Paul Ryan, Enemy of the Middle Class?

[GarfieldJL]

He was obviously referring to preventable deaths and treatable sicknesses.

Yeah I've heard that song and dance before, but there are some serious flaws in that logic.

1. A lot of treatments that exist today didn't exist 100 years ago... Kinda hard to save someone with a medical treatment that didn't even exist at the time.

2. A lot of the lack of access actually had to do with transportation, not finances.

3. The ability to detect cancers for instance among other things didn't exist 100 years ago.

 

[Assuredcw]

Yeah I've heard that song and dance before, but there are some serious flaws in that logic.

1. A lot of treatments that exist today didn't exist 100 years ago... Kinda hard to save someone with a medical treatment that didn't even exist at the time.

2. A lot of the lack of access actually had to do with transportation, not finances.

3. The ability to detect cancers for instance among other things didn't exist 100 years ago.

One easy fix for Medicare is to increase premums and negotiate reimbursements on the Medicare Part D, instead of paying retail. This would make the drug coverage more efficient, and share in the efficiencies of Medicare itself. They were talking about "means testing" for Medicare, but I would want identical coverages for everyone and a sliding scale for premiums. I think this might be how it already works, so stop with means-testing already! Medicare is not free -- you should get some coverage for your money, rather than paying a premium and ending up with deductibles that would be more for catastrophic coverage than normal health insurance.

 

[Assuredcw]

I hope Chairman Ryan takes a look at this:

The five biggest lies about entitlement programs - latimes.com

He needs a reality check on how much he can expect to "save" from the General Fund, by cutting supposed "entitlement" expenditures that don't even come from the General Fund in the first place.

 

[GarfieldJL]

I hope Chairman Ryan takes a look at this:

The five biggest lies about entitlement programs - latimes.com

He needs a reality check on how much he can expect to "save" from the General Fund, by cutting supposed "entitlement" expenditures that don't even come from the General Fund in the first place.

Actually, what Chairman Paul Ryan would like to do is introduce some more accountability into the equation.

The double billing for instance alone could potentially save billions...

There are a lot of things that can probably be cut out of it without harming any of the services.

 

[Assuredcw]

Actually, what Chairman Paul Ryan would like to do is introduce some more accountability into the equation.

The double billing for instance alone could potentially save billions...

There are a lot of things that can probably be cut out of it without harming any of the services.

What YOU are suggesting wouldn't be a problem. But that's not the idea that Paul Ryan has become famous for, and that he has reintroduced. Paul Ryan is famous for his idea of turning the Medicare program into an "insurance support" voucher, which would give you a fixed amount to go out and buy your own insurance in the (for profit) market. That's not exactly what you are suggesting.

 

[Boondock_Saint]

Now I don't hear anyone attacking McCain. I think that's because nobody is afraid he will run for President. Paul Ryan is not the enemy of the middle class. The left simply does not like the man's politics. He's just the other side of the spectrum. Something necessary for a republic and a democracy to thrive.

Reducing taxes on the rich does not mean he is increasing taxes elsewhere. It means he wants to reduce taxes and cut spending. Something Democrats don't want to happen. Hence the attacks on Paul Ryan.

 

[Assuredcw]

Now I don't hear anyone attacking McCain. I think that's because nobody is afraid he will run for President. Paul Ryan is not the enemy of the middle class. The left simply does not like the man's politics. He's just the other side of the spectrum. Something necessary for a republic and a democracy to thrive.

Reducing taxes on the rich does not mean he is increasing taxes elsewhere. It means he wants to reduce taxes and cut spending. Something Democrats don't want to happen. Hence the attacks on Paul Ryan.

You are entitled to your opinion. I simply do not agree. I do not like Paul Ryan's policies, and the fact that he was chosen as the last Republican VP running mate just adds insult to injury. But I had a thread on Crosswalk.com about Paul Ryan, YEARS before Paul Ryan was even talked about as a Presidential candidate, and you will note that this thread on this site dates WAY before Ryan was announced as Mitt Romney's running mate for 2012 (I first posted it October 29, 2011). It has always been about Paul Ryan's policies, and if he can't take the criticism, he shouldn't be the House Budget Committee Chairman. I don't know what to tell you.

