mass media to portray rape victims as gold diggers. Rape Culture is alive and well. In California, a Judge gave minimal sentencing to a convicted rapist , because he was afraid a harsher sentence would damage the rapist's mental psyche for life. Uh dude, from one Californian to another, he, uh, raped. His mental psyche is already damaged; for life. That's the kind of pressure that Rose McGowan had to deal with. She had a little kerfuffle with Amazon , and she thinks it was partially because of Harvey Weinstein. How many times had the word "socialism" been thrown around to describe Universal Healthcare? Switzerland has it – are they Socialist?

Enter Taylor Swift . In order to destroy allegations that women are filing sexual harassment claims as gold diggers, she sued her alleged sexual assaulter for a buck; one dollar. She won. Swift stated that the lawsuit was to serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts. On top of that, Weinstein was no longer as popular as he used to be, and an avenue to tell the story, an outlet was created. The additional prevalence of the internet caused the stories of Weinstein's sexual abuse to leak. Within a month, the giant fell.

Something similar is needed to change Healthcare in America. But until that comes along, racism will increase, the cost of Healthcare will rise, emergency room costs will most likely double every ten years, and the future remains bleak. As if that was not enough, more and more upper class Americans, (like yours truly,) are seeking treatment abroad. It cost me less money to lose five weeks of wages, spend three weeks partying in Eastern Europe, (Prague to be more specific,) after my two weeks of treatment, buy a roundtrip plane ticket, and stay in a five star, all-inclusive hotel, than the cost of the same treatment in the US. If anyone wants to utilize this as a startup – let me know!

Of course its effects on Healthcare will hurt, since it is a huge chunk of business that will be traveling across the Atlantic. But what can be done to stop it? One cannot stop Americans from traveling to other countries. One cannot force the poor to work for free. Perhaps this is the change that is needed to make those who benefit from the Healthcare Waste realize that this cannot continue. Perhaps not. What we do know, is that Obamacare insured the poor, at the expense of the middle class . And that is regarded as a failure in America.

Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:12 pm
As for Obongo Care ??:

"In trying to show that he was successfully managing the Obamacare rollout, the president last week staged a high-profile White House meeting with private health insurance executives -- aka Obamacare's middlemen. The spectacle of a president begging these middlemen for help was a reminder that Obamacare did not limit the power of the insurance companies as a single-payer system would.
****The new law instead cemented the industry's profit-extracting role in the larger health system -- and it still leaves millions without insurance."*** (THAT is the Achille's lower torso of the ACA)

https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/single-payer-healthcare-vs-obamacare/

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/11/1483523/-Single-Payer-Healthcare-vs-The-Affordable-Care-Act-A-Simple-Comparison

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Exactly! That's why I stated that they're now oligapolizing the market, and will slowly start to increase their insurance rates and profits once again.
Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:23 pm
"Prince Harry..Do you take this American mulatto negress -aka raghead untermensch-as your lawfully wedded royal wife?*
http://www.newsweek.com/prince-harrys-worst-moments-meghan-markle-rogue-723177
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/sites/sbs.com.au.guide/files/styles/body_image/public/nazi.jpg?itok=q1oxMi44&mtime=1503879842

Ummm Advice to Meghan .make sure the honeymoon motorcade stays clear of tunnels in Paris
or elsewhere!!!

Northern Star , November 27, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Appurtenant to many of the issues raised in Mark's post:

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/11/27/pers-n27.html

(Socialist or not..the WSWS writers continue to state that which NEEDS to be hammered home)

"The vast wealth of the financial oligarchy, expressed in their ownership of massive corporations, must be seized and expropriated, while the complex technologies, supply chains, and advanced transportation systems must be integrated in an organized, planned manner to harness the anarchic force of the world economy and eliminate material scarcity.

Amazon is a prime example. Its supply lines and delivery systems could distribute goods across the world, bringing water, food, and medicine from each producer according to his or her ability, to each consumer according to his or her need.

The massively sophisticated computational power used by the technology companies to censor and blacklist political opposition could instead be used for logistical analysis to conduct rescue and rebuilding missions in disaster zones like Houston and Puerto Rico. Drones used in the battlefield could be scrapped and rebuilt to distribute supplies for building schools, museums, libraries, and theaters, and for making Internet service available at no cost for the entire world.

The ruling class and all of the institutions of the political establishment stand inexorably in the way of efforts to expropriate their wealth. What is required is to mobilize the working class in a political struggle against the state and the socio-economic system on which it is based, through the fight for socialism.
Eric London "

Particularly for American Stooges:

Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:17 pm
Advanced technology is helpful but not essential for a humane and just society. Its what we believe and feel that matters. FWIW, I like socialism on a national/international level and individual accountability on a personal level.
saskydisc , November 27, 2017 at 4:04 pm
While general medical care is single payer in Canada, dental services are not. For major work on teeth, it is cheaper to fly to Mexico. The downside is for Mexicans -- such practices will drive the costs up in Mexico.
Patient Observer , November 27, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Mark, today's posting provided is a nice change of pace to a topic of local impact (for me at least). UGC presented a good overview peppered with supporting data.

In an earlier career incarnation, I worked as a systems analyst involved with development of online systems for state social services. Data showed that our systems were able to administer a comprehensive health care program for social services recipients for about 3-4% of the cost of services. Private medical insurance providers required approximately 20% of the cost of services to provide similar services. Yet, private providers were supposedly driven by invisible market forces to maximum efficiency. BS. In fact, they are driven by greed and they found it much easier to maximize profits by colluding with politicians and health care providers. That is the trouble with free markets – its just so damn easy to cheat and cheaters are never in short supply.

One more thing, prescription drugs costs may exceed $600 billion in the US by 2021:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugspending-quintilesims/u-s-prescription-drug-spending-as-high-as-610-billion-by-2021-report-idUSKBN1800BU

That would be nearly $2,000 per year for every American!

If a tiny fraction of that amount were spent on prevention, education, improved diets and other similar initiatives, the population ought to be healthier and richer. But, greed overpowers the public good every time. The US health care system is a criminal enterprise in my opinion. The good that it does is grossly outweighed by greed and exploitation of human suffering.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 12:10 am
I believe the author is also a systems analyst, so you are thinking along similar lines.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:05 pm
I agree with that. Plus, it seems like they have an entire staff dedicated to giving their "customer" the run around. A friend of mine had to deal with several different departments regarding his healthcare bill. The billing office told him that they only deal with billing questions, and that for explanations for the bill, he should call the doctor's office. The doctor's office told him to call the hospital, since that's where the service took place. The hospital told him to call his primary doctor, who sent him there, and his primary doctor referred him back to the specialist, where he was referred back to the billing department, which promptly told him that they're closing for the day, since he spent 6 hours being transferred from one department to the next.
[email protected] , November 27, 2017 at 6:02 pm
I find it terribly silly that we should even consider med student's debt as an excuse. First, American doctors are the best paid professionals in the country. Internists make a median 190 thousand a year, and they are among the worst paid specialties. I cannot possibly see the problem with paying your income for 5 years, knowing that you get access to a caste that will allow you make good money into your eighties.

Second, the debt is not that high as you claim. Harvard Medical School tuition is 64 thousand. You can rent across the street with 20 thousand a year – I currently live there.

Third, med students know all this. The reason why they borrow far more is because they know they can afford it. I went to med school somewhere in a developing world. We shared toilets in the dorm. As a matter of fact, most under-30s in Boston live in shared accommodation. The outliers? Med students. Even the lowly Tufts and BU students that I met own cars and live by themselves, mainly in new buildings across the street from their hospitals.

Every time I go to the doctors, I am thinking how I am going to sue their asses if they make a mistake.

ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:08 pm
It's not an excuse. It's a bill. When you rent an apartment, did you know that most landlords also factor in the property tax when figuring out what your rent payment should be? Similarly, the interest payments on the doctoral students' loans are passed off to the consumer, and that is yet another reason why Healthcare is so expensive. That's why I think that medical school should be free for those students who promise to charge their patients no more than x amount of money.
kirill , November 27, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Interesting article. Looks like the rot in the US is terminal. But Canada and its "socialized" medicine is not far behind. Operating an emergency ward with only one doctor doing the rounds at the rest of the hospital during the night is absurd. But that is what major Canadian hospitals do. Don't bother going to emergency at 2 am unless you are literally dying. Wait until 7 am when the day day crew arrives and you can actually receive treatment.

The problem in Canada, as in the USA, is overpaid doctors and not enough of them (because they are overpaid). Instead of paying a doctor $300,000 per year or more, the system needs to have 3 or more doctors earning $100,000 per year. Then there is no excuse about being overworked and "requiring" a high compensation. Big incomes attract crooks and not talent. If you want to be a doctor then you should do 5 years of low income work abroad or at home. That would weed out a lot of the $$$ in the eyeballs leeches. A nasty side effect of having overpaid doctors and living adjacent to the US, is that they act like a mafia and extort the government by threatening to leave to the USA. I say that the Canadian provinces should make all medical students sign binding contracts to pay the cost difference between their Canadian medical education and the equivalent in the USA if they decide to run off to America.

At the undergraduate level, the physics courses with the highest enrollment are aimed at streams going into medicine. There are hordes of money maker wannabes trying to make it big in medicine. But they are all nearly weeded out and never graduate from medical school. So the system maintains the fake doctor shortage and racket level salaries. On top of this, hospitals pay a 300% markup for basic supplies (gauze, syringes, etc). It is actually possible for private individuals to pay the nominal price so this is not just a theory. Clearly, there is no effort to control costs by hospital administrations since basic economics would imply that hospitals would pay less than individuals for these items due to the volume of sales involved. At the end of the day North American public medicine is a non-market bloating itself into oblivion since the taxpayer will always pay whatever is desired. That is, the spineless politicians will never crack the whip.

Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:19 am
This is part of the problem in Canada. One way to help deal with it in my view, beyond simply cutting doctors' fees (which any government with the political will to do so can do) is to simply make it easier for International Medical Graduates to get licensed in Canada. Canada has legions of immigrants (and could have pretty much however many more it likes) with full medical qualifications who would be thrilled to work for much less than the current pay rates. It's a scandal how many qualified doctors we have in Canada driving taxis rather than practicing medicine. If we just took advantage of the human resources we already have, we could easily say to doctors who threaten to leave for the US, "Fine, go. We've got 10 guys from India lined up to do your job." This isn't to say that doctors shouldn't be very well-paid. Anyone who has ever known someone in med school knows it's hell. But doctors would be very well-paid at half the rates they're getting now.

Another part of the problem is an over-reliance on hospitals. There are a lot of people in the hospitals more in "holding" than anything else, because there's no space in the proper facilities for them (The book "Chronic Condition" talks about this). The problem with this is that the cost per day to keep someone in the hospital is much higher than in other kinds of facilities. This is an entirely unnecessary loss.

For all that though, the Canadian system is leaps and bounds better than the American. We spend a vastly smaller percentage of our GDP on health care, and in return achieve higher health outcomes, as measured by the WHO. If we were willing to spend the kind of money the Americans do on health care, we could have patients sleeping in golden beds even with the structural flaws of our current system. That's worth constantly remembering, because some of the proposals for health reform floating around now lean in the direction of privatization, and we've seen where that road leads.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:32 am
Before he retired from politics, Keith Martin was my MLA, and he was also a qualified MD. He used to rail against the convoluted process for certification in medicine in Canada, while others complained that we were subject to an influx of doctor-immigrants from India because Canada required less time spent in medical school than India does. I never checked the veracity of that, although we do have quite a few Indian doctors. My own doctor – in the military, and still now since he is in private practice – is a South African, and he explained that he had gone in for the military (although he was always a civilian, some military doctors are military members as well but most are not) because the hoop-jumping process to be certified for private practice in Canada with foreign qualifications was just too onerous.

Unsurprisingly, I completely agree on the subject of privatization, because it always leads to an emphasis on profit and cost-cutting. I don't know why some people can't see that.

Jen , November 27, 2017 at 11:15 pm
Thanks very much UCG, for your article. Very interesting reading for us Australians as the Federal Government eventually wants to shove us kicking and screaming into a US-style privatised healthcare insurance model.

Funnily enough I'm currently considering changing my private health insurer. I'm with Medibank Private at present but considering maybe going with a smaller non-profit health fund like Australian Unity or Phoenix Health Fund.

Fern , November 28, 2017 at 7:02 am
I was just about to post along the lines of "I don't know if Jen has experienced this in Australia but here in the UK ." so I'll finish the thought. In the UK, successive governments, not just Conservative ones, have been trying to dismantle the NHS and move us to the American system. It is pure ideology – no amount of the very abundant evidence of the inefficiencies of the US system, its waste etc makes any dint in the enthusiasm of those pressing for change.
ucgsblog , November 28, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Thank you Jen! My advice: don't let the Government cajole you into wasting your money on Corporate Greed. Share the article with your fellow Australians, if you must, but don't let our wasteful system be replicated. Interestingly enough, one of my friends, Lytburger, send me a meme right after Ukraine adopted America's Healthcare System, it said: "ISIS refused to take responsibility for Ukraine's Healthcare Reform!" I'd be happy to provide other data or answer questions about the Healthcare System here.

As for insurance, I'm not sure if Australia has the in-network and out-of-network rules. Does it? Whatever insurance you get, make sure that it has good coverage. If you own a home in the US, and you end up in a hospital's emergency room that's not covered by your insurance, the hospital can take your house under certain circumstances. Ironically, even the Government cannot. All of my real property is in various Trust Accounts, just in case, and I make sure that I have insurance where all major hospitals are in-network and that's the best I can do.

James lake , November 28, 2017 at 12:21 am
This is s very interesting insight into healcare in the USA. The cost is shocking. I live in the UK and the healthcare system is paid for from taxation. When it was established over 70 years ago it's. The health service would be available to all and financed entirely from taxation, which meant that people paid into it according to their means. It was the best thing in my view that government has ever done. Good healthcare should be available to all and not dependent on peoples ability to pay.

However there always a private healthcare system that ran alongside it

And over the years it had been unpicked as successive governments have tried to privatise it. Claiming they will save the taxpayer money

– opticians and dentistry have become part private after 18 if you are employed.

Which many people do not mind.

-Elderly care was also privatised as it's the most expensive

-care for the disabled also is a issue for local councils

-Mental health became care in the community – society's problem!

Privatisation has meant profits for businesses, poor services to vulnerable groups.

And yet still more and more taxation is needed for the NHS!

The issue of more money was even part of the Brexit debate as it was stated that leaving the EU would mean more money for the NHS which people are proud of.

marknesop , November 28, 2017 at 10:25 am
There was a quote I was thinking of using in the lead-in, but decided in the end not to since I didn't want to have too many and it might have become confusing. It related that you would get the best medical care of your lifetime – after you died, when they were rushing to save your organs, for transplant. Obviously this would not be true if you were not an organ donor (at least in this country) or died as the result of general wasting away so that you had nothing left which would be particularly coveted. But this is a major issue in medicine in some countries and there have been various lurid tales of bodies being robbed of their organs without family permission, bodies of Ukrainian soldiers harvested of their organs and rackets in third-world countries where the poor or helpless are robbed of organs while they are alive. From my standpoint, since I haven't done much research on it, I have seen little proof of any of them despite plenty of allegation, but it is easy to understand that traffic in organs to those who will pay anything to live a little longer would be tremendously profitable, and the potential for disproportionate profit seldom fails to draw the unscrupulous.

As I alluded in the lead-in, Canada has what is sometimes described as 'socialized medicine' and alternatively as 'two-tier healthcare' although I have never seen any real substantiation for the latter charge. My mom had an operation for colon cancer some time back, and she paid nothing for the hospitalization or the operation. My father-in-law is scheduled for the same operation as soon as he gets his blood-sugar low enough, and he already had one for a hernia and removal of internal scar tissue from an old injury – again, we paid nothing. He had a nurse come here for a couple of months, once a week, to change his dressing (because the incision would was very slow to heal because he is diabetic – nothing. That's all great, from my point of view, and I've paid into it all my life without ever using it because I was covered by the government under federal guidelines while I served in the military, although I was a cheap patient because I never had to be hospitalized for anything and was almost never even sick enough not to come to work. But the great drawback to it, as I said, is the backlog which might mean you have to wait too long for an operation. And in my small practical experience – the two cases I have just mentioned – both were scheduled for surgery within a month of diagnosis. So perhaps the long wait is for particular operations such as heart or brain surgery.

Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 12:49 pm
The Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army harvested organs from captured Serb civilians and soldiers:

https://thebloodyellowhouse.wordpress.com/

In December 14th 2010, Dick Marty, Rapporteur of EU Commission pass for adoption to the Council of Europe a report on allegations of inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo organized by KLA leader and Kosovo Prime minister Hashim Thaçi . An official report accusing Kosovo's prime minister of links to a "mafia-like" network that killed captives in order to sell their organs on the black market was yesterday endorsed by a Council of Europe committee.

Bold text emphasis added.

Nothing came of the charges that I am aware of and it is business as usual with Kosovo and Albania.

Per Wikipedia:

The Washington Times reported that the KLA was financing its activities by trafficking the illegal drugs of heroin and cocaine into western Europe.[16]

A report to the Council of Europe, written by Dick Marty, issued on 15 December 2010[23] states that Hacim Thaçi was the leader of the "Drenica Group" in charge of trafficking organs taken from Serbian prisoners.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Thaçi became Prime Minister of the newly independent state.

So, there you have it – the war criminal, drug runner, murderer and organ thief/butcher became the PM of Kosovo, a nation created and nurtured by NATO with a nod and a wink from the EU. Simply disgusting but typical treatment for Serbia by the fascist/racist and genocidally inclined West.

et Al , November 28, 2017 at 1:32 am
Thank you very much for a very interesting article UCG! Quite the horror story. I've heard quite a few about the US over the years from people I know too. I think one of the BBC's former America correspondent gave an interview to the Beeb as he was leaving America a few years back (MAtt Frei?) and was asked what were the best and worst things about living there. The worst was certainly healthcare.

I've also read that healthcare costs for the self-employed, independents, freelancers can also be crushing in the land of the free where everyone can become rich. Has this changed? I would have thought that those were the ideal Americans, making it off their own back, but apparently not.

There's also another issue that is not addressed: an ageing population. This is a very current theme and it is now not at all unusual for people to live another 30 odd years after retirement. Now how on earth will such people manage their healthcare for such a period? Will they have to hock absolutely everything they have? America is already at war with itself (hence the utmost need to for foreign enemies), but nothing is getting done. Just more of the same. Meanwhile the Brits are trying to copy the US through stealth privatization of their health system. It might work as well as privatizing its rail service

yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 3:21 am
Thanks for an interesting post, UCG. Hopefully this will stimulate some ideas on how to fix the American healthcare system, which seems to be badly broken.
Patient Observer , November 28, 2017 at 4:34 am
Broken for us but working perfectly for Big Pharma and insurance companies. That is a fundamental reason why it will be extremely difficult to "fix" because it ain't broken as a money making machine.
yalensis , November 28, 2017 at 1:25 pm
True. And the insurance companies, in particular, have been really raking it in, especially with Obamacare and the various Medicare Advantage options.
Ryan Ward , November 28, 2017 at 3:40 am
With health care in general, there's a bit of a trade-off. The most cost-efficient systems, like the system in Sweden for example, are fairly regimented and don't leave much room for individual choice (unless someone pays out of pocket for treatment completely outside the public system). On the other hand, systems that give people a little more choice, like the system in Germany, tend to be a little on the pricey side. I think, given American political culture, something along the lines of the German model is much more likely to attract widespread public support. In any case, it's still cheaper than the American system, and achieves some of the best results in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Germany

[Nov 15, 2017] Alex Azar Can There Be Uglier Scenarios than the Revolving Door naked capitalism

Notable quotes:
"... By Lambert Strether ..."
"... So should Mr Azar be confirmed as Secretary of DHHS, the fox guarding the hen house appears to be a reasonable analogy. ..."
"... In this post, I'd like to add two additional factors to our consideration of Azar. The first: Democrat credentialism makes it hard for them to oppose Azar. The second: The real ..."
Nov 15, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

Alex Azar: Can There Be Uglier Scenarios than the Revolving Door? Posted on November 15, 2017 by Lambert Strether By Lambert Strether

Clearly, Alex Azar, nominated yesterday for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services by the Trump Administration, exemplifies the case of the "revolving door," through which Flexians slither on their way to (or from) positions of public trust. Roy Poses ( cross-posted at NC ) wrote, when Azar was only Acting Secretary:

Last week we noted that Mr Trump famously promised to &#8220;drain the swamp&#8221; in Washington. Last week, despite his previous pledges to not appoint lobbyists to powerful positions, he appointed a lobbyist to be acting DHHS Secretary. This week he is apparently strongly considering Mr Alex Azar, a pharmaceutical executive to be permanent DHHS Secretary, even though the FDA, part of DHHS, has direct regulatory authority over the pharmaceutical industry, and many other DHHS policies strongly affect the pharmaceutical industry. (By the way, Mr Azar was also in charge of one lobbying effort.)

So should Mr Azar be confirmed as Secretary of DHHS, the fox guarding the hen house appears to be a reasonable analogy.

Moreover, several serious legal cases involving bad behavior by his company, and multiple other instances of apparently unethical behavior occurred on Mr Azar&#8217;s watch at Eli Lilly. So the fox might be not the most reputable member of the species.

So you know the drill&#8230;. The revolving door is a species of conflict of interest . Worse, some experts have suggested that the revolving door is in fact corruption. As we noted here , the experts from the distinguished European anti-corruption group U4 wrote ,

The literature makes clear that the revolving door process is a source of valuable political connections for private firms. But it generates corruption risks and has strong distortionary effects on the economy , especially when this power is concentrated within a few firms.

The ongoing parade of people transiting the revolving door from industry to the Trump administration once again suggests how the revolving door may enable certain of those with private vested interests to have excess influence, way beyond that of ordinary citizens, on how the government works, and that the country is still increasingly being run by a cozy group of insiders with ties to both government and industry. This has been termed crony capitalism.

Poses is, of course, correct. (Personally, I've contained my aghastitude on Azar, because I remember quite well how Liz Fowler transitioned from Wellpoint to being Max Baucus's chief of staff when ObamaCare was being drafted to a job in Big Pharma , and I remember quite well the deal with Big Pharma Obama cut, which eliminated the public option , not that the public option was anything other than a decreasingly gaudy "progressive" bauble in the first place.)

In this post, I'd like to add two additional factors to our consideration of Azar. The first: Democrat credentialism makes it hard for them to oppose Azar. The second: The real damage Azar could do is on the regulatory side.[1]

First, Democrat credentialism. Here is one effusive encomium on Azar. From USA Today, "Who is Alex Azar? Former drugmaker CEO and HHS official nominated to head agency" :

"I am glad to hear that you have worked hard, and brought fair-minded legal analysis to the department," Democratic Sen. Max Baucus said at Azar's last confirmation hearing.

And:

Andy Slavitt, who ran the Affordable Care Act and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the Obama administration, said he has reason to hope Azar would be a good secretary.

"He is familiar with the high quality of the HHS staff, has real-world experience enough to be pragmatic, and will hopefully avoid repeating the mistakes of his predecessor," Slavitt said.

So, if Democrats are saying Azar is "fair-minded" and "pragmatic" -- and heaven forfend that the word "corruption"[2] even be mentioned -- how do they oppose him, even he's viscerally opposed to everything Democrats supposedly stand for? (Democrats do this with judicial nominations, too.) Azar may be a fox, alright, but the chickens he's supposedly guarding are all clucking about how impeccable his qualifications are!

Second, let's briefly look at Azar's bio. Let me excerpt salient detail from USA Today :

1. Azar clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia .

2. Azar went to work for his mentor, Ken Starr , who was heading the independent counsel investigation into Bill and Hillary Clinton's Whitewater land deal.

3. Azar had a significant role in another major political controversy when the outcome of the 2000 presidential election hinged on a recount in Florida . Azar was on the Bush team of lawyers whose side ultimately prevailed [3]

For any Democrat with a memory, that bio provokes one of those "You shall know them by the trail of the dead" moments. And then there's this:

When Leavitt replaced Thompson in 2005 and Azar became his deputy, Leavitt delegated a lot of the rule-making process to Azar.

