Increase in DME Prices under Obama Care !

timbalionguy wrote:The negative effects of Obanacare started months ago. Look at Resmed and respironics price fixing schemes, and resMed's unfair competition policies.

Ummm... if you're going to look at that, you might want to start looking considerably farther back.

Like back to 2006, four years ago:

Sep 25, 2006 subject: Resmed Policy Warning and Information topic started by johnnygoodman
viewtopic.php?t=13796

Jun 30, 2006 subject: Resmed officially raising prices topic started by neversleeps
viewtopic.php?t=10666

rested gal wrote:

timbalionguy wrote:The negative effects of Obanacare started months ago. Look at Resmed and respironics price fixing schemes, and resMed's unfair competition policies.

Ummm... if you're going to look at that, you might want to start looking considerably farther back.

Like back to 2006, four years ago:

Sep 25, 2006 subject: Resmed Policy Warning and Information topic started by johnnygoodman
viewtopic.php?t=13796

Jun 30, 2006 subject: Resmed officially raising prices topic started by neversleeps
viewtopic.php?t=10666

My recollection was that it relates to a change by Bush in the anti-trust laws to allow companies such as Resmed to establish minimum prices to be charged by retailers. This was discussed on cpaptalk about the time of Resmeds most recent crack-down (I can't find the link). Prior to the change in the law, Resmed's and PR's actions were illegal. Now they are not.

The Guest wrote: I don't understand why you have health insurance. Are you saying that you spend more than $60,000 per year on health care so that you have to have insurance? Why wouldn't you just pay for your medical care from that $60,000 and not pay the insurance? That is an outrageous amount.

It is an outrageous amount and unfortunately I have no choice as long as I can pay the premium. If something catastrophic ever happened, without insurance I would be cleaned out. Without insurance, even if I had the cash to pay - most hospitals would not take me. So I have a heart attack and am rushed to the hospital with a briefcase with $150,000 in it - they would still redirect me to the cheapest regional hospital that has to take me - and then ignore me as much as they can.

So there are two problems - the first is that the uninsured pay "list price" on all medical services, supplies and meds. This is usually at least 5 times what your insurance company pays. The second problem is that without an insurance company - no one trusts that you will pay your bills so they don't want you. We have a really sick system.

PST wrote:

kempo wrote:Printing trillions of worthless dollars will make coffee go up along with everything else. It has gotten so bad now that the Chinese are theatening to stop financing the U.S. debt. Our allies are raising hell because Obama is devaluating the dollar at a record rate.

Yes anything, get it, anything you buy will cost you more as inflation takes hold. And yes mam. It is Obama's fault.

It certainly hasn't started yet. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the CPI up approximately 1 percent for September 2010 (latest available) over September 2009. That's just about the lowest rate of inflation in modern memory. We could make a bet whether hyper-inflation starts kicking in later this year. You can't lose. If I win, you pay me back in worthless dollars.

Does anybody believe the Bogus BS, er, BLS, CPI data, or for that matter any govermnent statistic? Costs are spiraling out of control for just about everything we buy, like food, clothing, tuition, etc., and the worst is yet to come as the value of the dollar plummets. We are soon going to be paying the piper for decades of debt accumulation, d it will not be pretty. Zimbabwe, here we come.

jonquiljo wrote:

The Guest wrote:So there are two problems - the first is that the uninsured pay "list price" on all medical services, supplies and meds. This is usually at least 5 times what your insurance company pays.

Hi,

That has not been my experience. When I was uninsured, I did competitive price shopping. For anything in the hospital, the initial offer was 45% off of list price, and then we could negotiate from there. My doctor was more than happy to give a discount for paying cash up front, though my dentist was less inclined to do so (he requires all treatment to be paid at the time of service). In shopping around, I got my machine, mask, and supplies all for less than what my current insurance co-pays would have been (if I would have had insurance at that time).

-john-

Slinky wrote:I just ran into some unexpected copays and expenses for my 02 therapy, but it had NOTHING to do w/the health care bill. It had to do w/Medicare cuts in reimbursement set into place before the health care bill AND a cutting back in BC/BS benefits for 02 therapy due to GM dumping their health care responsibilities on the UAW.

And before you get started on unions and the UAW be aware that WE, the workers, the union members, PAID for those benefits by taking much less in hourly wages all these years. Salaried GM workers took MUCH HARDER health and pension benefits HITS than union members did because they didn't have a union such as the UAW to protect their health and pension benefits.

And now GM and the UAW pension and insurance are owned by the U.S. Tax payer. So what your saying is the U.S. tax payer is screwing you. I don't think so.

No, I am NOT saying that!!! "I" am a US taxpayer, have been for a good many years. And my husband paid the maximum into FICA most all of his working life.

