From the Rose Law Group Growlery
By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer
As Congress again wades into healthcare costs, especially those Medicare and Medicaid, thought I’d relay a personal experience with government-regulated healthcare.
I’m preparing to have cataract removal and recently went through all the pre-op exams, including an extensive vision test. In my second visit to the doctor’s office, which was about two weeks after the initial exam, the vision test was repeated. I asked why.
“It’s the government rule,” the examiner said, “they want to make sure your vision hasn’t improved.”
Are you kidding me? I’m 74 with a thick cataract, and my vision is going to improve?
I’m all for eliminating unnecessary medical procedures to help bring down the costs of healthcare, or at least stem the increased spending, but I experienced what seems to me to be taking cost-cutting to the extreme.
New laser technology is available for cataract removal. It makes incisions in the cornea more accurately than a surgeon can. It gets rid of the cataract more efficiently, it reduces the chances of infection or other complications and it shortens the time of the operation.
Guess what? Medicare doesn’t pay for it. $1,400 out of pocket!
Rep. Tom Price, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of Heath and Human Services, testified this week the nation’s healthcare system must make decisions based on patients’ needs.
I’ll be keeping an eye on that.
