B-W Residents Take on UPMC/Highmark Battle
The Oct. 4 Post-Gazette wore purple and white.
Baldwin-Whitehall residents made their presence known in the pages of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday—well, at least one page, in the Opinion section.
Coincidentally, two men from the district wrote letters to the editor regarding health care, particularly the ongoing battle between UPMC and Highmark.
Writes Ed Larkin of Baldwin Borough, "When will it be time to settle this squabble by providing a single-payer, government-run (nonprofit) system that provides health care at one-half the cost like all the other countries in the world?
"We don't remember reading much about power struggles for providing health care in other countries."
Read Larkin's full letter here.
Writes Walt Schran of Whitehall Borough, "As an individual Highmark health insurance subscriber, I received my recent bill with an 8-percent increase. Upon contacting Highmark, the reason provided is 'the rising cost of health care.'
"Whom do we thank for this increase? Highmark, so that it can fill its coffers with profits for its continuing battle with UPMC? ... Obamacare?"
Read Schran's full letter here.
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The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch will not accept anonymous letters. Each Patch letter will be published along with the name of the person who sent the letter and that person's email address.
Note: The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch, in certain cases, may choose not to publish some letters.
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In This article
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Borough of Whitehall Municipal Complex (Administrative Offices and Outdoor Recreation)
100 Borough Park Dr, Pittsburgh, PA -
Baldwin Borough Municipal Complex
3344 Churchview Ave, Pittsburgh, PA
cc
8:03 am on Friday, October 5, 2012
In Canada, you can wait up to a year to see a specialist with socialized medicine, same in Scotland. I don't want obamacare as it is a joke and sure don't want socialize medicine.
Sandra
8:36 am on Friday, October 5, 2012
I've posted this before. UPMC charged me a $200.00 "facility fee" above and beyond my doctor's bill which my insurance (Cigna) only paid $15.00 of that amount. This was a charge because the doctor's office was in a UPMC building (Fulk Building in Oakland). It's rediculous and should be illegal. How can UPMC call themselves nonprofit?
cc
11:32 am on Friday, October 5, 2012
Sandra, they have to pay to rent space in the hospital so they pass this amount to the clients. I got a bill like that for my son at Allegheny General Hospital (not UPMC). His next appointment, I drove my son to the office out in the North Hills and did not have to pay that fee. I was told if you want to see a Dr at the Hospital expect the fee, if you go to another office then you don't get billed for it. It isn't the Hospital that is billing for this fee, it is the your doctor that is passing the charges of renting space in the hospital along to you.
Kathleen
9:35 am on Friday, October 5, 2012
I love that reason, "the rising cost of health care." That is like saying "a 50/50 chance of rain" ... lame but is a perfect "CYA" comment. What about the "rising cost of living" that everyone has to deal with?