Empire may not cover Stony Brook, 3 other hospitals

N0-Bama wrote:

Here comes obama health care...hope you are all happy with voting for him....he will DESTROY AMERICA....look at the stimulus that was supposed to SAVE THE COUNTRY....IT FAILED AND THE ECONOMY IS DROPPING LOWER AND LOWER.... obama can't blame Bush anymore....it's his economy!!!!!!

How is this Obama healthcare? That is just in the talking stage. This is healthcare the way its been for years.Were you born yesterday?

So, our healthcare copays got raised and now we can't go to these hospitals? Last time I checked, if you lived on the east end, those are the ONLY 3 out there! Ridiculous! And if you suffer from cancer out there or this way where do you go for treatments now? What is our country coming too?????

Perhaps the idiot politicians in the Albany circus should be taking some action against Empire to prevent this outrage. Whoops--they're too busy with other games! How about our "Accidental Governor' intervening? Whoops again, he doesn't know where Long Island is--could you imagine them trying this routine in Manhattan, My family uses Stony Brook, it is the best facility out here. This will force us to change Doctor's to one's affiliated with more mediocre places. Time for Atty, Gen, Andrew Cuomo to look into these Empire "negotiations, this stinks!

Health Insurance Companies are a BUSINESS. They exist to make a profit. They do not exist because they care about the individual. They do not care that the people on the east end might have to drive 40 miles to get health care. The poster who compared it with Exxon-Mobil was right on. They posted the largest profits and certainly didn't care that people had to chose between eating and putting gas in their cars. Once you get this into your head, it seems more palitable. Is it right?? Of course not. But this is reality.

Stony Brook is a terrible hospital. With some possible exceptions you will get much better care from other area hospitals. The staff has the attitude of government employees; they don't care. Many of the people who work there only have their jobs because of their minority status, not the quality of their work - and it shows. In the other local hospitals you have people of all backgrounds caring for patients who were hired because they are good at what they do. State facilities are always an exception to quality. Health care is no place for affirmative action.

Voice in the rabble wrote:

Stony Brook is a terrible hospital. With some possible exceptions you will get much better care from other area hospitals. The staff has the attitude of government employees; they don't care. Many of the people who work there only have their jobs because of their minority status, not the quality of their work - and it shows. In the other local hospitals you have people of all backgrounds caring for patients who were hired because they are good at what they do. State facilities are always an exception to quality. Health care is no place for affirmative action.

My sister works there and shes white. it has nothing to do wit hcolor. It has everything to do with the hospital firing people and making the people who do work their 6 days a week 16 hours each day. after 9 hours and another 7 to go you just stop caring.

The writing was on the wall. Suffolk County Employees have been getting screwed on insurance hard for several years now. Sold out by corrupt unions that work closely with corrupt government. Now a county employee can't get care at a scid hospital. Call your unions and they will tell you that they have to provide care in an emergency "just as they do for illegal immigrants" Most of our union personnel can't even make change for a dollar and we have them managing issues like health care. LOL

ttt wrote:

<quoted text>
My sister works there and shes white. it has nothing to do wit hcolor. It has everything to do with the hospital firing people and making the people who do work their 6 days a week 16 hours each day. after 9 hours and another 7 to go you just stop caring.

The STATE hospital with UNION employees DOESN'T FIRE people (without MAJOR cause). In addition - the UNION employees have RIGHTS through UNION representation. If your sister needs help managing her work hours, she should ASK for it - use the resources available to her - instead of complaining to someone who can't do anything about it and who doesn't know the facts.

The fact is that Empire no longer participates with Mather or St. Charles. Take away Stony Brook and that is basically insane!! Not only that, but general surgeons in suffolk county no longer accept Empire. I may need surgery soon...I'm screwed.

It's also a quality of life issue. People with chronic illnesses such as cancer should NOT have to travel continually for their treatment. The stress of that alone will affect ones health.

I agree that NYS needs to get rid of empire & replace it with a NON-profit!!

They have to be kidding!The hospital will close if it does not take Empire. They will lose too much and we the residents/tax payers will suffer.

Voice in the rabble wrote:

Stony Brook is a terrible hospital. With some possible exceptions you will get much better care from other area hospitals. The staff has the attitude of government employees; they don't care. Many of the people who work there only have their jobs because of their minority status, not the quality of their work - and it shows. In the other local hospitals you have people of all backgrounds caring for patients who were hired because they are good at what they do. State facilities are always an exception to quality. Health care is no place for affirmative action.

I spent 2 weeks there last year for heart surgery. My daughter spent 3 weeks there ,25 years ago for open heart surgery. The care and caring of the employees was exceptional then and now.Do you speak from personal experience or hearsay?If it was personal experience , probably nothing would make you happy.

Going to Stony Brook Hospital for anything but a band aid is asked to die.

DARKLE wrote:

Yes, with FOR-PROFIT privatized health insurance, consumers have rip-off high rates and limitations in what care is allowed for them.
Executives at WellPoint , Empire's parent company, want to
increase their own salaries and bonus payouts by many millions $$$$$$$$$$ while screwing the public and cutting services, as usual.
It's past time to give these rabid INSURANCE PROFITEERS some competition with a national health insurance option for consumers.

I think you are right on the MONEY with your analysis - I'd like to know which congressmen and senators are in the insurance companies pocket ?!! And how much Wellpoint spent on lobbying them last year. FOLLOW THE MONEY Newsday and for a change do some real investigative reporting !

Not Impressed wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I don't like the insurance companies, and I think they should be not-for-profits, but in this case its the alliance (of 3 east end hospitals) asking for a 60 percent rate hike. That is a really high rate hike.

You are Totally Correct ! 60% rate hike is Nuts , especially in these trying times! I know for a fact that ( at least until recently) Southampton Hospital's billing was at least 2 years behind - poor management almost put them out of business !

A 60% increase,.........huh? Do you think the hospitals get this money, or the doctors that practice there? More reasons to leave NY.
Where does this entitlement feeling come? Oh, that's right, it's Newsday.

My letter did not mention Stony Brook, just the others. I wonder why.

Dan wrote:

One of the weakest arguments against single payer health care is that people don't want "government bureaucrats" making health decisions for them instead of doctors. Well here is a newsflash. If you have private insurance, instead of a bureaucrat you have a CEO making your health care decisions. The CEO's goal is to make the company as profitable as possible. They do that by denying claims or telling you which procedures you can or can't get.

But if you don't like it you can shop around.

With the government plan you will have nowhere to go and no one to sue. And no one will give a hoot about your complaints.

And if the government doesn't like you someone just might give a copy of your records to Keith Olbermann.

well actually wrote:

i have empire and pay $18-20 copay per visit, not $7.00.

well, as anyone knows, there are many, many tiers of plans available. you can even get a no copay plan if you want. so,$7 is real.

My husband and I both have our own health insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield through our employers. Neither of us got a letter stating that we can no longer go to Stony Brook or any other hospital.

As to surgeons, very few will accept Blue Cross /Blue Shield because the reimbursement is so low. I had an operation in 2008 that Blue Cross is still refusing to pay for..... even though I did everything right and got preapproval.

well actually wrote:

i have empire and pay $18-20 copay per visit, not $7.00.

I pay a $20.00 co pay for my empire also but what I mentioned was that my Dad, the retired city fireman also has empire and empire sends checks for $7.00 to him (meaning my Dad) to be given to the doctor who treated him. So with a $20 co pay and $7 from empire, the doctor gets $27.00 for a visit...