Posted by: AtlasMD

November 6, 2013

ACA Hysteria: Don’t Believe All The Hype (But Worry Nonetheless)

ACA Hysteria: Don’t Believe All The Hype (But Worry Nonetheless)

Michael Hiltzik from The Los Angeles Times wrote last week, “Obamacare’s critics are going to town on the cancellation letters millions of Americans are receiving from their health insurers…” This of course because of “healthcare reform” mandating that insurance plans meet certain requirements or be dissolved come Jan. 1.

Being as the President himself assured everyone that if they liked their insurance they’d be able to keep it, there’s obvious cause for alarm. Evidently, some people are especially bummed that they won’t get to keep their health plans that cost as little as $50 a month. Great price, right?

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Posted by: AtlasMD

November 1, 2013

We Love The Smell Of Red Tape In The Morning

Okay, so the title’s a bit sarcastic. But for anyone following the Obamacare debacle, you’ll want to get your head around CNN’s helpful article, “5 Things We Learned From Sebelius Obamacare Hearing.”

Our favorite item is number 5, where we find out that, yes, it would be illegal for Sebelius to sign up for an exchange plan, but not for the original reasons that she used to justify her seeming hypocrisy (She’s eligible for Medicare so that’s what disqualified her from the exchange). Of course she still claimed that Obamacare’s great and that she’d sign up if she could. Although, if it was so great, why would Congress write its own members out of the plan?

Now we wouldn’t go this far, but wouldn’t it be great if a cash-only doc offered Sebelius such a low-cost membership that she opted for direct care over Medicare? Maybe that type of publicity stunt could turn all this media fervor into a more productive conversation.

READ THE COMPLETE CNN ARTICLE

Posted by: AtlasMD

November 1, 2013

Where Did Our Accountability Go?

Where Did Our Accountability Go?

Obamacare has been “live” for a month now and it’s been grim. Visitors trying to log on to the Obamacare website early Thursday morning saw the same stubborn phrase that has roiled users for weeks: “The system is down at the moment.” It’s been almost a full month since the HealthCare.gov website launched. Technical problems have riddled it despite a series of advance warning signs. And sure, there’s been a chorus of apologies out of Washington, but it may be another month before everything’s running smoothly.

Here’s some “accountability” that’s been taken: Vice President Joe Biden became the highest-ranking administration official to apologize Wednesday for the botched rollout. “We assumed that it was up and ready to run,” he told CNN’s sister network HLN. “But the good news is although it’s not — and we apologize for that — we are confident by the end of November it’ll be, and there’ll still be plenty of time for people to register and get online.” This came after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized during a 3 1/2-hour congressional grilling. To the frustrated users who have had problems, she said: “You deserve better. I apologize. I’m accountable to you for fixing these problems.”

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 31, 2013

We Hate To Say We Told You So…

But we kind of have to say we told you so. Here’s a “stop-what-you’re-doing” type of article from Forbes-contributor Avik Roy. Let’s start with the title, “Obama Officials In 2010: 93 Million Americans Will Be Unable To Keep Their Health Plans Under Obamacare” and then some telling quotes:

“Obama administration knew that Obamacare would disrupt private plans…”

“Mid-range estimate: 51% of employer-sponsored plans will get canceled…”

You know our stance. We’re not here to be political. But if ever there was a time to take the leap of faith and start offering cash-only medicine, now is it. There’s all sorts of wrenches in our healthcare system. We have the government jeopardizing the free market, forcing people out of insurance plans they liked, for something that is in certain cases more restrictive and more expensive.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 30, 2013

And The Survey Says… Doctors Are Resistant To The Affordable Care Act

According to a new survey reported on by the New York Post, “New York doctors are treating Obamacare like the plague.” The poll surveyed 409 physicians and was conducted by the New York State Medical Society. The results were ghastly. Here are the highlights:

  • 44 percent of MDs said they are not participating in the nation’s new healthcare plan
  • 33 percent of MDs are still undecided about whether or not to become Obamacare providers
  • Only 23 percent said they’re taking patients who signed up through health exchanges

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 24, 2013

Health Care Exchange Website Builders In The Hot Seat

USA Today reports from Washington that many of the problems that have plagued the HealthCare.gov website stemmed from high demand for health insurance coupled with confusion between contractors. So an official with a top government contractor will say in prepared testimony to a House panel on Thursday.

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 20, 2013

Even The New York Times Is Suggesting Catastrophic Insurance Plans

In his new New York Times healthcare piece, “Driving a New Bargain on Health Care,” Tyler Cowen spells out the hard truth of Obamacare failings. Based on his prognosis, a lack of states extending Medicaid coverage will leave millions uninsured. This isn’t something that should excite anyone. However, it’s leading to wake up calls from top journalists. In his assessment Cowen offers a reaction to this shortcoming:

“At the same time, I’d recommend narrowing the scope of required insurance to focus on catastrophic expenses. If insurance picks up too many small expenses, it encourages abuse and overuse of scarce resources.”

As you know, we’ve been suggesting this for years now. When we as a nation can’t provide care for our own, that’s failing. But when we know something isn’t working (health insurance as health maintenance, for one) and we keep doing it, that’s even worse. So yes, while we’re nowhere near a solution, we’re moving towards a society that recognizes one thing: coverage is not care. It’s a point worth mentioning, because to many people, the idea that EVERYONE is insured sounds like utopia. For now, we’ll be the squeaky wheel reminding you that this isn’t really the case.

READ THE FULL NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE HERE

Posted by: AtlasMD

October 18, 2013

Michigan’s Reaction To Obamacare? Direct Primary Care.

We mentioned a while back that Michigan took precautionary measures in light of Obamacare. You can read “The Return of Direct Primary Care” on Sen. Patrick Colbeck’s personal website. He outlines the state’s legislation, SB 459 and 460, which underscore the key values of direct care. Colbeck also explains why his state is not blindly adopting the Medicaid Expansion component of Obamacare.

He’s landed some powerful punches with his rhetoric. If any of them ring true with you, tweet them to your followers. If there’s one thing we know about politics, the squeaky wheel gets the oil — and if there’s no oil, that’s because the government shut down.

Jokes aside, we’re staunch supporters of Colbeck’s vision of prioritizing direct primary care, reducing insurance dependency, and re-establishing the patient-doctor relationship.

“[Insurance] coverage does not equate to quality care.” – @pjcolbeck [CLICK TO TWEET]

“Anytime a budget increases by over $1.5B, it is difficult to make the claim that we are ‘saving money’.” – @pjcolbeck [CLICK TO TWEET]

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Posted by: AtlasMD

October 17, 2013

Obamacare? Let CNBC Explain…

President Barack Obama has passed his landmark healthcare reform law. It’s referred to by several names—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or just the Affordable Care Act—but even the president uses the critic’s name: Obamacare.

Sure, the name is simple. But this is a complicated law. It wants to tackle two problems: first, it seeks to provide affordable health insurance to just about every American, and second, it wants to slow down the rate of inflation of healthcare costs, which account for nearly one-fifth of America’s economy (you saw John Green’s brilliant video, right?).

Okay, insurance for everyone sounds nice. We’re not going to argue with that sentiment, although the methodology might backfire. However, this second point sounds ludicrous.

“Add red tape to curb American healthcare costs? That’s like pouring gasoline on a fire because it’s liquid.” – @AtlasMD [CLICK TO TWEET]

Oh, and “the ACA will cost the government $1.36 trillion to implement over the next decade, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office,” says CNBC. Excellent. That’s just another tab that’s going to have to be picked up by someone, most likely someone who works and pays taxes.

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