And I agree with you 100% Quadius. There is no difference between Medicare and the Federal government. Medicare is operated BY THE FEDS while Medicaid is state and county. WITH MediCARE being federal... it is just one big bureaucracy. And anyone who works for the government has their own complete medical coverage so they don't give a damn about the average American citizen. So nothing gets done. Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of having a secondary insurance. I have been dealing with this Medicare crap for 12 years now* firsthand*. Day in and day out. It is just a bunch of bureaucracy bullsh*t at the expense of the little guy. That being folks like myself.
Lori Age - 43 C4/5 complete quad, 28 1/2 years post Tucson, AZ On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 12:46 PM, Quadius <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The problem with Medicare not being allowed to negotiate is they are unable > to effectively manage health care prices. The federal government can do > this efficiently, as evidenced by the VA's ability to get low-cost > medication. This law is largely in place because our legislatures are in > the coffers of private insurance companies. At least that's my opinion. > Quadius > > > "Private insurance negotiates for group rates to get the best charges ... > smart business for insurance companies PLUS a guarantee to the medical > industry that more people will use a certain doc or vendor. (Like the cost > of a 6-pack of Sam Adams versus a case... volume means lower cost.) But > Medicare, by law, can't negotiate like this so vendors, docs, hospitals, > etc., charge the max to make up for their "perceived" loss of (or at least > "less-than-preferred") overall rate for their services." > > -- Lori C4/5 complete quad, 27 years post Tucson, AZ