Hospitals are Big Losers in the Health Care Debacle [ by Michael T] [News You Can Abuse]
February 10, 2010The criminally mismanaged health care effort is soon going to have a majory casualty - the hospitals. Many are struggling to survive as the uninsured flood ERs and then never pay for their care. The cost to hospitals is in the billions and, in the end, we all pay for it.
The New York Times reported yesterday that about $36 billion worth of care last year was not reimbursed to hospitals. Under the law, hospitals cannot turn away patients with emergencies so they are left footing the bill. The result is higher costs passed on to patients and insurance companies - which get passed on to people like you and me.
This is madness and will result in cutbacks in care and hospital closures. Already hospitals are shedding staff - adding to unemployment figures. The effects of this on communities can be devastating. Of course, where was this mentioned in the health care debate? Nowhere, naturally. Why would Democrats promote things like hospitals and medical services? What a disgrace.
Maybe Republicans can do this math - more and more people are uninsured every day, something the recession has exacerbated. If you have no plan to change that - and Republicans have never drawn up a plan to do so - then more uninsured means more people using emergency rooms. And more people who either go bankrupt or too poor to pay their bills. And premiums and patient care costs go up and up. This is simple stuff and can be boiled down to one easy phrase, “Save our Hospitals.” Or better yet, “Hey Republicans, why do you hate our hospitals?”
The Democratic plan was pretty poorly conceived but it was a plan and it would have been a marked improvement (especially a public option or medicare buy-in). And it was something that Republicans shamefully, no gleefully, buried. At least the next time you see a hospital close, you know who to blame.
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