[MKE - Indymedia] hidden taxes?

[Daniel Pryzbyla]

“Hidden Taxes”
 
Not only for MTEA represented teachers and other employees, the plot thickens for demands on health benefit cutbacks and paybacks. Whether it’s MPS administration or other “stick it to ‘em” employers demanding employees pay a larger share of their health care benefits, after reading the MJS Business page article Saturday, July 17, 2004 about low Medicare payments to Wisconsin, it’s time to send all bargaining teams back to the table.
 
Wisconsin Hospital Association senior vice-president George Quinn is quoted frequently. It’s also interesting to note that the Medicare reimbursement formula considers wages paid to Wisconsin hospital employees. Because wages are lower in this state than in many other states, the Medicare reimbursement is lower. (One reason for this is that Milwaukee hospitals fight tooth and nail to keep unions out. The only hospitals in Milwaukee that ever had unions were the former Milwaukee County Hospital and Milwaukee County Children’s Hospital – both dismantled and privatized –ed.)
 
Now read carefully, and be seated too: “Bad debt and charity care at Wisconsin hospitals last year approached $500 million, Quinn said. Covering bad debt, charity care and governmental underfunding (Medicare – ed.) amounted to 27% of the average insured patient’s hospital bill. Five years ago, it was 17%, Quinn said.
 
“These unpaid costs are shifted directly to businesses (and government agencies like MPS, city, county, etc. - ed) and their employees. The hidden tax continues to be a significant reason behind rising health insurance premiums,” he said. How come this is never discussed at school board hearings, city committee meetings, etc.? Probably, nobody even knew it. This is getting as bad as George W.’s missing WMD, eh?
 
And who allowed these private hospitals to “shift” these unpaid costs to the “insured patient’s hospital bill”? The state legislators? Which ones? The ones whose palms are greased by Medical lobbyists? Health insurance lobbyists, too? Who knows? 
 
A “hidden tax”? Cute, eh? How come the right-wing Taxpayers Alliance isn’t screaming bloody murder about this? Or maybe half of them are doctors to begin with. 
 
Looks like a lot of bargaining has to go back to Stage 1 again. And definitely take the time to read the entire article.
 
Later, Dan
 



Daniel Pryzbyla
pryz1 at earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
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