By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    4 Reasons Why Medical Device Compliance Matters
    May 22, 2020
    What To Know About The Importance Of Healthcare Marketing
    November 23, 2019
    healthcare courses
    6 Supplemental Courses in Healthcare to Support Your HR Degree
    August 20, 2021
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Keep it Simple Stupid: But Not With Medicare
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Keep it Simple Stupid: But Not With Medicare
Health Reform

Keep it Simple Stupid: But Not With Medicare

DavidEWilliams
Last updated: August 12, 2011 9:00 am
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

In today’s Wall Street Journal, John Goodman, National Center for Policy Analysis CEO suggests, Three Simple Ways Medicare Can Save Money. I only wish. His overarching plan is to “allow medical fees to be determined the way prices are determined everywhere else in our economy –in the marketplace.” His three specific starting points are:

In today’s Wall Street Journal, John Goodman, National Center for Policy Analysis CEO suggests, Three Simple Ways Medicare Can Save Money. I only wish. His overarching plan is to “allow medical fees to be determined the way prices are determined everywhere else in our economy –in the marketplace.” His three specific starting points are:

  • “Free-standing emergency care clinics that post prices and usually deliver high-quality care”
  • TelaDoc –telephonic conversations with doctors
  • Concierge physician practices

His argument is that these services are typically delivered outside of the health insurance system and so have their prices set by the market, rather than Medicare. He proposes having Medicare allow patients to use these services and suggests having Medicare pay the posted prices.

Not to be negative but these proposals wouldn’t work at all:

More Read

Health Care: A Modern-Day Blade Runner?
How crazy is Ted Cruz’s FDA reform proposal?
Need Help Meeting the 5% “Patient Use” Stage 2 MU Requirement?
Family Doctor Visit Costs
Governor-Elect Charlie Baker on Healthcare Policy
  • When Medicare adds services, it tends to increase costs, not reduce them. Case in point: it’s cheaper for Medicare to pay for home care than to pay for someone to be in the hospital who can’t go home and take care of himself. But add a home care benefit to Medicare and suddenly everybody opens a home care operation and finds ways to bill Medicare. Do the hospitals get less crowded? No.
  • Free standing emergency rooms are huge drains on payers, so much so that purchasers and health plans in some parts of the country (like the Northwest) have gone to great lengths to try to keep these facilities from opening up. Goodman probably means urgent care clinics or in-store clinics, which struggle to make a living and rely on insurance payments
  • Concierge services are pricey, and encouraging doctors to go into these practices dramatically reduces the availability of primary care for regular patients

In sum, Goodman’s idea would all add to the cost of Medicare. They wouldn’t do anything to reduce costs. And they certainly offer no solution to the misaligned incentives of third-party payment and overutilization.

Share


TAGGED:healthcare reformMedicare
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Want Your ACO To Succeed? …Focus On Improving Doctor/Patient Communication

January 20, 2013

Is Medical Accountability a Thing of the Past?

October 17, 2016

Man Robs Bank for $1 So He Could Get Healthcare in Prison

June 20, 2011

Meaningful Use Top 10 – iHT2 Special Report

May 25, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?