During the Biden administration, the woman who has been in charge of CMS has pushed for Medicare Advantage programs, which are totally owned by filthy rich private insurance companies. I should point out that years before, the Medicare drug program, Part D, is run by, you guessed it, the same private insurance companies. Medicare had three major programs: Part A, hospital; Part B, non-hospital; and Part D, the drug program. In the past several years, CMS has created a Part C program, which never existed before private insurance companies made deals with CMS to make their scam advantage programs part of Medicare. If you were to look at the annual Medicare huge booklet, you would find that at least half of it is dedicated to Medicare Advantage, which is NOT and advantage of Medicare. Original Medicare, Parts A and B, allows you to select doctors, hospitals and other medical providers for whatever treatment you need. Medicare does not require one to get approval for Parts A and B. However, this scam known as Medicare Advantage does not allow you to get any of the above without their approval. Furthermore, for Part C advantage insurance, one must pay extra monthly fees to those private insurance companies. If you have Original Medicare, there is a monthly fee, but if you decide to add an "advantage program, you must pay the extra monthly amount the private provider charges, plus limitations they require for you to receive medical attention. All of those Medicare Advantage advertisements on TV by people like Joe Namath and others are just more lies for the rich insurance companies to steal your hard-earned cash.
The healthcare insurance in this country, as Dr. Richardson mentions here, is incredibly and downright awful, for "The richest country to ever have existed!"
My parents had an Advantage plan. Under it, my mom (who had several melanomas) would see the dermatologist every three months, but the doctor could only examine at one quarter of body during a visit. I am not making this up.
It is so interesting that the Americans will cheer the vigilantes against the big bad corporate guys, when they just voted in a “president” whose election promise was huge tax breaks for corporate profits. How could Americans believe that trump will give a hoot for the regular guy? Trump never worked an after school job, never shopped for groceries, never filled a car with gas, and never accepted any responsibility for any of his wrongdoings.
Big business drives our government. While everyone was hollering about immigration congress passed a law, written by insurance lobbyist, that prevents citizens from suing insurance companies for malpractice when they are denied medical coverage for a doctor ordered procedure that significantly impacts their life such as death. So, some Doctor that spent 5 minutes with your folder and has never met you or AI can decide that you do not need something like a MRI that would have discovered cancer sooner and possibly saved or lengthened your life and that's okay. A doctored doing the same thing can be sued and lose his license for the same thing.
We are a necessary evil for the rich. Musk recently stated that the US economy is going to suffer if the population continues to decrease. Since Republicans are against immigration, and the white population is shrinking due to low birth rates the rich has taken advantage of the catholic definition of life to promote and increased birth rate not because the care about babies, mothers or the prolife cause but the need more consumers and workers.
Government needed to change. With improvement in efficiencies by removing some of the red tape and bureaucratic paperwork they could supply the same services for less and thus lower taxes. The democrats never grasped that idea and from the rhetoric they still do not.
But elected trump and his billionaire cast is going to destroy us as nation unless you are a billionaire. Musk and company will fire government employees and destroy the lives of thousands of people and make a a very small change in the budget. meanwhile our soldier's half of which need food stamps to survive will not get a meaningful pay raise and have their food stamps reduced so they can die for their country hungry and with no security for the children and wife.
Trump voters should be proud of themselves because your elected officials are laughing at you and patting you on the behind. So, some shot the head of United go figure. How many people did the insurance company think they could help kill, and yes, they were complicit in many people dying before their time, before people tried to strike back.
Lawyers and congress have made sure that there are really very few other options to voice a high level of frustration. Meanwhile Congressmen have really good insurance and are seldom denied treatment so exactly why do they care.
Oh, hell it is all Bidens fault, people are so intellectually challenged these days it's unreal.
The 'merican citizen brought this on themselves. For-Profit Wall Street publicly treaded healthcare and prisons? What could go wrong? We have the best government money can buy. The right wingers should be pointing out that the shooter was expressing their 2nd Amendment rights. Isn't that what they say when the little guy is shot for walking on a public sidewalk or having the non-white skin in a white skin neighborhood? We voted for this, enjoy your "freedoms", you voted for this.
I am hard of hearing and a paid subscriber I DO NOT want to listen to HCR I want to read what she has to say please make sure everything I get from her is in print form. This the 5th time I 've written about this but you take my money and ignore me. For shame
Professor Richardson usually posts 2 versions of the same newsletter each day.
In the Substack app, I select my picture in the top right corner to display all the authors I subscribe to, then select HCR's photo to take me to her page. The written version is posted after midnight has the date and her photo in a little circle. The audio version is posted later in the afternoon and shows a larger photo of her in a pink shirt and blue baseball cap and also shows the date.
I hope this helps you find what you are looking for. I can appreciate your preference for reading and at the same time I'm grateful that she records the newsletter so I can listen on my drive home from work.
