Help needed to refute an anti-Obamacare 'fact'

[mahina]

Aloha,

A friend wrote this: "thanks to our new health reform, my father will no longer be able to see the gastroenterologist who he has been seeing for 30+ years because of the Medicare laws....mahalo, Mr. Obama, thanks for allowing this to happen just when dad needs this particular Dr. more than ever with his recent bout of colon cancer".

I've checked the great threads here for links to help me figure out if this is an unrelated coincidence or is actually caused by the ACA. Any kokua you can share would be appreciated.

Mahalo.

[hedgehog]

1. Maybe the doctor doesn't accept medicare patients? Which has nothing to do with ACA!

[truedelphi]

4. That sounds like that would be the answer.

And of course, if it is important that the particular doctor see the person's father, in a case of life or death, he can still pay out of pocket.

Life is sometimes not about whether an insurance helps you or not. Sometimes to survive you do have to pay out of pocket.

And it has been that way since our health care became the domain of Big Insurers, for at least the last fifteen years.

Long, long before Obama had anything to do with it.

[mahina]

6. Is accepting medicare patients a binary choice?

Either they do or they don't with no in betweens?

If so, could be....

mahalo!

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. It sounds like someone has their facts messed up.

Any way of asking them for specifics on this - starting with why they think this is a change that is in effect as of right now?

[mahina]

7. I'll try...

thank you!

[DURHAM D]

3. Sounds like total bs to me.

Or perhaps the gastroenterologist is retiring.

[mahina]

5. I was thinking the same...retirement, not bs

because I know she is dealing w her Dad's cancer.

And she is a really good person.

We are getting flooded on the radio and tv a BS so I can understand why someone would mistake an unrelated fact for a negative result of the law.

I can't find out more so appreciate your .02.

[struggle4progress]

8. Need more detail about exactly what happened ...

Dad died? Gastroenterologist died? Dad went blind? Gastroenterologist imprisoned for fraud? Dad cured? Gastroenterologist retired?

[mahina]

11. lols

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, and maybe.

[kestrel91316]

9. Utter nonsense, unless the doctor is one of those slimy bastards

who doesn't want to see Medicare patients anymore.

They have been doing that all along. Nothing whatsoever to do with ACA.

[Hoyt]

10. Probably not true. Just ask them how/why that will happen.

I suppose it is possible some of the PPACA incentives might some day result in more networks that might make it difficult to see some doctors, but ACA wouldn't keep dad from seeing his gastro-doctor.

Also, I'm sure some docs will tell patients that they aren't going to practice under "Obamacare. " Fortunately a whole lot will be glad to practice under it and participate in some of innovations that will hopefully develop from reforms.

[mahina]

12. Thank you!

I think you nailed it.

[PoliticAverse]

32. Yes you need to ask her for more specifics as to why. n/t

[EFerrari]

13. Romney is running around telling people they have to give up their insurance

which is bs. Maybe that lie is where this comes from.

[Hoyt]

14. If he were truthful, Romney would say eventually O-Care might make people want to change.

Good point about where it might be coming from.

[EFerrari]

22. The jackass just wants to freak people out. Seniors especially, I'd guess.

He's worse than Junior.

[Hoyt]

29. That I totally agree. Scaring elderly, etc., pretty low.

Damn, do you think we might someday refer to gw bush as the good ole days? That is scary.

[Ruby the Liberal]

15. But this is Medicare?

[Hoyt]

19. There are some Medicare provisions under ACA. But good point about Medicare.

The dad might have changed to Medicare Advantage with networks. Doc may have sold his practice, changing affiliations, etc.

I think OP is probably going to have to ask friend where the heck her dad got this junk to make any sense out of it?

I'm beginning to think Obama needs to just come out and say, "OK folks, this dang thing has become too complicated for right wingers and some Dems to understand, so we'll just go straight to Medicare for All and work out minor details later. Anyone have a reasonable objection? ...... No, then order it done. "

[Ruby the Liberal]

27. If only.

I just read an argument for Medicare for All from a Republican (!) that made more sense than what our side has been able to verbalize in so few words.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002889507

[EFerrari]

20. Does it matter?

[Ruby the Liberal]

26. If Romney is telling seniors that they are going to have to "give up"

Medicare, hell yes it matters.

