Sight but no Vision

03/06/2012

Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” What an excellent description of patient responsibility in today’s sick care system that needs to migrate to a health care system. Two important factors are lifespan changes and education/prevention of chronic disease. When U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security … Read More

President Obama’s FY 2013 Budget Proposal

02/14/2012

In reviewing the proposal by President Obama, there will be $320 billion reductions in Medicare and Medicaid. Approximately $268 billion in Medicare and $52 billion in Medicaid. The proposed cuts include reducing care for the elderly indigent by lowering the bad debt payments up to 25 percent from the current level of 70 percent. Indirect medical education, rural healthcare providers … Read More

Open letter to our Congressional Leaders

02/08/2012

We urge you NOT TO SUPPORT any additional cuts to Medicare as the February 29, 2012 deadline approaches. Although we support the elimination of the 27.4% proposed Medicare cuts to physicians, it should not be done at the expense of hospitals that provide billions of dollars in Medicare, Medicaid and charity care services to millions of Americans in need of … Read More

Leap Year Negotiations

01/17/2012

As 2011 came to a close, the House and Senate passed a two-month extension of the Social Security (SS) payroll tax holiday and emergency Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits and a two-month fix on the current Medicare physician payment rates. What will happen in February? We hope the appointed conferees and other congressional leaders realize that hospitals have stepped forward with … Read More