> RoMunn wrote: > > The irony is that cuts in medicare could mean no more re-attaching > fingers for retired people who don't need those fingers to work > anymore. >
HA! That was pretty funny. But to be specific about the "cuts in medicare" ... (1.) Since the government sets prices if they want to cut medicare they just cut prices or ration care which, at current growth rates, will HAVE to be done. But, technically, there's nothing under proposal that'll ration medicare. today. (2.) The cuts are to medicare advantage (nee part c) which is the genius (imo) Public/Private partnership which is ~25% of medicare. The way it works is that private insurance takes over the care of a medicare patient and the patient can choose extra features many of which increase the premium. So, for example, someone might like a yearly physical which medicare does not cover. So they pick a medicare advantage plan that includes a yearly physical for no charge greater than what they'd pay for standard. Or the patient doesn't want to bear the risk of greater than 60 days in the hospital which medicare doesn't pay for (see below). So they add catastrophic coverage to their plan. Or they want the help of a personal administrator to help them navigate the bureaucracy. So they add that their plan. There's features, for example, that include a 7/365/24-hour nurseline where a member can call to ask questions about care, concerns, and/or treatment. Obama is proposing to cut the Medicare Advantage plans. And, trust me. NOBODY on this list - including Judah - would be happy with core Medicare. >From Medicare.org: ----------------------------------- Medicare Part A coverage is tied to a benefit period of 60 days for a spell of illness. A spell of illness benefit period commences on the first day of your stay in a hospital or in a skilled nursing facility and continues until 60 consecutive days have lapsed and you have received no skilled care. Medicare does not cover care that is or becomes primarily custodial, such as assistance with bathing and eating. Your benefit period with Medicare, the spell of illness, does not end until 60 days after discharge from the hospital or the skilled nursing facility. Therefore, if you are readmitted within those 60 days, you are considered to be in the same benefit period. On the other hand, Medicare considers it a new spell of illness if you are readmitted more than 60 days after discharge. The good news is that this means that if you are readmitted within 60 days, you are not charged another deductible; the bad news is that your previous admission is tacked on to the second one in calculating the percentage amount Medicare will cover, since Medicare full coverage is only for 60 days. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:303502 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
