Where's the logic?

Older people are naturally going to have more pre-existing health conditions.

The Republicans are trying to remove pre-existing health insurance cover.

Older people are more likely to vote Republican than younger people.

Not to mention Social Security and Medicare...

Where's the logic?

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swirlie · 31-35, F

There is no logic used in America when Americans go out and vote. That is why those who typically voted Republican are now faced with the reality of their ill-informed choices.

It all comes down to a personal responsibility for Americans to become politically educated before they vote, which of course the vast majority of Americans are not. They don't know the facts before voting; they don't know 'what' they are voting for as they shoot themselves in the foot by voting in old traditional ways... like their parents did. That is why those same people who voted Trump into Office will be the beneficiaries of the American Health Care implosion that has already begun across the country. Hospitals are shutting down and Physicians are leaving the country seeking a better deal as we speak.

Make America Great Again? Hey, not a bad idea! Are Republican Americans now waiting for the Democrats to make that happen for them, I wonder?

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

American hospitals are closing but your finger is pointing in the wrong direction according to Bloomberg Business News:

U.S. Hospitals Shut at 30-a-Year Pace, With No End in Sight

Industry M&A may be no savior as the pace of hospital closures, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas, seems poised to accelerate.

Hospitals have been closing at a rate of about 30 a year, according to the American Hospital Association, and patients living far from major cities may be left with even fewer hospital choices as insurers push them toward online providers like Teladoc Inc. and clinics such as CVS Health Corp’s MinuteClinic.

Morgan Stanley analysts led by Vikram Malhotra looked at data from roughly 6,000 U.S. private and public hospitals and concluded eight percent are at risk of closing; another 10 percent are considered “weak." The firm defined weak hospitals based on criteria for margins for earnings before interest and other items, occupancy and revenue. The “at risk” group was defined by capital expenditures and efficiency, among others.

The next year to 18 months should see an increase in shut downs, Malhotra said in a phone interview.

The risks are coming following years of mergers and acquisitions. The most recent deal saw Apollo Global Management LLC swallowing rural hospital chain LifePoint Health Inc. for $5.6 billion last month. Apollo declined to comment on the deal; LifePoint has until Aug. 22 to solicit other offers. Consolidation among other health-care players, such as CVS’s planned takeover of insurer Aetna Inc., could also pressure hospitals as payers push patients toward outpatient services.

There are already a lot of hospitals with high negative margins, consultancy Veda Partners health care policy analyst Spencer Perlman said, and that’s going to become unsustainable. Rural hospitals with a smaller footprint may have less room to negotiate rates with managed care companies and are often hobbled by more older and poorer patients.

Also wearing away at margins are technological improvements that allow patients to get more surgeries and imaging done outside of the hospital. They are also likely to be forced to pay more to attract and retain doctors in key areas, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jason McGorman said.

They “are getting eaten alive from these market trends,” Perlman cautioned.

Future M&A options could be too late -- buyers may hesitate as debt laden operators like Community Health Systems Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corp. focus on selling underperforming sites to reduce leverage, Morgan Stanley’s Zachary Sopcak said.

The light at the end of the tunnel is some hospitals are rising to the occasion, Perlman said. Some acute care facilities are restructuring as outpatient emergency clinics with free-standing emergency departments. “Microhospitals,” or facilities with ten beds or less, are another trend that may hold promise.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-21/hospitals-are-getting-eaten-away-by-market-trends-analysts-say

@swirlie