[demwing]

28. Does it matter whether it matters? /nt

[EFerrari]

30. LOL. I meant between RMoney's no connection to reality

and his base's no connection to reality,

I bet there is a video clip out there somewhere of RMoney saying Medicare was cut by Obamacare.

[EFerrari]

31. Fact-Checking Romney: Does Health Reform Cut Medicare, Levy $500 Billion Tax?

By Chris Good | Good Morning America – Thu, Jun 28, 2012

"Let me tell you why I say that. Obamacare raises taxes on the American people by approximately $500 billion," Romney told reporters. "Obamacare cuts Medicare by approximately $500 billion. And even with those cuts, and tax increases, Obamacare adds trillions to our deficits and to our national debt, and pushes those obligations onto coming generations."


http://news.yahoo.com/fact-checking-romney-does-health-reform-cut-medicare-230303761.html

"Obama has ended Medicare as we know it." -- Video

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A0S00M0MFvFPLSsA9PT7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBrc3VyamVwBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQD?p=Romney+Obamacare+Medicare&vid=06338A9B1BB269C280E806338A9B1BB269C280E8&l=00%3A31&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D4735038859706600%26id%3D604bb05cc4a37bd043bd9eb74ea9ce89%26bid%3D6IDCabIbm4ozBg%26bn%3DLargeThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.5min.com%252fVideo%252fRomney-Obama-Has-Ended-Medicare-As-We-Know-It-517324928&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.5min.com%2FVideo%2FRomney-Obama-Has-Ended-Medicare-As-We-Know-It-517324928&tit=Romney%3A+%26%2339%3BObama+Has+Ended+Medicare+As+We+Know+It%26%2339%3B&c=0&sigr=12hjmgknp&

[demwing]

34. I'm just messing w/ you

Last edited Mon Jul 2, 2012, 08:04 AM - Edit history (1)

sorry

[nobodyspecial]

16. Ask her what specific provision in the law caused this

and when it took effect. The early provisions already have been in place for awhile and the rest don't come in until 2013 and 2014. My guess is the two things aren't related.

[mahina]

17. That is very helpful, thank you.

E DU, youdabes'!

[Historic NY]

18. go to #8

http://www.thanksobamacare.org/index.php?s=myths

[mahina]

24. Thank you, I needed that.

Sharing. That is much simpler to get through than the other pages I've been scouring.

Mahalo DU!

[Zen Democrat]

21. Your father's doctor must be in it for the money if he won't accept him as a patient after 30 yrs.

Just my opinion.

[mahina]

23. Not mine,

my father hala'd already ten years ago.

I agree with your overall conclusion though.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

25. The government did do something different this year

They gave doctors additional time to choose to become "non-participating" Medicare doctors, which makes it possible for them to become "non-accepting" anytime during the year. It had to do with the fact that Medicare reimbursement decisions had not been made in time to allow the doctors a reasonable time to decide whether to stay with Medicare or not.

[Igel]

33. Not enough information.

My employer's changed health insurance plans quite a bit to come into compliance with the ACA provisions that have kicked in already.

A lot of doctors in the area are in just one plan or the other.

Now, strictly speaking we can keep our old doctors. Sure--pay $150/office visit, the full price of any tests and drugs, and the full uninsured price for each procedure done. In addition to paying for health insurance. In my case that would add a few thousand dollars a year, which I really can't afford.

So in a sense I can't see my old doctor because of the ACA. It's not that the ACA has specifically forbidden me from seeing the doctor--trying to say this is what I must mean would just be a ridiculous attempt to reduce a reasonable, completely unstandable claim to absurdity to defend the ACA's virtue and honor. It's that because of the ACA my old doctor is now unaffordable. Not that I especially liked my old doctor.

There's going to be a lot of cases like this. It was obvious when Obama said that we could keep our old doctors he either didn't mean what he said, was unaware that what he said was ridiculous in the meaning most wanted to hear, or he had a really narrow meaning: "Nobody is going to prevent you from going to your old doctor and paying the full uninsured price for your visit, your drugs, your treatment, and your hospital stay. You want to pay $20 per visit and $100 per hospital stay as copay, great; you want to pay $20,000 for your hospital stay, hey, it's a free country."