Massachusetts health care. Learn something before you talk about it.
The Massachusetts health care act as implemented by Deval Patrick is a shadow of what Romney signed in 2006.
The Democrat majority that has held the state house for decades worked with Democrat Patrick to expand the plans coverage far beyond what Romney had mapped out. To the point where health care is almost 1/3 of the state budget. The program has been kept afloat by billions in federal subsidies under the various stimulus plans.
I have seen my health care premiums go up the following since the health care law was passed because of expensive mandates the working class must cover.
2007 - 28 percent, 2009 - 26, 2010 - 31, 2011- 18, 2012 - 14. I had seen a grand total of a 7 percent increase across the previous 10 years before the law.
My co-pays have gone up from $10 to $20. I now have to pay an additional state mandated co-pay for any diagnostic visit. There are additional specific co-pays that only apply to tests for women.
The state has 40,000 less doctors today than it did in April of 2006 when the law was signed. Older doctors are retiring early because the state is reimbursing them so little for state insured patients they are losing money. Younger doctors taught in Massachusetts schools are leaving the state in droves. Every hospital in the state is short doctors which is driving up saleries, which further drives up costs.
6 non-profit hospitals had to sell out to a for profit company after they went bankrupt waiting on $120 million in state health care reimbursements that were with held because the state was too broke to pay them.
Another 5 local hospitals are on the brink of bankruptcy while a lawsuit against the state over missed state care reimbursements flounders in the court system.
I guess coverage for all means never getting paid.
The cost of malpractice insurance has skyrocketed because doctors have strict limits on diagnostic tests that they can run.
There is a growing shortage of trained therapists because they are also leaving the state in droves. It can be as long as 3 weeks from when you have surgery until you can start therapy because of the shortage.
I hope those of you who support this looming national nightmare are happy when the s*#t hits the fan.
