It appears that HCA is no longer a participant in contracts with healthcare companies like Humana.
Many contract participants in programs like Humana Medicare Advantage will be receiving letters that advise them that as of July 15, they will no longer be admitted to HCA hospitals such as Palms West or JFK.
The cost shifting by Gov. Rick Scott’s old hospital corporation where he served as CEO seems to be following a familiar pattern.
Not to be left out, United Healthcare is also cost shifting and has apparently decided not to continue its disease prevention program.
All this may only be the beginning, as Gov. Scott plans to shift more money away from nonprofit teaching hospitals to private, for-profit hospitals. Gov. Scott’s refusal of billions in Medicaid dollars is producing an excuse to shift public tax dollars to private healthcare corporations.
The answer is becoming clearer and it appears to be universal healthcare or funding of Medicare to provide healthcare for every citizen, which would change a “privilege to a right.”
We, the United States, are in a select group of one among advanced industrial countries. We are the only country to not have universal healthcare for its citizens. Instead, we are with multi-billion-dollar giants, big pharmacy and big healthcare insurance companies, whose lobbyists continue to persuade our Congress to represent their interests, and not the interests of the American people.
Richard Nielsen, Royal Palm Beach