So, a liberal Democrat might classify Azar as a smooth-talking reactionary thug with a terrible record and the most vile mentors imaginable, and on top of it all, he's an effective bureaucratic fixer. What could the Trump Administration possibly see in such a person? Former (Republican) HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt explains:

"Understanding the administrative rule process in the circumstance we're in today could be extraordinarily important because a lot of the change in the health care system, given the fact that they've not succeeded legislatively, could come administratively."

We outlined the administration strategy on health care in "Trump Adminstration Doubles Down on Efforts to Crapify the Entire Health Care System (Unless You're Rich, of Course)" . There are three prongs:

1) Administratively, send ObamaCare into a death spiral by sabotaging it

2) Legislatively, gut Medicaid as part of the "tax refom" package in Congress

3) Through executive order, eliminate "essential health benefits" through "association health plans"

As a sidebar, it's interesting to see that although this do-list is strategically and ideologically coherent -- basically, your ability to access health care will be directly dependent on your ability to pay -- it's institutionally incoherent, a bizarre contraption screwed together out of legislation, regulations, and an Executive order. Of course, this incoherence mirrors to Rube Goldberg structure of ObamaCare itself, itself a bizarre contraption, especially when compared to the simple, rugged, and proven single payer system. ( Everything Obama did with regulations and executive orders, Trump can undo, with new regulations and new executive orders . We might compare ObamaCare to a child born with no immune system, that could only have survived within the liberal bubble within which it was created; in the real world, it's not surprising that it's succumbing to opportunistic infections.[2])

On #1, The administration has, despite its best efforts, not achieved a controlled flight into terrain with ObamaCare; enrollment is up. On #2, the administration and its Congressional allies are still dickering with tax reform. And on #3 . That looks looks like a job for Alex Azar, since both essential health benefits and association health plans are significantly affected by regulation.

So, yes, there are worse scenarios than the revolving door; it's what you leave behind you as the door revolves that matters. It would be lovely if there were a good old-fashioned confirmation battle over Azar, but, as I've pointed out, the Democrats have tied their own hands. Ideally, the Democrats would junk the Rube Goldberg device that is ObamaCare, rendering all of Azar's regulatory expertise null and void, but that doesn't seem likely, given that they seem to be doing everything possible to avoid serious discussion of policy in 2018 and 2020.

NOTES

[1] I'm leaving aside what will no doubt be the 2018 or even 2020 issue of drug prices, since for me that's subsumed under the issue of single payer. If we look only at Azar's history in business, real price decreases seem unlikely. Business Insider :

Over the 10-year period when Azar was at Lilly, the price of insulin notched a three-fold increase. It wasn't just Lilly's insulin product, called Humalog. The price of a rival made by Novo Nordisk has also climbed, with the two rising in such lockstep that you can barely see both trend lines below.

The gains came despite the fact that the insulin, which as a medication has an almost-century-long history, hasn't really changed since it was first approved.

Nice business to be in, eh? Here's that chart:

It's almost like Lilly (Azar's firm) and Novo Nordisk are working together, isn't it?

[2] Anyhow, as of the 2016 Clinton campaign , the Democrat standard -- not that of Poses, nor mine -- is that if there's no quid pro quo, there's no corruption.

[3] And, curiously, "[HHS head Tommy] Thompson said HHS was in the eye of the storm after the 2001 terrorist attacks, and Azar had an important role in responding to the resulting public health challenges, as well as the subsequent anthrax attacks "

MedicalQuack , November 15, 2017 at 10:31 am

Oh please, stop quoting Andy Slavitt, the United Healthcare Ingenix algo man. That guy is the biggest crook that made his money early on with RX discounts with his company that he and Senator Warren's daughter, Amelia sold to United Healthcare. He's out there trying to do his own reputation restore routine. Go back to 2009 and read about the short paying of MDs by Ingenix, which is now Optum Insights, he was the CEO and remember it was just around 3 years ago or so he sat there quarterly with United CEO Hemsley at those quarterly meetings. Look him up, wants 40k to speak and he puts the perception out there he does this for free, not so.

diptherio , November 15, 2017 at 11:25 am

I think you're missing the context. Lambert is quoting him by way of showing that the sleazy establishment types are just fine with him. Thanks for the extra background on that particular swamp-dweller, though.

a different chris , November 15, 2017 at 2:01 pm

Not just the context, it's a quote in a quote. Does make me think Slavitt must be a real piece of work to send MQ so far off his rails

petal , November 15, 2017 at 12:52 pm

Alex Azar is a Dartmouth grad (Gov't & Economics '88) just like Jeff Immelt (Applied Math & Economics '78). So much damage to society from such a small department!

sgt_doom , November 15, 2017 at 1:21 pm

Nice one, petal !!!

Really, all I need to know about the Trumpster Administration:

From Rothschild to . . . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Ross

Since 2014, Ross has been the vice-chairman of the board of Bank of Cyprus PCL, the largest bank in Cyprus.

He served under U.S. President Bill Clinton on the board of the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund. Later, under New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Ross served as the Mayor's privatization advisor.

Jen , November 15, 2017 at 7:56 pm

Or from a "small liberal arts college" (which is a university in all but name, because alumni).

Tim Geitner ('82 – Goverment)
Hank Paulson ('68 – English)

jo6pac , November 15, 2017 at 2:13 pm

Well it's never ending game in the beltway and we serfs aren't in it.

https://consortiumnews.com/2017/11/15/trump-adds-to-washingtons-swamp/

Alfred , November 15, 2017 at 2:53 pm

I don't believe that the President's "swamp" ever consisted of crooked officials, lobbyists, and cronies I think it has always consisted of those regulators who tried sincerely to defend public interests.

It was in the sticky work of those good bureaucrats that the projects of capitalists and speculators bogged down. It is against their efforts that the pickup-driving cohort of Trump_vs_deep_state (with their Gadsden flag decals) relentlessly rails.

Trump has made much progress in draining the regulatory swamp (if indeed that is the right way to identify it), and no doubt will make considerably more as time wears on, leaving America high and dry. The kind of prevaricator Trump is may simply be the one who fails to define his terms.

Henry Moon Pie , November 15, 2017 at 4:13 pm

I think we've moved past the revolving door. We hear members of the United States Senate publicly voice their concerns about what will happen if they fail to do their employers' bidding (and I'm not talking about "the public" here). In the bureaucracy, political appointees keep accruing more and more power even as they make it clearer and clearer that they work for "the donors" and not the people. Nowhere is this more true than the locus through which passes most of the money: the Pentagon. The fact that these beribboned heroes are, in fact, setting war policy on their own makes the knowledge that they serve Raytheon and Exxon rather than Americans very, very troubling.

I suspect Azar's perception is that he is just moving from one post to another within the same company.

Watt4Bob , November 15, 2017 at 5:28 pm

Perfect cartoon over at Truthout

I'm amazed there is enough private security available on this planet to keep these guys safe.

Larry , November 15, 2017 at 8:01 pm

Big pharma indeed has so much defense from the supposed left. It combines their faith in technological progress, elite institutions, and tugs on the heart strings with technology that can save people from a fate of ill health or premature death. Of course, the aspect of the laws being written to line the pockets of corrupt executives is glossed over. While drug prices and medical costs spiral ever higher, our overall longevity and national health in the US declines. That speaks volumes about what Democrats really care about.

[Jun 28, 2017] Prescription Drug Spending is Consuming a Bigger Share of Wages

Notable quotes:
"... The three percent of annual wage income lost to higher drug spending over the past 40 years makes a big difference to working individuals and families. This increase in annual spending averages out to roughly $2,400 per household. CMS projections, combined with projections on wage income growth from the Congressional Budget Office, suggest that spending on prescription drugs will increase further through 2025. This ratio is expected to exceed five percent by 2024. ..."
Jun 28, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com

anne

, June 27, 2017 at 05:19 PM
http://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/prescription-drug-spending-is-consuming-a-bigger-share-of-wages

June 27, 2017

Prescription Drug Spending is Consuming a Bigger Share of Wages
By Brian Dew and Dean Baker

Prescription drugs are a large and growing share of national income. While it is generally recognized that drugs are expensive, many people are unaware of how large a share of their income goes to paying for drugs because much of it goes through third party payers, specifically insurance companies and the government.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) produce projections of national expenditures on prescription drugs through 2025, along with historical estimates dating back to 1960. As shown below, prescription drug spending from 1960 to 1980 was equivalent to about one percent of total wage and salary income. In the years leading up to the passage of the Bayh-Dole act in 1980, wage income was rising faster than spending on prescription drugs. As a result, the share of wages spent on prescription drugs was actually falling, reaching a low in 1979 of 0.86%.

[Graph]

However, after 1980, prescription drug spending rose rapidly relative to wage income. The ratio of drug spending to wages rose each year from 1980 to 2007. In 2007 wage growth finally outpaced drug expenditures, with the ratio again increasing in the Great Recession. By 2010, prescription drug spending had climbed above four percent of wage income.

The three percent of annual wage income lost to higher drug spending over the past 40 years makes a big difference to working individuals and families. This increase in annual spending averages out to roughly $2,400 per household. CMS projections, combined with projections on wage income growth from the Congressional Budget Office, suggest that spending on prescription drugs will increase further through 2025. This ratio is expected to exceed five percent by 2024.

While an aging population has been a factor increasing spending on drugs, demographics alone cannot explain the sharp increase in prescription drug spending. Inflation-adjusted prescription drug spending per household has increased more than eightfold since 1980, far outpacing any demographic trend surrounding age. The share of people over age 65 in the population has increased from 9.2% in 1960 to 14.8% in 2015. This can at most explain a small part of the increase in spending on drugs over this period.

[Graph]

It is important to recognize that the high cost of drugs is the result of a conscious policy decision to give drug companies monopolies in the form of patents and other forms of exclusive marketing rights. Without these protections drugs would almost invariably be cheap, likely costing on average less than one fifth as much as they do now. Even worse, the perverse incentives resulting from patent monopolies distort the research process and can lead drug companies to misrepresent evidence on the safety and effectiveness of their drugs.

[Jun 22, 2017] Playing Games with Drugs at the Wall Street Journal

Jun 22, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com

anne , June 21, 2017 at 05:02 AM

http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/playing-games-with-drugs-at-the-wall-street-journal

June 20, 2017

Playing Games with Drugs at the Wall Street Journal

A column * in the Wall Street Journal by Dana P. Goldman and Darius N. Lakdawalla presents a case for high drug prices by making an analogy to the salaries of major league baseball players. They ask what would happen if the average pay of major league players was cut from $4 million to $2 million. They hypothesize that the current crew of major leaguers would continue to play, but that young people might instead opt for different careers, leaving us with a less talented group of baseball players. Their analogy to the drug market is that we would see fewer drugs developed, and therefore we would end up worse off as a result of paying less for drugs.

This analogy is useful because it is a great way to demonstrate some serious wrong-headed thinking. It also leads those of us who had the privilege of seeing players like Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Henry Aaron, and Willie Mays in their primes to wonder if there somehow would have been better players 50 years ago if the pay back then was at current levels.

But the issue is not just how much we should for developing drugs, but how we should pay. Suppose that we paid fire fighters at the point where they came to the fire. They would assess the situation and make an offer to put out the fire and save the lives of those who are endangered. We could haggle if we want. Sometimes we might get the price down a bit and in some occasions a competing crew of firefighters may show up and offer some competition. Most of us would probably pay whatever the firefighters asked to rescue our family members.

This could lead to a situation where firefighters are very highly paid, since at least the ones who came to rich neighborhoods could count on payouts in the millions or even tens of millions of dollars. Suppose someone suggested that we were paying too much for firefighters' services and argued that there we could drastically reduce what we pay for a service we all recognize as tremendously important. Well, Goldman and Lakdawalla would undoubtedly respond with a Wall Street Journal column telling us that fewer people will want to be firefighters.

But this is really beside the point. Just about everyone agrees that it does not make sense to be determining firefighters' pay when they show up at the fire. We pay them a fixed salary. While they sit around waiting most of the time, occasionally they provide an incredibly valuable service saving valuable properties from destruction or even more importantly saving lives.

No one thinks that firefighters get ripped off because they don't walk away millions of dollars when they save an endangered family. They get paid their salary (which we can argue whether too high or too low) for work that we recognize as dangerous, but which will occasionally result in enormous benefits to society.

In the case of developing drugs, we are now largely in the situation of paying the firefighters when they show up at the burning house. As a result of historical accident, we rely on a relic of the medieval guild system, government granted patent monopolies, to finance most research into developing new drugs. These monopolies allow drug companies to charge prices that are several thousand percent ** above the free market price.

This leads to all the corruption and distortion that one would expect from a trade tariff of 1000 or even 10,000 percent. These markups lead drug companies to expend vast resources marketing their drugs. They also frequently misrepresent the safety and effectiveness of their drugs to maximize sales. They make payoffs to doctors, politicians, and academics to enlist them in their sales efforts. And, they use the legal system to harass potential competitors, often filing frivolous suits to dissuade generic competitors.

This system also leads to a large amount of wasted research spending. This is in part because competitors will try to innovate around a patent to share in the patent rents. In a world of patent monopolies it is generally desirable to have competing drugs, however if the first drug was selling at its free market price, it is unlikely that it would make sense to spend large amounts researching the development of a second, third, and fourth drug for a condition for which an effective treatment already exists, rather than researching drugs for conditions for which no effective treatment exists.

Patent monopolies also encourage secrecy in research, as drug companies disclose as little information as possible so that they prevent competitors from benefiting from their research. This also slows the research process.

The obvious alternative would upfront funding, just like firefighters are paid a fixed salary for their work. Under this system a condition of the funding would be that all the research findings are posted on the web as quickly as practical to maximize the ability of the scientific community to benefit. We already do this to some extent with the $32 billion a year that goes to the National Institutes of Health, although this amount would likely have to be doubled or even tripled to make up for the research currently supported by government granted patent monopolies. (I outline a system for this in my book "Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Have Been Structured to Make the Rich Richer" *** - it's free.)

Anyhow, it would be good if we could be having a debate about how we finance drug research rather than just telling silly stories about baseball players salaries. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken, Sherrod Brown and thirteen other senators have already introduced a bill that would have the government pick up the tab on some clinical trials and then putting the rights to successful drugs in the public domain so they can be sold at generic prices. The bill also has a patent buyout fund that would accomplish the same goal.

It is absurd that we charge people hundreds of thousands of dollars for life-saving drugs that cost a few hundred dollars to produce. Too bad the Wall Street Journal has so little creativity that it cannot even imagine an alternative to a grossly antiquated institution when it comes to financing prescription drug development.

* https://www.wsj.com/articles/take-me-out-to-the-pill-game-1497913367

** http://www.thebodypro.com/content/78658/1000-fold-mark-up-for-drug-prices-in-high-income-c.html

*** https://deanbaker.net/images/stories/documents/Rigged.pdf

-- Dean Baker

[Jun 21, 2017] Neoliberalism and opioids abuse

Jun 21, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com

libezkova, June 21, 2017 at 07:25 PM

Over 33K people in US died of opiates overdoses in 2015 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Not only unemployed abuse opioids, but more and more college students and recent graduates are abusing the opioids as well, according to a survey of 1200 college aged adults commissioned the same year by Christie foundation.

Federal law does not require colleges to report drug death unless they are deemed criminal. But fatal overdoses have been rising at schools nationwide underscoring and horrifying reality of for administrators: in addition to binge drinking and marijuana, they have another crisis firmly entrenched on campus.

Now losing 30K people in one year is like small scale civil war (like the one they have in Ukraine) and in a way it is: war of wealthy and medical industrial complex against those in difficult circumstances, with dreams crashed and, especially, unemployed.

https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2016-06-14/opioids-linked-with-deaths-other-than-overdoses-study-says

== quote ==

CHICAGO (AP) - Accidental overdoses aren't the only deadly risk from using powerful prescription painkillers - the drugs may also contribute to heart-related deaths and other fatalities, new research suggests.

Among more than 45,000 patients in the study, those using opioid painkillers had a 64 percent higher risk of dying within six months of starting treatment compared to patients taking other prescription pain medicine. Unintentional overdoses accounted for about 18 percent of the deaths among opioid users, versus 8 percent of the other patients.

"As bad as people think the problem of opioid use is, it's probably worse," said Wayne Ray, the lead author and a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University's medical school. "They should be a last resort and particular care should be exercised for patients who are at cardiovascular risk."

His caution echoes recent advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trying to stem the nation's opioid epidemic. The problem includes abuse of street drugs like heroin and overuse of prescription opioids such as hydrocodone, codeine and morphine.

The drugs can slow breathing and can worsen disrupted breathing that occurs with sleep apnea, potentially leading to irregular heartbeats, heart attacks or sudden death, the study authors said.

In 2014, there were more than 14,000 fatal overdoses linked with the painkillers in the U.S. The study suggests even more have died from causes linked with the drugs, and bolster evidence in previous research linking them with heart problems.

The study involved more than 45,000 adult Medicaid patients in Tennessee from 1999 to 2012. They were prescribed drugs for chronic pain not caused by cancer but from other ailments including persistent backaches and arthritis.

Half received long-acting opioids including controlled-release oxycodone, methadone and fentanyl skin patches. Fentanyl has been implicated in the April death of Prince, although whether the singer was using a fentanyl patch, pills or other form of the drug hasn't been publicly revealed.

Long-acting opioids remain in the body longer. The study authors noted that the body's prolonged exposure to the drugs may increase risks for toxic reactions.

The remaining study patients had prescriptions for non-opioid drugs sometimes used to treat nerve pain, including gabapentin; or certain antidepressants also used for pain.

There were 185 deaths among opioid users, versus 87 among other patients. The researchers calculated that for every 145 patients on an opioid drug, there was one excess death versus deaths among those on other painkillers.

The two groups were similar in age, medical conditions, risks for heart problems and other characteristics that could have contributed to the outcomes.

The results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association .

The study involved only Medicaid patients, who include low-income and disabled adults and who are among groups disproportionately affected by opioid abuse.

Ray noted that the study excluded the sickest patients and those with any evidence of drug abuse. He said similar results would likely be found in other groups.

Dr. Chad Brummett, director of pain research at the University of Michigan Health System, said the study highlights risks from the drugs in a novel way and underscores why their use should be limited.

[May 31, 2017] End the Greedy Silence Dissident Voice

Notable quotes:
"... Unstoppable The Emerging Left Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State (2014), among many other books, and a four-time candidate for US President. Read other articles by Ralph , or visit Ralph's website . ..."
"... This article was posted on Tuesday, May 30th, 2017 at 5:18pm and is filed under Capitalism , Health/Medical , Pharmaceuticals . ..."
May 31, 2017 | dissidentvoice.org
End the Greedy Silence

Enough Already

by Ralph Nader / May 30th, 2017

It is time Americans rise up against the corruption, inefficiency, and cruelty of our healthcare system and tell its corporate captors and Congress – Enough Already!

For decades other countries have guaranteed universal health insurance for all their people, at lower costs and better outcomes (President Truman proposed it 72 years ago in the US). When are we going to break out of this taxpayer-subsidized prison built by the giant insurance companies, drug goliaths and monopolizing hospital chains?

How long is Uncle Sucker going to pay through the nose for gouging drug prices, patient-denying health insurance companies and all the brutal fine print rules in consumer contracts whose trap doors are maddening tens of millions of Americans?

Deductibles, exclusions, waivers, co-pays, corporate immunities from injured patients, disqualifying changes in patients' status and just plain stonewalling are just some examples of this cruel madness.

Not to mention the endless electronic bills with their inscrutable codes and unchallengeable charges – that is if you can get anyone on the phone to answer your questions. Billing fraud and abuses alone cost us up to $330 billion a year!

Why do we put up with "pay or die" drug prices? Why do we tolerate our fellow Americans dying in the tens of thousands each year because they cannot afford health insurance to get diagnosed and treated in time?

Do we know that the profiteering drug companies regularly are given a slew of handouts, including huge tax breaks, free drugs developed by our National Institutes of Health, and few restraints on their high pressure sales of dangerous and addictive drugs (eg opioids) or, together with their corporate middlemen, return the favor by charging Americans the highest prices in the world? Other countries put limits on such blatant greed and exploitation.

Groping for ever more profits, the big drug companies offshore production to less regulated labs in China and India, which amount to 60% of the drugs we buy and 80% of the active ingredients in all medicines sold in the US. Unpatriotic in the extreme!

Compounding these inhumane practices is a supine Congress, with few exceptions like Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D, TX), and state legislatures, misusing the power we entrusted to them. These legislators see large pharmaceutical companies as honey pots for campaign cash that work as hush money paid by hordes of drug industry lobbyists. So craven was the majority in Congress in 2003 that, when the drug benefits bill was passed, it prohibited Medicare from negotiating volume discounts for this lucrative corporate sales bonanza (Past Congresses authorized the Pentagon and Veterans Administration to bargain and they get lower prices as a result).

Despite the fact that these healthcare challenges have been dealt with more humanely and economically by other Western countries in the world, Americans are consistently told to tolerate an aggravating status quo. Scores of books, articles and television exposés highlight all the ways we're pushed around, denied, excluded, harmed, overcharged and deceived, yet so many of these authors still maintain that our system of health insurance/healthcare can't be replaced with a much better one? So these writers continue to advise us how to duck, slide and swivel our escape from a few of these commercials chains and scams.

In all the fine articles written to help consumers navigate Obamacare, Medicare, and private health plans, the authors trap themselves in this vast corporate cul-de-sac by never mentioning the way out.

That way is Single Payer or Full Medicare for all, everybody in, nobody out, with free choice of doctors and hospitals – at far lower costs, mortality and morbidity. These narrow reformers can't escape their "it ain't going to happen here" syndrome.

Really? Don't they know that the public has long viewed Single Payer favorably (including a majority of doctors and nurses), even without political leaders standing up for it or mass media reporting this proven safe path.

The surrender to corporate tyranny infects the 113 members of the House of Representatives who have co-signed HR 676 to create full Medicare for all. They signed, but then gave in to a silent resignation by not fighting for it in Congress and back home.

When the companies and their apologists argue for a "free market" approach to healthcare, you can retort – what free market? Half the money coming to these companies is from the federal, state and local governments. Taxpayers also pay tens of billions of dollars for much of the discovery and testing of drugs. Tax breaks and loopholes in patent laws block generic drugs and distort the free market.

Drug patents are by definition monopolies. Concentration by mergers and acquisitions of hospitals, clinics and physician practices (note dwindling independent cardiology practices) raise serious anti-trust issues. Fine print contract peonage takes away the consumers' freedom of contract, as do the daily buy and sell equations, so often rendered by third parties for patients. Corporate billing and other crimes are endemic. What free market?

Each of you can help the Single Payer movement build momentum. Ask your members of Congress in writing if they support HR 676 and, if not, demand their appearance in person at a town meeting arranged by people like you to answer why. If they refuse, peacefully picket their local offices.

Ask the newspapers, radio and television stations, including the culpable public radio and public television, when are they going to cover the basic full Medicare reform supported by tens of millions of their listeners and viewers?

Finally, go to the website SinglePayerAction.org to find out what other people are doing and what more you can do with your friends and co-workers.

One percent of you, together with popular backing, can make it happen, through a persistent civic hobby. Remember, you only have to turn around less than 450 members of Congress.

Enough Already?

Ralph Nader is a leading consumer advocate, the author of Unstoppable The Emerging Left Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State (2014), among many other books, and a four-time candidate for US President. Read other articles by Ralph , or visit Ralph's website .

This article was posted on Tuesday, May 30th, 2017 at 5:18pm and is filed under Capitalism , Health/Medical , Pharmaceuticals .

[May 29, 2017] As long as there is no countervailing force, financialization of healthcare will continue unabated

May 29, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com

Health care -- skyrocketing cost of (USA only).

Financialization of health care makes Goldman-Sachs look like amateurs. Just read Suskind's Confidence Men -- now reading Rosenthal's American Sickness.

First hundred pages I thought her medicine was the exact same story as his Wall Street -- but hundreds more pages of her story goes on. The most unimaginable book I've read in a decade (decades?).

Single payer Medicare has none little to slow medical financialization. You can pick any health system you want from any country you like.

As long as there is no countervailing force, financialization will continue unabated. Repeat: 6% labor union density equates to 20/10 blood pressure -- starves every healthy process.

[Apr 06, 2017] The country will spend over $440 billion this year for drugs that would likely sell for less than $80 billion in a free market.

