Raise Debt Ceiling = Higher out of pocket expenses
Don’t Raise Debt Ceiling = Higher out of pocket expenses
Whether it is the Ryan plan, the Obama plan, or some new plan, American government will be spending somewhere between tremendously more and stupendously more on interest and healthcare.
If you believe more of this will be going to providers…you are wrong. There will be an ongoing effort to squeeze reimbursements from government programs, and since most of the developing plans of ObamaCare (due out in 2014) benchmark to Medicare, right now is about to be seen as the end of the “good old days”.
The question of 21st century healthcare economics is not who will win—- It is how much you lose. Patients as well as providers will be squeezed. When I ask a room full of people who thinks they will be paying more out of pocket for their healthcare in 10 years, nearly every hand goes up.
Yet… I am optimistic about practices for chiropractors, massage therapists and others. I did a StrongPosture training seminar in Alberta, Canada last month, and beside GREAT spring skiing at Lake Louise, I had a great reception from many docs there who by and large tell me they’re doing well….DESPITE LOSING GOVERNMENT INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT 2 YEARS AGO. Initially practices were down, but they came back up…with less paperwork.
The province’s version of Medicare eliminated chiropractic in a real world experiment of my long standing contention—–
“If there isn’t reimbursement for back pain and chronic NMS complaints, people will do SOMETHING…even if they have to pay out of pocket, and especially if that something is effective.”
Unless you think and NSAID Rx will fix the NMS problems of an aging, sedentary population…there is a market for services people perceive to be of value–like chiropractic, muscle therapy and professionals who teach people to effectively care for their body…such as CPEPs and other Posture Professionals. The triad of Posture Pictures, Bio-mechanics 101 patient education, and StrongPosture® exercise is helping body therapy professionals position themselves with that value, and it will serve them well in the coming years.
Steven Weiniger, Chiropractor & Posture Therapist