 

[GarfieldJL]

What YOU are suggesting wouldn't be a problem. But that's not the idea that Paul Ryan has become famous for, and that he has reintroduced. Paul Ryan is famous for his idea of turning the Medicare program into an "insurance support" voucher, which would give you a fixed amount to go out and buy your own insurance in the (for profit) market. That's not exactly what you are suggesting.

Given the amount of waste fraud and abuse in the Federal Government currently, I would trust a Used Car salesman more than some of the clowns that are going to be running healthcare under Obamacare.

Let's put it this way, if the private insurers try to pull shannigans under Ryan's plan, they can always face legal action from the Federal Government for breach of contracts, additionally if one private insurer is pulling shannigans, another insurer can attact people to them and thus people switch policies and the first insurer gets ran out of business.

Competition brings accountability to the equation, provided one of the competitors isn't the one that can change the rules for everyone on a whim (in other words as long as the government isn't one of the competitors).

 

[mpok1519]

Given the amount of waste fraud and abuse in the Federal Government currently, I would trust a Used Car salesman more than some of the clowns that are going to be running healthcare under Obamacare.

The vast majority of Medicare fraud is committed by doctors and private companies, not by Medicare itself. For instance, the Scooter Store overbooked medicare by a hundred million, and basically were allowing people to get power chairs when they didn't meet Medicare requirements.

Learn your facts folks! Most Medicare fraud is committe by PRIVATE industry.

 

[GarfieldJL]

The vast majority of Medicare fraud is committed by doctors and private companies, not by Medicare itself. For instance, the Scooter Store overbooked medicare by a hundred million, and basically were allowing people to get power chairs when they didn't meet Medicare requirements.

Learn your facts folks! Most Medicare fraud is committe by PRIVATE industry.

Most of the Medicare fraud that is caught involves Private industry, that doesn't mean that's where most of the fraud is taking place.

Also, the government constantly changes their codes for billing among other things, so a lot what you are citing can be simple paperwork errors due to arbitrary code changes on the forms that have to be filled out...

 

[Pommer]

Most of the Medicare fraud that is caught involves Private industry, that doesn't mean that's where most of the fraud is taking place.

Thank you for warming my brain.

 

[GarfieldJL]

Thank you for warming my brain.

It's called people being held accountable, private industry is held accountable when they pull shannigans. Fact is the government doesn't hold itself accountable for the shannigans it pulls.

 

[Pommer]

It's called people being held accountable, private industry is held accountable when they pull shannigans. Fact is the government doesn't hold itself accountable for the shannigans it pulls.

What shenanigans are you suggesting get pulled? How are those shenanigans "fraud"?

 

[Assuredcw]

What shenanigans are you suggesting get pulled? How are those shenanigans "fraud"?

You've never heard of medical "mills" that churn out fake billings for services that were never provided? Of course, these are organized criminal enterprises for the most part. It's a racket.

That's why privatizing Medicare would only make the problem worse, because there would be no oversight. We need to keep Medicare single-payer, and close the loopholes that the criminals keep finding. Attack those vulnerabilities that the criminals seem to know about, in the way that Medicare claims are processed, that allow certain things to occasionally go under the radar.

Here's a link:

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/October/12-ag-1205.html

 

[mpok1519]

Most of the Medicare fraud that is caught involves Private industry, that doesn't mean that's where most of the fraud is taking place.

Also, the government constantly changes their codes for billing among other things, so a lot what you are citing can be simple paperwork errors due to arbitrary code changes on the forms that have to be filled out...

I work for CMS.

Paper work errors are not considered fraud. If a coding error occurs, the provider can resubmit the claim with the correct information.

Medicare has no reason to defraud itself nor is there anyway for Medicare to actually do it. How does Medicare defraud itself may I ask?

The overwhelming majority of fraud is from the providers, the rest is from beneficiaries submitting their own claims.

 

[Pommer]

You've never heard of medical "mills" that churn out fake billings for serves that were never provided? Of course, these are organized criminal enterprises for the most part. It's a racket.

That's why privatizing Medicare would only make the problem worse, because there would be no oversight. We need to keep Medicare single-payer, and close the loopholes that the criminals keep finding. Attack those vulnerabilities that the criminals seem to know about, in the way that Medicare claims are processed, that allow certain things to occasionally go under the radar.