Apr 06, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne , April 06, 2017 at 05:31 AM
http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/robert-atkinson-pushes-pro-rich-protectionist-agenda-in-the-washington-post

April 6, 2017

Robert Atkinson Pushes Pro-Rich Protectionist Agenda in the Washington Post

The Washington Post is always open to plans for taking money from ordinary workers and giving it to the rich. For this reason it was not surprising to see a piece * by Robert Atkinson, the head of the industry funded Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, advocating for more protectionism in the form of stronger and longer patent and copyright monopolies.

These monopolies, legacies from the medieval guild system, can raise the price of the protected items by one or two orders of magnitudes making them equivalent to tariffs of several hundred or several thousand percent. They are especially important in the case of prescription drugs.

Life-saving drugs that would sell for $200 or $300 in a free market can sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars due to patent protection. The country will spend over $440 billion this year for drugs that would likely sell for less than $80 billion in a free market. The strengthening of these protections is an important cause of the upward redistribution of the last four decades. The difference comes to more than $2,700 a year for an average family. (This is discussed in "Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer," ** where I also lay out alternative mechanisms for financing innovation and creative work.)

Atkinson makes this argument in the context of the U.S. relationship with China. He also is explicitly prepared to have ordinary workers pay the price for this protectionism. He warns that not following his recommendation for a new approach to dealing with China, including forcing them to impose more protection for U.S. patents and copyrights, would lead to a lower valued dollar.

Of course a lower valued dollar will make U.S. goods and services more competitive internationally. That would mean a smaller trade deficit as we sell more manufactured goods elsewhere in the world and buy fewer imported goods in the United States. This could increase manufacturing employment by 1-2 million, putting upward pressure on the wages of non-college educated workers.

In short, not following Atkinson's path is likely to mean more money for less-educated workers, less money for the rich, and more overall growth, as the economy benefits from the lessening of protectionist barriers.

* https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/how-trump-can-stop-china-from-eating-our-lunch/2017/04/05/b83e4460-1953-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html

** http://deanbaker.net/images/stories/documents/Rigged.pdf

-- Dean Baker

[Apr 06, 2017] Health Care Renewal Not Going to Take it Anymore - Doctors in the Pacific Northwest Unionize, Begin Collective Bargaining with Hospital Systems

Apr 06, 2017 | hcrenewal.blogspot.com
Managerialist Tactics: Outsourcing

The NYT article opened with

in the spring of 2014, when the administration announced it would seek bids to outsource its 36 hospitalists , the hospital doctors who supervise patients' care, to a management company that would become their employer.

The outsourcing of hospitalists became relatively common in the last decade, driven by a combination of factors. There is the obvious hunger for efficiency gains. But there is also growing pressure on hospitals to measure quality and keep people healthy after they are discharged. This can be a complicated data collection and management challenge that many hospitals, especially smaller ones, are not set up for and that some outsourcing companies excel in.

Outsourcing is a now familiar entry in the managerialists' playbook. It is seen more in manufacturing than in health care. Although touted as improving economic "efficiency," it also may reduce the accountability of the managers of the organization that does the outsourcing.

Pursuit of Economic Efficiency

In this case,

Outsourced hospitalists tend to make as much or more money than those that hospitals employ directly, typically in excess of $200,000 a year. But the catch is that their compensation is often tied more directly to the number of patients they see in a day - which the hospitalists at Sacred Heart worried could be as many as 18 or 20, versus the 15 that they and many other hospitalists contend should be the maximum.

It was the idea that they could end up seeing more patients that prompted outrage among the hospitalists at Sacred Heart, which has two facilities in the area, with a total of nearly 450 beds. 'We're doctors, we're professionals,' Dr. [Rajeev] Alexander said. 'Giving me a bonus for seeing two more patients - I'm not sure I should be doing that. It's not safe .' (A hospital representative said patient safety was 'inviolate.')


A constant theme of managerialism, and the neoliberalism that underlies it, is economic efficiency. The usual narrative is that efficiency means providing better goods and services at lower costs. Instead, managerialism and neliberalism may mean decontenting goods and services so as to lower costs to the organizations providing them, but not necessarily providing more value to consumers. In health care terms, managerialism and neliberalism may lead to less accessible, more mediocre health care that increase revenue to the organizations providing it, as implied by the physicians' comments above. Making the US the most commercialized, managerialist run, and arguably neoliberal health care system among the developed countries has not led to lower costs, better access, or better health care quality.


The backstory for the outsourcing emphasizes that managerialism, and the resulting economic efficiency was indeed the goal of PeaceHealth...

In 2012, Sacred Heart's parent, PeaceHealth, a nonprofit health care system, installed an executive named John Hill to adapt its Oregon hospitals to the latest trends in health care . Mr. Hill, in an effort to rein in the budget and improve the efficiency of a hospital that administrators said was lagging in key respects, including how long the typical patient stayed, eventually concluded that the hospitalists at Sacred Heart should be outsourced.

Centralization of Control

Furthermore,

The hospitalists also chafe at the way the administration has tried to centralize decisions they used to make for themselves. This might include hiring fellow doctors or the order in which they see patients on any day. They also complain of being loaded down with administrative tasks.

'We're trained to be leaders, but they treat us like assembly line workers ,' said Dr. Brittany Ellison, a hospitalist in the group. 'You need that time with the patient,...'


A major feature of managerialism is the concentration of power within (generic) management. To quote Komesaroff(1),

In the workplace, the authority of management is intensified, and behaviour that previously might have been regarded as bullying becomes accepted good practice. The autonomous discretion of the professional is undermined, and cuts in staff and increases in caseload occur without democratic consultation of staff. Loyal long-term staff are dismissed and often humiliated, and rigorous monitoring of the performance of the remaining employees focuses on narrowly defined criteria relating to attainment of financial targets, efficiency and effectiveness.

We're Only In It for the Money

Also, the negotiations that started once the PeaceHealth physicians formed their union demonstrated a central tenet of managerialism

Even starker than the divide over these questions are the differences in worldview represented on opposite sides of the table. During a bargaining session last fall, the administration proposed increasing the number of shifts a year. Hospitalists now earn about $223,000 a year for 173 shifts and are paid extra for working more. The hospital offered $260,000 for a mandatory 182 shifts, and up to $20,000 in bonus pay for hitting certain medical performance targets. The hospitalists work seven days on and seven days off, so this would have effectively eliminated any time off for sick days or vacation.

When the doctors pointed this out, the administration responded that if they missed a few days, it would make sure they got extra days to hit the required number of shifts for full pay.

The hospitalists assured the administration negotiators that their concern had nothing to do with money - that none of this had ever been about money. They preferred to work less and make less to avoid burnout, which was bad for them and worse for patients. At which point the administration responded that money was always the issue , according to several people in the room. (The hospital declined to comment.)

Suddenly it dawned on the doctors why they had failed to break through, Dr. Alexander said. 'Imagine Mr. Burns,' the cartoonishly evil capitalist from 'The Simpsons,' 'sitting across the table,' he said. 'There's no way we can say, 'This isn't what we're talking about. We're not trying to get the bonus.''


Again, managerialism is based on neoliberalism, and neoliberal view is that the market rules. The market is the arbiter of success, and money is the only outcome that matters. As Komesaroff put it(1),

The particular system of beliefs and practices defining the roles and powers of managers in our present context is what is referred to as managerialism. This is defined by two basic tenets: (i) that all social organisations must conform to a single structure; and (ii) that the sole regulatory principle is the market .

Mission-Hostile Management

Never mind that the centrality of money seems entirely inconsistent with the stated mission of PeaceHealth ,

We carry on the healing mission of Jesus Christ by promoting personal and community health, relieving pain and suffering, and treating each person in a loving and caring way.

Ostensibly, this is accompanied by core values, such as,

Stewardship We choose to serve the community and hold ourselves accountable to exercise ethical and responsible stewardship in the allocation and utilization of human, financial, and environmental resources. and,

Social Justice
We build and evaluate the structures of our organization and those of society to promote the just distribution of health care resources.


We have frequently discussed how leadership of contemporary health care organizations often seem to act contrary to the organizations' stated mission, that is, mission-hostile management .

Value Extraction

Finally, while managerialism is ostensibly concerned with economic efficiency, whose efficiency matters. When managers address physicians' efficiency, they seem to look at amount of work done divided by the cost to the hospital of paying physicians. However, they never seem to look at their own costs, the costs of management, as being a negative.

The PeaceHealth 2014 form 990 , the latest available, states that the then CEO, Mr Alan Yordy (whose highest academic degree was an MBA, according to his LinkedIn page ) had total compensation in 2013 of $1,366,742, and 11 other managers had total compensation greater than $250,000, with 9 having total compensation greater than $500,000. Those figures should be compared to the highest compensation offered the hospitalists, a maximum of $280,000 for 182 shifts a year, eliminating all vacation and sick leave. So if it is all about the money, the managers are making the most of it.

We have discussed ad nauseum the ridiculous compensation of the leaders of health care organization, even non-profit organizations. Value extraction by top management has become a central feature of the US and global economy (look here ).

The NYT article did not discuss whether the upset hospitalists knew about their bosses' compensation. I suspect they did.

Forming a Functioning Union at the University of Washington

The media coverage of the UW housestaff unionization was less detailed. It does appear, though, that a stimulus was the pursuit of economic efficiency by UW management through squeezing the pay of housestaff, as described in the December article in the Seattle Times . In it the house staff said,

they account for about one-fifth of King County's doctors and they want higher pay, new child-care benefits and free parking. Some UW residents and fellows earn so little that they qualify for welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Seattle City Light Utility Discount Program, according to the UWHA [University of Washington Housestaff Association.]

Another article in early January, 2016 in the Seattle Times added,

The association has proposed that residents and fellows earn at least the same salary as the UW's lowest-paid physician assistants . Because the doctors in training work very long hours, they sometimes earn less than Seattle's minimum hourly wage , the UWHA has said.

The council members, in their letter to Cauce, called the situation shocking. And based on information from the UWHA, they wrote that some residents and fellows qualify for welfare programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).


The Seattle articles noted that the UW housestaff may earn from just over $53,000 to just under $70,000 a year. Keep in mind, however, that under current rules, house staff may work up to 80 hours a week. So $53,000 for someone working those hours translates into $13.25/ hour, under what many people now claim is the living wage. That could be considered exploitation of workers with doctoral degrees working in often highly stressful situations where lives may be on the line. Whether there were issues other than money (and the respect it implies) involved at UW was not apparent based on the minimal press coverage.

[Apr 05, 2017] Health Care Renewal managerialism

Apr 05, 2017 | hcrenewal.blogspot.com
John Stossel Discovers Health Care Dysfunction, Blames it on "Socialists" - Like Maurice Greenberg (AIG), John Thain (Merrill Lynch), Sanford Weill (Citigroup), and David H Koch? We have been ranting for a while about the dysfunctionality of the US health care system. Unfortunately, many people only realize how bad things are when they become patients, when they have bigger things to worry about than complaining. Furthermore, even if they complain, many patients may not feel they understand enough about what has gone wrong to suggest solutions.

Bad Customer Service at New York Presbyterian

This may not apply when media pundits, especially those with strong ideological views, become patients. So this week Fox News commentator and well known libertarian John Stossel disclosed his new illness, and vented his opinions about his hospital stay . Mr Stossel unfortunately developed lung cancer, although he was optimistic about his prognosis: "My doctors tell me my growth was caught early and I'll be fine. Soon I will barely notice that a fifth of my lung is gone."

However, he was not happy about his hospital's customer service:

But as a consumer reporter, I have to say, the hospital's customer service stinks . Doctors keep me waiting for hours, and no one bothers to call or email to say, 'I'm running late.' Few doctors give out their email address. Patients can't communicate using modern technology.

I get X-rays, EKG tests, echocardiograms, blood tests. Are all needed? I doubt it. But no one discusses that with me or mentions the cost .

Also,
I fill out long medical history forms by hand and, in the next office, do it again . Same wording: name, address, insurance, etc.
And,
In the intensive care unit, night after night, machines beep, but often no one responds . Nurses say things like 'old machines,' 'bad batteries,' 'we know it's not an emergency.'
Finally,
Some of my nurses were great -- concerned about my comfort and stress -- but other hospital workers were indifferent .
Unfortunately, long wait times, poor communications, excess paperwork, and misapplied technology are all too familiar problems to those in the health care system.

Moreover, this all was happening at one of the most highly rated US hospitals,

After all, I'm at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. U.S. News & World Report ranked it No. 1 in New York .
Were "Socialist Bureaucracies" Responsible?

Mr Stossel had his own ideas about the causes of these problems.

Customer service is sclerotic because hospitals are largely socialist bureaucracies. Instead of answering to consumers, which forces businesses to be nimble, hospitals report to government, lawyers and insurance companies.

Whenever there's a mistake, politicians impose new rules: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act paperwork, patient rights regulations, new layers of bureaucracy...

Also,

Leftists say the solution to such problems is government health care. But did they not notice what happened at Veterans Affairs? Bureaucrats let veterans die, waiting for care. When the scandal was exposed, they didn't stop. USA Today reports that the abuse continues. Sometimes the VA's suicide hotline goes to voicemail.

Patients will have a better experience only when more of us spend our own money for care. That's what makes markets work.

A "Socialist Bureaucracy" with a VIP Penthouse?

I am sorry to hear Mr Stossel has lung cancer, and hope that his prognosis is indeed good. I am a bit surprised that a media celebrity who became a patient found big issues with "customer service" at such a prestigious hospital. After all, many big hospitals have programs to give special treatment to VIPs (for example, see these posts from 2007 and 2011 ).

In particular, back in 2012 we posted about the contrast between the VIP services specifically at New York - Presbyterian Hospital and how poor patients are treated there. Then we quoted from a 21 January, 2012 article from the New York Times focused on the ritzy comforts now provided for wealthy (but perhaps not very sick) patients at the renowned New York Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Hospital. It opened,

The feverish patient had spent hours in a crowded emergency room. When she opened her eyes in her Manhattan hospital room last winter, she recalled later, she wondered if she could be hallucinating: 'This is like the Four Seasons - where am I?'

The bed linens were by Frette, Italian purveyors of high-thread-count sheets to popes and princes. The bathroom gleamed with polished marble . Huge windows displayed panoramic East River views. And in the hush of her $2,400 suite, a man in a black vest and tie proffered an elaborate menu and told her, 'I'll be your butler.'

It was Greenberg 14 South, the elite wing on the new penthouse floor of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital . Pampering and décor to rival a grand hotel, if not a Downton Abbey, have long been the hallmark of such 'amenities units,' often hidden behind closed doors at New York's premier hospitals. But the phenomenon is escalating here and around the country, health care design specialists say, part of an international competition for wealthy patients willing to pay extra, even as the federal government cuts back hospital reimbursement in pursuit of a more universal and affordable American medical system.

Additional amenities include:

A waterfall, a grand piano and the image of a giant orchid grace the soaring ninth floor atrium....
Also,
the visitors' lounge seems to hang over the East River in a glass prow and Ciao Bella gelato is available on demand....
An architect who specializes in designing such luxury facilities for hospitals noted:
'These kinds of patients, they're paying cash - they're the best kind of patient to have,' she added. 'Theoretically, it trickles down.'
It appears that someone failed to book Mr Stossel into the penthouse. Instead, he found out what service was like for the masses.

Perhaps this was why Mr Stossel railed at the "socialist bureaucracies" he perceived as running New York - Presbyterian Hospital. However, calling the hospital management "socialist" seems - not to put too fine a point on it - wrong.

A "Socialist Bureaucracy" Paying Millions to its CEOs?

First of all, New York Presbyterian is hardly a government agency. It is a private, non-profit corporation. Every year as such it files a form 990 with the dread US Internal Revenue Service. (The latest publicly available version is from 2013, here.) Obviously, US government agencies do not file with the IRS.

In fact, the New York Presbyterian system seems about as far from a federal government agency as one can imagine.

First, its top managers are paid like for-profit corporate executives. In 2014, we posted about the humongous compensation given to its previous, long-serving CEO, Dr Herbert Pardes, who received multi-million dollar compensation every year through his 2011 retirement, and then continued to receive several million a year from the system in his retirement. His successor, current CEO Dr Steven Corwin, received $3.6 million in 2012. (More recent compensation figures are not yet available.)

A "Socialist Bureaucracy" Dominated by Managers, with Stewardship by Top Financial Executives, and one of the Koch Brothers?

The current leadership of New York Presbyterian is dominated by businesspeople, not physicians, nurses, or other health care professionals. Only 10 of 33 listed senior leaders are health care professionals. The rest have administrative/ management or legal backgrounds and training. Many appear to be generic managers , that is, people with background and experience primarily in administration or management, but not in medicine, health care, public health, etc.

The hospital system's board of trustees was and is filled with some of the top business executives in the US, including some finance executives who have been cited as responsible for the global financial collapse/ great recession.

For example, we wrote about Mr Dick Fuld, a trustee until recently. Mr Fuld was the CEO who presided over the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, which heralded the beginning of the great financial crisis/ great recession of 2008 onward. Mr Fuld seemed to lack the sort of compassionate approach one might expect from someone charged with the stewardship of a big hospital system. He had once publicly said about those who sold Lehman Brother stock short: "what I really want to do is I want to reach in, rip out their heart, and eat it before they die ."

[Mar 23, 2017] A "good start" at the expence of sick people for Collectly a new medical debt collection startuo -- they now collect twise larger share of debt then before. The founder is a former CEO of a debt collection agency and collected over $100 million before

Notable quotes:
"... our intelligent algorithm using state of the art innovative techniques of automation innovation disruption innovation disruption automatically sends orders to police and judges to prepare and serve pay or stay warrants, making sure your debtor goes to jail for their crime! ..."
Mar 23, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com

"All 51 startups that debuted at Y Combinator W17 Demo Day 2" [ TechCrunch ] ( day one ). This is a good one:

Collectly helps doctors collect 2x's more debt than they have before. It's a business with $280 billion sent to debt but the debt collectors only collect on average up to 20%. The founder is a former CEO of a debt collection agency and collected over $100 million before

The acerbic Pinboard comments:
D Pinboard * Follow

@Pinboard

YC so far: surreptitious recording of phone calls, bus tickets for
the starving, debt collection, go live in a box, cow collars,
chatbots

11:41 PM-21 Mar 2017

He's not wrong. (And any time you encounter an online company with a cute name that's also an adverb, like collectly , run a mile, because it's a startup that wants to harm you. Kidding! I think .)

cocomaan , March 22, 2017 at 4:03 pm

Collectly is some really depressing stuff. Wow. More from their website.

3. Transparent collection
Our intelligent software automatically reaches out to customers that didn't pay in time, so you will never need to manually chase them again. And you can see every action on every case.

Totaly fair.

Totaly fair? I had to read it twice. Is that a typo? Or does it mean something?

Next up: our intelligent algorithm using state of the art innovative techniques of automation innovation disruption innovation disruption automatically sends orders to police and judges to prepare and serve pay or stay warrants, making sure your debtor goes to jail for their crime!

Edit: Weird, this went in the wrong place. Oh well.

[Mar 17, 2017] The Affordable Care Act came nowhere close to universal healthcare insurance coverage:

Mar 17, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne -> Fred C. Dobbs... March 16, 2017 at 06:41 AM , 2017 at 06:41 AM
The Affordable Care Act came nowhere close to universal healthcare insurance coverage:

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p60-257.pdf

September 13, 2016

People Without Health Insurance Coverage, 2007-2015

(Thousands without insurance for entire year)

2007 ( 44,088)
2008 ( 44,780)
2009 ( 48,985) Obama

2010 ( 49,951) (Affordable Care Act)
2011 ( 48,613)
2012 ( 47,951)
2013 ( 41,795)
2014 ( 32,968)

2015 ( 28,966)

anne -> Fred C. Dobbs... , March 16, 2017 at 07:26 AM
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p60-257.pdf

September 13, 2016

People Without Health Insurance Coverage, 2007-2015

(Percent without insurance for entire year)

2007 ( 14.7)
2008 ( 14.9)
2009 ( 16.1) Obama

2010 ( 16.3) (Affordable Care Act)
2011 ( 15.7)
2012 ( 15.4)
2013 ( 13.3)
2014 ( 10.4)

2015 ( 9.1)

[Mar 17, 2017] The difficulties that many families have paying for cancer treatments. The piece points out that even middle income families with good insurance may still face co-payments of tens of thousands of dollars a year

Mar 17, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne : March 16, 2017 at 06:19 AM

, 2017 at 06:19 AM
http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/government-granted-patent-monopolies-cause-people-to-skip-cancer-treatments

March 16, 2017

Government Granted Patent Monopolies Cause People to Skip Cancer Treatments

National Public Radio had an interesting segment * on the difficulties that many families have paying for cancer treatments. The piece points out that even middle income families with good insurance may still face co-payments of tens of thousands of dollars a year.

One item not mentioned in this piece is that the reason the prices of new cancer drugs is high is that the government grants companies patent monopolies. This is done as a way to finance research. In almost all cases these drugs would be available for less than a thousand dollars ** for a year's treatment if the drugs were sold in a free market.

While it is necessary to pay for research, there are more modern and efficient mechanisms than patent monopolies (see "Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer" *** ).

* http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/15/520110742/as-drug-costs-soar-people-delay-or-skip-cancer-treatments

** http://www.thebodypro.com/content/78658/1000-fold-mark-up-for-drug-prices-in-high-income-c.html

*** http://deanbaker.net/images/stories/documents/Rigged.pdf

-- Dean Baker

anne -> anne... , March 16, 2017 at 06:20 AM
http://deanbaker.net/images/stories/documents/Rigged.pdf

October, 2016

Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer
By Dean Baker

The Old Technology and Inequality Scam: The Story of Patents and Copyrights

One of the amazing lines often repeated by people in policy debates is that, as a result of technology, we are seeing income redistributed from people who work for a living to the people who own the technology. While the redistribution part of the story may be mostly true, the problem is that the technology does not determine who "owns" the technology. The people who write the laws determine who owns the technology.

Specifically, patents and copyrights give their holders monopolies on technology or creative work for their duration. If we are concerned that money is going from ordinary workers to people who hold patents and copyrights, then one policy we may want to consider is shortening and weakening these monopolies. But policy has gone sharply in the opposite direction over the last four decades, as a wide variety of measures have been put into law that make these protections longer and stronger. Thus, the redistribution from people who work to people who own the technology should not be surprising - that was the purpose of the policy.

If stronger rules on patents and copyrights produced economic dividends in the form of more innovation and more creative output, then this upward redistribution might be justified. But the evidence doesn't indicate there has been any noticeable growth dividend associated with this upward redistribution. In fact, stronger patent protection seems to be associated with slower growth.

Before directly considering the case, it is worth thinking for a minute about what the world might look like if we had alternative mechanisms to patents and copyrights, so that the items now subject to these monopolies could be sold in a free market just like paper cups and shovels.

The biggest impact would be in prescription drugs. The breakthrough drugs for cancer, hepatitis C, and other diseases, which now sell for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, would instead sell for a few hundred dollars. No one would have to struggle to get their insurer to pay for drugs or scrape together the money from friends and family. Almost every drug would be well within an affordable price range for a middle-class family, and covering the cost for poorer families could be easily managed by governments and aid agencies.

The same would be the case with various medical tests and treatments. Doctors would not have to struggle with a decision about whether to prescribe an expensive scan, which might be the best way to detect a cancerous growth or other health issue, or to rely on cheaper but less reliable technology. In the absence of patent protection even the most cutting edge scans would be reasonably priced.

Health care is not the only area that would be transformed by a free market in technology and creative work. Imagine that all the textbooks needed by college students could be downloaded at no cost over the web and printed out for the price of the paper. Suppose that a vast amount of new books, recorded music, and movies was freely available on the web.

People or companies who create and innovate deserve to be compensated, but there is little reason to believe that the current system of patent and copyright monopolies is the best way to support their work. It's not surprising that the people who benefit from the current system are reluctant to have the efficiency of patents and copyrights become a topic for public debate, but those who are serious about inequality have no choice. These forms of property claims have been important drivers of inequality in the last four decades.

The explicit assumption behind the steps over the last four decades to increase the strength and duration of patent and copyright protection is that the higher prices resulting from increased protection will be more than offset by an increased incentive for innovation and creative work. Patent and copyright protection should be understood as being like very large tariffs. These protections can often the raise the price of protected items by several multiples of the free market price, making them comparable to tariffs of several hundred or even several thousand percent. The resulting economic distortions are comparable to what they would be if we imposed tariffs of this magnitude.

