A recent report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows that health care spending is down for the fourth year in a row. Patients have greatly benefited from this considering past increases in medical and premium costs. The Affordable Care Act has had minimal impact on this slowed growth even though the White House has taken credit for it in terms of lowering Medicare spending by penalizing hospitals with high readmission rates, for example.
Regardless of why it is happening, we are heading in the right direction. Reducing the growth of health care is vital to the overall integrity of our economy. People can't live their lives being one crisis away from losing everything they own.
1 comment:
I don't think you bothered analysing your own link.
Patients have greatly benefited from this considering past increases in medical and premium costs.
Have they? What categories would actual patients benefit from with decreased spending?
Hospital services? Up.
Physician and clinical services? Up.
Consumer spending? Up.
Medicaid spending? Up.
Categories with decreased spending:
Prescription drugs.
The main reason was an unusually large number of blockbuster drugs, such as Lipitor and Plavix, losing their patent protection. So people bought more lower-cost generics.
Hey look, free market works...
Private insurance premiums.
That's good...but..."enrollment remained 9.4 million below its 2007 level." Oh, less spending because less people covered. And..."increased popularity of high-deductible plans, which generally have lower premiums"... Oh, less spending because decreased coverage....
"Nursing care: This category grew only 1.6%, down from 4.3%. This was due, however, to a one-time reduction in Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities. "
Oh, the government decided to give the working specialists less money for the same work.... That's...uh.. nice of them. But since that is government spending, aren't you against reducing it Mark. After all, that reduces our GDP and hurts our economy right?
"Medicare spending growth pulled back slightly to 4.8%, compared to 5.0%, thanks to the one-time payment reduction for skilled nursing facilities. "
Reduction due to same reason as above.
And
"lowering Medicare spending by penalizing hospitals with high readmission rates, for example"
Have you thought about what that statement really means? What kind of hospital has higher readmission rates, what kind has lower? Is it possible that hospitals that treat sicker people have higher rates than those that tend to treat more minor issues? And that those hospitals that treat sicker people have more specialists in dealing with such sick people? And that such hospitals may also be the leading researchers on healing such sick people?
But it's OK to penalize such hospitals in favour of one's that deal mostly with less sick people?
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