Eye-Opening Article

As of Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I draw the attention of The Pilot and all current and soon-to-be Medicare recipients to the most recent of the AARP Bulletin, October 2012.

It has a very eye-opening article regarding admission status when “admitted” to a hospital and identifies how patients are kept, in some cases more than 10 days in an “observation” status.

This status, according to the article, significantly impacts any payments by Medicare or supplemental insurance for any follow-up care, such as rehab stays. Many patients are receiving surprise bills after hospital stays in which they assumed they were inpatients. I urge everyone covered by Medicare, or caring for someone covered, or those soon to be covered, to read this article.

Since we have such a large retired population, I feel it is incumbent on The Pilot to further investigate and report on this issue and the current lawsuit that has been filed over this issue.

Richard Kirschke

Vass

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getreal 7 months, 1 week ago

It was indeed important information! I will discuss this with my doctor on my next visit. You can't fix it, if you don't know it is broken. I can only hope our own excellent First Health doesn't play these kind of tricks.

golflady 7 months, 1 week ago

This has quietly been going at hospital for over a year. Beware and get the facts prior to being taken to any hospital.

http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-08-2012/medicare-inpatient-vs-outpatient-under-observation.html

The_AnonymusProfit 7 months, 1 week ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

Middleman522 7 months, 1 week ago

If you read about the process that was used for AARP to back Oblaimascare, you will see that AARP is an insurance company using a load of crap to get laws changed to plop customers in their laps. 7,000 against and 42 for the Oblaimascare on call ins by members and they ignored it while helping Oblaima sell it to his sheep! They do not care about anyone except their little bottomline!

golflady 7 months, 1 week ago

I'm not an AARP fan either and don't belong for many reasons including those listed by Middleman522. If you're over 65 and on Medicare, PLEASE go to the website and read the article - has nothing to do with AARP but changes that are going on all across the country and right here in Moore County. First Health has an observation unit - find out what's covered and what isn't. The Pilot should be reporting on health issues that affect us locally, especially issues like this.

The_AnonymusProfit 7 months, 1 week ago

Doh!

Mythreekids 7 months, 1 week ago

I can assure you, this does Not happen at FirstHealth. There is an Obs unit at FHC but you'd be extremely hard pressed to find anyone there over 2 days unless the census is high and there are no beds elsewhere.

Middleman522 7 months, 1 week ago

Do we really want the same government that manages GSA, Secret Service, US Postal, IRS, Social Security, Medicare and 'caid, Congressional and WH spending, EPA, and on and on! When is it going to be enough for the left to control. Do they ever get enough power over people. Is it time to peel back the curtain and see what they are up to with this? There are 320 million of us and it will take an army to manage something this big, at UNION wages, vacations, holidays, sick pay, maternity leave, Conventions, meetings, theft, and just plain waste! Do the math!! Let Insurance companies cross state lines and set up ZIP CODES as a corp. plan with 3 or so options. Rates would go down and everyone would have a better chance to be insured. A healthy 20 something really does not need much coverage and should NOT be forced to pay up! This is America!!

teufelhunden 7 months, 1 week ago

Hospitals are looking at fines for elderly patients re-admitted within 30 days. Couple that with "insuring" 30 million more people. Shortages. Longer waits. Costs skyrocketing.

teufelhunden 7 months, 1 week ago

They're going to see that bypass grafts on 85 year olds who have smoked all their lives is not money well spent. Just the beginning. Within 10 years 50% of our population will be obese.