Beaumont Falling Apart

**djtomt** · July-31-20, 01:49 AM

The largest hospital system in the area is falling apart rapidly in advance of being sold to an Illinois conglomerate known for prioitizing profits over care. This is a BIG DEAL and is being underreported by our local news outlets. Please take a look:

https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/arti...mplant_devices

**Richard** · July-31-20, 05:49 AM

A non profit where those at the top are well taken care of,seems the norm.

I was a bit confused before as to why Detroit did not fit the profile of the high number of deaths related to the current situation,all the other cities where city/state run hospitals played a role had the highest amount of cases.

This clears it up a bit.

Even for profit hospitals will source out the cheapest products,so not sure how that plays a role of this case.

The way our healthcare system works it appears as though for profit hospitals are the only way to survive,but even at that there are probably very few that do not have the same issues as outlined in the link and in the following links at the source.

Even as a non profit,revenue had to be generated to cover costs and a profit had to be realized in order cover those costs,cuts made etc just like a for profit hospital.

When it comes to quality of care,what happens when the end of the 1/4 is coming up and the books show you are making a profit,how do you reduce income other then regulating the care of customers and not performing expensive procedures.

The only real non profit healthcare clinics seem to be the little clinics that serve small underserved neighborhoods,who never seem to have enough revenue to even think about showing a profit.

**Dan Wesson** · July-31-20, 07:10 AM

Just wait till medicare for all...

The race to the bottom in 1,2,3...

**313WX** · July-31-20, 07:56 AM

It's unfortunate. Beaumont was the only halfway decent health care system in Southeast Michigan.

**Gistok** · July-31-20, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by Dan Wesson

Just wait till medicare for all...

The race to the bottom in 1,2,3...

Many people WITH insurance can hardly pay for the yearly deductibles and out of pocket expenses, let alone the gouging Americans get by big Pharma, as compared to other countries.

God forbid we end up like Germany... who did a better job during the Pandemic.

**401don** · July-31-20, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Many people WITH insurance can hardly pay for the yearly deductibles and out of pocket expenses, let alone the gouging Americans get by big Pharma, as compared to other countries.

God forbid we end up like Germany... who did a better job during the Pandemic.

Or us over here in Canada. If you guys don't get your act together I may never get back over the border. Although, to be fair, I think it's more to do with individual behavior than your healthcare system.

**iheartthed** · July-31-20, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Dan Wesson

Just wait till medicare for all...

The race to the bottom in 1,2,3...

Yeah, our for-profit system is doing a spectacular job.

**Dan Wesson** · July-31-20, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Yeah, our for-profit system is doing a spectacular job.

Have you priced medicare? It's an eye opener. Better start saving or spend it down now. Medicaid for all not medicare for all. The rabbit hole goes deep on this subject.

**Bigdd** · July-31-20, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by Dan Wesson

Have you priced medicare? It's an eye opener. Better start saving or spend it down now. Medicaid for all not medicare for all. The rabbit hole goes deep on this subject.

One of the many ways the poor are subsidized by the rich in this country is through the health care system.

It costs 7x as much to insure the elderly as it does a 20 Y.O male,.. but the ACA mandates insurance companies can only charge them 3 x. [[I.E. massive wealth transfer to the senior voting block)

Another is with Medicare / Medicaid. The amount these agencies pay to hospitals and doctors is lower than their actual costs. So the hospitals and doctors have to WAY over-charge patients that have real insurance. As an example,.. if you have private insurance, a tonsillectomy might be $6,000. But if you're paying cash, more like $2,000.

Right now,.. Medicare consumes 18% of the nations budget, while insuring 15% of the population. BUT because of the previous paragraph,.. you can't just assume that insuring the whole nation would only cost 120% of the annual Federal Budget. In reality it wold cost perhaps 3x that much.

We would need to spend 300% or more of the current federal budget to do Medicare for all.

**SpartanDawg** · July-31-20, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

It's unfortunate. Beaumont was the only halfway decent health care system in Southeast Michigan.

