Looks like many folks in some states may not have bariatric coverage. Much of this won't go into effect for 6 months so now is the time to git er done?

Looks like the ACO's(accountable care organizations) will have the oversight to determine medical necessity per state?

http://www.bariatricnews.net/?q=news/111009/obamacare-denying-patients-access-bariatric-surgery

Mis73 the same thing would happen here !!!!!! It happens all the time they are always air lifting patients to Edmonton if required. No one inCanada decides what you need or do not need besides the Dr. That is taking care of you. A couple of people have referred to death panels within the socialized medical system, which confuses me as they do not exist in ours. If I do not like my dr. I change to another one and I did just recently. The mis perception is that we do not have choice but we do have a lot of choice. A long side the public system we also have the for profit groups like the wls surgery group that did my operation. If I need an MRI and it is not an emergency I can access the for profit imagining places if I do not want to wait and can pay for it. Not a perfect system but also not as bad as some are making it out to be and yet your own news organizations are continually reporting on people who are being denied care because they cannot afford the insurance or have gone bankrupt because they got sick.

Speaking of death panels I remember reports from your own new organizations that we're reporting on ***'s who we're making life and death decisions about care people needed but were denied because of financial considerations. Is this not worse ?

Perhaps it depends on the providence you live in? It sounds like you've had a very good experience with your healthcare system- which is wonderful. Unfortunately, the majority of the people I know with serious health issues in Ontario have had horrible luck.

The death panel thing is only partial true though no less scary. The way the Obamacare bill is written, whether or not people are approved for treatment is dependent on statistics. A good example: Woman A is diagnosed with cancer and given a 75% survival probability because she has no other pre-existing conditions. She receives treatment. Woman B is diagnosed with the same cancer but due to pre-existing conditions complicating it, she only has a 40% survival probability. She is denied treatment because it's not deemed "financially responsible" to invest so much money into someone who's likely to die anyway.

To me, this is terrifying and it's fast coming reality here- despite the fact most Americans have never read the healthcare bill and no media reports on it so they are totally unaware this is happening. In fact, all the cuts to Medicare to fund Obamacare have in large part gone to fund all the "studies" to support this care based on statistics.

I don't know how such decisions are made in the Canadian healthcare system, I only know what I've seen directly from those around me over the years living on the Canadian border. I suppose at this point neither system is "better" (in my opinion) just a matter of lesser of the two evils. But what upsets me is the fact this didn't used to be the case. Before Obamacare, costs aside I'd still totally take our healthcare free market over the Canadian socialized medicine. Now? I honestly don't know and that's in large part because we're now getting sucked into socialized medicine too.

AMEN!!!! You just said everything I was about to type out' date=' lol. I know many Canadians (esp retired Canadians that Winter here in Florida) cross the border for healthcare, because they know they can't wait for the Canadian health care system to care for them! Their lives depend upon it. So terribly sad![/quote']

Really did you just say that ????????

The only reason people from canada winter in Florida is to get away from the cold winters we have! And they are cold.

And your seniors come to canada by the bus loads to get access to affordable medicine required to stay alive because they cannot afford it. 60 minutes did a report a couple of years ago on it. Terribly sad !

Politics, people with preconceived ideas fed to them by other people, usually the media to make bucketloads of cash, arguing over anecdotal evidence that ultimately gets them nowhere. I'm sorry, did I just type that out loud? Please, continue the argu...er...debate by all means.

Perhaps it depends on the providence you live in? It sounds like you've had a very good experience with your healthcare system- which is wonderful. Unfortunately' date=' the majority of the people I know with serious health issues in Ontario have had horrible luck. The death panel thing is only partial true though no less scary. The way the Obamacare bill is written, whether or not people are approved for treatment is dependent on statistics. A good example: Woman A is diagnosed with cancer and given a 75% survival probability because she has no other pre-existing conditions. She receives treatment. Woman B is diagnosed with the same cancer but due to pre-existing conditions complicating it, she only has a 40% survival probability. She is denied treatment because it's not deemed "financially responsible" to invest so much money into someone who's likely to die anyway. To me, this is terrifying and it's fast coming reality here- despite the fact most Americans have never read the healthcare bill and no media reports on it so they are totally unaware this is happening. In fact, all the cuts to Medicare to fund Obamacare have in large part gone to fund all the "studies" to support this care based on statistics. I don't know how such decisions are made in the Canadian healthcare system, I only know what I've seen directly from those around me over the years living on the Canadian border. I suppose at this point neither system is "better" (in my opinion) just a matter of lesser of the two evils. But what upsets me is the fact this didn't used to be the case. Before Obamacare, costs aside I'd still totally take our healthcare free market over the Canadian socialized medicine. Now? I honestly don't know and that's in large part because we're now getting sucked into socialized medicine too.[/quote']

Mis73 my mom was the woman B that you described. In fact her prognosis was that 95% of people with her type of cancer would have passed within 3 months and she did. But they never gave up ! No one said no to any test or procedure she required no one said to her that she was ineligible to receive anything she needed because of some statistic. Did not happen. I was the one who took her to all her appointments.

If what you say is true about obamacare then that is wrong! And if it were to happen in canada then that would be wrong as well but I have yet to see it.

Can someone please explain this for me simply?

Obamacare is a public health system , is that correct? America is 1 of the few 1st world countries that do not have 1 so presumably introducing 1 is a good idea?

For some reason the idea of people being able to access public health is so awful that it has managed to shut the US govt or parts of it down?

Flabbergasted!

Can someone please explain this for me simply?

Obamacare is a public health system , is that correct? America is 1 of the few 1st world countries that do not have 1 so presumably introducing 1 is a good idea?