The justification for granting these monopoly protections is that the increased innovation and creative work that is produced as a result of these incentives exceeds the economic costs from patent and copyright monopolies. However, there is remarkably little evidence to support this assumption. While the cost of patent and copyright protection in higher prices is apparent, even if not well-measured, there is little evidence of a substantial payoff in the form of a more rapid pace of innovation or more and better creative work....

Tom aka Rusty said in reply to anne... , -1
I'm trying to imagine why anyone would write a 900 page textbook, plus add-ons (test bank, solutions manual) and then give it away.

I have refused to co-author several times because the work is agonizing, the revisions never ending, and only a few texts make anyone rich.

[Mar 07, 2017] Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costs

Notable quotes:
"... Three in ten (29 percent) Americans report problems paying medical bills, and these problems come with real consequences for some. For example, among those reporting problems paying medical bills, seven in ten (73 percent) report cutting back spending on food, clothing, or basic household items. ..."
"... Challenges affording care also result in some Americans saying they have delayed or skipped care due to costs in the past year, including 27 percent who say they have put off or postponed getting health care they needed, 23 percent who say they have skipped a recommended medical test or treatment, and 21 percent who say they have not filled a prescription for a medicine. ..."
Mar 07, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne : March 06, 2017 at 11:40 AM , 2017 at 11:40 AM
http://kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/data-note-americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/

March 2, 2017

Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costs
By Bianca DiJulio, Ashley Kirzinger, Bryan Wu, and Mollyann Brodie

As lawmakers debate the future of the country's health care system and outline plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, much of the current debate surrounds how to change or eliminate the health insurance marketplaces developed under the ACA where individuals eligible for financial assistance could compare plans and purchase insurance. While this is an important source of coverage for some, the vast majority of Americans with insurance have coverage from other sources, such as an employer, Medicaid or Medicare, and the public's top priority for lawmakers is reducing what Americans pay for health care. Two recent Kaiser Health Tracking Polls take stock of the public's current experience with and worries about health care costs, including their ability to afford premiums and deductibles. For the most part, the majority of the public does not have difficulty paying for care, but significant minorities do, and even more worry about their ability to afford care in the future. Some of the key findings include:

Four in ten (43 percent) adults with health insurance say they have difficulty affording their deductible, and roughly a third say they have trouble affording their premiums and other cost sharing; all shares have increased since 2015.

Three in ten (29 percent) Americans report problems paying medical bills, and these problems come with real consequences for some. For example, among those reporting problems paying medical bills, seven in ten (73 percent) report cutting back spending on food, clothing, or basic household items.

Challenges affording care also result in some Americans saying they have delayed or skipped care due to costs in the past year, including 27 percent who say they have put off or postponed getting health care they needed, 23 percent who say they have skipped a recommended medical test or treatment, and 21 percent who say they have not filled a prescription for a medicine.

Even for those who may not have had difficulty affording care or paying medical bills, there is still a widespread worry about being able to afford needed health care services, with half of the public expressing worry about this.

Health care-related worries and problems paying for care are particularly prevalent among the uninsured, individuals with lower incomes, and those in poorer health; but women and members of racial minority groups are also more likely than their peers to report these issues....

Peter K. -> anne... , March 06, 2017 at 11:48 AM
"For example, among those reporting problems paying medical bills, seven in ten (73 percent) report cutting back spending on food, clothing, or basic household items."

That's what the neoliberals like our dear trolls kthomas and PGL want.

They're in the pocket of the lobbyists.

[Mar 07, 2017] Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care

Mar 07, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne -> anne... March 06, 2017 at 05:11 PM , 2017 at 05:11 PM
https://web.stanford.edu/~jay/health_class/Readings/Lecture01/arrow.pdf

December, 1963

Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care
By KENNETH J. ARROW

I. Introduction: Scope and Method

This paper is an exploratory and tentative study of the specific differentia of medical care as the object of normative economics. It is contended here, on the basis of comparison of obvious characteristics of the medical-care industry with the norms of welfare economics, that the special economic problems of medical care can be explained as adaptations to the existence of uncertainty in the incidence of disease and in the efficacy of treatment.

It should be noted that the subject is the medical-care industry, not health. The causal factors in health are many, and the provision of medical care is only one. Particularly at low levels of income, other commodities such as nutrition, shelter, clothing, and sanitation may be much more significant. It is the complex of services that center about the physician, private and group practice, hospitals, and public health, which I propose to discuss.

The focus of discussion will be on the way the operation of the medical-care industry and the efficacy with which it satisfies the needs of society differ from a norm, if at all. The "norm" that the economist usually uses for the purposes of such comparisons is the operation of a competitive model, that is, the flows of services that would be offered and purchased and the prices that would be paid for them if each individual in the market offered or purchased services at the going prices as if his decisions had no influence over them, and the going prices were such that the amounts of services which were available equalled the total amounts which other individuals were willing to purchase, with no imposed restrictions on supply or demand.

The interest in the competitive model stems partly from its presumed descriptive power and partly from its implications for economic efficiency. In particular, we can state the following well-known proposition (First Optimality Theorem)....

a

[Mar 07, 2017] Notes on US healthdoesntcare

Mar 07, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
libezkova : March 06, 2017 at 08:41 PM

The problems with US Healthdoesn'tcare started around 1980.

What we observe now (completely broken and corrupt to the core system) is the result of long term term slow deterioration.

Now the US Healthdoesn'tcare in many cases represent the completely opposite practice to healthcare -- health racket.

And they even created their specialized firms that help to extract maximum dollars for private providers.

An interesting example of how pervert the USA healthcare system became in the USA under neoliberalism is proliferation of private ambulance services which are technically are always "out of network" and after providing services (often non-essential and equal to the ride to ER, but mostly unavoidable as soon as 911 service or traffic police is involved, especially for those who are in this situation for the first time ) they bill an outrageous amount to lemmings who do not know how to fight the system.

Average private ambulance bill is probably around $5K in the USA. And that if this was just a ride to ER.

If you have insurance it will pay around the same as Medicare and your bill will be around ~$3.5K

This so called differential billing in now outlawed in a couple of states (CA, partially NY), but still is legal in most other states.

This industry also creates specialized collector agencies that deal almost exclusively with collecting ambulance bills like Revenue Guard - Ambulance Billing & Financial Management ( https://www.revenue-guard.com/). And look who is at the helm of this wonder of neoliberal health industry (pretty profitable -- currently bills over 120 million in revenue annually taking in probably lion share of that) -- James J. Loures, President & CEO

James began his career as a broker on Wall Street. In 1984 he left the financial world and founded MultiCare, which grew to be a largest private EMS operation in the Northeast operating 140 ambulances in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia region.

Is not neoliberalism wonderful social system ?

So when somebody is taking about destruction of the US health care system by Trump one needs to understand that there is not much left to destruct. Most of the heavy lifting was done by previous administrations.

Including Obama with his coward method of betrayal of his voters and serving medical industrial complex.

Trump is bad, but to claim that because of that Obama was good is silly. He was just a perfect example of neoliberal "bait and switch" politician.

B.T. : , March 06, 2017 at 07:51 PM
So it's like the ACA?

Or it's terrible?

Make up your minds neoliberals. Since you didn't want single payer.

libezkova -> B.T.... , March 06, 2017 at 09:12 PM
It's estimated that at least 3 percent of all health care spending – roughly $68 billion – is lost to fraud and billing errors annually. ( http://khn.org/morning-breakout/health-care-billing-errors/ )

"thousands of providers turned to more expensive Medicare billing codes, while spurning use of cheaper ones."

Private medical industry and insurance are symbiotic in their desire to milk patients out of their money in the most efficient way possible.

And while those "death panel" decisions are very difficult indeed, fraud is rampant and they are very successful in over-billing patients.

This symbiosis is very similar in nature to what we observe with body shops and car insurance.

[Mar 06, 2017] Something about the meaning of life under neoliberalism

Notable quotes:
"... Probably the most telling example on neoliberal transformation is transformation of healthcare. ..."
"... Mulligan's research shows how "market values come to displace competing notions of what is "good" or "right" in health care" (Mulligan 2010:308–309). She argues that quality in health care is not only a technical matter for evaluating the performance of systems, but, more importantly, it is a particular epistemology, a specific way of knowing. ..."
"... Managing for-profit health care systems successfully requires innovative mechanisms of population control (Abadía-Barrero et al. 2011), including people's acceptance of market principles. ..."
"... In this historical context, what is crucial is the understanding of the relationship between techniques of governance and the production of social inequality (i.e., an ideological domination reflected in people's support for political practices that are antithetical to their interests). ..."
"... James began his career as a broker on Wall Street. In 1984 he left the financial world and founded MultiCare, which grew to be a largest private EMS operation in the Northeast operating 140 ambulances in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia region. ..."
Mar 03, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
libezkova : March 03, 2017 at 03:51 PM
Something about the "meaning of life" under neoliberalism

Probably the most telling example on neoliberal transformation is transformation of healthcare.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maq.12161/full

== quote ==

Several anthropologists have written about how "market ideology and corporate structures are shaping medicine and health care delivery" (Horton et al. 2014; Lamphere 2005; Rylko-Bauer and Farmer 2002:476).

Mulligan's research shows how "market values come to displace competing notions of what is "good" or "right" in health care" (Mulligan 2010:308–309). She argues that quality in health care is not only a technical matter for evaluating the performance of systems, but, more importantly, it is a particular epistemology, a specific way of knowing.

The information that is produced in technical public health policy terms, and, I would add, in technical legal terms, is "a knowledge-making practice that creates information about the health care system and for managing the system in new ways" (Mulligan 2010:309).

Managing for-profit health care systems successfully requires innovative mechanisms of population control (Abadía-Barrero et al. 2011), including people's acceptance of market principles.

In this historical context, what is crucial is the understanding of the relationship between techniques of governance and the production of social inequality (i.e., an ideological domination reflected in people's support for political practices that are antithetical to their interests).

According to Fassin (2009), Foucault's undeveloped concept of a Politics of Life can illuminate how in regulating populations and normalizing societies, moral ideas about the meaning of life and about how life is valued are enforced.

An understanding of moral definitions of human life must take into account how history becomes embodied, which then illuminates the political tensions that support differential values by which life is organized, represented, and responded to, for example through public policy (Fassin 2007).

== end of quote ==

See also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsoZeg6CDRY

An interesting example of how pervert the healthcare system became in the USA under neoliberalism is proliferation of private ambulance services which are technically always "out of network" and after providing services (often non-essential) bill outrageous amount to lemmings who do not know how to fight the system. Average private ambulance bill is probably around $5K in the USA. If you have insurance your bill will be around ~$3.5K

This so called differential billing in now outlawed in a couple of states, but still is legal in most states.

This industry also creates specialized collector agencies that deal almost exclusively with collecting ambulance bills like Revenue Guard - Ambulance Billing & Financial Management ( https://www.revenue-guard.com/)

== quote ==

Revenue Guard Executive Team

James J. Loures, President & CEO
James began his career as a broker on Wall Street. In 1984 he left the financial world and founded MultiCare, which grew to be a largest private EMS operation in the Northeast operating 140 ambulances in the New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia region. After merging MultiCare with the publicly traded Rural-Metro in 2001, James then founded Revenue-Guard in 2004. The company has grown to be a premier provider of EMS revenue cycle and management services in the hospital marketplace, and currently bills over 120 million in revenue annually for their clients. James studied economics at Rutgers University .

Steven J. Loures, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer
Steven Loures has 30 years of experience in the Emergency Medical Services / Mobile Health Services field and is considered an expert in revenue cycle, compliance and improving ambulance service operating margins. His real-world revenue cycle knowledge combined with 20 years of managing ambulance operations uniquely differentiates himself with a comprehensive industry perspective. His leadership has provided client confidence to initiate targeted change knowing his proven track record. He is the point of contact for all new and existing clients.

Prior to his current role Steven was the New Jersey Division General Manager of Rural Metro Ambulance. Rural Metro is a large nationwide provider of Emergency Medical Services. He was responsible for oversight of 350 employees, 6 operating locations in three states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York City. Additionally, Steven's responsibilities included all budgets, revenue cycle management, billing compliance, and Sarbanes Oxley financial controls.

Prior to Rural Metro Steven was a Commercial Lear Jet Pilot. The operation provided nationwide long distance critical care air ambulance services. Steven graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach Florida with his Federal Aviation Administration Commercial, Multi-Engine, and Instrument ratings. Early in his career path Steven was a certified NJ paramedic at age 21 and one of the youngest certified paramedics in New Jersey.

Stephanie Dall, Vice President of Finance
Stephanie joined Revenue-Guard in 2005 and is responsible for Finance, Administration, Compliance and client reporting. She has 20 years experience in finance and administration with Rural-Metro Inc. the leading EMS provider in the nation. Stephanie develops budgets and establish performance metrics for Revenue-Guard. Stephanie has a bachelors degree in accounting from Rutgers University.

Jennifer Aldana, Vice President of Revenue Cycle
Jennifer joined Revenue-Guard in 2007 to manage and run the billing services division. She manages a staff of 60 billing specialist processing over $120M in ambulance claims annually. Jennifer is a former revenue cycle manager at Rural-Metro The country's largest EMS service based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She handles all system customizations, ePCR integration and client support services. Jen studied at Pace University in New York City.

[Mar 03, 2017] U.S. Medical Coding System

Notable quotes:
"... Successful medical coders learn and follow coding guidelines and use them to their benefit. Often if a claim is denied incorrectly, medical coders and billers use coding guidelines as a way to appeal the denial and get the claim paid. ..."
"... Each diagnosis code has to be coded to the highest level of specificity , so the insurance company knows exactly what the patient's diagnosis was. ..."
"... I've helpfully underlined places where an "unusual opportunity for profit" might be spotted and amplified; after all, it's not the coder's job to set policy in borderline cases; that's for management. ..."
"... A pair of transposed digits in a medical identification number was the difference between insurance coverage for Mike Dziedzic and the seemingly never-ending hounding for payment by the hospitals that cared for his dying wife. The astute eye of a medical billing advocate who Dziedzic hired for help caught the innocuous mistake - the sole reason his insurance company had refused to pay more than $100,000 in claims that had piled up and why collectors were now at his doorstep. ..."
"... Had it remained unnoticed - as often happens to patients faced with daunting medical debt - Dziedzic said, he most surely would have lost his Rifle home, his way of life and had little choice but to live in bankruptcy. ..."
"... thousands of providers turned to more expensive Medicare billing codes, while spurning use of cheaper ones. They did so despite little evidence that Medicare patients as a whole are older or sicker than in past years, or that the amount of time doctors spent treating them on average was rising. ..."
"... More than 7,500 physicians billed the two top paying codes for three out of four office visits in 2008, a sharp rise from the numbers of doctors who did so at the start of the decade. Officials said such changes in billing can signal overcharges occurring on a broad scale. Medical groups deny that. ..."
"... The most lucrative codes are billed two to three times more often in some cities than in others, costly variations government officials said they could not explain or justify. In some instances, higher billing rates appear to be associated with the burgeoning use of electronic medical records and billing software. ..."
"... eight of 10 bills its members have audited from hospitals and health care providers contain errors. ..."
"... It's estimated that at least 3 percent of all health care spending – roughly $68 billion – is lost to fraud and billing errors annually. ..."
"... Accounts of medical billing errors vary widely. While the American Medical Association estimated that 7.1 percent of paid claims in 2013 contained an error, a 2014 NerdWallet study found mistakes in 49 percent of Medicare claims. Groups that review bills on patients' behalf, including Medical Billing Advocates of America and CoPatient, put the error rate closer to 75 or 80 percent. ..."
"... Most services don't get paid based on ICD, they get paid based on HCPCs/CPTs (healthcare procedure codes) which is what is shown in the nerdwallet image. Also revenue codes will be used for facility services (such as the room charge in image). ..."
"... ICD-Diaganosis codes just tell you what conditions the provider diagnosed you with. ICD-Procedure codes are sometimes used for payments but usually only on inpatient claims. ..."
Mar 03, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
From my review of Akerlof and Shiller's Phishing for Phools , November 25, 2015 :

As businesspeople choose what line of business to undertake - as well as where they expand, or contract, their existing business - they (like customers approaching checkout) pick off the best opportunities. This too creates an equilibrium. Any opportunities for unusual profits are quickly taken off the table, leading to a situation where such opportunities are hard to find. This principle, with the concept of equilibrium it entails, lies at the heart of economics.

The principle also applies to phishing for phools. That means that if we have some weakness or other - some way in which we can be phished for fools for more than the usual profit - in the phishing equilibrium someone will take advantage of it . Among all those business persons figuratively arriving at the checkout counter, looking around, and deciding where to spend their investment dollars, some will look to see if there are unusual profits from phishing us for phools. And if they see such an opportunity for profit, that will (again figuratively) be the "checkout lane" they choose.

And economies will have a "phishing equilibrium," in which every chance for profit more than the ordinary will be taken up.

We might summarize Akerlof and Shiller as "If a system enables fraud, fraud will happen," or, in stronger form, "If a system enables fraud, fraud will already have happened."[1] And as we shall see, plenty of "opportunities for unusual profits" exist in medical coding.

... ... ...

Here is the medical coding process, from the coders perspective, as described by MB-Guide, a site for aspiring medical coders :

Successful medical coders learn and follow coding guidelines and use them to their benefit. Often if a claim is denied incorrectly, medical coders and billers use coding guidelines as a way to appeal the denial and get the claim paid.

Hmm. "Their" benefit. Here are the guidelines:

I've helpfully underlined places where an "unusual opportunity for profit" might be spotted and amplified; after all, it's not the coder's job to set policy in borderline cases; that's for management. The Denver Post gives a horrific example:

Miscoding Fictions, frauds found to abound in medical bills

A pair of transposed digits in a medical identification number was the difference between insurance coverage for Mike Dziedzic and the seemingly never-ending hounding for payment by the hospitals that cared for his dying wife. The astute eye of a medical billing advocate who Dziedzic hired for help caught the innocuous mistake - the sole reason his insurance company had refused to pay more than $100,000 in claims that had piled up and why collectors were now at his doorstep.

Had it remained unnoticed - as often happens to patients faced with daunting medical debt - Dziedzic said, he most surely would have lost his Rifle home, his way of life and had little choice but to live in bankruptcy.

Finally, there's "upcoding," and if you are reminded of "upselling" you are exactly right. The Center for Public Integrity :

But the Center's analysis of Medicare claims from 2001 through 2010 shows that over time, thousands of providers turned to more expensive Medicare billing codes, while spurning use of cheaper ones. They did so despite little evidence that Medicare patients as a whole are older or sicker than in past years, or that the amount of time doctors spent treating them on average was rising.

More than 7,500 physicians billed the two top paying codes for three out of four office visits in 2008, a sharp rise from the numbers of doctors who did so at the start of the decade. Officials said such changes in billing can signal overcharges occurring on a broad scale. Medical groups deny that.

The most lucrative codes are billed two to three times more often in some cities than in others, costly variations government officials said they could not explain or justify. In some instances, higher billing rates appear to be associated with the burgeoning use of electronic medical records and billing software.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I can't quantify the impedance mismatches, the miscoding, and the upcoding. Regardless, medical coding is the key dataflow in the healthcare system :

"Roughly $250 billion is moving through those codes," [says Steve Parente, professor of finance at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota]. On top of that, about 80% of medical bills contain errors, according to Christie Hudson, vice president of Medical Billing Advocates of America, making already-expensive bills higher. Today's complex medical-billing system, guided by hundreds of pages of procedure codes, allows fraud, abuse and human error to go undetected, Hudson says. "Until the fraud is detected in these bills the cost of health care is just going to increase. It's not accidental. We've been fighting these overcharges they continue to happen and we continue to get them removed from bills." These errors, which are hard to detect because medical bills are written in a mysterious code, can result in overcharges that run from a few dollars to tens of thousands.

That "mysterious code" is (now) ICD-10, and it's the mystery plus the profit motive that creates the phishing equilibrium. Kaiser Health News quotes the Denver Post :

Experts say there are tens of thousands more like Dziedzic across the country with strangling medical debts.

Medical Billing Advocates of America, a trade group in Salem, Va., says that eight of 10 bills its members have audited from hospitals and health care providers contain errors.

It's estimated that at least 3 percent of all health care spending – roughly $68 billion – is lost to fraud and billing errors annually. Some say new reform laws will only make things worse." Others say that errors occur largely because of "the complexity of deciphering bills and claims weighted down by complex codes."

Even if the "trade group" is talking it's book, it's still quite a book . NBC :

Accounts of medical billing errors vary widely. While the American Medical Association estimated that 7.1 percent of paid claims in 2013 contained an error, a 2014 NerdWallet study found mistakes in 49 percent of Medicare claims. Groups that review bills on patients' behalf, including Medical Billing Advocates of America and CoPatient, put the error rate closer to 75 or 80 percent.

Gee, I wonder if the errors are randomly distributed?

Neoliberal "Consumer"-Driven Solutions

My guts have started to gripe, so I won't go into detail about how you too, the citizen , can learn medical billing codes if you want to dispute your bill. See this cheery post from NerdWallet on "How to Read Your Medical Bill :

Once you have the itemized medical bill for your care, you're ready to analyze it for mistakes and overcharges.

Your medical bill is going to be chock-full of codes and words you may not understand, so the first step is gathering resources that will translate them into plain English.

Ivy , March 2, 2017 at 2:29 pm

One useful adjunct to the coding discussion concerns other billing details such as meds. There is wide variability in prices charged, and when you see $160 for a single pill (e.g., Hexabrix) or $26 for a single Tylenol, then something is not right. Of course, that does not include any allocation for nurses, pharmacy or other potential costs, since those are rolled into other line items to decipher. When hospital billing reps are asked about the reasonability and basis of their charges, they spout the canned line about being in line with their local competitors.

Why not have some program with mutual insurance companies, removing in theory some of the profit that is driving the typical health care insurers?

TheBellTolling , March 2, 2017 at 2:31 pm

Most services don't get paid based on ICD, they get paid based on HCPCs/CPTs (healthcare procedure codes) which is what is shown in the nerdwallet image. Also revenue codes will be used for facility services (such as the room charge in image).

ICD-Diaganosis codes just tell you what conditions the provider diagnosed you with. ICD-Procedure codes are sometimes used for payments but usually only on inpatient claims.

_________________________________

Additionaly, coding also affects "risk adjustment" in Medicare Advantage and ACA payments and this form of payment does use ICD codes. They use the codes on the claims to determine how "sick"(has conditions that will cost more) each member is and give insurers more or less money based on the average risk scores of their members. Since it relies on coding this system is also subject to gaming.

In Medicare Advantage this is done relative to non-Medicare Advantage population, so if the MA plans are upcoding they get more money from Federal government. In 2010 CMS was given the ability to use some adjustment factors to MA payments to address the issue but I don't really know how effective it is.

In ACA this is done relative to all the other insurers in the individual/small group market(so all the money is changing hands between the insurers). More established plans generally do better since they have more data on members from before ACA to make sure they get coded in addition to resources they probably built from Medicare Advantage. This ends up disadvantaging smaller and newer plans like co-ops.
_____________

[Mar 03, 2017] How to Read Your Medical Bill

Notable quotes:
"... That is not the bill you want. To know what you're actually being charged for, you'll want to call the clinic or hospital and ask for the complete, itemized bill for all services you received, with codes. It is your right to know what you're being charged for, but you will probably have to call and request the detailed charges. The body of that bill should look more like this: ..."
NerdWallet
Clerical errors are more likely than you might think, says Gross, who has seen small mistakes in names and addresses result in huge billing complications. Before you move on, make sure your name, address, insurance information and dates of care are correct on the top of the bill.

header

When you receive inpatient or outpatient care, the first statement you'll receive is most likely a summary bill. Often, but not always, health care providers will send only a summary of charges with a final charge at the end. The body of the bill has a few generic categories and no codes, looking something like this:

summarybill

That is not the bill you want. To know what you're actually being charged for, you'll want to call the clinic or hospital and ask for the complete, itemized bill for all services you received, with codes. It is your right to know what you're being charged for, but you will probably have to call and request the detailed charges. The body of that bill should look more like this:

detailed

Once you have the itemized medical bill for your care, you're ready to analyze it for mistakes and overcharges.

