Uninsured? Insured, But Poor? DIE, Deadbeat
This country’s healthcare system is already both cruel and inefficient to the point of nearly useless for millions of us. But I swear, if something like this is allowed to be implemented, the Ebeneezer Scrooge-like qualities of the present system will seem Mother Teresa-style compassionate in 10 or 15 years. This is reason enough to overthrow any Government that would allow it to be implemented.
They went too far some time ago, but this is icing on the cake. Don’t tell me that this isn’t some kind of a screening process to allow for the disposal of the inconveniently ill among us. Once they die off, why those health insurance CEOs can enjoy pay and bonuses that will make rock stars look like paupers in comparison. Isn’t it way past time to force these heartless, greedy, useless motherfuckers OUT OF an arena that absolutely should NOT be run like a business?
I really can’t say any more about this right now. I’m too pissed off.
The folks who invented the credit score for lenders are hard at work developing a similar tool for hospitals and other health care providers.
The project, dubbed “MedFICO” in some early press reports, will aid hospitals in assessing a patient’s ability to pay their medical bills. But privacy advocates are worried that the notorious errors that have caused frequent criticism of the credit system will also cause trouble with any attempt to create a health-related risk score. They also fear that a low score might impact the quality of the health care that patients receive.
Fair Issac Corp., developer of the FICO credit score, is one of several investors in Healthcare Analytics, the Massachusetts start-up that is developing the hospital risk tool. Another investor is Tenet Healthcare Corp, one of the nation’s largest hospital operators. Stephen Farber, who resigned as chief financial officer of Tenet in 2004, is the CEO of Healthcare Analytics.
Several published reports have described Healthcare Analytics product as a MedFICO score, computed in a way that would be familiar to those who’ve used credit scores. The firm is gathering payment history information from large hospitals around the country, according to a magazine called Inside ARM, aimed at “accounts receivable management” professionals. It will then analyze that data to predict how likely patients will be to pay future medical bills. As with credit reports and scores, patients who’ve failed to pay past bills will be deemed less likely to pay future bills.
The idea sounds ominous to Pam Dixon, who runs the World Privacy Forum, which studies medical privacy issues.
“This is a bad idea and I don’t think this benefits the consumer at all,” Dixon said. “And what about victims of medical ID theft? Are we going to deny treatment to these people because they have a terrible MedFICO score?”
Tags: cruelty, greed, healthcare, insurance
January 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
This is just one more step toward squeezing more money out of the poor American public. It is inhumane and insane – its beyond crazy – its evil!
We need to socialize medical care for ALL Americans and can solve the doctor and nurse shortage by subsidizing medical training. We would also be creating jobs.
My youngest son is uninsured and it scares us. He and I were talking the other day and both of us look at the insurance industry as a protection racket. I want to hear the candidates talk about liquidating the insurance industries.
We would do far better by adapting the best of the Canadian, British, or French medical care systems. Care, like war, should not be a venue for profiteering.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Another way to punish the poor and enable their further suffering.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Yes KWW, this one’s plain evil.
No more will I listen to the wingtard bullshit about “everyone gets treated regardless.”
January 19th, 2008 at 11:09 am
One more way to deny care. Disgusting.
January 19th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
It becomes more and more obvious that for some “the sacredness and dignity human life” only applies in very limited circumstances.
Sometimes I wish they’d just be more open about it – round people up like the Nazis did. At least then people wouldn’t be so oblivious to what it actually happening.
January 19th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Note that of the leading candidates, only John Edwards supports a health care plan with a single payer option that consumers can use to opt out of the current system.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:51 am
Heidi, you definitely hit the nail on the head. The Federal Government, in alliance with corporations, has declared war on the American people. It’s about time for us to start defending ourselves. We can best do this by demanding the return of the Constitution to its rightful place as the centerpiece of the society. I believe that if we got that done, a lot of other things would naturally follow.
January 20th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
The title of that Red Tape article said it all: “The doctor will see your credit now.”
This is a new low, even for the medical-industrial complex which I didn’t think could sink any lower.