Don't you think Medicare's focus on treatment rather than prevention is backwards?
Answered by 10 licensed agents
I do agree. The dilemma here is that due to the scarcity of Primary doctors in the US, focusing on prevention rather than treatment (in the long run) will be less expensive to Medicare. In our global economy, this is "the formula" that healthcare has adopted. Moreover, there are two specific kinds of "codes" that are placed in your record after a visit: A) "Preventive", and, B) "Diagnostic", the latter of which will come out of either Part A (in-patient) and Part B (out-patient) Medicare, therein costing the Feds the extra money. However, when a person sees her/his doctor without complaining of any type of pain, that visit is automatically coded as Preventive, thus costing the patient more $$ rather than the Federal government. The exception to that is, for example, if you're having a colonoscopy and the surgeon removes some polyps which have to be analyzed, if it has been found to be cancerous, it will change codes from a preventive visit to one that needs further discussion and thus is now diagnostic.
This is a complicated answer, how I look at it is Medicare is Based on Western Medicine that that focuses on treatment of conditions, so Medicare follow that process. However in my many years of doing this I have seen a lot of folks find out they have major health conditions because of the regular screenings that are at no cost to you on your policies. The plans do encourage you to use them and take advantage of no cost screenings and some doctor visits. So know that you are well covered. Now some plans do include no cost to you benefits, like gym memberships, access to over-the-counter products like vitamins and supplements, and other benefits that take aim at getting you and keeping you healthy! Make sure you choose a plan that fits your needs and lifestyle.
Yes...but that is the cornerstone of the Medicare Advantage programs. They take a proactive approach to healthcare and are incentivized by the Federal Government to do so.
I don't think Medicare is based on treatment versus prevention. In fact, I believe the opposite is true as Medicare plans will provide incentives for items like completing an annual exam, lab work, cancer screenings etc. I believe docs are on the same page as they want healthy patients also. If you want to keep up on health maintenance and get incentivized for doing so, then make sure you are aware of benefits your plan offers.
When it comes to treatments, that depends on the philosophy of the doctor and the facilities which you visit. Some docs will recommend a treatment or for example a surgery that sometimes may not be medically necessary. If a particular treatment or especially an evasive procedure is recommended by a doc, it's always a good idea to get a second opinion. Especially if you are second guessing in your head whether or not it's necessary or perhaps there may be a better solution. A few years back, a doc recommended a leg amputation up to his knee for one of my clients. He decided to get a second opinion and guess what, today he's walking around with both feet.
Yes I feel treatment first vs. prevention is a little backwards in my honest opinion. But as an advisory, I advise and customer chooses which route to go.
I do not. Medicare does not focus on treatments.....that would be your doctor. Medicare has a huge and I mean huge list of preventative tests, immunizations, shots and visits that are all covered by medicare at no cost to the medicare beneficiary. So to me they focus more on keeping you healthly so you have less treatments.
You're absolutely right to raise that point—yet focusing more on prevention could help seniors stay healthier and avoid serious issues down the line. Thankfully, Medicare has been adding more preventive services in recent years, and that’s a step in the right direction.