I think this only solidifies Henry Ford as the premier health system in southeast michigan, second in the state only to Michigan Medicine

**313WX** · July-31-20, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by SpartanDawg

I think this only solidifies Henry Ford as the premier health system in southeast michigan, second in the state only to Michigan Medicine

In my circle, the experience at Henry Ford has been mediocre. Beaumont has been better.

**Meddle** · July-31-20, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bigdd

Another is with Medicare / Medicaid. The amount these agencies pay to hospitals and doctors is lower than their actual costs. So the hospitals and doctors have to WAY over-charge patients that have real insurance. As an example,.. if you have private insurance, a tonsillectomy might be $6,000. But if you're paying cash, more like $2,000.

That begs for strict regulation of medical costs and billing clarity. Actual cost plus X% only, with annual audit to determine actual costs. And elimination of mega salaries for medical corporation executives and administrators.

The runaway greed in the medical industry has created the mess you outline.

**Meddle** · July-31-20, 05:41 PM

I had an issue a few months back that led to an ER visit. See screen shot. Why am I billed for the shot [[tetanus) plus the action to inject it? The $500 doctor? He never even stepped in the room. Never saw him at all. The $1300? I laid on a bed for 30 minutes while they soaked and wrapped the wound and made a few phone calls to find out who could treat it. Yeup. This facility did NOT treat the injury at all. The flex wrap? I got two more rolls at Dollar General shortly afterwards for $1 each. The irrigation solutions? One was saline solution, clear. Available at most stores for $5 or less. The other was medicated with an antiseptic/cleansing agent so I have nothing to compare it to, but similar products are also inexpensive.

I can understand markup ... 25%, 50%, maybe even 100%, but 4-500% or more? No.

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**Gistok** · July-31-20, 09:14 PM

I had an angry cyst on my neck and the Beaumont Urgent Care folks [[took my $45 deductible) and just told me to go to the ER... instead I went online [[while waiting for the visit to my doctor)... and followed some suggestions on how to handle these... only cost me $150 in out of pocket, compared to the outrageous price of the ER.

**Richard** · August-01-20, 06:00 AM

Just poke that sucker with a needle and drain it.

For a heart attack with a stent,cash price for 2 days in the ICU and not including the ride or the specialists,$83,000 cash price.

The contract doctors $5000
The ride $850

If it would have been 20 days later it all would have been free and covered under Covid.

The irony is when you get somebody trying to fix the broken system,they become the worst person in the planet,while we wonder why things remain the same.

**Honky Tonk** · August-01-20, 11:05 AM

I think I already posted this once, but I'll post it again. A friend was in Beaumont for a procedure [[apparently they no longer do "surgeries") After a couple of days, they told him he would be discharged the following morning, 9 a.m. When he received his bill, there was a charge for a doctor visit on the morning of departure. He never had a doctor stop in, so he called the billing department and they went back and forth. He then recalled, while he was packing his belongings, a woman in scrubs, poking her head in the door [[literally) saying "Good Morning, and asking him how he was feeling. "Fine" he replied, "I'm getting out of here". Charge: $650 for a "doctor visit". Good Morning DetroitYES! How's everyone feeling? [[you guys owe me money)

**iheartthed** · August-01-20, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Dan Wesson

Have you priced medicare? It's an eye opener. Better start saving or spend it down now. Medicaid for all not medicare for all. The rabbit hole goes deep on this subject.

I don't really care about surface level examinations. Our entire healthcare system needs to be overhauled. The for profit model is not sustainable and our politicians know this, but are just waiting for the health insurance industry to collapse before they actually fix it. But that's probably not too far away.

**Honky Tonk** · August-01-20, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I don't really care about surface level examinations. Our entire healthcare system needs to be overhauled. The for profit model is not sustainable and our politicians know this, but are just waiting for the health insurance industry to collapse before they actually fix it. But that's probably not too far away.

The AMA has a very powerful lobbying group. Probably the NRA comes in second. Our elected officials, I've been told, have gratis healthcare for themselves and their families, for life. No one in office is going to cut off their nose to spite their face.