(In 2008, Medicare paid over 686 million dollars for powerchairs, it is approaching 1.3 billion this year). I was wathcing TV and on came the commercial for the Scooter Store. They basically said that if you had Medicare, they would do all the paperwork to get you a power chair at no cost to you. Of, course I know that they would only do something like that if there was money to be made and sure enough, I found that Medicare would pay $11,000 for a chair that the Scooter Store could get for $6000. Then came the commercial for diabetes testing equipment. Sure enough, if you have Medicare, they will do all the work and you dont have to pay a cent. Well it appears that durable medical goods are the fastest growing Medicare expense. Things like power chairs, hospital beds, home oxygen equipment. Its not physicains fees. In fact, inflation adjusted, physicians make less now than they did in 1984.
It cant wait until I'm old enough for Medicare so I can get me a free power chair, this walking around the hospital on rounds wears me out.
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4 comments:
LOL! You're funny Throckmorton! :)
Oh .. you better be getting old for MDCR real soon because they say that won't be around for us. ;)
Throckmorton ...please tell me that this administration WILL NOT get this health care debacle passed.
*sigh* So much to say here... just venting.. have a lot to do now ...but I hear/read all these things and I feel like we're in a foreign country... or universe.
Okay ... like this never would've moved me as much or even at all a year ago.
A couple of days ago..I was looking through our local Advertiser paper and there was a picture of some grade school children all holding American flags. In celebration of something with the Constitution the children sang patriotic songs and learned about the constitution.
I could've cried..seriously.
That was something I always took for granted and now I am hearing how sanitized the American history books are now. I just assumed our sons were being taught everything ..and perhaps they were back then.
I was so moved ..I almost called that school to ask for the principal ..let them know how pleased I was to see that, etc.
But then I wasn't sure if that would be appropriate since my sons never went to that district.
The little I've heard with this health care bill is so disturbing. What is wrong with these people? Seriously! ???
I feel threatened as an American citizen. Concerned about national sovereignty, individual rights, financial future, the military, continuation of quality health care,education, American heritage..even Christmas!
I'm sure there is more.
Paying $11,000 for a $6,000 power chair is a good example of the kinds of efficiencies that will be introduced all across the medical system by state control of health care. This is how health care reform will be more cost effective.
They'll waste $5,000 on each chair but I suppose they'll make it up in volume.
Throckmorton, you are 100%, dead on.
Single-Use catheters are the new "hot item" for the ATTENTION MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES commercials...
It would be nice if these companies were really helping suffering seniors but their M/O is to find the loopholes with a profit margin worth buying TV airtime- and that's what they offer. Meanwhile, they get rich providing needed items that should be free to begin with. This is not free enterprise- it's a scam.
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