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Mayo Clinic, one of the country's top hospitals, is in the midst of controversy after its CEO said that the elite medical facility would prioritize the care of patients with private health insurance over those with Medicare and Medicaid.
The prioritization by the Rochester, MN-headquartered medical practice was recently revealed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. And it has quickly drawn out some sharp critics—as well as sympathizers.
In a statement to the Minnesota Post Bulletin, Dr. Gerard Anderson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management, compared the prioritization to policies seen in developing countries. "This is what happens in many low-income countries. The health system is organized to give the most affluent preference in receiving health care," he wrote.
Likewise, Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper, expressed surprise and concern by the statements of Mayo's CEO, Dr. John Noseworthy. "Fundamentally, it's our expectation at DHS that Mayo Clinic will serve our enrollees in public programs on an equal standing with any other Minnesotan that walks in their door," she said. "We have a lot of questions for Mayo Clinic about how and if and through what process this directive from Dr. Noseworthy is being implemented across their health system."
Specifically, Noseworthy said in a video to Mayo employees late last year:
We're asking... if the patient has commercial insurance, or they're Medicaid or Medicare patients and they're equal, that we prioritize the commercial insured patients enough so... we can be financially strong at the end of the year.
In statements, Mayo has confirmed Noseworthy's prioritization and added that about 50 percent of its patients are beneficiaries of government programs. "Balancing payer mix is complex and isn't unique to Mayo Clinic. It affects much of the industry, but it's often not talked about. That's why we feel it is important to talk transparently about these complex issues with our staff."
Source: Ars Technica
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sjames on Tuesday March 21 2017, @06:38PM
Another reality, health care costs 4 times as much in the U.S. as in the U.K. Fix that and a hell of a lot of problems will just go away.
Forget the insurance scam and the up and coming replacement insurance scam and follow the money if we want to solve the problem.
Also ban evergreening and paying companies to NOT produce a generic. EVERYONE should probably start with a generic and only switch to the new shiny if the problem isn't adequately addressed. Ban the FDA from pretending that the pill with a B stamped into it is any different than the same pill with an A stamped into it. We already know B is safe and effective because A is and it contains the same stuff. Also ban the FDA from handing out exclusivity on generics when companies do an adequate job licking their boots.
Actually teach the art of clinical diagnosis. A good clinician can diagnose the patient without a battery of overpriced tests. And yes, the tests are over-priced. Most of them consist of diluting the sample (anyone who took chemistry in high school can manage that) dipping a $0.10 test strip into it, and then reading off the color chart. Most even have a machine that takes care of all of that including a coloremeter (much like the paint matching thing at the hardware store).
The reason Medicare pays less is that they know what the actual costs and profits are for the various tests and procedures. They demand val;ue for the dollar because they can. Everyone else is left flapping in the breeze.