Thank you Heather for your efforts in putting tonight’s letter together. These are heavy circumstances to follow right now but I am most grateful for your clarity based on hard facts and your courage to remain focused on how we may rebuild our platform of hope for all the people. Many blessings always
During the Biden administration, the woman who has been in charge of CMS has pushed for Medicare Advantage programs, which are totally owned by filthy rich private insurance companies. I should point out that years before, the Medicare drug program, Part D, is run by, you guessed it, the same private insurance companies. Medicare had three major programs: Part A, hospital; Part B, non-hospital; and Part D, the drug program. In the past several years, CMS has created a Part C program, which never existed before private insurance companies made deals with CMS to make their scam advantage programs part of Medicare. If you were to look at the annual Medicare huge booklet, you would find that at least half of it is dedicated to Medicare Advantage, which is NOT and advantage of Medicare. Original Medicare, Parts A and B, allows you to select doctors, hospitals and other medical providers for whatever treatment you need. Medicare does not require one to get approval for Parts A and B. However, this scam known as Medicare Advantage does not allow you to get any of the above without their approval. Furthermore, for Part C advantage insurance, one must pay extra monthly fees to those private insurance companies. If you have Original Medicare, there is a monthly fee, but if you decide to add an "advantage program, you must pay the extra monthly amount the private provider charges, plus limitations they require for you to receive medical attention. All of those Medicare Advantage advertisements on TV by people like Joe Namath and others are just more lies for the rich insurance companies to steal your hard-earned cash.
The healthcare insurance in this country, as Dr. Richardson mentions here, is incredibly and downright awful, for "The richest country to ever have existed!"
I was not happy, nor surprised , by the 38% hike in our prescriptions drug plans for 2025, with no changes in prescriptions.
My parents had an Advantage plan. Under it, my mom (who had several melanomas) would see the dermatologist every three months, but the doctor could only examine at one quarter of body during a visit. I am not making this up.
I would NEVER get an Advantage plan.
Wow! I had no idea. That is crazy and it is not healthcare.
It is so interesting that the Americans will cheer the vigilantes against the big bad corporate guys, when they just voted in a “president” whose election promise was huge tax breaks for corporate profits. How could Americans believe that trump will give a hoot for the regular guy? Trump never worked an after school job, never shopped for groceries, never filled a car with gas, and never accepted any responsibility for any of his wrongdoings.
Big business drives our government. While everyone was hollering about immigration congress passed a law, written by insurance lobbyist, that prevents citizens from suing insurance companies for malpractice when they are denied medical coverage for a doctor ordered procedure that significantly impacts their life such as death. So, some Doctor that spent 5 minutes with your folder and has never met you or AI can decide that you do not need something like a MRI that would have discovered cancer sooner and possibly saved or lengthened your life and that's okay. A doctored doing the same thing can be sued and lose his license for the same thing.
We are a necessary evil for the rich. Musk recently stated that the US economy is going to suffer if the population continues to decrease. Since Republicans are against immigration, and the white population is shrinking due to low birth rates the rich has taken advantage of the catholic definition of life to promote and increased birth rate not because the care about babies, mothers or the prolife cause but the need more consumers and workers.
Government needed to change. With improvement in efficiencies by removing some of the red tape and bureaucratic paperwork they could supply the same services for less and thus lower taxes. The democrats never grasped that idea and from the rhetoric they still do not.
But elected trump and his billionaire cast is going to destroy us as nation unless you are a billionaire. Musk and company will fire government employees and destroy the lives of thousands of people and make a a very small change in the budget. meanwhile our soldier's half of which need food stamps to survive will not get a meaningful pay raise and have their food stamps reduced so they can die for their country hungry and with no security for the children and wife.
Trump voters should be proud of themselves because your elected officials are laughing at you and patting you on the behind. So, some shot the head of United go figure. How many people did the insurance company think they could help kill, and yes, they were complicit in many people dying before their time, before people tried to strike back.
Lawyers and congress have made sure that there are really very few other options to voice a high level of frustration. Meanwhile Congressmen have really good insurance and are seldom denied treatment so exactly why do they care.
Oh, hell it is all Bidens fault, people are so intellectually challenged these days it's unreal.
It bothers me a lot to be going backwards. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/we-are-going-back?r=3m1bs
The 'merican citizen brought this on themselves. For-Profit Wall Street publicly treaded healthcare and prisons? What could go wrong? We have the best government money can buy. The right wingers should be pointing out that the shooter was expressing their 2nd Amendment rights. Isn't that what they say when the little guy is shot for walking on a public sidewalk or having the non-white skin in a white skin neighborhood? We voted for this, enjoy your "freedoms", you voted for this.
I am hard of hearing and a paid subscriber I DO NOT want to listen to HCR I want to read what she has to say please make sure everything I get from her is in print form. This the 5th time I 've written about this but you take my money and ignore me. For shame
Professor Richardson usually posts 2 versions of the same newsletter each day.
In the Substack app, I select my picture in the top right corner to display all the authors I subscribe to, then select HCR's photo to take me to her page. The written version is posted after midnight has the date and her photo in a little circle. The audio version is posted later in the afternoon and shows a larger photo of her in a pink shirt and blue baseball cap and also shows the date.
I hope this helps you find what you are looking for. I can appreciate your preference for reading and at the same time I'm grateful that she records the newsletter so I can listen on my drive home from work.
Thank you Heather for your efforts in putting tonight’s letter together. These are heavy circumstances to follow right now but I am most grateful for your clarity based on hard facts and your courage to remain focused on how we may rebuild our platform of hope for all the people. Many blessings always
🥁🕯️🇺🇸🗽🌻🪴🔔❤️
VOX has a different take on the Anthem anesthesia issue: https://www.vox.com/policy/390031/anthem-blue-cross-blue-shield-anesthesia-limits-insurance. What do you think about that?