True Story Of Government Waste.

[IDBillzFan]

That should do wonders to the First Amendment.

 

Having said that, it's idiotic for anyone to think that dual language anything is advancing their cause, when the rest of the world knows that you need a good command of English to advance.

It's true. Here in California, you absolutely MUST have a basic understanding of English if you want to get into your junior year of high school.

[Steely Dan]

Really? Even though it's headed toward a total collapse?

 

You're confusing funding by congress with administration of the program. Just because congress can't manage money to save their own butts don't blame the program.

 

SS would be way ahead of the game if when it was instituted they separated those funds from the general fund pool.

 

Too much pork is what is driving the country into financial trouble not Medicare and Medicaid.

[Chef Jim]

That should do wonders to the First Amendment.

 

Having said that, it's idiotic for anyone to think that dual language anything is advancing their cause, when the rest of the world knows that you need a good command of English to advance.

 

It's amazing when you think about it. It just goes to show you what part of the population Mexico and Central America is exporting to us. I interviewed a kid who was from Mexico, came here to go to college so that means he didn't hit the US until he was 18 or 19. Got a business degree from OK State spoke perfect English and was a killer interview. I would have offered him a position on the spot but there were visa issues. I felt like asking him if there were more like him back home, and you and I both know there are plenty just like him there. But we get all the backward, uneducated, country folks that are probably illiterate in their own language.

[TPS]

The preceding message is brought to you by a partisan of the left, who otherwise believes that government programs are always more effective.

Idiots. We'd all be better off if the same folks who ran Bear-Stearns, Merril Lynch, AIG, Lehman Bros, GM, Chrysler, Wash Mutual, Wachovia, et al ran the government.

[Steely Dan]

It's amazing when you think about it. It just goes to show you what part of the population Mexico and Central America is exporting to us. I interviewed a kid who was from Mexico, came here to go to college so that means he didn't hit the US until he was 18 or 19. Got a business degree from OK State spoke perfect English and was a killer interview. I would have offered him a position on the spot but there were visa issues. I felt like asking him if there were more like him back home, and you and I both know there are plenty just like him there. But we get all the backward, uneducated, country folks that are probably illiterate in their own language.

 

I pay my Visa on time every month. If this kid is having Visa problems see if he can get a Mastercard? BA DUM BUM! I'm here all week folks!

 

 

Idiots. We'd all be better off if the same folks who ran Bear-Stearns, Merril Lynch, AIG, Lehman Bros, GM, Chrysler, Wash Mutual, Wachovia, et al ran the government.

 

 

If their were no government regulations the market would take care of itself.

[GG]

Idiots. We'd all be better off if the same folks who ran Bear-Stearns, Merril Lynch, AIG, Lehman Bros, GM, Chrysler, Wash Mutual, Wachovia, et al ran the government.

 

Sure, let's play that game. Let's compare 70 years of those companies' histories to state run enterprises over that time. Those Soviets must be laughing all the way to the bank.

[kegtapr]

Medicaid and Medicare are already better than the free market crap.

 

Link

 

The Federal government usually reports its Medicare administrative costs at about 2% of

total payments under the program while private costs vary dramatically from market to

market, but frequently are cited to be in the 15-20% range on average.

 

 

 

You have no idea how far off that is. I work with Medicare on a daily basis. They can report their administrative costs as being so low because they waste so much money in other areas it deflates the admin number by default. They outsource a lot of their administration, which may not even be reported in the figure. Also, most of the administration is pushed onto private plans for Medicare Advantage members.

 

If I told you how much reimbursement a Medicare Advantage plan receives per month just for having a member enrolled in their plan (before any claim payments) you would be astounded.

 

The amount of waste is unbelievable.

[molson_golden2002]

 

You have no idea how far off that is. I work with Medicare on a daily basis. They can report their administrative costs as being so low because they waste so much money in other areas it deflates the admin number by default. They also outsource a lot of their administration, which may not even be reported in the figure.

 

If I told you how much reimbursement a Medicare Advantage plan receives per month just for having a member enrolled in their plan (before any claim payments) you would be astounded.

 

The amount of waste is unbelievable.

Compared to what?

[kegtapr]

Compared to what?

 

Oh I don't know, keeping costs in line?

 

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the employer provided commercial plans making insurers rich. It's Medicare.

[molson_golden2002]

Oh I don't know, keeping costs in line?

 

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the employer provided commercial plans making insurers rich. It's Medicare.

And doctors too. The money has to come from somewhere and go somewhere if people are going to get medical treatment

[kegtapr]

And doctors too. The money has to come from somewhere and go somewhere if people are going to get medical treatment

 

Thanks for stating the obvious. People get treatment, money changes hands. That's blowing my mind. I'm not even going to go into the doctors side of this, because many work the system to their advantage too and that's not where my knowledge is.

 

But ask yourself this. Why are private, not for profit insurers becoming rich off of a government welfare program? I'm not even talking about the shady fly by night operations, I'm talking about the ones that do everything legally. If standalone Medicare is such a great plan, seniors wouldn't have a need to enroll in an Advantage plan through private insurers. If the profit margin wasn't so great, health plans wouldn't take advantage of this either.