For some reason the idea of people being able to access public health is so awful that it has managed to shut the US govt or parts of it down?

Flabbergasted!

It has nothing to do with public health access for everyone and everything to do with the way the Obamacare bill is written.

Simply put- it was great in theory but failing miserably in execution.

medicare and medicaid are both socialized medicine in the US and they seem to work pretty well. just saying...

medicare and medicaid are both socialized medicine in the US and they seem to work pretty well. just saying...

Medicare doesn't work at all, especially since it's been cut left and right.

We pay a monthly premium, plus responsible for 20% of all medical costs, and are liable for roughly $4500 per year in prescriptions. And that's if they cover the prescription at all- more and more they're cutting what they cover to save a buck.

Of course, you can get supplemental insurance to ago along with it, making monthly premiums cost even more money.

There's a reason so many senior citizens have to choose between medications and food- they can't afford both.

there's no easy answer. i pay 600 a month for myself and son through employer and have 20% copay and 7000 annual deductible. vision and dental both extra. plus my taxes go towards paying medicare and medicaid and now obamacare. and i don't get the medicare and medicaid discounted rates but do get the insurance negotiated rates. most hospitals in my area have programs for people who cannot afford to pay their bills. my mom who is on medicare and has supplemental also pays small amount every month to jewish family services and they pay her light bill, 40% of dental, and a few other perks. there are a lot of programs already available for people who are in need of assistance who have low income. i guess i am not happy when i hear complaints about what is given is not enough when it's at the cost of others.

If Obamacare is run like other Govt. agencies we are all in big trouble... we will not be able to chose our own Dr's and yes there are bureaucrats deciding who lives and who dies.. limiting services for elderly patients is a death panel... As time goes on there will be more and more restrictions.. Good Bye America as we know it...I am scared for my children and their children...

there's no easy answer. i pay 600 a month for myself and son through employer and have 20% copay and 7000 annual deductible. vision and dental both extra. plus my taxes go towards paying medicare and medicaid and now obamacare. and i don't get the medicare and medicaid discounted rates but do get the insurance negotiated rates. most hospitals in my area have programs for people who cannot afford to pay their bills. my mom who is on medicare and has supplemental also pays small amount every month to jewish family services and they pay her light bill, 40% of dental, and a few other perks. there are a lot of programs already available for people who are in need of assistance who have low income. i guess i am not happy when i hear complaints about what is given is not enough when it's at the cost of others.

Medicare isn't "given" to anyone. As you stated, we all pay into it when working so it's there when we stop working or can no longer work. When on Medicare, you must pay a monthly premium too, again just like private insurance through an employer. Don't be fooled into thinking Medicare and Medicaid are the same thing or even remotely similar- they're not. In fact, Medicaid covers a lot more than Medicare does, despite the fact Medicaid is "given". Medicare doesn't get discounted rates, either. We pay the same as anyone else with insurance.

Oh and while Medicaid gets full dental and vision coverage- Medicare has ZERO vision and dental coverage. It's 100% paid out of pocket.

I have literally thousands of dollars in medical bills piled up on my desk right now and because I worked and earned money all my adult life until I got sick and get disability based on what I paid into it, I get ZERO help from anyone nor am I eligible for it.

Oh and I just got a letter telling me my insurance premium will be rising as of January 1st while my prescription coverage will be less. I'm told I can thank Obamacare for that.

While Medicare isn't "given" and Medicaid is, I still don't begrudge those on Medicaid that truly need it. I know there are people on it that have no business getting a dime, for the single mom working 40+ hours a week but still can't afford medical insurance? For the veteran who is temporarily out of work due to injury? For the man who can no longer work because he fell seriously ill but unfortunately didn't pay in enough for disability Medicare? They deserve it and they should be taken care of. In fact it's one of the few reasons for income taxes that are actually good ones.

If Obamacare is run like other Govt. agencies we are all in big trouble... we will not be able to chose our own Dr's and yes there are bureaucrats deciding who lives and who dies.. limiting services for elderly patients is a death panel... As time goes on there will be more and more restrictions.. Good Bye America as we know it...I am scared for my children and their children...

My sentiments exactly. My opinion but I think we should go back to the constitution and the bill of rights. Throw all the amendments and other crap in the trash and start over. Until they take the politics out of politics all children will just continue to suffer. Why do I need my government to tell me who I can see and who I can't? They don't tell me how to live my life so why should they have control of the side effects?? Simplify the billing and make it to where a doc doesn't feel like he's gonna be sued by every patient and that will be good enough for me.

There is very small percentage of 1.45 of income paid into medicare. Hardly enough to cover more than 15 years worth of paid insurance coverage. The rest is on the employer and the taxpayer. And medicare publishes what they will pay for procedures, which are much less than the rates most doctors and hospitals charge.

There is very small percentage of 1.45 of income paid into medicare. Hardly enough to cover more than 15 years worth of paid insurance coverage. The rest is on the employer and the taxpayer. And medicare publishes what they will pay for procedures, which are much less than the rates most doctors and hospitals charge.

What they pay the doctors is irrelevant considering the cost to the patient is the same for Medicare as it is regular insurance. If an office visit is $40 it's the same $40 for Medicare. We don't get a break at all.

I know they pay less for some doctor's costs but us, the patient, don't see a dime of that saving.

Missy, you are most likely then not seeing doctors/ hospitals that accept medicare assignment. If they agree to accept assignment they can only charge you the medicare deductible and coinsurance. I have been dealing with medicare for my parents for years now and they only see doctors who accept the medicare assignment or they would be bankrupt from medical bills.