As a retired senior I am constantly watching for news on Medicare so that I can bring the news to my senior readers…..a public service from IST….
In 2023 we will have a new Congress and there is already cuts on the books to Medicare without the silliness from the GOP.
If you are a senior that depends on Medicare for your medical needs you need to read this and be aware of the changes we are looking at for the coming year.
New changes are set to come to Medicare next year. They will likely make expenses tighter for doctors, and put vital healthcare out of reach for some older patients.Â
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, announced several policy changes in early November that will come into effect at the beginning of next year.
Among them are Medicare cuts to doctors through the Physician Fee Schedule, which is used to determine which services doctors are reimbursed for, and how much they get. Medicare reimbursement will decrease by about 4.5%, and ​​surgical care will face a nearly 8.5% cut.
“It’s affecting how doctors can run their businesses,” Christian Shalgain, Director of Advocacy and Health Policy at the American College of Surgeons, told Insider. “I’ve talked to doctors who are saying, ‘I have to decide whether to hire a new person or buy a new piece of equipment.’ That’s a significant problem from a patient’s perspective.”
If healthcare providers get less money through Medicare, they won’t be able to hire as many nurses, doctors, and other staff, as well as fund necessary equipment for services. It affects the quality of care patients are able to get, and can even impact how many Medicare patients a healthcare provider can take on, Shalgain said.
In years past, Congress has been able to postpone these preplanned cuts until the next year, varyingly achieving full scraps of the plan, or reduced cuts. Doctors’ groups lobby annually for Congress to intervene, because they say that it stretches their budgets thin, which is especially a problem given that hospitals are already strained from COVID and healthcare costs are skyrocketing.Â
The good news is that your insulin may be more affordable….the bad news is the rest of your health needs will be more expensive.
Before you get excited maybe you should read this……
Peace and economic justice advocates responded to the imminent unveiling Friday of the United States Air Force’s new $750 million-per-plane nuclear bomber by reiterating accusations of misplaced priorities in a nation where tens of millions of people live in poverty and lack adequate healthcare coverage.
Military-industrial complex giant Northrop Grumman is set to introduce its B-21 Raider on Friday. The B-21, whose development was 30 years in the making and whose total project cost is expected to exceed $200 billion, is tapped to replace the aging B-2 Spirit.
“One thing the world definitely does not need is another stealth bomber,” Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CodePink,
That’s right we will get stale bread crumbs and the M-IC gets champagne…..
And you vote for these people….shame on you!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
You can bet that Biden’s 3 million border invaders will all get Medicare or Medicaid cards and more while our social security is eaten up by Biden’s inflation and our Medicare threatened with cuts and premiums go up in our payments deducted from our base soc sec benefit. Seems our “visitors” will be getting more security than those of us who worked for 50 years.
Unfortunately we need those new hi-tech bombers to outspend Russia’s efforts to keep up like Reagan did and to dissuade China from invading Taiwan. Taiwan produces probably 70% of our tech stuff and we’d be crippled if China took over. US security and defense crucially depend on a free and allied Taiwan.
Our more than usual soc sec boost this year does not even put us even with Biden’s inflation and the increase in our daily purchases increase as enterprises charge us consumers with their inflation woes. I estimate that Biden’s inflation has reduced the purchasing power of my retirement income by at least 15% and this is becoming very frightening for me and millions of others.
That does not explain the changes in Medicare…..we do not need a new bomber….we have enough that are well capable of doing the trick….the inflation is not Biden’s….look to corporate gouging in time of higher costs. chuq
Thanx so much Have a great day chuq
Over here, it seems that the current government is trying to bring about the collapse of the NHS so they can use it as an excuse to introduce a private insurance system. I think Boris Johnson did deals with US pharma companies and health insurance providers when he visited Trump.
Best wishes, Pete.
I am sorry that our system is a template….I hope they are not successful chuq
Every one of our enemies is o ut running us on improving their weapons capabilities. We have to stay ahead of the pack so that we will have a country where the poor crumlickers and Medicare recipients can enjoy their lives inconveniences. It is eather keep the weapons superior to those of the enemy or learn to speak Russian or Chinese.
I just think that we have enough bombers to do what needs doing if the situation arises…..chuq
If their bombers are better than ours then we just might as well go into combat with them in B-17s or something.
Their’s has not been better than ours in 60+ years…..plus it will come down to satellites in orbit because all these new ones are tech heavy….and any disruption in space will make them toothless…..chuq
While this doesn’t impact me, it angers me to know that not only do politicians put themselves above their constituents every chance they get, but they muddy the waters so that the public accepts their lies and deception as fact…any distraction while they gut programs and benefits that actually help people…
Me as well….we spend billions on weapons and aid to others but not for our own people….why cannot Americans see this injustice for what it is? chuq
Re bombers, I don’t think the issue is the number of planes but increased sophistication. Seems our enemies are constantly improving tech to neutralize US weapons. Developing bombers that are “detection proof” is advantageous plus discouraging our enemies from any funny business Personally, I think the next attack for war will e in space. Once our satellites are destroyed our weapons and guidance systems are rendered useless and our entire infrasture collapses ( electricity, banking, communication, food production and disbursement, etc.) and it will be “surrender unconditionally or be incinerated”. I understand that social issues you describe are underfunded and war prep is the priority and it is unfortunate and disturbs me too as you have expressed. There is a trend for needing more ships. My opinion is that we have enough ships. More ships are not effective because they become more targets to be easily destroyed and the money is wasted.
That’s the thing…..orbiting birds….if their systems are taken out…it will be used to take out the high tech systems on our planes…..I will agree on the ships thing….those high tech ships have proven to be useless and are being abandoned…..chuq
The Ukraine war has caused the West to redefine our needs and priorities to the detriment of the basic needs of our people. Our leaders have expressed that we will fund Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” I think the old domino theory in SE Asia post WW 2 continuing to Vietnam really does apply to current situation for which Russia must be incapacitated as the rest of Eastern Europe is seriously threatened with Putin’s “restore the Soviet Union” nonsense”. I don’t know how we could neutralize Russia’s vast nuke arsenal though. Unfortunately the security of the West is tied to the defense of Ukraine to the shelving of our own “people needs” of our society as your post posits.
The Domino Theory is a great thought….I look for tat to appear when this war is too long and Americans start demanding its end. chuq
Another thing I will point out as someone who works for a health insurance company–a lot of private insurers base their reimbursement on Medicare rates as well (almost like those gov’t programs are actually good for something, hmmmmm?) I frequently check the Physician Fee Schedule in my line of work. So a change in PFS and OPPS (outpatient hospital) pricing will mean those providers will see less money from some private insurers, as well. The whole damn system doesn’t really work….
Thanx for your insights….I still think Medicare For All (M4A) is the best idea…..I still chuq
I agree with you!