Roger B Smith screwed GM and the UAW when he was in charge of GM. He ran it into the ground right at the height of the foreign car invasion and unlike Ford, he did it on the backs of the UAW workers. Wall Street continued destroying GM w/their insistence on instant turn-around from Roger B's folly. GM found a good man in Stemple who worked up the ranks to top dog and who understood the auto industry, but Wall Street pushed him out because he didn't work miracles overnight. Lee Iacoca (sp?) was the first to go to big time out-sourcing. Ford is the hero of the American auto industry by managing to hang on w/o a government bailout. God bless Ford! Don't you find it interesting how fast these companies and banks and financial institutions who received the bailouts w/strong (?) strings attached managed to turn around and pay off those bailout monies???

What I AM saying is that WE paid GM for our health benefits by taking less hourly wages and GM managed to use those monies pledged elsewhere, including under-funding the pension fund for years, and then welched altogether and pawned those responsibilities off just as our government has used the Social Security surplus for years to just keep on spending and spending to feed their Wall Street and big business patrones.

PST wrote:

DannyPh wrote:My DME Prices for Cpap Supplies have increased under the Obama Health Care Reform. In the Past I have Gotten my Replacement supplies ( Mask, tubing, Filters and Humidifier tank at No out of Pocket expense to myself. But in the Past six Months I have been recieving Bills from my DME ( American Home Patient ) for balances owed after my Insurance Coverage ( Medicare and BC/BS ). Well, Luckily I stocked up on Supplies In the Beginning of my Therapy So My DME will be getting a LOt less Business from me in the Future. I anticipated something like this Happening so thus the reason for my Stocking up on Supplies. I have Three unused sets of the Swift LT and two sets of the Swift II which I am currently using and a New Mirage Liberty Hybrid with six new Mouth Pieces for when I am congested and two new Tubings and One new Humidifier Tank. I can buy the Fine white Filters and the Foam Filters for my Machine off E Bay ( 12 white and two Foam ) cheaper that what the DME charges. So, Obama and His Health Care Reform can just sit in Washington and Muddle over the Mess of it all. My DME is Good but Neddless to say they have lost a Lot of Business from me.

Let me understand this, DannyPh. You are upset because you used to get all your equipment completely for free, but now you have to pay a deductible like practically everyone else. Because you anticipated that you might have to pay a deductible in the future, you ordered a bunch of equipment you didn't need yet, paid for by Medicare, so that now you have SIX completely unused masks. I have no idea how the PPACA caused this situation to arise six months ago, since that was before essentially any of its provisions were effective. Still, I find it fascinating that you would rather see 32 million people get along without any health insurance if it means that you can no longer stockpile masks without paying a cent. That's rugged Southeast Texas Republican individualism just the way I understand it. I am surprised you approve, So Well; I would expect you to see in this post a strong argument for why everyone should be paying at least part of the cost of their equipment.

I never gave my approval to that. What DannyPh is asking for is as bad as the socialists - he is whining because he expects someone else to pay for his stuff. The Republican party can keep him. We libertarians don't want him.

I know you are happy about Obamacare and I doubt the Republicans will be able to scuttle it (I also doubt they really want to scuttle it). But it will fall completely apart under the financial burden it creates from distorted markets and perverse incentives.

Gotta catch a flight and go earn some money tomorrow.

One thing that will take affect in January is a decrease in the FSA amounts. Currently you can have up to $5000 withheld from your paycheck to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance. Under this new law you can only withhold $2500. Also, you use to be able to deduct for over the counter medicines like allergy medicine, and stuff like wraps for sprained anchles or wrists. Now you will need a perscription for anything you use this money for. So, now I have to pay tax on expenses over $2500. Of course if I was very wealthy I could deduct medical expenses which is kinda what this evened out. Since I have three kids in braces, have a $750 deductable each year per family member and use this money for cpap supplies, I'll be screwed next year. Thanks Mr. O.

jweeks wrote: That has not been my experience. When I was uninsured, I did competitive price shopping. For anything in the hospital, the initial offer was 45% off of list price, and then we could negotiate from there. My doctor was more than happy to give a discount for paying cash up front, though my dentist was less inclined to do so (he requires all treatment to be paid at the time of service). In shopping around, I got my machine, mask, and supplies all for less than what my current insurance co-pays would have been (if I would have had insurance at that time).

Medication prices are outrageous. I've been told by pharmacist friends that the "cash pay" prices are way higher than the insurance co negotiated prices. And yes, you can negotiate the cost of a Dr.' s service etc - a procedure or visit at a time. I'm talking about a catastrophic and life threatening illness when you don't have the option of negotiating these things one step at a time. Now I can't just "liquidate" assets in a short period of time to get these people cash.

They aren't about to bill me $200,000 for a quadruple bypass.