Next, know what the codes are for

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of reading your medical bill, it's worth noting that there's more than one type of code that may be listed on your bill.

svccode

HCPCS Level I, or CPT Codes, are universal, used by all providers in the U.S. and consist of five digits that identify procedures or tests. Often, they are listed as service codes.

svccode2

HCPCS Level II Codes identify supplies or products used during your visit. These codes often start with a letter, rather than a number, but are also referred to as service codes.

[Feb 27, 2017] Why Markets Can't Cure Healthcare

Feb 27, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne -> anne... February 26, 2017 at 02:07 PM , 2017 at 02:07 PM
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/

July 25, 2009

Why Markets Can't Cure Healthcare
By Paul Krugman

Judging both from comments on this blog and from some of my mail, a significant number of Americans believe that the answer to our health care problems - indeed, the only answer - is to rely on the free market. Quite a few seem to believe that this view reflects the lessons of economic theory.

Not so. One of the most influential economic papers of the postwar era was Kenneth Arrow's "Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Health Care," * which demonstrated - decisively, I and many others believe - that health care can't be marketed like bread or TVs. Let me offer my own version of Arrow's argument.

There are two strongly distinctive aspects of health care. One is that you don't know when or whether you'll need care - but if you do, the care can be extremely expensive. The big bucks are in triple coronary bypass surgery, not routine visits to the doctor's office; and very, very few people can afford to pay major medical costs out of pocket.

This tells you right away that health care can't be sold like bread. It must be largely paid for by some kind of insurance. And this in turn means that someone other than the patient ends up making decisions about what to buy. Consumer choice is nonsense when it comes to health care. And you can't just trust insurance companies either - they're not in business for their health, or yours.

This problem is made worse by the fact that actually paying for your health care is a loss from an insurers' point of view - they actually refer to it as "medical costs." This means both that insurers try to deny as many claims as possible, and that they try to avoid covering people who are actually likely to need care. Both of these strategies use a lot of resources, which is why private insurance has much higher administrative costs than single-payer systems. And since there's a widespread sense that our fellow citizens should get the care we need - not everyone agrees, but most do - this means that private insurance basically spends a lot of money on socially destructive activities.

The second thing about health care is that it's complicated, and you can't rely on experience or comparison shopping. ("I hear they've got a real deal on stents over at St. Mary's!") That's why doctors are supposed to follow an ethical code, why we expect more from them than from bakers or grocery store owners.

You could rely on a health maintenance organization to make the hard choices and do the cost management, and to some extent we do. But HMOs have been highly limited in their ability to achieve cost-effectiveness because people don't trust them - they're profit-making institutions, and your treatment is their cost.

Between those two factors, health care just doesn't work as a standard market story.

All of this doesn't necessarily mean that socialized medicine, or even single-payer, is the only way to go. There are a number of successful healthcare systems, at least as measured by pretty good care much cheaper than here, and they are quite different from each other. There are, however, no examples of successful health care based on the principles of the free market, for one simple reason: in health care, the free market just doesn't work. And people who say that the market is the answer are flying in the face of both theory and overwhelming evidence.

* https://web.stanford.edu/~jay/health_class/Readings/Lecture01/arrow.pdf

anne -> anne... , February 26, 2017 at 02:44 PM
Correcting again and continuing:

Though Krugman always praises the work of Arrow on healthcare markets, Krugman never seems much been influenced by the work.

Though praising Arrow on healthcare markets, Krugman seemingly has spent no time on or possibly has dismissed research affirming Arrow and has not supported the sorts of healthcare insurance systems that would follow from accepting the work of Arrow:

https://promarket.org/there-is-regulatory-capture-but-it-is-by-no-means-complete/
/
March 15, 2016

"There Is Regulatory Capture, But It Is By No Means Complete"
By Asher Schechter

Kenneth J. Arrow, one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, reflects on the benefits of a single payer health care system, the role of government and regulatory capture.

Mr. Bill : , February 26, 2017 at 03:32 PM
So Anne, what your saying is that "health care" is a monopolistic industry that makes more money by restricting care and charging more ? Allowing people that can't afford to live, too die?

Well. yes, I agree with your presumed hypothesis, and I admire your boldness for stepping out in front of this moving freight train, risking your beloved tenure.

To me ? Thanks for asking.

I think that the 3 % administrative costs of the existing single payer system are more pareto optimal than the 25 % that the monopolists' extract. What do I know. This is America. Dumb is not an option.

anne : , February 26, 2017 at 06:33 PM
Turning again to Kenneth Arrow and healthcare markets, assuming that Arrow was correct for all these years, and subsequent research repeatedly has confirmed Arrow, then a typical American market-based healthcare insurance system is going to prove unworkable. Why then has the work of Arrow which is at least superficially so broadly praised by economists not been more influential in forming policy?
libezkova -> anne... , February 26, 2017 at 07:12 PM
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

― Upton Sinclair, I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked

[Jan 23, 2017] Consumer Guide to Health Care - Coping with Medical Bills and Debt Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Notable quotes:
"... Record the names and phone numbers of the people you are dealing with. ..."
"... Document the date, time, and results of your phone calls. ..."
"... Pay something - even a small amount - on each bill each month as a gesture of good faith. ..."
"... Be aware, though, that some services charge high fees and do nothing to really help reduce your debt. ..."
"... Don't ignore bills. Though tempting, this is not a good strategy. Hospitals and providers are more likely to negotiate with you if you contact them immediately. ..."
"... Don't transfer debt to a credit card. Most experts warn that this is a poor choice for paying off medical debt ..."
Jan 23, 2017 | dhs.wisconsin.gov
Unless you have successfully challenged your bill, you are responsible for paying all of your medical bills. If you cannot pay, here are some things to consider.
  1. Try to negotiate a payment plan. Your hospital or provider may be willing to accept smaller monthly payments. Keep in mind that your payments generally need to be reasonable and you must keep up with your payments. In its advice to parents of chronically ill children (link is external) , the American Academy of Family Physicians recommends the following:
    • Notify the appropriate offices quickly.
    • Keep in touch with your creditors.
    • Record the names and phone numbers of the people you are dealing with.
    • Document the date, time, and results of your phone calls.
    • Pay something - even a small amount - on each bill each month as a gesture of good faith.
  2. Get information on charity care in Wisconsin hospitals.
  3. Apply for Wisconsin Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus . If you are eligible, Medicaid may pay for some of your existing medical bills. Wisconsin Medicaid coverage can begin as early as the first day of the month, three months before the month you apply, if you would have been eligible in those months, so apply as soon as possible.
  4. Go for credit counseling. Be aware, though, that some services charge high fees and do nothing to really help reduce your debt. Make sure you are working with a credit counseling service (also known as an adjustment service agency) that is licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.
  5. Be creative about finding help from outside sources. Charitable foundations, civic organizations and churches and community groups might be able to help. The Patient Pal (link is external) (PDF, 197 KB) from the Patient Advocate Foundation (link is external) includes some fundraising ideas for those with high medical bills.
  6. Don't ignore bills. Though tempting, this is not a good strategy. Hospitals and providers are more likely to negotiate with you if you contact them immediately.
  7. Don't transfer debt to a credit card. Most experts warn that this is a poor choice for paying off medical debt for two reasons:
    • The interest rates on your credit card will add significantly to your total payment.
    • Transferring medical debt to a credit card may affect your eligibility for Medicaid. Some medical costs can be deducted from gross income to determine your Medicaid eligibility. Medical debt on a credit card may no longer qualify as medical debt.
Dealing with collection agencies

If your hospital or other health care provider has turned your bill over to a collection agency, you are protected against harassment by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

If you have questions about your rights or the conduct of a collection agency, contact the Department of Financial Institutions at (608) 264-7969, or 1-800-452-3328 (in Wisconsin only).

Bankruptcy The decision to file for bankruptcy should be last resort. More (PDF, 129 KB) information on how bankruptcy works and the different types (link is external) is available from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Legal help

If you find that you need legal help to deal with your medical debt, the Wisconsin State Bar Association's website provides general information on finding a lawyer (link is external) and information on finding a lawyer if you have a low income (link is external) .

The Legal Services Corporation (link is external) , a private, non-profit corporation established by Congress, provides a list of Wisconsin local legal aid programs (link is external) from its website.

[Jan 23, 2017] Medical Debt Collections –Unexpected Health Problems Costs

Jan 23, 2017 | www.debt.org

Medical debt collectors must abide by specific regulations, as set forth by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act . Collectors cannot harass or lie to debtors, or perform any other practices deemed unfair.

[Jan 23, 2017] Medical Debt Collection

You can get a free Kindle version of "Debt Collection Answers" ebook on Amazon here .
Notable quotes:
"... We have heard from consumers who first hear about a medical bill from a collection agency. There is no federal law that protects you from this type of situation. ..."
Jan 23, 2017 | www.debtcollectionanswers.com
Having even a small medical debt reported as past due or in collections can seriously damage your credit history, you may be tempted to pay just to protect your credit.

Some medical providers may even try to pressure you into paying your debt owe by refusing to provide you (or one of your family members) with additional medical care until you do. Some of them may even refuse you future care while you are paying off your debt through an installment plan! Others may have a policy that as long as you owe them money, you must pay up-front for all future medical services they provide to you.

Warning: Aggressive medical providers can be a special problem for seniors living on fixed incomes when their spouses have been hospitalized or have accumulated a large outstanding bill with one or more of their doctors.


When Can I Be Sent to Collections On a Medical Bill?

If at all possible, you want to keep a medical bill out of collections. Once it is turned over to a collection agency, it will likely appear on your credit reports as a collection account and damage your credit rating.

Your medical debt may be turned over to collections:

How can you protect yourself from medical debt collection? Don't ignore medical bills. Talk to the medical provider. Get everything in writing, or follow up in writing yourself

... ... ...

If You Have Insurance and Your Insurer Refuses to Pay All or a Portion of Your Medical Bills

It's not unusual for health insurers to deny coverage for medical care. If that happens to you and you believe that the care should be covered, or if your insurer pays some but not all of your medical bill and you believe it should cover the entire bill, here's what we recommend:

[Jan 23, 2017] In debt and afraid: dealing with debt collectors

Notable quotes:
"... The CFPB says debt collection is a multi-billion dollar industry affecting 70 million consumers. People are most often contacted about medical and credit card debt. And more consumers complain to the CFPB about debt collection than any other financial product or service. ..."
"... Debt collectors can contact you by phone, letter, email or text message, as long as they follow the rules and disclose that they are debt collectors. It's against the law for a debt collector to pretend to be someone else to harass, threaten or deceive you. ..."
"... Collectors cannot lie to collect a debt, by falsely representing themselves or the amount you owe. And other than trying to obtain information about you, such as a telephone number or whereabouts, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney. ..."
"... Also when you pay them off keep the document marked paid in full or zero balance or whatever else the send you on file including your financial proof (canceled check, money order, credit card receipt) keep it until you die! ..."
"... Debt industry buys billions of dollars of dead debt. 90% does end up as default judgement because scared debtors do not have the money to hire a attorney or do not know what to do. The other 10% of debtors who hire attorneys are off the hook. ..."
"... Consumer debts are self inflicted foolishness, medical debts aren't, but just goes to show the Empire is ran by business interests who refuse to allow any type of universal medical and have installed a system that allows them profits for illness and death ..."
Jan 23, 2017 | finance.yahoo.com
Sarah Skidmore Sell, AP Personal Finance Writer

It's a scary place to be - in debt and afraid.

A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found that more than one in four consumers felt threatened when contacted by debt collectors. The first-ever national survey of consumer experiences with debt collectors found consumers often faced calls that came too often, at odd hours and contained warnings of jail time and other threats. Some were contacted for debts they didn't owe. And many said when they asked the collector to stop contacting them, the request was ignored.

CFPB Director Rich Cordray said the report casts a "troubling light" on the industry, and that the bureau is working to stop abuses. But what are your rights when facing off with a debt collector?

A few things to know:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

The CFPB says debt collection is a multi-billion dollar industry affecting 70 million consumers. People are most often contacted about medical and credit card debt. And more consumers complain to the CFPB about debt collection than any other financial product or service.

The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, also said debt collectors generate more complaints to its offices than any other industry. While many debt collectors are careful to comply with consumer protection laws, some engage in illegal practices.

YOU ARE PROTECTED

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides protection for those being pursued for personal debts, such as money owed on a credit card account, an auto loan or a mortgage. It doesn't cover debts incurred to run a business.

YOU HAVE RIGHTS

Debt collectors can contact you by phone, letter, email or text message, as long as they follow the rules and disclose that they are debt collectors. It's against the law for a debt collector to pretend to be someone else to harass, threaten or deceive you.

They may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as early in the morning or late at night. And they may not contact you at work if they're told not to.

Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you, according to the FTC. That includes threats of violence or using obscene language. Federal law also limits the number of calls a debt collector can place.

Collectors cannot lie to collect a debt, by falsely representing themselves or the amount you owe. And other than trying to obtain information about you, such as a telephone number or whereabouts, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION

Report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General's office, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Many states have their own debt collection laws that vary from federal law, so contact your attorney general's office for help.

Gary G

They are debt collectors the lowest form of bottom feeding #$%$ on the planet.step one, NEVER tell them any personal information whatsoever.step two, get a phone number and case number so you can call them back.step three call them from a phone that can record the conversation (theres an app for that)step three, call them when you are really ready to talk to them Inform them the call is being recorded. let them know clearly what forms of contact are and are not acceptable.step four, get the pertinent information about the debt including the debtor any account numbers and any settlement offers they have. Still NEVER give away any personal information. once you have all the information you need end the call, if at any time during the call you feel you are being harassed or intimidated inform them it is not acceptable (remember you are recording the conversation) and terminate the call. call back later.Now you are in control and can make informed decisions.If at some point you want/need to work out a settlement NEVER finalize anything on the phone, GET IT IN WRITING. NEVER, agree to give them your credit card or banking information under any circumstances!!!once you make an arrangement keep the printed document with the arrangement on file for the rest of your life.

Also when you pay them off keep the document marked paid in full or zero balance or whatever else the send you on file including your financial proof (canceled check, money order, credit card receipt) keep it until you die!

steven

Based on personal experience, the worst debt collectors are of the medical variety. Two years of a fatal ovarian cancer case overwhelmed not only my finances, but jeopardized my mental health as well. The only thing that kept me going was the necessity of showing up for work, and the support of coworkers and (may I say this?) my managers as well.

Mark

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be gutted under the GOP agenda. So the next time some cable company, Wall Street bank, or some other huge corporation screws you over, you'll have no recourse and you'll be on your own.

pfk

I find tgheses stories and the ads on TV (If you owe $1000 to IRS..., If you have more than $5,00 credit card debt, Reduce $50,00 debt to $5000..., etc) to e morally contemptible. If you cannot afford something do not buy it; if you have a job, pay your IRS taxes, etc. I'm tired paying extra for everything I buy or do for these people who spend and expect someone else (me) to pay.

a

hogwash! To scare off a junk debt buyer attorney all you need to do is make one call to your attorney. Many of you collectors "start fake lawsuits" to coerce debtors to pay. With no filing numbers, court stamps, etc... Once the debtor's attorney files a 'notice of appearance' and asks for a real lawsuit/trial, what happens? The creditor never files the lawsuit. Why? Because the junk debt buyer has to PROVE IT. The JDB creditor has no original contract signed to prove the debt exists, no chain of assignment/invoice to show they have standing to sue (own the debt) nor the account statements to verify what is owed. They are hoping at best for default judgements.

Debt industry buys billions of dollars of dead debt. 90% does end up as default judgement because scared debtors do not have the money to hire a attorney or do not know what to do. The other 10% of debtors who hire attorneys are off the hook. You see Junk Debt Buyers buy debt with no contract signed by debtors, have no invoice they even own this particular debt in detail and no account statements to verify correct amount owed.

So debtors, beware, pay the few hundred dollars to your attorney to ask for a lawsuit and notice of appearance and see how fast that debt collector disappears. 99% of junk debt buyers/creditors buy unwarranted debt and CAN NOT PROVE IT IN COURT. There is a disclaimer on the debt stating there is no contract, invoice that it is sold nor account statements offered.

Just sue these junk debt buyers and they go away. If they sell the debt to another JDB again sue again and they drop the debt again. Resold debt has even less chance of winning in court because even less proof is available every time it is sold.

But DO NOT AVOID the fake lawsuit. If you do the creditor gets the default judgement and will garnish wages, lien your house, and will win. Now if the original creditor files the lawsuit you will most likely lose and owe (they have all the proof in their records). So in this case make a settlement offer of lump sum repay or payments you can afford.

Call me scum or whatever but I have used this strategy and it works. After a few decades of paying usurious interest rates I have some cash finally coming back; and no need to file bankruptcy. After 7 years it drops off your credit report and credit score goes way up. Make it anywhere to 4-7 years (depending on your state law timeframe) and the statute of limitations kicks in and money not legally owed any longer. Just do not make any payments on it to renew statute of limitations. No problems! Hell I gambled the money away anyway, how was I suppose to get it back -Ha, Ha. Joke was on the JDB in my case!

Gregory

Very poor article. Take it from some one who was being threatened for some one else's debt. A certified letter to the debt collector explaining you do not owe the debt means that once they receive the letter they can no longer contact you.

Violation of that law carries a 10,000 dollar fine. If the amount is in dispute the same tactic works, except they can contact you with the proof of what you owe. A lot times this involves too much work and they do not pursue it. So if they do not pursue it once the Statute of Limitations is over the debt can no longer be collected.

The limit varies by State Law and amount. Finally be aware that uncollected debts are often sold and the new "owner" of the debt may try to collect on it. Again a certified letter stops them as you have proof of notification that the debt is not owed. I hope this helps the victims out there.

Chub

Buying debt has become a large industry that attracts a lot of crooks. Companies buy debt for as little as a dime on the dollar! The original lender benefits because they are getting a little something out of a debt that they have no hope of collecting. The buyer of the debt benefits because the potential profit is very

Many of the people buying debt aren't your traditional debt collection agency. They are many times just an individual with a cell phone who could bend the rules because they can change their name and location as easy as you can report their activity. Many times you are just dealing with thugs with cellphones. If you owe them, don't be afraid to offer a lesser amount because they had bought the debt so cheap that they may still make a pretty good profit.

Chief_blamestormer

Realize that some debtors never borrowed a dime. It could be the result of a civil judgement. If you think all civil judgements are fair, then have a look at the cases in your local courthouse, or serve a couple rounds of jury duty.

W, 19 hours ago

Industry? There's nothing industrious about. Bill collectors are mostly thugs who can't get real jobs so they have to leverage their values off other people's misery. Consumer debts are self inflicted foolishness, medical debts aren't, but just goes to show the Empire is ran by business interests who refuse to allow any type of universal medical and have installed a system that allows them profits for illness and death , which is similar to a developing country, not a developed superpower.

[Jan 15, 2017] Doctors in the United States get paid on average more than $250,000 a year

Jan 15, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
libezkova -> anne... , January 14, 2017 at 10:45 PM
"Doctors in the United States get paid on average more than $250,000 a year,"

I am sure that this is a right estimate. Certain specialties probably yes (dentists, cardiologist, gastroenterologists, neurosurgeons, etc), but family doctors, probably no.

[Jan 15, 2017] The Congressional defeat, insured by Democrats, of the proposal by Bernie Sanders to allow the import of drugs from Canada to lower drug prices in the United States

Jan 15, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
JohnH -> anne... , January 14, 2017 at 08:00 AM
The Congressional defeat, insured by Democrats, of the proposal by Bernie Sanders to allow the import of drugs from Canada to lower drug prices in the United States.
'
This is only the beginning of Democrats' appeasement of Trump and Republicans...it will be stunning to watch how much damage Republicans can do during Trump's first 90 days with only a slim majority in the Senate. During the first 90 days under Obama, who had a true electoral mandate and big majorities in both houses, Democrats basically sat on their hands, blaming Republicans for their unwillingness to do much for the American people.
Observer -> anne... , January 14, 2017 at 08:50 AM
So if we matched Canada, we'd see a 30% decrease, of a segment which comprises 10% of health care spending, or 3% overall decrease.

"PwC's Health Research Institute projects the 2017 medical cost trend to be the same as the current year – a 6.5% growth rate."

So reaching Canadian spending levels would counter ~ 6 months of health care cost increases. Reaching OECD levels buys you another couple of months.

Put another way, reaching OECD levels for drug spending closes 10% of the US-OECD spending gap.

Not nothing, but "fixing" drug prices seems more like an emotional (i.e. political) talking point than a real silver bullet for health care costs.

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/health-research-institute/behind-the-numbers.html

pgl -> Observer... , January 14, 2017 at 11:17 AM
Ever noticed that marketing costs are 30% of revenue? This is a by product of the monopoly power in this sector. Dean Baker has often noted we could have the government do the R&D and then have real competition in manufacturing.
libezkova -> Observer... , January 14, 2017 at 10:40 PM
Don't be a lobbyist for Big Farma.

You forgot that those researchers often produce useless or even dangerous drags, which are inferior to existing. Looks as scams practiced with hypertension drugs.

This rat race for blockbuster drugs is the same as corruption in financial industry.

http://www.alternet.org/story/148907/15_dangerous_drugs_big_pharma_shoves_down_our_throats

pgl -> anne... , January 14, 2017 at 11:16 AM
Actually the industry profile is very relevant but goes in a different direction - if US firms were compelled to charge market (not monopoly) prices, we would better compete with foreign firms.
pgl -> Observer... , January 14, 2017 at 11:14 AM
Any excuse to charge sky high prices for drugs that don't cost that much to manufacture? If these monopoly profits were not so high, we would buy more drugs and employ more people.
Observer -> pgl... , January 14, 2017 at 12:57 PM
Do you think we would really buy materially more drugs if prices were lower? Particularly enough more, at those (30-50%?) lower prices, to generate the funds to employ more people?

(If that actually generated at much or more funds, it would seem like the pharma companies, seeking to make as much money as possible, would have already set prices at that lower per unit level.)

In any case, that seems like a LOT more drugs.

Perhaps Anne has data on the number of scripts per person in the US vs OECD.

pgl -> Observer... , January 14, 2017 at 01:06 PM
There are lots of poor people who don't take drugs because they can't afford them. This will become especially true if the Republican repeal Obamacare.
anne -> Observer... , January 14, 2017 at 09:05 AM
The point of course is wildly exploiting ordinary people in need of healthcare in every possible way, or a reflection of what we have come to. Returning now to the market...

[Jan 14, 2017] Insurance overhead runs are probably the best argument for single payer

Jan 14, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
pgl -> Fred C. Dobbs... , January 13, 2017 at 06:14 AM
There are 3 ways we could reduce what we pay for health care:

(1) Ending the oligopoly power of the health insurance companies;

(2) Ending the doctor cartel;

(3) Reducing the monopoly power of Big Pharma.

Alas, the Republicans have no intention in doing any of this. So when they tell people they want to lower their costs, they are talking to rich people. The cost to the rest of us will go up if they have their way.

Observer -> pgl... , -1
From what I read, and recall from data Anne has posted a number of times, pharma costs are about 10% of total health care costs, and run about 2X EU average, or Canada, if we adopt that as a reference baseline. If we cut it in half, that would reduce our costs about 5%.

Doctors fees (physicians and clinical services in this reference) are about 20%. I think you have mentioned before we pay about 2X typical EU wages. So if we cut that in half, it reduces our costs about 10%.

Taken together, that's ~ 15% reduction. Not nothing, but in a few years of cost growth we are back to current cost levels.

Do you see that differently?

I don't have offhand figures for what insurance overhead runs. I think reducing that is probably the best argument for single payer, although comparisons to medicare overhead seem suspect (I'd expect much lower overhead percentages when much of your costs you are processing are $40K end of life hospital events vs. routine GP visits.) So one might zero out the profit, and reduce costs by having one IT/billing system. What's the scale of the opportunity here - another 15%?

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm

[Jan 13, 2017] What was at stake why Cory Booker joined Senate Republicans to kill a measure to import cheaper medicine

Jan 13, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
anne -> Observer... , January 13, 2017 at 07:39 AM
https://twitter.com/lhfang/status/819677587408568320

Lee Fang ‏@lhfang

What was at stake & why Cory Booker joined Senate Republicans to kill a measure to import cheaper medicine:

https://theintercept.com/2017/01/12/cory-booker-joins-senate-republicans-to-kill-measure-to-import-cheaper-medicine-from-canada/

BERNIE SANDERS INTRODUCED a very simple symbolic amendment Wednesday night, urging the federal government to allow Americans to purchase pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, where they are considerably cheaper.

