GOP Must Mobilize the Elderly Against Obamacare

[megimoo]

Dick Morris: GOP Must Mobilize the Elderly Against Obamacare
http://video.newsmax.com/?bcpid=20972460001&bclid=22770166001&bctid=34771263001

Dick Morris: “If the elderly understand that they are the victims, that this is a program to take $200 billion from [elderly] medical care and give it to the medical care of people who are in many cases legal and illegal immigrants… then I think the Democrats may well back down
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/dick_morris_healthcare/2009/08/20/250373.html
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comments:
He is right. Elderly don't care or even know about costs, in many cases health care doesn't cost them anything out of pocket.What they do care about is if government starts rationing services they've come to rely on. Make ObamaCare = RationCare, and they are off the Healthcare Reform bus.

Explain to them that covering more people carries with it much more costs and that it will have to come at their expense, and you will have a quiet riot that will be felt by their elected Democrats

[stsinner]

Contrary to what most people believe, Medicare is not free for the elderly! My grandfather pays $133 per month for Medicare and $30 for the Part B prescription coverage, and then when he gets hospitalized Medicare pays 80%, and he has to pay the remainder, unless he gets secondary coverage like Blue Cross or Harvard Pilgrim.

I just want everyone to know that, because it will make it easier to sell it to the elderly, as I do believe they care about cost!!

[Milly]

Contrary to what most people believe, Medicare is not free for the elderly! My grandfather pays $133 per month for Medicare and $30 for the Part B prescription coverage, and then when he gets hospitalized Medicare pays 80%, and he has to pay the remainder, unless he gets secondary coverage like Blue Cross or Harvard Pilgrim.

I just want everyone to know that, because it will make it easier to sell it to the elderly, as I do believe they care about cost!!

You're correct about the 80/20% split on Medicare payments, but a lot of doctors (around here, at least) accept assignment. i.e., they accept whatever Medicare pays as payment in full, even though they billed for more.

I might suggest that anyone on Medicare check their statements closely, though. My mom's cardiologist billed her for an office visit 3 weeks after she was buried. Neat trick.

[sgrooms]

You are all correct about the 80/20 split. Almost, if not all providers are mandated to accept assignment. The ambulance services in this country went on a fee schedule about 6 years ago and we were mandated to accept assignment at that time.

Before that there were some services out there that billed for excess charges and made out like bandits. Today that is against the law and those services are going or have gone broke because Medicare does not pay enough to cover the cost of doing business.

For doctors? I don't know. Hospitals? I don't know either. Hospitals can self tax and draw down a tremendous amount of money from the government to supplement their income. Scam Central 101. But Medicare may come closer to covering their actual cost of doing business but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Medicare part B is not free. The worst part is if you chose not to take Part B, all those outpatient visits, procedures, and certain other services are not covered. Those things are EXPENSIVE! Keep a sharp eye out. When this universal insurance is passed, and it will be, we are all going to be taking a big one up the arse.