the 3% myth

While it may be true that Medicare’s administrative costs may be only 3%, I am not sure I believe it. My guess would be it is more a matter of playing tricks with the accounting. Also, does this number factor in Medicaid as well? Does this factor in the fact that it is the states’ responsibility to administer Medicare/Medicaid or is this only the feds portion of the administrative costs?I work in healthcare as an RN in a pediatric ICU, so I do have working knowledge of the current system. Currently, the Medicare/Medicaid system is the absolute worst to deal with when it comes to insurance coverage. They have set reimbursement rates for alot of procedures in a hospital that are below what it actually costs the hospital to provide them. Every time these tests are performed for a Medicare/Medicaid patient, the hospital loses money. And there is no recourse to negotiate more fair rates. There are hospitals closing everyday because of this very reason. How would UHC rectify this issue? If the answer is to make all medical providers government employees, I would have serious reservations about staying in this field. Combined with reimbursement rates, getting ‘approval’ from the government programs makes Barnum and Bailey look like a serious opera. I will not go into further detail here unless asked to, then I’d be happy to lay it out. I have seen many patients permanently harmed and even die while awaiting Medicaid approval for a procedure.

Bottom line is this for me; while I fully agree that the current system is broken, mostly through the fault of insurance companies, and needs to be fixed, I am 100% convinced that single-payor, government run healthcare would be a mistake of monumentally historic proportions. It does not work anywhere else it is in place (if you want examples, I will provide them) and will not work here.

Name one federal government program truly outperforming the private sector?!? And I just might be convinced to rethink my position.