By Hrayr Attarian, M.D.
Letters, Chicago Sun-Times, July 8, 2011
One of the July 8 headlines portends cuts to Medicare, the health plan that covers senior citizens over 65 and some chronically disabled individuals. This is an effort to reduce national debt without increasing taxes.
Medicare, which will turn 46 on July 30, is far from a perfect program. However, having practiced in three states over the span of 12 years, I have spent countless hours pre-authorizing, appealing and trying to negotiate care for my patients with both Medicare and private insurers.
One thing has become clear to me: Medicare, despite its bureaucratic inefficiencies and guidelines that occasionally do not make sense, does not deny payment for medical procedures because of pre-existing conditions while private insurers, with guidelines no less mind-boggling, routinely do.
Medicare is far from ideal, but the solution is not cut it but to improve it and expand it because in the end its goal is to ensure the health of its members not to make a profit and pay dividends.
Hrayr Attarian, M.D., is a neurologist. He resides in Oak Park, Ill.