Yes, we know, its late. Finally, we have something to offer up about Obamacare. The reality that most people outside of medicine are quite unaware of is that this “reform” legislation almost immediately began causing trouble for us doctors. I don’t mean a little bit of trouble, I mean the kind that has us up late, having rounds and rounds of meetings and quite frankly answering questions by the dozens from our patients. One example of an instant effect of the legislation was the ramping up of a particularly onerous and Orwellian practice from the Federal government called RAC Audits. What are they? Here is the quote from CMS:

“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken the next steps in the agency’s comprehensive efforts to identify improper Medicare payments and fight fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare program by awarding contracts to four permanent Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) designed to guard the Medicare Trust Fund.”

They have literally formed a posse and these private contractors can go to ANY medicare provider in the US and demand to see records as far back as five years. If there is any error– ANY error, they can begin a process to claw back dollars based on an estimate derived from the magnitude of the found error and the volume of medicare payments. This is, in plain language, a nightmare.

Back to Obamacare—

There have been nearly 1000 English language articles and opinion pieces that we are able to find in the public domain on how Mr. Obama’s signature legislation is causing all kinds of harm. Much of it of course was predicted. This piece from May 28 is, we think, the best ’summary’ of those comments we have seen. Mr. Obama even took to the road to try and “sell” this reform package, and the DNC has allocated nearly $250 million to “sell” it through the mid-term elections. The first Obama visit was made to coincide with the handing out of the $250 rebate checks to seniors to help them manage the doughnut hole from the Medicare expansion under GW Bush. Great. Our President literally handing out checks to seniors— to influence their opinions about a political concept. Its like we are back at Tammany Hall again.

Lucky for us, Peter Hansen continues to proffer actual ideas that may help us to do what Obamacare will not do: reform the current nightmare that is our healthcare system.