2:49 PM - 12 Jan 2017

Peter K. -> anne... , January 13, 2017 at 09:33 AM
Cory Booker, another progressive neoliberal....
pgl -> Observer... , January 13, 2017 at 09:37 AM
Very good. On health insurance, they get 20% gross margins. I have argued many times we can cut this to 10%.

[Jan 13, 2017] Reducing the cost of healthcare

Jan 13, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
pgl -> Fred C. Dobbs... , January 13, 2017 at 06:14 AM
There are 3 ways we could reduce what we pay for health care:

(1) Ending the oligopoly power of the health insurance companies;

(2) Ending the doctor cartel;

(3) Reducing the monopoly power of Big Pharma.

Alas, the Republicans have no intention in doing any of this. So when they tell people they want to lower their costs, they are talking to rich people. The cost to the rest of us will go up if they have their way.

Observer -> pgl... , January 13, 2017 at 07:12 AM
From what I read, and recall from data Anne has posted a number of times, pharma costs are about 10% of total health care costs, and run about 2X EU average, or Canada, if we adopt that as a reference baseline. If we cut it in half, that would reduce our costs about 5%.

Doctors fees (physicians and clinical services in this reference) are about 20%. I think you have mentioned before we pay about 2X typical EU wages. So if we cut that in half, it reduces our costs about 10%.

Taken together, that's ~ 15% reduction. Not nothing, but in a few years of cost growth we are back to current cost levels.

Do you see that differently?

I don't have offhand figures for what insurance overhead runs. I think reducing that is probably the best argument for single payer, although comparisons to medicare overhead seem suspect (I'd expect much lower overhead percentages when much of your costs you are processing are $40K end of life hospital events vs. routine GP visits.) So one might zero out the profit, and reduce costs by having one IT/billing system. What's the scale of the opportunity here - another 15%?

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm

anne -> Observer... , January 13, 2017 at 07:37 AM
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/us/politics/health-care-congress-vote-a-rama.html

January 12, 2017

Senate Takes Major Step Toward Repealing Health Care Law
By THOMAS KAPLAN and ROBERT PEAR

In its lengthy series of votes, the Senate rejected amendments proposed by Democrats that were intended to allow imports of prescription drugs from Canada, protect rural hospitals and ensure continued access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, among other causes....

[Jan 12, 2017] Cory Booker understands that a candidate cannot expect the Democratic nomination if he/she goes against the interests of BigPharma.

Jan 12, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Benedict@Large , January 12, 2017 at 2:53 pm

Cory Booker understands that a candidate cannot expect the Democratic nomination if he/she goes against the interests of BigPharma.

RUKidding , January 12, 2017 at 3:26 pm

After spending day time hours publically going after Jeff Sessions (good), Booker uses the cover of darkness to reveal who he really works for.

Here's a clue: it isn't any of the 99%, whether in NJ or elsewhere.

Talk's cheap, but money walks – eh, Booker?

EndOfTheWorld , January 12, 2017 at 3:40 pm

Somewhere I saw that Bernie praised Trump taking on Big Pharma.

curlydan , January 12, 2017 at 3:33 pm

'specially if you're from Jersey. Kind of like Biden, Delaware, and credit cards. The strings on the puppets are awfully tight.

[Jan 12, 2017] Almost six in 10 Americans don't have enough savings to pay for a $500 car repair or a $1,000 emergency room bill

Jan 12, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Class Warfare

"In a report from Bankrate.com, the firm found that almost six in 10 Americans don't have enough savings to pay for a $500 car repair or a $1,000 emergency room bill" [ 247 Wall Street ]. "While Millennials may be looked down on by older demographics, they are the most equipped generation to pay for an unexpected expense using their savings. It was found that 47% of those within the ages of 18 to 29 responded that they would use their savings to cover such a burden, up from 33% in 2014." I'd argue that's not virtue, but a rational response to the neoliberal destruction of universal benefits and government services generally.

Knifecatcher , January 12, 2017 at 2:12 pm

Re: Bankrate story – is there such thing as a $1k ER bill anymore? We paid nearly $3k for our unexpected trip, which involved 15 minutes with the doc, no tests or scans, and only a single dose of Childrens' Tylenol for consumables. (5 year old tried to poke his eye out with a stick and failed – but only just).

And of course our crapified insurance hadn't hit the deductible so we had to pay the whole bill out of pocket.

Vatch , January 12, 2017 at 2:31 pm

I'm lucky - I only have a $150 deductible, which is what I paid when I needed five stitches in my hand last year. The total bill was "only" about $1250, probably because I never saw an actual doctor. A nurse practitioner sewed me up. The explanation of benefits from the insurance company later showed that they only paid the hospital about one third of the billed price. I'm sorry that you had to pay the whole thing; I guess the insurance companies only enforce their standard payable fees when it's their money on the line.

optimader , January 12, 2017 at 2:58 pm

The kids I grew up with, that would have been crazy-glue/packaging-tape unless a finger articulation was compromised

http://morethanjustsurviving.com/stitches-bandages-or-super-glue/

btw..Animal bites should be left open and bandaged and treated w/ antibiotic so they heal from the inside out..

I remember in my misspent college youth an idiot scuba diver in Honduras (feeding a moray eel cheese wiz out of a can, guess what happened when she ran out?) who came to my friend's dad (a surgeon) insisting he sew her up.
He only bandaged her with butterfly bandages and gave her some kick-ass antibiotics. She was sure she was being undeserved (w/ gratis treatment) because he refused to sew her up, potentially trapping an infection.

ian , January 12, 2017 at 2:43 pm

I had a similar experience: 3 stitches on my sons finger. Treated by nurse (no doc), sutures and lidocaine was $1800. It got me wondering about how anyone could hope to reform health care when the accounting is so completely out of whack with reality.

[Jan 12, 2017] 200PM Water Cooler 1-12-2017 naked capitalism

Jan 12, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Class Warfare

"Hierarchies aren't natural phenomena within the human race. Outside of parenting, human beings aren't born with the inclination to be ruled, controlled, 'managed,' and 'supervised' by other human beings" [ The Hampton Institute ]. Hierarchies are artificial constructs designed to serve a purpose. They are a necessity within any society that boasts high degrees of wealth and power inequities. They are a necessity for maintaining these inequities and ensuring they are not challenged from below."

"In a report from Bankrate.com, the firm found that almost six in 10 Americans don't have enough savings to pay for a $500 car repair or a $1,000 emergency room bill" [ 247 Wall Street ]. "While Millennials may be looked down on by older demographics, they are the most equipped generation to pay for an unexpected expense using their savings. It was found that 47% of those within the ages of 18 to 29 responded that they would use their savings to cover such a burden, up from 33% in 2014." I'd argue that's not virtue, but a rational response to the neoliberal destruction of universal benefits and government services generally.

"[A] good deal of [Wallace] Stevens's poetic output conveyed a feeling of sehnsucht ("inconsolable longing"). For example, in 'Sad Strains of a Gay Waltz,' Stevens writes of American southerners (although the words just as easily apply to their author) as 'voices crying without knowing for what, / Except to be happy, without knowing how.' The object of Stevens's inconsolable longing changed over time. In his early professional days, when he first moved to New York City, it was his hometown of Reading, Pa. Writing to his future wife, Elsie, Stevens lamented that he 'lost a world' when he left there" [ The American Conservative ].

Knifecatcher , January 12, 2017 at 2:12 pm

Re: Bankrate story – is there such thing as a $1k ER bill anymore? We paid nearly $3k for our unexpected trip, which involved 15 minutes with the doc, no tests or scans, and only a single dose of Childrens' Tylenol for consumables. (5 year old tried to poke his eye out with a stick and failed – but only just).

And of course our crapified insurance hadn't hit the deductible so we had to pay the whole bill out of pocket.

Vatch , January 12, 2017 at 2:31 pm

I'm lucky - I only have a $150 deductible, which is what I paid when I needed five stitches in my hand last year. The total bill was "only" about $1250, probably because I never saw an actual doctor. A nurse practitioner sewed me up. The explanation of benefits from the insurance company later showed that they only paid the hospital about one third of the billed price. I'm sorry that you had to pay the whole thing; I guess the insurance companies only enforce their standard payable fees when it's their money on the line.

optimader , January 12, 2017 at 2:58 pm

The kids I grew up with, that would have been crazy-glue/packaging-tape unless a finger articulation was compromised

http://morethanjustsurviving.com/stitches-bandages-or-super-glue/

btw..Animal bites should be left open and bandaged and treated w/ antibiotic so they heal from the inside out..

I remember in my misspent college youth an idiot scuba diver in Honduras (feeding a moray eel cheese wiz out of a can, guess what happened when she ran out?) who came to my friend's dad (a surgeon) insisting he sew her up.
He only bandaged her with butterfly bandages and gave her some kick-ass antibiotics. She was sure she was being undeserved (w/ gratis treatment) because he refused to sew her up, potentially trapping an infection.

ian , January 12, 2017 at 2:43 pm

I had a similar experience: 3 stitches on my sons finger. Treated by nurse (no doc), sutures and lidocaine was $1800. It got me wondering about how anyone could hope to reform health care when the accounting is so completely out of whack with reality.

[Jan 11, 2017] the DEPRAVED nature of the American "Health Kare" system

Jan 11, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
clarky90 , January 10, 2017 at 6:12 pm

For me, often it is the "small crimes" that exemplify the DEPRAVED nature of the American "Health Kare" system. (See the right hand panel of The Last Judgment Bosch triptych) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Judgment_(Bosch_triptych)

US drugmaker charges 200 times UK price for common worm pill

A US drugmaker has put a price tag of more than $800 on a pinworm treatment - 200 times more expensive than the equivalent medicine on British pharmacy shelves, in the latest example of "price gouging" in the world's largest healthcare market.
Impax Laboratories (Bastards!) started selling mebendazole this year at an average wholesale price of $442 per pill, according to figures seen by the Financial Times, which were checked with several US pharmacy chains including Walgreens and CVS.

Most cases of pinworm, a parasitic infection also known as threadworm, require two pills, meaning a course of treatment costs about $884. The drug is available prescription-only in the US but can be bought over the counter in the UK, where Boots, a British chemist chain, charges £6.99 for a pack of four pills, or £1.75 each.

The pinworm parasite, which is common in children, affects 200m people a year worldwide and up to 40m in the US. It is recommended that family members are treated for the highly contagious infection at the same time, meaning a household of five's treatment costs more than $4,400.

https://www.ft.com/content/f0080fe4-c3ad-11e6-9bca-2b93a6856354

"Mebendazole came into use in 1971, after it was developed in Belgium.[4] It is included in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system .[5] Mebendazole is available as a generic medication.[6] The wholesale cost in the developing world is between 0.004 and 0.04 USD per dose .[7] In the United States a single dose is about 884.00 USD as of 2016.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebendazole

[Jan 02, 2017] U.S. Healthcare Is A Global Outlier (And Not In A Good Way)

Jan 02, 2017 | www.zerohedge.com

Historically, the United States has spent more money than any other country on healthcare.

In the late 1990s, for example, the U.S. spent roughly 13% of GDP on healthcare, compared to about a 9.5% average for all high income countries.

However, as Visual Capitalist's Jeff Desjardins notes, in recent years, the difference has become more stark . Last year, as Obamacare continued to roll out, costs in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 17.5% of GDP . That's over $3 trillion spent on healthcare annually, and the rate of spending is expected accelerate over the next decade .

HIGH COSTS, HIGH BENEFIT?

With all that money being poured into healthcare, surely the U.S. must be getting better care in contrast to other high income countries.

At least, that's what one would think.

Today's chart comes to us from economist Max Roser (h/t @NinjaEconomics ) and it shows the extreme divergence of the U.S. healthcare system using two simple stats: life expectancy vs. health expenditures per capita.

Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist

THE DIVERGENCE OF U.S. HEALTHCARE

As you can see, Americans are spending more money – but they are not receiving results using the most basic metric of life expectancy. The divergence starts just before 1980, and it widens all the way to 2014.

It's worth noting that the 2015 statistics are not plotted on this chart. However, given that healthcare spend was 17.5% of GDP in 2015, the divergence is likely to continue to widen. U.S. spending is now closing in on $10,000 per person.

Perhaps the most concerning revelation from this data?

Not only is U.S. healthcare spending wildly inefficient, but it's also relatively ineffective. It would be one thing to spend more money and get the same results, but according to the above data that is not true. In fact, Americans on average will have shorter lives people in other high income countries.

Life expectancy in the U.S. has nearly flatlined, and it hasn't yet crossed the 80 year threshold. Meanwhile, Chileans, Greeks, and Israelis are all outliving their American counterparts for a fraction of the associated costs. buckstopshere , Jan 1, 2017 10:02 PM

A shorter life expectancy makes Social Security look more solvent.

Cooking the books.

junction buckstopshere , Jan 1, 2017 10:08 PM
The chart shows that Monsanto and the New World Order are succeeding, that more glyphosate herbicide in the food, more toxic chemtrails and more unneccessary operations are having the desired effect, to cull the American population. Helped immeasurably by the cocaine and heroin flown into the USA by the Bush Crime Cartel on Air Force cargo planes.
cheka junction , Jan 1, 2017 10:10 PM
nyc runs US health care. that tells one all he needs to know.
Pinch Dog Will Hunt , Jan 2, 2017 12:58 AM
Republitards and Freedumb-lovers need to watch Michael Moore's movie about this called "Sicko"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thkBLpRwdSM

You need MORE socialism, not less.

Tards.

Chief Wonder Bread balolalo , Jan 1, 2017 10:42 PM
Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Italy, U.S.

Which of these countries is not like any of the others? Haha. Multiculturalism is such a fantastic deal. Some "cultures" just don't make good lifestyle decisions such as thinking that grape drank and swisher sweets are healthful choices.

philipat cheka , Jan 1, 2017 10:35 PM
It is, of course, in part a "Lifestyle" issue but the US system is grossly inefficient because there are adverse incentives built in (Adverse selection etc.). The US still uses a "Fee for service" model which has never been able to control costs anywhere in the world. On top of that, high pharmaceutical prices in the US account for up to 90% of total Big Pharma profits ane Medical Malpractise insurance not only directly adds large costs but indirectly forces the use of an unnecessary number of tests and the use of the newest drugs etc. Without any sensible controls at any point in the system it will only continue to get further out of control, as ACA has illustrated.
Ballin D philipat , Jan 1, 2017 10:41 PM
What's the alternative to "fee for service?" Seems pretty standard to charge for services rendered.
philipat Ballin D , Jan 1, 2017 11:47 PM
Except that more services = more fees = higher costs. Hence multiple tests, multiple procedures and multiple drugs = higher costs and higher fees = inefficiency bias and higher still costs. Physicians are human and the Healthcare providers have become experts at maximising costs to breaking point. There are many alternative models within which to control costs through negotiated standard procedures and fixed costs for each procedure and drug formularies (including the use of generic drugs) etc. Single payer is used by much of the developed world where the supplier agrees to supply at a negotiated price or doesn't get to participate, which focuses their attention nicely. The benefits of scale, in whatever system is used, should result in lower prices but don't in the US where USG is already the largest single provider of healthcare (Medicare/Medicaid etc).
Canoe Driver philipat , Jan 2, 2017 12:36 AM
A lot of people, certainly not just doctors, are making a lot of money from this dysfunctional medical system. That is the difference no one is talking about. The money is not disappearing down a rabbit hole. It is being pocketed by thousands of multi-millionaires. It is a profit-based system. Medicine is the one field where Capitalism has no hope of efficiency. Why? Because the demand is infinite and inelastic. A recipe for the financial rape of millions.
dogsandhoney2 junction , Jan 2, 2017 12:43 AM
yeah,
and it also shows the effect of a
30% increase in psychological stress since 1980.
stress = ^stress hormones = stressed immune system =
anxiety/depression/cardiovascular disease/hyper inflammatory response/etc..

all to be treated by those in the stressed-out health care system,
usually with hyper-cost pharmaceuticals.

it's well past due date for the u.s. to become civilized by starting
single payer medical plans.

health insurance corporations = the terror.

sinbad2 heresy101 , Jan 1, 2017 10:48 PM
I wouldn't count on it.

Private healthcare and insurance is very profitable 2 of the 3 trillion the US spends on healthcare would go to shareholders and management of healthcare companies.

Mr Trump is a businessman and a realist. The media would be calling him a commie if he tried to fix it.

sinbad2 , Jan 1, 2017 10:38 PM
Americans would not have it any other way.

The countries that have the most cost effective healthcare, are countries that provide government run health insurance.

Americans would never tolerate claiming helthcare costs back from a Government run health providor, like in Australia, or waisting taxpayers money building hospitals.

Americans have to pay for their belief that private for profit health insurance is cheaper and better than government provided insurance.

Xena fobe sinbad2 , Jan 1, 2017 11:41 PM
Americans would accept single payer. But insurance companies would not.
TheEndIsNear I Write Code , Jan 2, 2017 12:05 AM
250,000 deaths in 2015 were due to medical error, the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/study_suggests_medica...

38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015.
http://www.newsweek.com/2015-brought-biggest-us-traffic-death-increase-5...

33,636 deaths due to "Injury by firearms" of which only 11,208 were homicides, 21,175 were self inflicted suicides, and the remainder were due to accidental/negligent discharge of a firearm or "undetermined intent".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

brooklinite8 , Jan 1, 2017 11:07 PM
When I was visiting India I saw few women administer a baby birth basically in few minutes with bare hands, water, oil and some sarees. Here in the US I believe the bill comes around 5-10k at the least. Did we ever ask the question as to why do we need insurance to afford health care? Did we ever ask how has it become so out of control? Why has healthcare become such a big business? Where are the morals of humanity?

In USA the welfare of the state takes precedence to the welfare of the people. Human beings are valued at no different rate in USA than India. Welcome to the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Good Old USA. We are outliers and Everything we do should be an outlier. If not we will revisit and make sure it becomes an outlier. Lol

Canoe Driver brooklinite8 , Jan 2, 2017 12:57 AM
The total cost per childbirth in the US is said to be $50-65k. This figure is so outrageous that it is impossible to correlate it with the cost of providing the services. It is simply a bunch of profiteers taking their cut. And the profit can be several hundred percent of the underlying cost, precisely because the "customer" has no choice at all. Capitalism, which works well in many contexts, fails miserably in medicine. Demand is infinite and inelastic in the medical field.
hairball48 , Jan 1, 2017 11:15 PM
A shitty diet of sugar laden, high carbohydrate fast food products is what contributes to most Americans' shorter life spans, not "poor health care".

Health care is expensive because it's run by a de facto "health care mafia". I worked in the technical field of health care for 28 years. Excessive regulation is but just one reason health care is so expensive in the USA. Barriers to entry are another. Try to establish a medical school. See how long it takes. Fewer docs, the higher the price of docs. ECO 101. Don't look for a change anytime soon.

hairball

Miffed Microbio... hairball48 , Jan 2, 2017 12:14 AM
When I was an intern for clinical microbiology they gave us $300/month as a stipend. Today an internship costs $24k. This is on top of the 4 years degree. Plus the mechanization of the lab is continuing every year to the point there will be fewer jobs in the future. Hate to say it but my field is fucked. Much of my time is spent meeting regulatory compliance and it gets worse every year.

Miffed

tyberious , Jan 1, 2017 11:52 PM
Me, 20 years in Healthcare BS, MSPH, , started in reference labs, then trauma center, biotech and now in healthcare insurance quality improvement (Medicare). 1st of all the money is in the government, we all know that!

But my main response to the article is that the America sheep are being sheared! The assault starts at birth with 21 vaccines by adulthood( infant mortality), hormones in the food (preteen secondary sex characteristics)(breast cancer)(prostate cancer) , HFC (diabetes, heart diseases, and other complications) GMO's, glycophosphates, glutens, and the multitude of useless pharmaceuticals.

My point is Americans are being poisoned, not so much intentionally, but through fascist business models.

So recap: Chronic preventable illnesses, extensive bureaucracy, poor food choices (# 1 in my book), and a government that cares zero fucks about you!

chosen , Jan 2, 2017 12:18 AM
Doctors are way overpaid. Hospitals charge ridiculous prices that have no relation to reality. Insurance companies screw us even more.

The US medical system is worse than the university system. Both are scams whose main goal is to make the providers more and more money, and the users poorer and poorer. It is sick.

Canoe Driver chosen , Jan 2, 2017 1:12 AM
Basically, you are right. The idea is that the price is all the funds the "customer" has in the world, every time there is significant illness. This is because the demand for healthcare is essentially infinite and inelastic. If you want to live, pay us everything you have, then declare bankruptcy. That is what happens naturally in a for-profit medical system.

[Dec 30, 2016] Payment for Emergency Ambulance Services.

Dec 30, 2016 | dfs.ny.gov
The Office of General Counsel issued the following opinion on June 7, 2006, representing the position of the New York State Insurance Department.

Payment for Emergency Ambulance Services.

Re: Payment for Emergency Ambulance Services.

Questions Presented:

1. Pursuant to the New York Insurance Law, may a medical provider, such as an ambulance company issued a certificate to operate under N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 3005, bill a patient directly for prehospital emergency ambulance services where a New York authorized insurer or health maintenance organization ("HMO") has made partial payment of a bill?

2. Pursuant to the New York Insurance Law, may a medical provider, such as an ambulance company issued a certificate to operate under N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 3005, bill a patient directly for prehospital emergency ambulance services where a New York authorized insurer or health maintenance organization has denied payment entirely?

Conclusions:

1. Pursuant to N.Y. Ins. Law §§ 3216(h)(24), 3221(l)(15) and 4303(aa) (McKinney Supp. 2006), the ambulance company may not bill a patient directly for prehospital emergency ambulance services where a New York authorized insurer or HMO has made partial payment of a bill under an insurance contract that provides major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage. However, if such a contract is not involved, these provisions do not apply and there is no prohibition in the Insurance Law against the ambulance company billing the patient directly for the balance of the bill.

2. Yes. The ambulance company may bill a patient directly for prehospital emergency ambulance services where a New York authorized insurer or HMO has denied payment entirely, subject to the remedies available to the patient.

Facts:

This inquiry is general in nature.

Analysis:

N. Y. Ins. Law § 4303 (McKinney Supp. 2006) applies to non-profit health plans and HMO's. Although HMO's are primarily regulated by the New York Health Department, their subscriber contracts are regulated by the Insurance Department as if they were subscriber contracts of non-profit health insurers. See N.Y. Public Health Law § 4406(1) (McKinney 2002).

N.Y. Ins. Law § 4303(aa) (McKinney Supp. 2006) provides, in relevant part, as follows:

(aa)(1) Every contract issued by a hospital service company or health service corporation which provides major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage shall include coverage for prehospital emergency medical services for the treatment of an emergency condition when such services are provided by an ambulance service issued a certificate to operate pursuant to section three thousand five of the public health law.

(2) Payment by an insurer pursuant to this section shall be payment in full for the services provided. An ambulance service reimbursed pursuant to this section shall not charge or seek any reimbursement from, or have any recourse against an insured for the services provided pursuant to this subsection, except for the collection of copayments, coinsurance or deductibles for which the insured is responsible for under the terms of the policy.

(3) An insurer shall provide reimbursement for those services prescribed by this section at rates negotiated between the insurer and the provider of such services. In the absence of agreed upon rates, an insurer shall pay for such services at the usual and customary charge, which shall not be excessive or unreasonable.

(4) The provisions of this subsection shall have no application to transfers of patients between hospitals or health care facilities by an ambulance service as described in paragraph one of this subsection. . . .

N.Y. Ins. Law § 3221(l)(15) (McKinney Supp. 2006), which applies to group or blanket accident and health insurance policies issued by commercial insurers and N.Y. Ins. Law § 3216(h)(24) (McKinney Supp. 2006), which applies to individual accident and health insurance policies issued by commercial insurers contain identical provisions.

In accordance with the above, if the insurance contract provides major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, it must include coverage for prehospital emergency medical services for the treatment of an emergency condition when such services are provided by an ambulance service issued a certificate to operate pursuant to section three thousand five of the public health law. The insurer must provide coverage for emergency ambulance services based upon the rates negotiated between the insurer and the provider of such services. If no participating provider contract exists, the insurer must pay for the services at the usual and customary charge, which shall not be excessive or unreasonable.

