Milliman staes quite clearly. It a fact that is easily verified.
“Examining payment rates for 2006 and 2007, Milliman estimated that if Medicare and Medicaid paid the same rates as private insurers, they would have spent $88.8 billion more.”
Then they state an opinion that cannot be verified and uses the word “tends”.
“This increasing amount of unreimbursed costs associated with public programs and the uninsured tends to be shifted by providers to other payers, particularly self-insured employers and private health insurance plans.”
I say that no costs are shifted to private insurance. Any sane businessman is charging the private insurers the max they can regardless of what Medicare pays. And if you aren’t making money with Medicare, please tell me, why in the hell would you accept it. Most economists agree.
“This increasing amount of unreimbursed costs associated with public programs and the uninsured tends to be shifted by providers to other payers, particularly self-insured employers and private health insurance plans.”
