26 June 2008
Medical equipment for the elderly and disabled can be purchased much more cheaply from sources outside Medicare. Congress is not allowing competitive bids from companies to supply equipment in 10 metropolitan areas because of pressure from losing bidders and lobbyists. Medicare is paying “$1,825 for a hospital bed that can be bought online for $754, and $4,023 for a power wheelchair that can be bought online for $2,174.” These are only two examples from any number of durable equipment items that Medicare is being overcharged for. The House has approved legislation that will delay competitive bids for 18 months. I have stopped some of my medical equipment needs thru Medicare because of the outrageous prices that hospitals and other sources are billing Medicare. Because of degenerative arthritis in my right hand, a plastic hand support was ordered for me. $615 was billed to Medicare and it cost about $25 to make. It was very uncomfortable and Medicare was billed $178 for a 15 min. adjustment. I gave up on it and researched the problem online. I found an elastic and fabric support for $15 and it does a much better job. Go figure.
Will there ever be reform in the current medical system? The marketplace is dominated by government bureaucracies and lobbyists that resist government reforms. It’s estimated that Medicare would save $1 billion a year if a nationwide program of competitive bidding is put in place. Who’s out there to fight for medical system reform? In addition to Medicare saving on such a program, beneficiaries would save as much as 26 percent on co-payments. It seems that industry lobbyists are persuading members of both parties in Congress to back off. I’m outraged at the power that these lobbyists have, manipulating both Congress and the Senate.
The same problem exists in the Medicare Drug Plan which also does not allow competitive bidding for lower drug prices. Let’s hope that there is reform in the Medicare program and the whole medical system in the next administration.
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