http://www.claimsmag.com/Exclusives...-Reporting-Deadlines-Approaching-Quickly.aspx
This is not big in the news but it's an interesting story. We all know medicare and medicaid are designed to provide healthcare for the elderly and poor/disadvantaged. Many see this as an example of a good and worthwhile government program.
We all know the US allows people to sue others for personal injury. If someone drops a piano on you as you're walking down the street and you sue, you ultimately get the cost of your medical expenses paid by the defendant (this is true regardless of whether you have private insurance). However, medicare recipients have been getting their medical expenses as awards even though uncle sam is paying their bills. In other words, a welfare mom in a potentially frivolous suit gets a windfall and doesn't pay back the taxpayers for the benefit she got from medicaid. Obviously, most people don't consider this fair.
Given that medicare is running out of money, Bush signs into law a bill that puts the burden on insurers and others to notify the government when they pay money out for workers' comp or personal injury claims. If they don't report this, they get fined $1,000 a day per unreported payment. Sounds great right? Maybe now Medicare can get the money instead of the plaintiffs who didn't pay for their own medical care or even insurance premiums?
It's not that great. Now there is a private-governmental hybrid database of claimants, medicare and medical beneficiaries (which citizens shouldn't like) and a reporting system that makes corporations do the governments job (obviously, business shouldn't like this.)
So with good intentions on both sides of the aisle, we just have another growth of inefficient government. Regulations are piled on other programs to try to sort them out but it just weighs everyone down more.
My conclusions:
Government simplicity needs to be put first. Even if a worthwhile cause like giving health care to the old and poor seems like a good idea, it's ultimately going to collapse under its own weight of bureaucracy and regulations.
This is not big in the news but it's an interesting story. We all know medicare and medicaid are designed to provide healthcare for the elderly and poor/disadvantaged. Many see this as an example of a good and worthwhile government program.
We all know the US allows people to sue others for personal injury. If someone drops a piano on you as you're walking down the street and you sue, you ultimately get the cost of your medical expenses paid by the defendant (this is true regardless of whether you have private insurance). However, medicare recipients have been getting their medical expenses as awards even though uncle sam is paying their bills. In other words, a welfare mom in a potentially frivolous suit gets a windfall and doesn't pay back the taxpayers for the benefit she got from medicaid. Obviously, most people don't consider this fair.
Given that medicare is running out of money, Bush signs into law a bill that puts the burden on insurers and others to notify the government when they pay money out for workers' comp or personal injury claims. If they don't report this, they get fined $1,000 a day per unreported payment. Sounds great right? Maybe now Medicare can get the money instead of the plaintiffs who didn't pay for their own medical care or even insurance premiums?
It's not that great. Now there is a private-governmental hybrid database of claimants, medicare and medical beneficiaries (which citizens shouldn't like) and a reporting system that makes corporations do the governments job (obviously, business shouldn't like this.)
So with good intentions on both sides of the aisle, we just have another growth of inefficient government. Regulations are piled on other programs to try to sort them out but it just weighs everyone down more.
My conclusions:
Government simplicity needs to be put first. Even if a worthwhile cause like giving health care to the old and poor seems like a good idea, it's ultimately going to collapse under its own weight of bureaucracy and regulations.
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