How Will Government Health Care Effect Me?

So, you want to know how will be forced into government health care effect me?  Let me tell you.

First, we have a sort of government healthcare.  We have Tricare.  There are two forms of Tricare.  Tricare Standard is sort of like being on Medicare.  There are doctors out there who will take it, but it does cost you, the consumer, more money than Tricare Prime.  With Standard, you pay nothing for the year, but then you pay 20% of the bill the doctor gives the insurance company.  That's if they allow the whole amount.  If your doctor bills $100, you are responsible for $20.  But if the government only allows $45 for that bill, they will only pay 80% of that.  You are responsible for THE BALANCE.  That means instead of paying $20, you pay $64.  That's the difference between co-pay and cost-share.  Your co-pay would only be $9, but you would have to pay a $55 cost-share.

Now, Tricare Prime is treated like Medicaid by the medical community.  It's great for the person getting it, but since the government reimburses lower than even Medicaid, no one will take it.  I pay a yearly fee, then a set amount every time I go to the doctor.  If they don't reimburse as much as the doctor charges, oh well, doc has to write it off.  That's why no one takes it anymore.  Yes, I've lost doctors. 

So, the government health care program wants everyone to carry "an approved health care plan," which means a cadillac plan.  They want women past menopause to have child-birth coverage.    They claim children up to 26 can be on your plan, and yet my son was kicked off at the age of 21 (last year).  This is the same government that doesn't want women to get mammograms until they're 50 and then for only 20 years, they stop at 70.  I was diagnosed with high stage breast cancer at the age of 41.  I'd be dead.  I may still die because of Obamacare, because now I'm nearing 50 and have been battling it for a year and a half.  They may decide I'm not worth the cost and stop my care.

How do I know what they reimburse at?  I get a statement every month.  I'll share the last one with you.

I had labwork done.  The doctor charged $175 and the government only allowed $22.67.  I didn't have a co-pay on this one because it was done in the office and my office visit co-pay was supposed to take care of both.  They had to write off $152.33. 

Next, I got "Medical Care" (not sure but it must have been a urinalisys).  The doctor charged $892 and the government allowed $216.04 so they had to write off $675.96 (also another in-office procedure that they didn't even get $12 from me for). 

Then I got an infusion and the doctor charged $4,441.  The government allowed $1,755.76 so the doctor had to write off $2,685.24.  I guess you see where this is going.

Next was more lab work that included surgery?  Not sure what that was, maybe supplies.  The doctor charged $116 and the government allowed $29.84 so they wrote off another $86.16.

Then the big one...I got an infusion.  The doctors charged $11,526 and the government allowed a whopping $4,431.75.  Yep, the doctor had to write off $7,094.25. 

So, in case you're thinking that it's because I'm the dependent of a Military member, I also got my husband's statement in the mail.

He went for rehabilitation,  as he's dealing with a broken leg that won't heal.  The doctor charged $346.53 and the government allowed $101.07 which means the doctor wrote off $245.46

Next the combined 2 visits for the same thing.  They charged $420.15 and the government allowed $134.49 so they had to write off $285.66.

Then he saw his doctor.  Doctor charged $100.  Government allowed $42.89.  ARE YOU LISTENING DOCTORS?  The government thinks you ought to only charge about $43 for an office visit.

Next he got labs.  They charged (3 different things) a total of $420 and the government allowed $73.15 so they wrote off $346.85.

Then he saw his primary care physician who charged $179.67 (more than the $100 that the specialist charged) and got paid $94.41 so she only had to write off $85.26.

I can see the writing on the wall, can you?  They want to get all doctors to NOT take Tricare Prime anymore, so that we have to pay more.  Take those amounts that the doctors had to write off, and we would have had to pay it, plus our 20% of what was "allowed."  That's how they're going to pay for health care.  They expect doctors to only make a living wage, you know the same as those flipping burgers at McDonald's?  You really think people are going to go through all that schooling for a minimum wage job?  No, they are not going to lower their prices that much.  We will be paying it.  It may be cheaper to drop insurance and pay the penalty.