Unfortunately, its those kinds of problems that you need insurance for. I figure I get $20K-$30K worth of (self pay) (or $10K in reality) services for premiums of $60K. The rest is insuring against major illness. So yes, it would be cheaper to be uninsured and pay cash, but the big ticket items would not be covered. When it can mean minutes vs. hours to get to the hospital and hours vs. weeks for treatment - the

As long as I see able bodied folks, setting on their a$$ while employers beg for help, as it is in our area, I will NEVER support my paying for their health care or any other entitlement they live on. I am an Independent, but if this BS I see daily continues, I will support the big red machine as it tries to dismember the entitlements, starting with Obamacare. Why should I be working at my age, I guess to pay my bills, as I don't bottom feed.

Interesting reading some of these posts. I warned what would happen with the fiasco of "health care reform" but according everyone on this board I didn't have a clue what I was talking about. Now you are just starting to see the results of the monster that was shoved through. By the way, it was touted as health care reform but it was in reality just another social welfare program. Health care reform would have addressed an overhaul of the health care system, not just adding another expensive layer of government intervention. Obama is not be the sharpest tack in the box, but it is actually Bernanke and the boys at the fed that are printing all that money you speak of. If the fed were not monetizing all that federal debt Obama and congress would be in tough shape, as they would be borrowing at much higher rates than is currently the case (no, I am not an Obama fan, just someone that happens to think he is an idiot that will be better off now that Pelosi will no longer be pPresident). One of these day the idiots in DC will realize that the reason the economy is not recovering as it normally would with all the liquidity in the system is a lack of confidence. One day they will figure out that money supply velocity showed a dramatic decline starting in Q3 of 2008 - When that occurs Bernanke and his band of clowns can put all the liquidity in the system they want - It is just going to sit there and is. When confidence returns Barnanke will not be able to pull all that liquidity out fast enough, and there you have it - runaway inflation.

The Texan wrote:As long as I see able bodied folks, setting on their a$$ while employers beg for help, as it is in our area

Tex,

Can you tell me where these jobs are? I know several people who have been out of work for over 2 years that will drive down tomorrow to take these jobs. Just tell me where they are, and I will send people to take them.

The Texan wrote:I will NEVER support my paying for their health care or any other entitlement they live on.

The biggest chunk of the budget is military, which is 54%, which happens to be more than twice the spending levels of any other civilized nation on earth. If we cut the military welfare, we will have plenty of money to cut taxes and pay off Bush's massive debt. The next biggest item, 23%, is social security. They had their entire life to save for retirement, so why should I have to pay for their golden years with my gold?

The Texan wrote:Why should I be working at my age

I guess the only explanation is that you were a poor planner and didn't save enough for your retirement years.

-john-


-john-

Well Social Security should be self sustaining - that's how it was set up. But too many people have played with it and raided the cookie jar to keep it afloat much longer. Now that's been going on for 30 years or more - not just Bush and Obama.

The health bill really was just a lot of social welfare spending - with a few good things thrown in. But in reality its a big chunk of Medicaid and other financial assistance. It doesn't really fix anything! That's where they missed the boat completely. All of this price fixing, insurance crazy games etc. - they are still on the table and as wild as ever. So after $1T over 10 years (probably much more) we will have helped some but left others to the wolves.

We are one big financial mess. We are broke yet persist in two wars with over 150,000 soldiers. Doesn't even matter whether it is good or bad - we just can't afford it. We tax half the taxpayers too much and the other half not at all.

sleepyb wrote:One thing that will take affect in January is a decrease in the FSA amounts. Currently you can have up to $5000 withheld from your paycheck to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance. Under this new law you can only withhold $2500. Also, you use to be able to deduct for over the counter medicines like allergy medicine, and stuff like wraps for sprained anchles or wrists. Now you will need a perscription for anything you use this money for. So, now I have to pay tax on expenses over $2500. Of course if I was very wealthy I could deduct medical expenses which is kinda what this evened out. Since I have three kids in braces, have a $750 deductable each year per family member and use this money for cpap supplies, I'll be screwed next year. Thanks Mr. O.

I didn't know anything about health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) until I read your post, sleepyb. I wish I had. My first question Monday morning is going to be why our firm doesn't have them. It seems like a useful benefit that costs the company nothing.

The news isn't as bad as you think. First, the original version of the PPACA put a $2,500 limit on FSAs beginning in 2011. However, that was changed as part of the reconciliation bill. The limit will start in 2013. Second, the restriction to prescription items only applies to medicine, not equipment. Things like crutches, blood sugar kits, and (most important!) CPAP supplies are still okay. There is a new IRS publication that lays it all out clearly at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,, ... 08,00.html. For many families the big ticket items are orthodontia and eye glasses, and that should still be included. Even over-the-counter medicines are still covered if a doctor prescribes them. It will mean purchasing cold pills and vitamins with after-tax dollars instead of pre-tax dollars, but that isn't such a big deal. Most people do.