Here's a link:

USDOJ: Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 91 Individuals for Approximately $430 Million in False Billing

Please note the context of my query: I was asking GarfieldJL "what specific shenanigans are being pulled in the public sector?" since he strongly implied that most fraud is committed by those in the public sector.

 

[Assuredcw]

Please note the context of my query: I was asking GarfieldJL "what specific shenanigans are being pulled in the public sector?" since he strongly implied that most fraud is committed by those in the public sector.

I was supporting GarfieldJL's statement that the private sector makes a lot of the existing Medicare fraud possible in the first place. That appears to be correct. I have no idea what you mean by "the public sector." Maybe someone else can follow up on your question.

Anywho, I wonder what Paul Ryan proposes doing about Medicare fraud, once he dismantles "Obamacare," because that Justice Dept link I just provided, talks about the anti-Medicare fraud safeguards that the Affordable Care Act created, that helped the Justice Dept to catch a lot of people in the last round of busts.

Quoting from that link:

“Today’s arrests put criminals on notice that we are cracking down hard on people who want to steal from Medicare,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius. “The health care law gives us new tools to better fight fraud and make Medicare stronger. In addition to the arrests made today, HHS used new authority from the health care law to stop future payments to many of the health care providers suspected of fraud, saving Medicare resources and taxpayer dollars from being lost to fraud in the first place.”

Dozens of charged individuals were arrested or surrendered in the last 24 hours as indictments were unsealed across the country. Together, those indictments charge more than $230 million in home health care fraud; more than $100 million in mental health care fraud and more than $49 million in ambulance transportation fraud; and millions more in other frauds.

HHS also suspended or took other administrative action against 30 health care providers following a data-driven analysis and based upon credible allegations of fraud. Under the Affordable Care Act, HHS is able to suspend payments until the resolution of an investigation.

The joint Department of Justice and HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a multi-agency team of federal, state and local investigators and prosecutors designed to combat Medicare fraud through the use of Medicare data analysis techniques. More than 500 law enforcement agents from the FBI, HHS-OIG, multiple Medicaid Fraud Control Units, and other state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the takedown.

 

[GarfieldJL]

I work for CMS.

Paper work errors are not considered fraud. If a coding error occurs, the provider can resubmit the claim with the correct information.

Medicare has no reason to defraud itself nor is there anyway for Medicare to actually do it. How does Medicare defraud itself may I ask?

The overwhelming majority of fraud is from the providers, the rest is from beneficiaries submitting their own claims.

Yeah, explains why a guy whom was missing both eyes, had to go to an eye doctor to see if his vision had improved, cause the Federal Government was trying to say he was somehow no longer disabled...

I mean seriously, since we don't have things like VISORS yet, I think it's safe to say his vision hasn't improved without wasting the our tax money and that guy's time.

 

[Assuredcw]

Here's what Paul Ryan has to say. He doesn't say one word about combating Medicare fraud.

Republicans resume effort to repeal 'Obamacare' - latimes.com


Key to Ryan's blueprint, to be unveiled Tuesday, is a return to a proposed Medicare overhaul that would create a voucher-like system for the next generation of seniors – when those who are now 55 or 56 become eligible for the program at 65. Under Ryan's plan, seniors would be given a set amount to apply toward the purchase of private health insurance or toward the cost of Medicare.
Critics say that would shift healthcare costs from the government to seniors, because there is no guarantee the value of the support would be enough to cover the costs of an insurance policy.

Irresponsible, on so many levels it's hard to overstate it!

 

[mpok1519]

Yeah, explains why a guy whom was missing both eyes, had to go to an eye doctor to see if his vision had improved, cause the Federal Government was trying to say he was somehow no longer disabled...

I mean seriously, since we don't have things like VISORS yet, I think it's safe to say his vision hasn't improved without wasting the our tax money and that guy's time.

SSDI needs medical records to justify the disability income one would get from social security. If his records didn't indicate medical necessity for services, then how does social security know he is disabled? Yeah he doesn't have two eyes. Doctors need to document this in order for Medicare to cover services.

This isn't a case of fraud.