Once the insurer makes payment at the usual and customary charge, the provider must accept such payment as payment in full. The provider may not bill the patient directly for emergency ambulance services for the balance of a bill, except for the collection of copayments, coinsurance or deductibles that the insured is responsible for under the terms of the insurance contract.

Please note that N.Y. Ins. Law §§ 3216(h)(24), 3221(l)(15) and 4303(aa) (McKinney Supp. 2006) are applicable only to insurance contracts that provide major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage. Thus, if such a contract is not involved, these provisions do not apply and there is no prohibition in the Insurance Law against the ambulance company billing the insured directly. In addition, these provisions do not address a situation in which a New York authorized insurer or HMO has denied payment entirely for emergency ambulance services (i.e. where the insurer or HMO states that coverage was not in effect or that treatment was not medically necessary). In such cases, the ambulance company may bill the patient directly, subject to the remedies available to the patient.

If the ambulance company or patient disputes a payment made by the insurer or HMO as not constituting the usual and customary charge or disputes the fact that no payment was made, the ambulance company or patient may raise the issue with the insurer or HMO and/or file a complaint with the Department's Consumer Services Bureau.

Lastly, the New York Attorney General's Office has conducted an investigation on balance billing by ambulance companies. For further information, the inquirer was directed to contact the Attorney General's Office at (518)474-7330 or access their web site which is located at http://www.oag.state.ny.us.

This opinion does not provide an analysis of the No-Fault Insurance Law, which would result in a different analysis and conclusion, since the inquirer already had OGC Opinions on this subject. 1 Please note also that this opinion is limited to an interpretation of the New York Insurance Law. No opinion is rendered on any other laws.

For further information you may contact Associate Attorney Pascale Jean-Baptiste at the New York City Office.


1 See OGC Opinion No. 03-02-18, dated Feb. 18, 2003 and OGC Opinion No. 03-04-36, dated April 30, 2003; see also OGC Opinion No. 05-05-29, dated May 28, 2005.

[Dec 30, 2016] 20 things to know about balance billing

Notable quotes:
"... Balance billing is on the rise nationally. In 2011, around 8 percent of privately insured individuals used out-of-network care, 40 percent of which resulted in unanticipated medical costs due to balance billing, reports Health Services Research . ..."
"... Balance billing complaints are up 1,000 percent in Texas . ..."
"... The rise in balance billing is partially attributable to a lack of network transparency with patients. ..."
"... The New York Times ..."
"... Kaiser Health News ..."
"... In 2014 Aetna sued a physician at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., a hospital within Aetna's network, who did not notify a patient he would not accept Aetna's discounted reimbursement rate, according to the lawsuit. The physician charged Aetna $31,939 to treat abdominal pain in the patient. After Aetna paid the amount it deemed reasonable - $2,811, based on Medicare rates - the physician balance billed the patient for an additional $10,635. ..."
"... Montana Public Radio ..."
"... Sunshine State News ..."
"... The New York Times ..."
"... The New York Times ..."
Dec 30, 2016 | www.beckershospitalreview.com

Patients, caught in the financial crosshairs, often feel powerless to negotiate costs. Consumer advocacy groups and federal and state legislators are turning their attention to balance billing practices this year with renewed vigor, forcing payers and providers to find other ways to settle financial disagreements.

Here are 20 things to know about balance billing.

1. Balance billing is on the rise nationally. In 2011, around 8 percent of privately insured individuals used out-of-network care, 40 percent of which resulted in unanticipated medical costs due to balance billing, reports Health Services Research . In 2015, a nationwide study from Consumers Union found nearly one third of privately insured Americans received an unanticipated bill when their health plan paid less than expected for medical services within the past two years.

2. Balance billing complaints are up 1,000 percent in Texas . According to the Texas Department of Insurance , balance billing complaints rose from 112 in 2012 to 1,334 in 2015, an increase of 1,000 percent.

3. Lack of provider, network transparency. The rise in balance billing is partially attributable to a lack of network transparency with patients. In many cases patients are unaware they have received out-of-network care until they receive a balance bill in the mail. Nearly 70 percent of individuals with unaffordable out-of-network medical bills did not know the healthcare provider was not in their plan's network at the time of care, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation and The New York Times .

4. Emergency room services to blame, in part. A Health Services Research survey found in 2011, 68 percent of inpatient involuntary contact with out-of-network physicians was related to emergency care. These kinds of unanticipated medical bills may arise when a hospital participates in an insurer's network but its employed emergency physicians do not. For example, more than half of the hospitals in some Texas insurers' networks did not have a single physician on staff covered by the insurer, according to a 2015 study from the Centers for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.

5. Balance billing and contracted physicians. Many hospitals use physician outsourcing firms for anesthesiologists, emergency physicians, pathologists and radiologists, or will bring in an outside assistant surgeon to help with procedures. In many cases, these physicians do not participate in the same network as the hospital, unbeknownst to the patient. When physician groups and insurers are unable to resolve reimbursement disputes, patients can be served with much higher out-of-network charges. In Texas, for example, the specialty services most likely to submit balance bills are anesthesiologists, lab services, surgery and radiology, reports the Texas Department of Insurance .

6. Payers will fight out-of-network physicians with lower reimbursement rates. Last year, health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare said it would scale back how much it pays out-of-network physicians who practice at in-network hospitals, accusing physicians of demanding excessively high reimbursement levels, according to Kaiser Health News . During a billing dispute with out-of-network Bayonne (N.J.) Medical Center, the insurer accused the hospital of charging out-of-network rates 10 to 12 times higher for a medical service than area hospitals participating in United'snetwork. If a payer refuses to match physician reimbursement rates, the financial burden is passed on to the patient. In the aforementioned dispute between Bayonne and UnitedHealthcare, the patient was balance billed $1,170 for a total of five stitches.

7. Insurers are narrowing networks in an effort to reduce costs. As insurance companies have narrowed provider networks to keep premiums down, the number of patients who inadvertently received out-of-network care has jumped at hospitals, particularly with regard to contracted physicians.

8. Payers have sued providers for 'excessive' out-of-network fees. Aetna has sued a half dozen out-of-network physicians in recent years, alleging gross over charging for medical services. In 2014 Aetna sued a physician at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., a hospital within Aetna's network, who did not notify a patient he would not accept Aetna's discounted reimbursement rate, according to the lawsuit. The physician charged Aetna $31,939 to treat abdominal pain in the patient. After Aetna paid the amount it deemed reasonable - $2,811, based on Medicare rates - the physician balance billed the patient for an additional $10,635.

9. Balance billing can occur even when a payer adjusts out-of-network emergency bills to in-network rates for patients. A patient recently accused Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., of balance billing his account for an out-of-network rate after the patient submitted in-network payment rates to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Owing to the medical emergency of his situation, Matthew Aitken said he received an in-network rate from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. However, Mr. Aitken alleged Duke proceeded to charge him for the remainder of the bill at the higher out-of-network rate, resulting in a bill nearly double that of Mr. Aitken's out-of-pocket limit.

10. Air ambulance billing disputes, complaints on the rise. In rural areas of the U.S. the high price for life-saving air ambulance flights has grabbed media attention as rural residents, faced with excessive balance billing, have turned to state and federal auditors for intervention. Those in rural areas often must rely on air ambulance flights in life-or-death situations in lieu of feasible ground transportation. Reimbursement rate disputes between payers and medical air transport companies have strapped patients with devastating medical bills. When Amy Thomson's newborn daughter was in heart failure, Ms. Thomson had to use an air ambulance service in rural Montana for transport to a more capable facility. At the time her insurance company, PacificSource, did not have an in-network air ambulance company near her family, reports Montana Public Radio . Ms. Thomson received a $43,000 balance bill from Airlift Northwest after PacificSource contributed a policy cap of $13,000.

11. Provider-based billing practices. Consumers have been increasingly vocal about surprise medical bills derived from provider-based billing practices. Provider-based billing allows a healthcare organization to bill patients for physician care in addition to a service charge for the patient's use of hospital facilities and equipment. In some cases, a patient may be responsible for the service bill if their insurance declines to pay or if the patient has a high deductible health plan. Large hospitals like Cleveland Clinic have faced increased scrutiny for provider-based billing practices. After paying a $30 copayment for in-network care with a Cleveland Clinic chiropractor, Julie Beinhardt reported receiving a balance bill of $3,000 for provider-based service fees her insurance plan refused to cover.

12. President Barack Obama signed legislation against provider-based billing. Last year, President Obama signed legislation outlawing provider-based billing at off-campus outpatient facilities. The legislation does not apply to existing outpatient centers that already engage in the practice, however.

13. The president's 2017 budget proposal includes a provision to eliminate surprise medical bills. Although details are minimal, the president's 2017 budget proposal includes a provision to eliminate balance billing privately insured patients. The administration would address the issue by requiring physicians who regularly provide services in hospitals to accept in-network rates for service reimbursement, even if they aren't in the insurer's network.

14. About a quarter of U.S. states have laws that protect consumers from out-of-network medical bills incurred by emergency care. According to a study from Kaiser Family Foundation , 24 states have implemented laws that restrict providers from balance billing in emergency care situations, including California, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, among others.

15. More states are proposing independent dispute resolution between payers and providers in balance billing cases. Independent dispute resolution establishes a legal space in which providers and health insurers can settle disagreements regarding balance billing without involving the patient. The states of Illinois and New Yorkhave arbitration methods in place, and Florida , Washington and Pennsylvania are currently considering a similar resolution methods.

16. New York has some of the strongest consumer protection laws. Under New York law , consumers are generally protected from owing more than their in-network copayment, coinsurance or deductible on bills they receive for out-of-network emergency services. Patients can complete an assignment of benefits form that absolves them of financial responsibility and allows the provider to pursue payment from the health plan in balance billing disputes.

17. Florida state legislature is currently embroiled in a fight to pass balance billing laws. Legislation to outlaw balance billing in Florida has continued to creep through the state legislature since last fall. Introduced in both the house and senate, the bills have sparked conflicting and outspoken opinions from patients, payers, hospitals and physicians. Hospitals have largely denounced the bill, blaming balance billing disputes on payers that demand allegedly unsustainable reimbursement rates, reports Sunshine State News .

18. The "End Surprise Billing Act". Federal lawmakers are making moves to outlaw balance billing nationally. Co-sponsored by 25 lawmakers, the End Surprise Billing Act would protect patients from balance billing who went to in-network facilities for emergency services, reports Consumerist . In non-emergency cases, it would require providers to notify patients within 24 hours if an out-of-network specialist will be involved in an episode of care.

19. Consumers don't know how to navigate the legal waters. According to a Consumer Union report, 57 percent of patients who encountered balance billing from contracted physicians within the last two years paid in full because they didn't know their rights to fight the bills. An overwhelming majority (87 percent) did not know which agency or department in their state government is tasked with handling complaints about health insurance. "So many times, people just give up [in surprise billing disputes]," Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives with Community Service Society of New York, told NPR .

20. The New York Times dedicated a series to consumer encounters with surprise healthcare bills. Elisabeth Rosenthal's series in The New York Times entitled Paying Til it Hurts examined the personal and financial implications of excessive, unexpected medical costs on Americans, their families and their healthcare consumption. Ms. Rosenthal's installments often feature individuals with unaffordable balance bills like Peter Drier , who was served a $117,000 balance bill for an out-of-network physician's assistant he never knew was present during surgery.

[Dec 26, 2016] Are Psychiatric Medications Hurting More Patients Than They Help?

Notable quotes:
"... Scientific American ..."
Dec 26, 2016 | science.slashdot.org
(scientificamerican.com) 431

Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday December 18, 2016 @01:34PM from the depressing-anti-depressant-news dept.

An anonymous reader quotes Scientific American 's Cross-Check blog :

Two new posts on this website have me contemplating, once again, the terrible possibility that psychiatry is hurting more people than it helps. Reporter Sarah G. Miller notes in "1 in 6 Americans Takes a Psychiatric Drug" that prescriptions for mental illness keep surging. As of 2013, almost 17 percent of Americans were taking at least one psychiatric drug , up from 10 percent in 2011, according to a new study. "Antidepressants were the most common type of psychiatric drug in the survey, with 12 percent of adults reporting that they filled prescriptions for these drugs..."

This increase in medications must be boosting our mental health, right? Wrong. In "Is Mental Health Declining in the U.S.?," Edmund S. Higgins, professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, acknowledges the "inconvenient truth" that Americans' mental health has, according to some measures, deteriorated ...

It's all more evidence of something their blogger wrote in 2012. "American psychiatry, in collusion with the pharmaceutical industry, may be perpetrating the biggest case of iatrogenesis -- harmful medical treatment -- in history ."

[Dec 26, 2016] 5 Ways to Lower Your Medical Bills Personal Finance

Notable quotes:
"... "One should know what the cost of the procedure is, and that is something that is just impossible to figure out before or after the procedure," Luthra says. "I had no way of knowing beforehand there were going to be these six different types of providers . . . sending me bills." ..."
Nov 29, 2007 | US News

Insurance companies aren't the only ones who can negotiate a lower price -- you can, too. Here's how.

By U.S. News & World Report

Sanjiv Luthra of Los Altos, Calif., suffered from the pain and fatigue of rapid-onset arthritis so severe that he couldn't walk 10 feet until he underwent double knee-replacement surgery in 2006. Now, two years later, he can walk and run, but he still suffers the fallout from another ailment: medical bills.

Six hours in an operating room, two knee replacements, medications and a five-day hospital stay added up to a bill of $80,000, Luthra estimates. That's not counting bills for an anesthesiologist, physical therapy, additional medicines and special exercise equipment to help him recover.

"One should know what the cost of the procedure is, and that is something that is just impossible to figure out before or after the procedure," Luthra says. "I had no way of knowing beforehand there were going to be these six different types of providers . . . sending me bills."

Luthra's insurance company was able to negotiate with the hospital so that it paid about $20,000, and he parted with about $5,000, including expenses outside the hospital.

But individual patients can haggle for lower medical bills, too. Here are tips on how to go about it.

Work up the courage to ask. It's not just insurance companies that can negotiate.

"The typical insurer gets about a 60% discount," says Gerard Anderson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management. "If you go into the hospital and ask the chief financial officer , you may get a 30% discount, but you have to ask for it. It's totally up to the discretion of the CFO how much they or the person in the billing office are willing to give you."

Although it's common to negotiate with a real-estate agent or car salesperson you probably never will see again, it's much more difficult to negotiate with a doctor you trust to make you well and to provide continuing care for your family. Only 31% of Americans have tried to negotiate the price of medical bills, a survey by Consumer Reports National Research Center indicated. But of those who tried, 93% have been successful at least once, and more than a third saved more than $100.

Explore low-cost treatments. Many doctors incurred large loans to finance medical school and probably understand the need to get a fair price as well as you do.

But even though almost 80% of physicians will prescribe a generic medication over a brand-name drug to save patients money, far fewer consider patient costs when recommending diagnostic tests (51%) or choosing between hospitalization and outpatient treatment (40%), according to a survey of physicians by the Center for Health System Change and the University of Chicago

If money is an issue, you need to ask your doctor if cheaper, medically sound options are available. The trick is to keep it friendly and ask nicely. For minor health ailments such as ear infections and pinkeye, drugstore clinics list reasonable prices upfront, with no negotiating required.

Find the correct person. Although they are heavily involved in treatment decisions, doctors may not be directly involved in other billing issues, so you need to find a person with the ability to adjust your bill.

"I would suggest the consumer go to the office manager," says Timothy Cahill, a health-care consultant in Louisville, Ky., who has negotiated hospital bills on behalf of patients. The office manager should be able to direct you to the person in charge of billing.

Offer cash payments. This could be a mutually beneficial solution for you and the medical establishment.

"Paying cash is worth a lot to a doctor in terms of time and trouble, and it is a lot less complex for the hospital to deal with," says Shankar Srinivasan. He is a co-founder and the chief technology officer of Vimo.com, a company that uses public records to figure out what prices insurers negotiate with hospitals. Cash, he says, saves hospitals the trouble of negotiating financing terms, paying credit card transaction fees and sending collection agencies after patients who fail to pay.

Scrutinize the bill and your insurance. If you don't have the cash to pay a large medical bill, you need to educate yourself about what your insurance should cover and try to negotiate a discount off the sticker price.

"As a consumer, just like a detective, you have to really understand the specifics of your insurance benefit plan, take the initiative of setting up conference calls (including yourself, the hospital and your insurance company) proactively, and you have to document everything," says Luthra, who is chief operating officer of the health-care-consulting company Benu. "You don't just pay the bill as is."

This article was reported and written by Emily Brandon for U.S. News & World Report.

[Dec 26, 2016] How to avoid and handle surprise medical bills

Notable quotes:
"... The average balance billed to patients was $622.55 , though the study reported bills as high as $19,603.30. But, ERs are not the only source of surprise bills. ..."
"... Even when a patient goes to a hospital for routine surgery, and takes care to choose an in-network hospital and in-network surgeon, the anesthesiologist, radiologist or pathologist assigned to the case may be out of network, and follow up with a surprise bill. ..."
"... If you have a serious medical emergency, your nearest hospital may not be in-network and all your treatment may result in out-of-pocket expense for high surprise bills. But, even if you visit an in-network ER, you have little control over the choice of doctor: By definition, you are facing an emergency, and must take whoever is available. ..."
"... Check with your state insurance regulator to see if your state has any consumer protections against surprise bills. ..."
"... At present, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida and New York do have such protections against unexpected balance bills - either for out-of-network ER situations alone or for additional types of surprise bills. ..."
"... If your state does not offer protection against surprise bills, check first to make sure the provider is really not in your network. Back offices and billing companies deal with many plans and sometimes make mistakes. Providers who are in your network have to accept the insurer's contracted rate. ..."
"... If the provider is out of network, do some research on an independent website, such as fairhealthconsumer.org , to estimate what the procedure typically costs in your locality. ..."
"... If neither the insurer nor the provider is willing to budge, do not be afraid to seek help. If you get your insurance through your employer, your human resources department may be able to intervene. Call your state representative or your local consumer protection office. With the right assistance, you might be able to reduce the bill, if not make it go away entirely. ..."
thehill.com
Surprise bills are never a welcome surprise. Typically, they arrive after you arranged care from a doctor and a hospital that were both in your health plan's network, but then you were unexpectedly treated by one or more other providers who, unbeknownst to you, were outside that network.

When these out-of-network providers send you a bill for their services, you may have to pay the full amount out of pocket or, if your health plan covers out-of-network care, to pay the balance of the bill that your insurance fails to cover. And the balance bill generally requires you to pay more than the out-of-pocket amount you would have owed if you had been treated by an in-network provider.

Emergency rooms are one of the most common locations where healthcare results in surprise bills.

As detailed recently in an article by two Yale scholars in the New England Journal of Medicine, in more than one in five cases nationwide, ER visits to an in-network facility involved out-of-network physicians. The average balance billed to patients was $622.55, though the study reported bills as high as $19,603.30. But, ERs are not the only source of surprise bills.

Even when a patient goes to a hospital for routine surgery, and takes care to choose an in-network hospital and in-network surgeon, the anesthesiologist, radiologist or pathologist assigned to the case may be out of network, and follow up with a surprise bill.

Several states have already enacted laws to protect consumers against surprise bills, although some of the statutes protect patients only in the case of balance bills for out-of-network ER services for a serious medical emergency. Currently, the issue is being discussed in a number of statehouses. In the meantime, here are steps you can take to protect yourself from such surprises.

Prevent surprise bills

The best defense against a surprise bill is prevention. If you have a serious medical emergency, your nearest hospital may not be in-network and all your treatment may result in out-of-pocket expense for high surprise bills. But, even if you visit an in-network ER, you have little control over the choice of doctor: By definition, you are facing an emergency, and must take whoever is available.

However, for a planned surgery or other procedure, you probably have time to speak up. Make sure that your doctor and hospital are in your plan's network. Check with them and with your plan. Ask your physician and your hospital in advance if they can arrange to have only in-network providers treat you.

Some hospitals may have no in-network specialist for care you might require. Find out if another hospital in your area can provide all your necessary services on an in-network basis. In some areas, there may be no in-network specialists available of the type you need. In that case, inform your plan that its network lacks necessary services and find out if the terms of the plan or state law provide you protection from large balance bills in such circumstances.

Always refer to your plan by its exact official name. Often insurers have multiple plans with similar names but different networks. If you use the wrong plan name when inquiring about a plan's network, you may get a wrong and costly answer. Make your inquiries and requests in writing so you have documentation. Ask for the names of the providers who will be involved in your care, and check with your insurer and with the providers themselves to see if they are all in your plan's network.

Check if your state protects consumers

If you do get a surprise bill, take action. Check with your state insurance regulator to see if your state has any consumer protections against surprise bills. Many states have laws that require HMOs to protect consumers from surprise bills, especially with respect to necessary ER services. Fewer states have similar protections for other types of health plans, such as PPOs and EPOs.

At present, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida and New York do have such protections against unexpected balance bills - either for out-of-network ER situations alone or for additional types of surprise bills. Generally, these laws provide that the consumer is required to pay only the amount he or she would owe for the services if provided in-network. States have different mechanisms for settling the balance, but they generally involve the insurer and the provider, not the patient.

If your state does not provide protection

If your state does not offer protection against surprise bills, check first to make sure the provider is really not in your network. Back offices and billing companies deal with many plans and sometimes make mistakes. Providers who are in your network have to accept the insurer's contracted rate.

If the provider is out of network, do some research on an independent website, such as fairhealthconsumer.org, to estimate what the procedure typically costs in your locality. If your plan's reimbursement is based on an amount that is less than the typical charge, you can use this information to ask the plan to pay the provider on the basis of at least the typical rate. If the out-of-network provider's charge is higher than the typical rate, you might be able to negotiate with the provider to reduce your costs. You can try to persuade the provider to reduce the charge, or to discount an excessive balance bill, by showing the provider that his or her charge is above the typical market rate.

If neither the insurer nor the provider is willing to budge, do not be afraid to seek help. If you get your insurance through your employer, your human resources department may be able to intervene. Call your state representative or your local consumer protection office. With the right assistance, you might be able to reduce the bill, if not make it go away entirely.

Robin Gelburd, JD, is the president of FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit with the mission of bringing transparency to healthcare costs and insurance reimbursement. FAIR Health oversees the nation's largest repository of private healthcare claims data, comprising over 21 billion billed medical and dental charges that reflect the claims experience of over 150 million privately insured Americans. Follow on twitter @FAIRHealth

[Dec 25, 2016] How to Fight Back Against Outrageous E.R. Bills

Two excellent resources-Healthcare Blue Book and FAIR Health-can give you estimates of how much health care services should cost in your area. Plus, your insurer's website may also provide a tool that will allow you to compare costs.
Notable quotes:
"... But the bill did come-all $9,000 of it. The ambulance company charged $6,500, including a $300 fee for the linens and a $30 charge for aspirin. The E.R. billed the remaining $2,500. "My mouth literally dropped open when I saw the cost," she says. ..."
"... "I've always heard emergency room visits were costly, but $9,000 for nothing more than a conversation that lasted one minute? That's robbery," she says. ..."
"... "Employers often try to stay away from filing a claim under worker's compensation, so it does not impact their experience rating or trigger an [occupational safety and health administration] review, but it would save her money." ..."
"... This piece is by Drew Anne Scarantino ..."
www.thefiscaltimes.com

It's no secret that hospital bills in the U.S.-especially ones from the E.R.-can often hit astronomical proportions.

According to a recent cost study conducted by researchers at Stanford University, the University of Minnesota, the University of California, San Francisco and the Ecologic Institute, the median charge for an emergency room trip in the U.S. comes in at $1,233. But where it really gets interesting is when you look at the specific reasons for those E.R. visits: The researchers found that the treatment price for a headache could range from $15 to a whopping $17,797. As for a sprained ankle, it could set someone back a paltry $4 or up to $24,110!

So what gives with these wildly fluctuating price points?

For starters, most emergency room prices are inflated based on the rates at which insurance companies will reimburse the hospital on a patient's behalf. That's why a single aspirin can cost $30 per pill in the E.R., which is more than six times the price for a bottle of them at the drug store.

