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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: 2) by VLM on Tuesday March 21 2017, @08:34PM (3 children)
I believe we've sparred over this topic before.
for you White Nationalists to trot out a 3rd world pinko commie hell hole to use in your arguments
I don't think you're seeing the big picture.
Say I paint a picture that if they suck, they're still much better than our system, overall. Then you get triggered again and point out they're not that bad, they're like 22% better than I claim, therefore I'm entirely wrong. But think about it, because if my pessimistic engineering estimate shows them superior, then your rather... optimistic engineering estimate will none the less continue to show them superior. Rather than disproving my point all you're doing is calling attention to my rather pessimistic estimate probably being more accurate than I claim. And you're pointing out your... displeasure with my politics, which you might think makes my idea look bad when all it does is make it look like bipartisan support. Why the only thing we can fight about is how much more efficient Cuba is as providing care per dollar, merely lots or a whole heck of a lot.
I will admit its a mistake for me to use Cuban docs as a comparison because medical is Cuba's secret sauce its their "silicon valley" its their "nokia" or whatever. Cuban docs are pretty legendary and their medical field is a major export for Cuba. I should be comparing to a truly typical and random tropical medical community, El Salvadoran docs perhaps. My argument would still be pretty strong, just you wouldn't be as triggered.
Stop saying Cuba doesn't do anything for cancer patients. It most certainly does.
While spending about half the money. They're efficient. They don't have the same material supplies we do so clearly their best work can't be as good as our best... unaffordable... work.
a 3rd world pinko commie hell hole ... Cuba didn't fucking cooperate for the last 50 years.
You might find this hard to believe, but nationalist types kinda like Cuba. As a people they're tough and effective and put up with a lot of BS for decades and just keep doing the impossible year after year. You see, a neocon sees a place like that and wants military action. A leftie sees a place like that and wants them all to immigrate to the US to vote democrat. A nationalist sees a nation of tough effective cool people and as long as they stay in their nation and we (including our military) stay in our nation aside from recreational vacationing that's a pretty respectable country. They do their own thing and the rest of the planet can F itself and a neocon sees that as justification for drone bombing, a lefty sees that as justification for mass immigration, and a nationalist sees that as a respectable nation worth visiting someday. I like the idea of there being a strong Cuba nation over there that we're not bombing and they're not invading us. Only nationalists are live and let live like that. The neocon right and the american want to use them as pawns, I just want to take a vacation there, smoke a cigar or two, eat one of those cubano sandwiches....
(Score: 2, Insightful) by edIII on Tuesday March 21 2017, @10:27PM (2 children)
No, fuck you. You own your bigotry today.
What you SAID was that Cuba DID NOT treat cancer and LET THEM DIE, and this was the basis for whatever White Nationlists argument you were making today. You denigrated Cuba because it was useful to you, and spared the rest of us anything close to the truth. That truth being, medical is far too fucking expensive in the United States. Meaning, they're people who literally get rich off our suffering for no other reason, but to provide them profit. Not the costs of the drug/treatment being too high, but just the pure profit. You wish to lead us to believe that Cuba was spending less because it was delivering less. That's a flat out fucking lie, and I believe I've called you on it before, and put out links to the W.H.O to receive real information other than your bigotry.
You can stop at "I will admit its a mistake". Compare whatever the fuck you want, and my "trigger" is just you lying. That's it. Putting out misinformation like that in order to continue to prop up our medical system as valid. It's fucking bullshit, and you're a fucking liar.
Compare away! Just use the fucking truth for once.
Awww, the White Nationalist gets soft. Is part of the bullshit that these people deal with is people like you saying they don't care for their fellow brothers and sisters that get cancer? That just let them die to save money? That, while noble tropical savages, they still don't have the strength and moral fortitude to care for each other?
THAT bullshit?
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 22 2017, @01:53AM
Special little snowflakes... when called out on their shit they reverse and say the opposite. They are mentally handicapped by a lifetime of paradoxical beliefs. Their education and training makes them smart, their sheer exposure to cultural bias and emotional beliefs (dey tooker jerrrbs) make sit impossible for them to use critical thinking. Their left brain is fighting with their right brain, and sadly it takes a monumental effort for logic to win against emotion.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday March 22 2017, @12:23PM
they still don't have the strength and moral fortitude to care for each other?
LOL you seem to be implying all you need for medical care is the correct beliefs. It seems to take money and gear sometimes.
If you need a MRI, and until recently the only way to export a MRI to Cuba due to weird US law was to commit a felony, well, you can wish all you want you aren't getting a MRI in Cuba. Or if they need $200K for some exotic cancer drug, and they don't have $200K, then they aren't getting the $200K cancer drug no matter how nice their intentions are. Things are slightly better now and there is the whole rest of the world willing to trade with Cuba even if the USA won't, but its still a problem.