[Steely Dan]

 

You have no idea how far off that is. I work with Medicare on a daily basis. They can report their administrative costs as being so low because they waste so much money in other areas it deflates the admin number by default. They outsource a lot of their administration, which may not even be reported in the figure. Also, most of the administration is pushed onto private plans for Medicare Advantage members.

 

If I told you how much reimbursement a Medicare Advantage plan receives per month just for having a member enrolled in their plan (before any claim payments) you would be astounded.

 

The amount of waste is unbelievable.

 

What is your role in working with them and do you believe that number is off by 12-14%? If so provide proof.

 

 

Oh I don't know, keeping costs in line?

 

Contrary to popular belief, it's not the employer provided commercial plans making insurers rich. It's Medicare.

 

Proof?

[molson_golden2002]

Thanks for stating the obvious. People get treatment, money changes hands. That's blowing my mind. I'm not even going to go into the doctors side of this, because many work the system to their advantage too and that's not where my knowledge is.

 

But ask yourself this. Why are private, not for profit insurers becoming rich off of a government welfare program? I'm not even talking about the shady fly by night operations, I'm talking about the ones that do everything legally. If standalone Medicare is such a great plan, seniors wouldn't have a need to enroll in an Advantage plan through private insurers. If the profit margin wasn't so great, health plans wouldn't take advantage of this either.

Because medical care is expensive. Why are defense industries getting rich off the government? Same reason

[kegtapr]

What is your role in working with them and do you believe that number is off by 12-14%? If so provide proof.

 

 

 

 

Proof?

 

I work on the end of a private insurer. It can't really be judged by the % off because Medicare can't provide the services of a private insurer. If it could, Medicare Advantage plans wouldn't exist. And like I said, CMS outsources much of it's administration and I can't see in that .pdf where that was accounted for.

 

As for proof of the second, something tells me I won't be disclosing financials. Plans aren't even required to break it down in their annual reports. But the info is out there if you look hard enough. Most plans would trade 100,000 commercial members for 50,000 Medicare members in a heartbeat.

[kegtapr]

Because medical care is expensive. Why are defense industries getting rich off the government? Same reason

 

And defense industries are for profit, and they provide something to the government that it can't provide to itself.

 

Which brings me back to the original point that "Medicaid and Medicare are already better than the free market crap" is not a true statement after you take the whole system into account.

 

Just like your example of the defense industry, Medicare and Medicaid can't provide the services many people need without relying on the private sector. Take that part away and either seniors lose benefits they rely on or Medicares administration costs skyrocket if they have to start providing it.

[Cheeseburger_in_paradise]

I lost my SS card and had to go to get a replacement card. They called me in and I gave the woman the application and showed her my license and told them my SS#. You'd think she would have walked over to a printer and handed me a new card. No they're gonna mail it to me.

 

How much more does that cost over just handing me a damn card!?

 

Another thing that pissed me off is they have applications in Spanish. Learn the language! I noticed they didn't have applications in French or German or Swahili. What the is happening here.

 

[/rant]

 

You were in the S.S.?

[Kevbeau]

Hmmm Gov't Waste.

 

When I got my Georgia driver's license, they gave me a plastic id version with temporary stamped across it. The actual version was mailed to me a month later and was the exact same card without "temporary" stamped across it.

 

Many moons ago, my dad was the safety/facilities officer for the 914th up at NFAFB (late 80's/early 90's). Was instucted by the gubment that the the bathrooms in the pilot's locker room had to be upgraded to make them handicapped accessible to the tune of 40K or so.

[DC Tom]

Many moons ago, my dad was the safety/facilities officer for the 914th up at NFAFB (late 80's/early 90's). Was instucted by the gubment that the the bathrooms in the pilot's locker room had to be upgraded to make them handicapped accessible to the tune of 40K or so.

 

 

 

I've still got the topper, though: a couple years ago, I was asked to print out 3000 pages of documentation, so they could give it to another contractor to scan into electronic format, so they could then give it BACK to me in electronic format so I could import it into their content management database.

 

When I very reasonably pointed out that, since I already had the documents in electronic format I could import those rather than print them, I was told that we couldn't do that because "that's not the process."

[Steely Dan]

You were in the S.S.?

 

Don't tell the Icebergs!

 

 

 

 

I've still got the topper, though: a couple years ago, I was asked to print out 3000 pages of documentation, so they could give it to another contractor to scan into electronic format, so they could then give it BACK to me in electronic format so I could import it into their content management database.

 

When I very reasonably pointed out that, since I already had the documents in electronic format I could import those rather than print them, I was told that we couldn't do that because "that's not the process."

 

[Kevbeau]

 

 

I've still got the topper, though: a couple years ago, I was asked to print out 3000 pages of documentation, so they could give it to another contractor to scan into electronic format, so they could then give it BACK to me in electronic format so I could import it into their content management database.

 

When I very reasonably pointed out that, since I already had the documents in electronic format I could import those rather than print them, I was told that we couldn't do that because "that's not the process."

 

Truly dizzying.

 

That may even top the $200 hammer story.