On the flip side, patients will often contact the hospital or surgeon's billing office to ask for a cost reduction, further adding to the inconsistency in pricing. It's a practice that often works in a patient's favor, says billing advocacy specialist Sharon Salters of Medical Cost Advocatea professional medical bill negotiation service.

And then there's also the fact that most hospitals offer discounts to self-paying individuals-especially if there's a risk that they might not pay at all.

So to help shed some light on the complexities of hospital medical billing for the average consumer, we asked three people to share their craziest emergency room stories, the even crazier bills that followed-and the steps they took to remedy them.

... ... ...

The Emergency: Head Injury
The Bill: $9,000

A few months ago, Amanda Harris, 27, of Morristown, N.J., fainted at work, hitting her head in the process. Due to liability concerns, her production company required Harris to take an ambulance to the emergency room, despite her refusal. "I didn't even have a cut on my head, just a slight bump. No headache, no nausea, no confusion, nothing," she says.

Harris waited for over an hour in the E.R. before her husband told the nurse that they were leaving. Minutes later, a doctor spoke to Harris for under a minute, confirming that she was fine to go. "He didn't do any tests-no light in my eyes, no blood pressure," says Harris. "I left thinking I wouldn't even get a bill."

But the bill did come-all $9,000 of it. The ambulance company charged $6,500, including a $300 fee for the linens and a $30 charge for aspirin. The E.R. billed the remaining $2,500. "My mouth literally dropped open when I saw the cost," she says.

RELATED: Hospital Costs Explode: Between $127 and $151 Billion

What This Patient Did: Harris called her insurer and fought the bill. Luckily, her insurance covered all but a $3,000 deductible-but she was too exhausted to push for more. "I've always heard emergency room visits were costly, but $9,000 for nothing more than a conversation that lasted one minute? That's robbery," she says.

What the Expert Says: Even though Harris didn't want to take an ambulance, Salters says that her company's suggestion was well-advised. "However, she should consider working with her employer to file the claim with her company's worker's compensation carrier," says Salters. "Employers often try to stay away from filing a claim under worker's compensation, so it does not impact their experience rating or trigger an [occupational safety and health administration] review, but it would save her money."

How You Can Avoid Outrageous E.R. Bills (Really!)

When it comes to a trip to the E.R., the reality is that there's usually no time to shop around and compare prices in advance. But if you do some research before an emergency happens, you could potentially keep costs significantly down.

The negotiation can seem like a lot of extra work, but the payoff can be tens of thousands of dollars in savings shaved off a potentially outrageous E.R. bill.

This piece is by Drew Anne Scarantino.

http://www.insure.com/articles/healthinsurance/haggling.html

[Nov 23, 2016] 7 Tips For Fighting And Paying A Big Hospital Bill by Caroline Mayer

Notable quotes:
"... Also consider using Medicare rates as a guide; the federal health system for people 65 and older typically has the lowest reimbursement rate for hospitals and medical providers. Your hospital may not agree to charge you its Medicare fee, but this figure is a good starting point for any negotiation. ..."
"... don't hesitate to appeal its decisions. You'd be surprised how often carriers overturn their earlier rejections. ..."
Sep 17, 2013 | www.forbes.com

Conversely, you may be able to wrangle a cash discount for agreeing to pay your entire cost at once.

You may also be able to successfully bargain down the particular dollar amounts you've been charged.

Tell the billing department that if your insurance requires, say, a 20% co-payment to the hospital, you'll pay only 20% of the insurer's negotiated rate with that hospital. That's usually far less than the initial rate quoted - the figure charged to uninsured patients.

Go online to check the rates other local hospitals charge for the procedure you had. Then, if you find your bill was way out of line, use this data as ammunition to try to get your fees lowered. You can get this type of information at such sites as Clear Health Costs, Healthcare Blue Book and FAIR Health.

Also consider using Medicare rates as a guide; the federal health system for people 65 and older typically has the lowest reimbursement rate for hospitals and medical providers. Your hospital may not agree to charge you its Medicare fee, but this figure is a good starting point for any negotiation.

2. Vigilantly review the bills. "It's very common for hospital bills to contain errors and overcharges, so make sure you've actually received the services they said you did," Detweiler says.

Candice Butcher, vice president of Medical Billing Advocates of America, says if you're discharged in the morning (as most patients are), protest if you're socked with a full daily-room rate for the date you left the hospital.

And if you brought your medications with you, make sure you weren't charged for them by the hospital. "This frequently happens," Butcher says.

Also, dispute any additional fees on the bill for routine supplies, like gowns, gloves or sheets. These items should be factored into the hospital daily-room charge, because, Butcher says, they are "considered the cost of doing business."

3. Challenge your health insurer's decisions, when warranted. Keep track of any hospital bills the company rejects on grounds that the procedure or drug isn't covered by your policy. If you believe the insurer should be paying more, don't hesitate to appeal its decisions. You'd be surprised how often carriers overturn their earlier rejections.

4. Negotiate bills once you know how much you'll have to pay out of pocket. If you just want extra time to send the money, Dale says, "it is relatively easy to speak with hospital or clinic business office staff to arrange a payment plan."

Conversely, you may be able to wrangle a cash discount for agreeing to pay your entire cost at once.

You may also be able to successfully bargain down the particular dollar amounts you've been charged.

Tell the billing department that if your insurance requires, say, a 20% co-payment to the hospital, you'll pay only 20% of the insurer's negotiated rate with that hospital. That's usually far less than the initial rate quoted - the figure charged to uninsured patients.

Go online to check the rates other local hospitals charge for the procedure you had. Then, if you find your bill was way out of line, use this data as ammunition to try to get your fees lowered. You can get this type of information at such sites as Clear Health Costs, Healthcare Blue Book and FAIR Health.

Also consider using Medicare rates as a guide; the federal health system for people 65 and older typically has the lowest reimbursement rate for hospitals and medical providers. Your hospital may not agree to charge you its Medicare fee, but this figure is a good starting point for any negotiation.

5. Consider hiring a pro. Since hospital bills are hairy, messy beasts, it may be worth your while to bring in a patient- or medical-billing advocate (Detweiler recommends the advocacy firm Copatient.com, which charges 30% of what it saves you) or an attorney. "It's like hiring a CPA to do your taxes," Dale says.

Be sure you won't be required to pay this expert any fees upfront. Patient advocates typically charge 20 to 30% of your savings; some put a cap on their fees. Karis' firm, for example, charges no more than $3,000. Attorneys often charge 30% of the savings they achieve.

... ... ...

Caroline Mayer is a consumer reporter who spent 25 years working for The Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter TWTR -0.69% @consumermayer.

[Nov 22, 2016] Negotiating can cut hundreds off your medical bills

Notable quotes:
"... There are also companies who claim they have a network of physicians throughout the state who offer medical services for 50 percent off or more. ..."
13 WTHR Indianapolis
But you can fight back against skyrocketing medical costs.

"I've heard discounts up in the area of 30 percent sometimes, which can be pretty significant," said Cathryn Perron, director of program development with Consumer Credit Counseling.

She says it's possible to negotiate down your medical bills - everything from ambulance rides to surgery. She says you can also bargain with your dentist, the lab that does your blood tests, the eye doctor - even the company that makes you prescription medication.

"Each company has a specific number you can call to fill out an application and many times, you'll get a discount, or you'll get the product free through the drug companies, if you qualify financially," Perron said.

All you have to do, with or without insurance, is make a call. Each case is handled differently. In most cases, everyone wants to pay the bill, but they're afraid to contact their doctor or hospital. They'll work with you to make sure the cost is paid.

So how do you pay less?

There are a number of options:

Charity care - Bills are forgiven, based on your income and expenses, but you'll have to fill out hardship paperwork.

"You'll most likely have to provide proof of income, they'll ask about your monthly living expenses and your other bills that you have to pay every month," said Perron.

Sholar called Indianapolis EMS.

"He says, 'Sir, you got to pay for the ambulance, all the stuff in the ambulance, the two people who drive the ambulance. That's just the way it is'," he said.

But he didn't give up.

"This bill says $1,300. She said, 'Yeah, that sounds about right.' I said, 'Let me talk to a supervisor'," Sholar said. "The supervisor's name is John. John wasn't too happy."

Mike put on the pressure and the bill was reduced by $532. The wounds to his buttocks are healed, but the other injury he got that night, on his thumb, is a constant reminder of the cost of healthcare.

"I don't need no X-rays, I don't need no other stuff. Just give me the stitches and I still haven't received a bill for that," he said.

But he's ready to negotiate and he says, in the future, he'll also weigh the costs before calling 911.

"I would have put a rag over it and got a ride here," he said.

Tips to Negotiate Your Medical Costs

Consumer Credit Counseling and Apprisen offer tips to get your medical bills reduced:

First and foremost be informed. Understand what type of medical insurance coverage you have and what your co-pays or financial responsibilities are. Some insurance companies have contracts with certain medical providers to offer a discount if you receive treatment from a "preferred provider." We encourage individuals to meet with their Human Resource department or contact their insurance company to speak with a representative about their coverage and benefits prior to receiving medical treatment. This could reduce your financial responsibility significantly.

Apprisen recommends for you to review your itemized statement from your medical provider. If you feel there are discrepancies or charges in question, contact your medical provider to meet with their Patient Account Specialist to discuss your questions or discrepancies. Communication is a vital part of resolving your issues. Simply ignoring communication from your medical provider will not resolve the issue and could potentially lead to a negative impact on your credit rating if resolution is not reached.

Whether you have insurance or not, you are encouraged to contact your medical provider prior to treatment (if possible) to discuss costs associated with your treatment and to work out the possibility of negotiating those costs down. Many medical providers will consider giving discounts to individuals who are willing to pay the balance in full upon services rendered or within a short period of time after receiving treatment. If you find yourself in a position where you are not able to pay the balance in full, consider negotiating with your medical provider for a monthly repayment plan interest free. You are encourage to analyze your personal budget to insure you are able to make the financial commitment to your medical provider. Negotiating your medical bill then failing to follow through with the financial payment arrangement could negate your hard effort to reduce your medical bill.

If you are uninsured, you are encouraged to meet with a Patient Account Specialist or a "decision maker" to see if you qualify for any financial hardship programs. Most hardship programs require you to provide evidence of your financial situation and the award is based on financial need. Be prepared to give a full budget disclosure in order to be considered for the hardship program.

Apprisen's mission is "To help people improve their financial well-being through counseling, community outreach and financial education."

You can call Apprisen at 1-800-355-2227 or visit apprisen.com.

There are also companies who claim they have a network of physicians throughout the state who offer medical services for 50 percent off or more. You can find out more about those companies at objectivedx.com.

[Nov 22, 2016] Hiring a Guide to the Medical Bill Maze by Lewis Braham

Notable quotes:
"... As part of her husband's benefits package, Isaac had access to a medical billing assistance company called Health Advocate . It negotiated with the physician's health-care group to reduce her bill to $7,000. ..."
Apr 29, 2013 | Bloomberg

When Annrose Isaac's twins were born prematurely, she thought her insurer would cover their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. "The hospital was in our network, but it turned out the physician in the NICU who saw our daughters didn't participate with our insurer," says the Westwood (New Jersey)-based financial planner. "All of a sudden we were getting bills for over $30,000."

As part of her husband's benefits package, Isaac had access to a medical billing assistance company called Health Advocate. It negotiated with the physician's health-care group to reduce her bill to $7,000.

More than 60 percent of all U.S. personal bankruptcies are linked to illness and unpaid medical bills, according to a 2009 Harvard University study, even though 78 percent of those filing for bankruptcy because of illness have some form of health insurance. So hiring a medical billing advocate can be an essential part of the cure to financial ills.

Yet finding the right advocate can be tough, and those in the direst situations can ill afford the typical $75- to $130-an-hour rate. "This business is painfully slow-growing," says Becky Stephenson, co-president of the Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals (ACAP), an advocate trade group. "There are a lot of people with problems but not a lot of people willing to pay you to help them." Despite long experience, Stephenson herself has trouble making a good living purely from advocacy, so she supplements her income by serving as an expert witness in medical lawsuits.

Employees working at sizable companies may already have access to a health advocate. Just over half of U.S. companies with more than 500 employees offer it as a benefit, according to Steven Noeldner, a senior consultant for Mercer's Total Health Management practice. Many employees don't know the benefit exists, he says, and the services generally aren't as customized as those of an independent billing advocate.

Credential Check

Unlike with more established professions such as accounting or law, there is no standard credential to look for when seeking a qualified advocate. At the most basic level you should ask if an advocate has certifications in medical bill coding from either the American Academy of Professional Coders or the American Health Information Management Association.

Many people with those designations aren't advocates, however, working instead for hospitals or insurers. And understanding the codes is only half the battle. Because of the complexity of our health-care system, you'll need someone who specializes in your specific kind of billing problem.

A good place to start is Claims.org, ACAP's website. It lets you search for experienced advocates by state. In a case like Isaac's, you'd need someone who specializes in hospital bills. Other advocates specialize in Medicare appeals, long-term care insurance, workers' compensation and insurance for special needs children.

Privacy Issues

The best way to find the right specialist is to ask the advocate for a resume and references. This can be tricky, because laws about disclosing private medical information are so strict that some advocates have difficulty providing references. In order to do so, their clients must agree to discuss their medical history.

Stephenson specializes in hospital bill audits. She studies itemized bills line by line, identifies padding and mistakes and negotiates lower rates. Prior to starting her Austin (Texas)-based advocacy firm VersaClaim in 2002, she ran an organization that helped doctors affiliated with hospitals set up their practices. That included all aspects of hospital billing.

A registered nurse for 12 years, Stephenson has an intimate knowledge of medical terminology and hospital procedures. "I ask questions like, Are there dosages of medications that are not compatible with my medical experience in real life?" she says. "Do the charges look realistic, or is there an $85 Tylenol?"

Location Matters

Another important factor to consider is an advocate's location. State laws vary in how they regulate insurers and hospitals. For Katalin Goencz, an advocate in Stamford, Connecticut, location is often irrelevant because she specializes in Medicare appeals: "The rules for Medicare are federal and pretty much universal, so the client's location doesn't really matter."

For a patient negotiating a lower bill directly with a local hospital or private insurer, having an advocate who knows the specific state regulations helps. State rules for advocates can also vary dramatically. Florida has some of the strictest. "Due to the large senior population in our state, we have a strong urge to make sure our people adjusting medical claims are licensed, competent and held to a high standard," says Matthew Guy, a spokesman for Florida's Division of Agent and Agency Services, which licenses and regulates advocates.

The state's Public Adjuster license for advocates requires licensees to be fingerprinted, have a criminal background check and hold a $50,000 surety bond. "If there's any wrongdoing by the adjuster, we can take the bond amount and use that towards restitution for the consumer," Guy says. Adjusters must pass an exam and take 24 hours of continuing education classes every two years.

Contingency Basis

A handful of advocates will work on contingency if they think you have a negotiable claim. Most will impose strict conditions to ensure they get paid if they win. "When I started my practice, I did everything on contingency but learned very quickly that a lot of consumers who want you to take their case on contingency in the end don't want to pay you," says Sheri Samotin, a billing advocate at Life Bridge Solutions in Naples, Florida.

Now Samotin requires a credit-card authorization up front for an amount sufficient to cover what her estimated contingency fee will be if her work succeeds. If the client doesn't pay within 10 days of a settlement being reached, she charges the card. Her fee is 35 percent of the client's medical bill savings.

Samotin is unusual in the advocacy world as she is more of a generalist, taking on all kinds of medical billing problems, including those of the uninsured. She has 25 years of experience in the health-care industry, so she has the knowledge to handle different kinds of problems, Samotin says. For a monthly $285 fee she will manage her clients' entire billing life -- a common need for seniors who have lost their capacity or desire to manage daily finances.

Instead of being a member of ACAP, Samotin is a member of the American Association of Daily Money Managers, a trade group for generalists. Only a handful of the AADMM's 700-plus members have the skills to also handle medical billing advocacy, Samotin says. Nor does she expect rapid growth in the field.

"Because this is a disorganized profession, people entering the field have to be entrepreneurs," she says. "They have to hang out their shingle and go out and get clients. In my experience, the majority of people who are good medical analysts and advocates are not necessarily good business getters."

So until the profession matures, finding a good advocate will remain difficult, no matter how vital the service is.

(Lewis Braham is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh.)

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Suzanne Woolley at [email protected]

[Apr 05, 2013] How to handle medical bill problems by Lisa Zamosky

Notable quotes:
"... Most states have laws saying that patients are entitled to an itemized medical bill that details what services and supplies are included in their charges. ..."
"... In 2006, California passed a law to prevent hospitals from collecting more money from uninsured patients than what Medicare or other public programs would pay for the same service. ..."
"... "Once a patient contacts the hospital and shows evidence of their financial situation, state law requires us to offer a discount based on Medicare rates," says Jan Emerson-Shea, vice president of external affairs for the California Hospital Assn. ..."
"... All communications with a provider should be in writing, experts say. Insist that your account be placed on hold until the dispute is resolved to avoid having the bill sent to collections. ..."
"... If you meet with resistance, don't waste time by calling back the customer service line or billing department. Go straight to the top. ..."
"... filing a complaint with your state's department of insurance. ..."
Apr 05, 2013 | http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/05

For those with confusing or huge hospital bills, experts advise knowing rights, getting written explanations, turning to the right places for help and filing complaints if necessary.

When Keith Yaskin and his wife, Loren, rushed their 2-year-old son to the hospital with a dangerous infection in his neck, they weren't thinking about how much his care would cost. After his three-day inpatient stay with nonstop intravenous antibiotics, they were hit with $8,900 in charges.

But the toughest lesson for the Scottsdale, Ariz., couple came a month or so later when they began to sort out the hospital bills. Their insurance policy had a $10,000 deductible. So they scrutinized every item, made some calls and had a few surprises.

When, for instance, they asked a medical group they had never heard of why it was charging them $839.25, they said they got no clear answers, just threats if they failed to pay.

After 21/2 months of calls and a complaint to their state attorney general, the Yaskins finally learned that a pediatrician affiliated with the group had treated their son in the hospital. The medical group eventually cut the bill in half.

None of this surprises Pat Palmer, the founder of Medical Billing Advocates of America. "We get feedback from consumers saying that providers are telling them 'We can't give you an itemized statement' or 'You should have asked for it before you left the hospital.'"

The idea is to discourage patients from asking for the details behind the charges, she said.

Experts offer a range of suggestions for dealing with medical billing problems.

Know your rights. Most states have laws saying that patients are entitled to an itemized medical bill that details what services and supplies are included in their charges.

"You can't be billed if they can't tell you what they are charging for," Palmer says.

Contact the billing department at either the hospital or medical group where you received services, she said. Let them know that you want an itemized bill, and tell them you are aware of your legal right to have it.

Also, a few states have laws limiting how much hospitals can charge patients who pay for care on their own. In 2006, California passed a law to prevent hospitals from collecting more money from uninsured patients than what Medicare or other public programs would pay for the same service.

"Once a patient contacts the hospital and shows evidence of their financial situation, state law requires us to offer a discount based on Medicare rates," says Jan Emerson-Shea, vice president of external affairs for the California Hospital Assn.

Get explanations in writing and take protests to the top. All communications with a provider should be in writing, experts say. Insist that your account be placed on hold until the dispute is resolved to avoid having the bill sent to collections.

If you meet with resistance, don't waste time by calling back the customer service line or billing department. Go straight to the top.

Address a certified letter to the chief executive or chief financial officer of the hospital or medical group explaining that you have tried to resolve billing issues but have hit a brick wall. "The CEO and CFO will take it very seriously," Palmer says.

Get help from your insurer. In the Yaskins' case, both the hospital and the medical group were in their insurer's network and had contracts to provide services at a negotiated discount.

"If you are in network - and this is one of the good reasons to stay in network - you can go to your insurer for help. It has a responsibility to some degree to what happens between you and a contracted physician," says Susan Pisano, spokeswoman for the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans.

Also, ask to make sure you're getting the rate your insurer has negotiated with in-network providers, says Lynn Quincy, senior health policy analyst for Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports. Insurers often pass claims through without processing them at the reduced rate. Ask your insurer to re-process the claim if the discount wasn't applied.

Seek help and file complaints. If your bill is large or you're having a hard time making headway, patient advocates can help sort things out. For either a flat fee or a share of the money you save, organizations such as Medical Billing Advocates of America (www.billadvocates.com) and Health Proponent (www.healthproponent.com) can help you fight charges or lower your bill.

If you're being stonewalled by your healthcare provider, and your insurer hasn't helped, Quincy of Consumers Union suggests filing a complaint with your state's department of insurance. In California, patients with HMO coverage can file a complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care by calling (888) 466-2219 or visiting healthhelp.ca.gov. Californians with PPO coverage should try the Department of Insurance at (800) 927-HELP (4357) or visit http://www.insurance.ca.gov. If your provider isn't contracted with your insurer, your state's attorney general's office is a place to turn for help.

The Yaskins ultimately enlisted the services of an advocate to help them sort through all their billing questions.

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Vol 25, No.12 (December, 2013) Rational Fools vs. Efficient Crooks The efficient markets hypothesis : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2013 : Unemployment Bulletin, 2010 :  Vol 23, No.10 (October, 2011) An observation about corporate security departments : Slightly Skeptical Euromaydan Chronicles, June 2014 : Greenspan legacy bulletin, 2008 : Vol 25, No.10 (October, 2013) Cryptolocker Trojan (Win32/Crilock.A) : Vol 25, No.08 (August, 2013) Cloud providers as intelligence collection hubs : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : Inequality Bulletin, 2009 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Copyleft Problems Bulletin, 2004 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Energy Bulletin, 2010 : Malware Protection Bulletin, 2010 : Vol 26, No.1 (January, 2013) Object-Oriented Cult : Political Skeptic Bulletin, 2011 : Vol 23, No.11 (November, 2011) Softpanorama classification of sysadmin horror stories : Vol 25, No.05 (May, 2013) Corporate bullshit as a communication method  : Vol 25, No.06 (June, 2013) A Note on the Relationship of Brooks Law and Conway Law

History:

Fifty glorious years (1950-2000): the triumph of the US computer engineering : Donald Knuth : TAoCP and its Influence of Computer Science : Richard Stallman : Linus Torvalds  : Larry Wall  : John K. Ousterhout : CTSS : Multix OS Unix History : Unix shell history : VI editor : History of pipes concept : Solaris : MS DOSProgramming Languages History : PL/1 : Simula 67 : C : History of GCC developmentScripting Languages : Perl history   : OS History : Mail : DNS : SSH : CPU Instruction Sets : SPARC systems 1987-2006 : Norton Commander : Norton Utilities : Norton Ghost : Frontpage history : Malware Defense History : GNU Screen : OSS early history

Classic books:

The Peter Principle : Parkinson Law : 1984 : The Mythical Man-MonthHow to Solve It by George Polya : The Art of Computer Programming : The Elements of Programming Style : The Unix Hater’s Handbook : The Jargon file : The True Believer : Programming Pearls : The Good Soldier Svejk : The Power Elite

Most popular humor pages:

Manifest of the Softpanorama IT Slacker Society : Ten Commandments of the IT Slackers Society : Computer Humor Collection : BSD Logo Story : The Cuckoo's Egg : IT Slang : C++ Humor : ARE YOU A BBS ADDICT? : The Perl Purity Test : Object oriented programmers of all nations : Financial Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2008 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2010 : The Most Comprehensive Collection of Editor-related Humor : Programming Language Humor : Goldman Sachs related humor : Greenspan humor : C Humor : Scripting Humor : Real Programmers Humor : Web Humor : GPL-related Humor : OFM Humor : Politically Incorrect Humor : IDS Humor : "Linux Sucks" Humor : Russian Musical Humor : Best Russian Programmer Humor : Microsoft plans to buy Catholic Church : Richard Stallman Related Humor : Admin Humor : Perl-related Humor : Linus Torvalds Related humor : PseudoScience Related Humor : Networking Humor : Shell Humor : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2011 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2012 : Financial Humor Bulletin, 2013 : Java Humor : Software Engineering Humor : Sun Solaris Related Humor : Education Humor : IBM Humor : Assembler-related Humor : VIM Humor : Computer Viruses Humor : Bright tomorrow is rescheduled to a day after tomorrow : Classic Computer Humor

The Last but not Least Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand ~Archibald Putt. Ph.D


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Last modified: July, 24, 2021