New House Bill
Jim DeWees
Description
Collection
Title:
New House Bill
Creator:
Jim DeWees
Date:
10/30/2009
Text:
Here is the link to the new House bill which was unveiled yesterday......I am currently on page 48 out of 1990 pages....yikes...lots of reading, and most doesn't make sense anyway. I guess the one congressman from Michigan was right, you need somes lawyers to read this....so, they are not going to read it, and just vote on it....that's a scary thought.
Anyway here's the link:
<URL Redacted>
It will make a great weekend project and reading material.
Just a couple thoughts on this (out of many thoughts):
Regarding O&P, on a positive note, on page 43 it states that insurance companies must cover treatments for minors with congenital or developed deformities. From the language in the bill, it should include O&P services as treatments for congenital deformities, or due to trauma or disease. This should therefore take care of the O&P Parity legislation and make it pointless at this point. BUT, this also could end up with a child being placed on the High Risk policy that this bill is creating...
This should help out the Shriners' Hospital system, making the need for charity work a thing of the past....or how will that change this situation and these facilities??? But, do we really think that this is really going to force anyone to do anything??
On a bad note, if a person ends up on a high risk category, as defined and determined by the Secretary (sec of Health and Human Services), then the insurance can dump a person that is high risk and force them onto the government high risk program. There are NO guarantees of getting services under that plan.
Well, that sounds good, BUT, according to page 26 it says that if this high risk group is over budget or has insufficient funds, then the Secretary shall establish a waiting list, reduce benefits, or increase the premiums for these people. This high risk policy is not free....well, unless the person is determined to be in an income bracket that makes this a financial burden, all of this according to the rules and guidelines established by the Secretary.
Let's face it, most of our patients are probably in this high risk group, but again there are NO set criteria, it only says that the qualifying conditions are established by the Secretary....again, making this Secretary a very important and powerful person to stand in the way of getting healthcare.. So, if they are over budget (and when has any government program EVER been inside their budget???....NEVER!!!) then these patients will have rationed care, or waiting times to get the services. That will include dialysis most likely, prosthetics, or most DME.....where else can they cut out that $585 BILLION dollars from the Medicare/Medicaid budget???
If you read this, you will realize that EVERYTHING is subjective, and is all according to what the Secretary establishes, or determines, or rules, or decides, etc.
So, I guess this might work for THIS administration with a liberal Sec of HHS (one who supports abortion, and sections 258-259 deal with abortions and discrimination of those in need....leaving the door wide open to use tax money to fund abortions for those that meet the Secretary's policies). But, when the presidency and administration changes, ALL of this bill can be totally enforced in a very different way, according to a NEW Secretary.
The current secretary has a long history of animosity with Anthem (as do many of us), but as governor she blocked the transaction of Anthem buying out the Blue Cross network of Kansas, and Anthem took it all the way to the Supreme court, which ruled in the governor's favor, not allowing Anthem to take over Kansas. This was in 2002, easily found all over the internet in good sources. Now she is the Sec of HHS, and she will have this authority and power to run the private insurance companies, and on pages 27-30 you will see where the secretary has the power to determine what 'profit margin' the insurance companies can have, and force them to give rebate checks back to the subscibers if they are making too much profit.
But, with the insurance companies being forced to cover children/dependents up to the age of 27!!! Wow, now we (as parents) can look forward to having our children being our dependents up to age 27??? Wow, I was already through college, had a career job, making decent money and had great insurance benefits by age 24, and I took a couple years off to do missionary work in the middle of my college years.
How can any insurance company stay in business with these rules hanging on them?? I don't much care for most private insurance companies and realize that they need to be controlled or have some kinds of bounds placed on them, but that already exists with the State Dept of Insurance....but is that government office really doing it's job???? Not a chance!!!!
So, now we can look forward to more crazy PECOS deals for ALL our patients, and learn how to fight with some huge government plan or policy that is going to be totally messed up.
In England, for example, at the end of their fiscal year (like April, March) every NHS facility is out of money, and waiting for their new check to come from the government. So, if you by chance need a new limb, you won't get it during Jan, Feb, March, April....you will wait until there is MONEY in their accounts before these offices will make a new limb for you.
I sure don't want to have to run my business in that manner. But, that might just be the case for us, especially if the High Risk is out of money, and the patients are put on waiting lists to get prosthetics....
OK, I'll shut up now, but we all need to read this, and imagine how it is going to affect OUR patients, and our lives, businesses, etc. Think about this, and come to some conclusion for yourself, taking the politics out of this, and think about how it will REALLY affect you....then call your congress person and senators, and tell them what is going to happen for you.
Thanks
Jim DeWees, CP
The new Secretary could change ALL the guidelines and rules, and limits, percentages, and who will qualify for what, and how much they will spend for what, and everything.
