Text 3489, 101 rader
Skriven 2006-07-07 13:40:00 av Robert E Starr JR (3962.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: Atheists: America's m
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* * * This message was from Josh Hill to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.m * * *
         * * * and has been forwarded to you by Lord Time * * *         
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On 4 Jul 2006 17:42:12 -0700, "ravend03x" <rkimd3@gmail.com> wrote:

>Josh Hill wrote:

>> My understanding of Medicare is that it spends about 98% of its funds
>> on actual medical expenses. For private insurers, that rate is less
>> than 80%.
>
>Interestingly, when it comes to some HMO's, especially in CA where they
>have been around longer, the average percentage that goes to actual
>health care is in the mid- 90's.  I think Kaiser Permanente scored
>about 95% and Alameda Alliance scored 97% a couple of years ago...

I can believe that, given that one of the original purposes of HMO's
was to minimize paperwork.

>>And the paperwork for Medicare is a good deal less onerous
>> and costly for the physician and his patients than the cost of dealing
>> with hundreds of different insurance plans.
>
>Unfortunately, I don't think medicare covers routine physicals, dental,
>eye care, or many other preventive services.

My dental expenses are routinely horrendous, so while shipping for
medical insurance I checked out the dental coverage. I wasn't able to
find much by way of dental coverage, and what was available was
essentially meaningless.

In the case of eye exams, I found this:

Medicare

The extent of coverage for eye examinations varies by state. Usually,
routine eye exams for refraction are not reimbursable, nor is the cost
of eyeglasses and contact lenses. However, Medicare will cover some
preventive eye tests and screening, such as glaucoma screening, if you
are eligible and have met the deductible. If you have been diagnosed
with an eye disease, even in an early stage, Medicare will pay for
future visits to the eye doctor and for any treatments considered
necessary, for example, photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for wet
AMD. 

It seems that they've expanded physicals:

"Medicare's coverage and Medicare's expenses have historically focused
on paying to treat costly health problems after they occur," said Mark
McClellan, MD, PhD, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. "With Medicare's new support to help seniors use
recommended preventive care and prescription drugs to avoid these
costly and debilitating problems, that's going to change."

Cancer screenings have been part of Medicare's benefits for many years
already. Medicare covers mammograms to look for breast cancer; Pap
tests and pelvic exams to screen for cervical and vaginal cancer;
colon cancer screening with fecal occult blood tests, sigmoidoscopy,
colonoscopy or barium enemas; and screening for prostate cancer with a
PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test and digital rectal
examination. 

Beneficiaries will now also be able to receive screening for heart
disease (cholesterol and other blood fat tests), diabetes, glaucoma,
and weak bones. Vaccinations for flu, pneumonia, and hepatitis B are
also covered.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_2_1x_Medicare_to_Offer_Introductory_Physicals_in_2005.asp


>The other interesting tidbit is why insurance companies started
>covering people through their jobs in the first place.  They figured
>that they could be fairly safe in selecting workers to partake of their
>policies and that they wouldn't have to pay out too much.  Their logic
>was that those who were working were more healthy than those who
>weren't so they would require fewer services.
>
>Tricky little devils, huh?

Heh, yes. It worked, too -- they pretty much ruined the whole concept
of insurance by insuring only those who weren't likely to get sick and
charging astronomical rates to everyone else . . .

-- 
Josh

"I love it when I'm around the country club, and I hear people talking about
the debilitating
effects of a welfare society. At the same time, they leave their kids a
lifetime and beyond
of food stamps. Instead of having a welfare officer, they have a trust officer.
And instead
of food stamps, they have stocks and bonds."

- Warren Buffett
                                                     
--- SBBSecho 2.11-Win32
 * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)