My on son is a cardiologist I know what I'm talking about. If what you
believe to be true, was actually true, why would any doctor accept ANY HMO
patients and agree to an even lower fee for his service? I told you the
doctors Medicare reimbursement rate for my surgery was nearly $6,000 and my
HMO settled at $2,800. Why would he do that?





> wrote in message
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> Mike Hunter wrote:
> wrote in message
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>>>>>Mike Hunter wrote:

>>I'm not confusing anything. The doctors bill was nearly $6,000 and my
>>HMO
>>settled at $2,800.
>>
> It's common, nearly universal, for reimbursement to be far less than
> the bill, and your example doesn't say anything about Medicare.
>>
>>In addition our VOLUNTEER community ambulance corps, of which I am a
>>member,
>>MUST submit a bill to my HMO for transporting me the five miles to the
>>hospital, BECAUSE I am over 65. The Medicare reimbursement rate is $850
>>for that five miles . My HMO settled for $420 plus a co-pay of $25.
>>Since
>>I pay $40 a year, to be a member, I do not need to pay the co-pay.
>>
>>The stupidity of the high Medicare rates is, if I were a member of the
>>corps
>>under 65, the corps would NOT charge me or my HMO a dime. Since I am of
>>65
>> and they did NOT bill the HMO they would be charged with Medicare fraud.
>> Medicare IS DEFINITELY one of the primary reasons for our high medical
>> care
>> cost in the US and for the reasons stated previously
>>
> Medicare WAS definitely one of the primary reasons for high medical
> costs - that was how President Johnson got the AMA to support its
> passage, but since the 1970s it's been the leader in cost cutting, so
> much that HMOs and the rest of the private insurance business have
> copied its practices. Doctors will tell you the 2 things they hate
> most are the low rates of Medicaid reimbursement and the hours they
> waste daily talking with HMOs and private insurers.