Happy reading.
Jim DeWees, CP
_________________________________________________________________
Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more.
<URL Redacted>
Anyway here's the link:
<URL Redacted>
It will make a great weekend project and reading material.
Just a couple thoughts on this (out of many thoughts):
Regarding O&P, on a positive note, on page 43 it states that insurance companies must cover treatments for minors with congenital or developed deformities. From the language in the bill, it should include O&P services as treatments for congenital deformities, or due to trauma or disease. This should therefore take care of the O&P Parity legislation and make it pointless at this point. BUT, this also could end up with a child being placed on the High Risk policy that this bill is creating...
This should help out the Shriners' Hospital system, making the need for charity work a thing of the past....or how will that change this situation and these facilities??? But, do we really think that this is really going to force anyone to do anything??
On a bad note, if a person ends up on a high risk category, as defined and determined by the Secretary (sec of Health and Human Services), then the insurance can dump a person that is high risk and force them onto the government high risk program. There are NO guarantees of getting services under that plan.
Well, that sounds good, BUT, according to page 26 it says that if this high risk group is over budget or has insufficient funds, then the Secretary shall establish a waiting list, reduce benefits, or increase the premiums for these people. This high risk policy is not free....well, unless the person is determined to be in an income bracket that makes this a financial burden, all of this according to the rules and guidelines established by the Secretary.
Let's face it, most of our patients are probably in this high risk group, but again there are NO set criteria, it only says that the qualifying conditions are established by the Secretary....again, making this Secretary a very important and powerful person to stand in the way of getting healthcare.. So, if they are over budget (and when has any government program EVER been inside their budget???....NEVER!!!) then these patients will have rationed care, or waiting times to get the services. That will include dialysis most likely, prosthetics, or most DME.....where else can they cut out that $585 BILLION dollars from the Medicare/Medicaid budget???
If you read this, you will realize that EVERYTHING is subjective, and is all according to what the Secretary establishes, or determines, or rules, or decides, etc.
So, I guess this might work for THIS administration with a liberal Sec of HHS (one who supports abortion, and sections 258-259 deal with abortions and discrimination of those in need....leaving the door wide open to use tax money to fund abortions for those that meet the Secretary's policies). But, when the presidency and administration changes, ALL of this bill can be totally enforced in a very different way, according to a NEW Secretary.
The current secretary has a long history of animosity with Anthem (as do many of us), but as governor she blocked the transaction of Anthem buying out the Blue Cross network of Kansas, and Anthem took it all the way to the Supreme court, which ruled in the governor's favor, not allowing Anthem to take over Kansas. This was in 2002, easily found all over the internet in good sources. Now she is the Sec of HHS, and she will have this authority and power to run the private insurance companies, and on pages 27-30 you will see where the secretary has the power to determine what 'profit margin' the insurance companies can have, and force them to give rebate checks back to the subscibers if they are making too much profit.
But, with the insurance companies being forced to cover children/dependents up to the age of 27!!! Wow, now we (as parents) can look forward to having our children being our dependents up to age 27??? Wow, I was already through college, had a career job, making decent money and had great insurance benefits by age 24, and I took a couple years off to do missionary work in the middle of my college years.
How can any insurance company stay in business with these rules hanging on them?? I don't much care for most private insurance companies and realize that they need to be controlled or have some kinds of bounds placed on them, but that already exists with the State Dept of Insurance....but is that government office really doing it's job???? Not a chance!!!!
So, now we can look forward to more crazy PECOS deals for ALL our patients, and learn how to fight with some huge government plan or policy that is going to be totally messed up.
In England, for example, at the end of their fiscal year (like April, March) every NHS facility is out of money, and waiting for their new check to come from the government. So, if you by chance need a new limb, you won't get it during Jan, Feb, March, April....you will wait until there is MONEY in their accounts before these offices will make a new limb for you.
I sure don't want to have to run my business in that manner. But, that might just be the case for us, especially if the High Risk is out of money, and the patients are put on waiting lists to get prosthetics....
OK, I'll shut up now, but we all need to read this, and imagine how it is going to affect OUR patients, and our lives, businesses, etc. Think about this, and come to some conclusion for yourself, taking the politics out of this, and think about how it will REALLY affect you....then call your congress person and senators, and tell them what is going to happen for you.
Thanks
Jim DeWees, CP
The new Secretary could change ALL the guidelines and rules, and limits, percentages, and who will qualify for what, and how much they will spend for what, and everything.
Happy reading.
Jim DeWees, CP
_________________________________________________________________
Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more.
<URL Redacted>
Citation
Jim DeWees, “New House Bill,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 7, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/230922.
