The Supreme Court and Healthcare Mandates

[diggitydot]

I'm sure this isn't a giant shock to anyone, but I agree with Heidi, 100%.

[corn poffi]

Agreed. Insurance companies are awful.

Nobody should have to file for bankruptcy because of a freak accident or a horrible, unforeseen illness.

[oceanchild]

Hospitals aren't the only ones who eat the costs for those who aren't insured or who are underinsured. Docs do too, and in a BIG way.

Right. I mean, charity care is an option, certainly, but it comes at a pretty big cost to physicians. Which is why it's certainly possible that getting everyone insured could improve physician compensation. Who knows if this particular plan will get there, though. I agree that the insurance companies will have a lot of influence (good OR bad) in how it plays out.

[HouseofWool]

So, was anything decided yesterday or will it be a bit before the written decision comes out?

[oceanchild]

People are expecting a decision in June.

[Pollyanna]

Which is why it's certainly possible that getting everyone insured could improve physician compensation. Who knows if this particular plan will get there, though. I agree that the insurance companies will have a lot of influence (good OR bad) in how it plays out.

Hmm, I highly doubt it will improve physician compensation. We know a large number of docs between the ages of 55 and 75 and they all say that once the HMOs moved into the picture and insurance companies began dictating how they were to practice medicine their compensation dropped like a rock. Most of these guys used to volunteer their services once or twice a week but when the insurance companies changed everything they could no longer afford to give their services for free. This wasn't about the docs being greedy, it was about them paying their staff, bills, and keeping food on the table at home. Insurance companies will always pay as little as they can to docs imho.

[diggitydot]

Depends on the specialty. Primary/family care docs will likely do better financially and highly specialized docs will not do quite as well as they are currently. The uptick in preventative care coverage will catch and treat conditions at far earlier stages, which will negate the need for more costly and specialized interventions.

[Pollyanna]

Depends on the specialty. Primary/family care docs will likely do better financially and highly specialized docs will not do quite as well as they are currently. The uptick in preventative care coverage will catch and treat conditions at far earlier stages, which will negate the need for more costly and specialized interventions.

I can see that to be the case I just don't trust the insurance companies and the government to screw all specialties.

[diggitydot]

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't have pay changes. I'm just explaining how increasing preventative care access will exert pressure on physician pay differently depending on specialty.

It won't necessarily change reimbursement rates, only the sheer number of patients with cases rising to the need of specialist care. Catching conditions earlier lowers costs to the entire healthcare system (less overutilization of expensive emergency care, in particular), and gives patients better prognoses. Since millions more people will have insurance coverage, they'll be more likely to go to their primary doc for screenings.

[PrincessFiona]

GMW, I agreed with you before u deleted it!

[Pollyanna]

Oh bummer, I hate missing part of the discussion.

[Ladybug]

Preventative care will go to advanced practice nurses. DNP programs (clinical doctorate degree) are being phased-in in 2015. General practioners pay is not heading up but to nurses who are more affordable. It's a win-win. Preventative care, more readily available for less money.

[GrayMatterWife]

GMW, I agreed with you before u deleted it!

Not in the mood to get my head torn off today. Need to feel the love from my iMSN buddies.

[scarlett09]

Hospitals aren't the only ones who eat the costs for those who aren't insured or who are underinsured. Docs do too, and in a BIG way.

I think the whole mess is all the fault of insurance companies. They are horrible corporations that make money, and a lot of it, by denying necessary medical care left and right, forcing doctors to write off thousands of dollars and people to lose everything.

I hate them all.

Agree 100%.

I have a friend from college who has lost both of his parents to cancer in the past year. The insurance companies were going after the father, who was undergoing cancer treatment, to collect on the bills from cancer treatment/hospice care from his recently deceased wife. Now these winners are going after the parents' estate/the friend and his younger brother to collect on their parents' bills. Absolutely ridiculous.

I don't know as much about this topic as I should, and I'm going to try and pay more attention to it now that SCOTUS is discussing it.

[Momo]

I heard a funny quote referring to the 3 days of oral arguments: "It was like Woodstock for the jurisprudence nerds!"