July 7, 2025 • 13 mins
Taking a quick coding break to briefly discuss the Big Beautiful Bill impact on the medical coding industry as it relates to Medicaid Cuts.
This is what I would do as a consumer....
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This is what I would do as a consumer....
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/coding-break-with-tam-talk-podcast--4244224/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Time to take a coding break.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello, Hello, Hello, and welcome back to the Coding Break podcast.
I am your Coding Break medical coding coach Tam Talk
here to talk about everything the good, they're bad, as
well as the ugly as it relates to the medical
coding industry. So what shall we talk about today? So
there are a myriad of things that we can discuss,
(00:27):
but I think I want to tap on the subject
of the Big Beautiful and what I mean by the
big beautiful of the Big Beautiful Bill, also known as
the Big Medicaid cut, the Big Medicaid chopper, right, So,
to be honest with you, I haven't done a lot
of deep diving research on this bill yet, and again,
(00:50):
as it relates to Medicaid and also how it relates
to the medical coding industry, I'm sure it will have
some influence or impact on our roles. What that impact
influence will look.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Like, I'm unsure.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I can say There'll probably be some tightening of the
reins as it relates to finances, but that's that's not
just with medical coding, that's just with healthcare and just
as a general population overall. That it will have some
type of impact on and on in that perspective. But yeah, so,
(01:30):
like I said, I haven't really done a deep dive
on the bill just to kind of pull out any
things that that I could share with you all as
it relates to this bill and how it will affect
the health care industry.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
It's gonna it's going to affect the healthcare industry.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
No doubt, no doubt. But I did want to come
on and just kind of share some possible practical soles,
not so much on a big organization or healthcare organizational level,
but as an individual, as a consumer, things that we
(02:10):
can do to kind of offset or to help offset
the costs or the expense of health care.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Now, of course, healthcare costs were very.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Dependent on the location and the provider and the organization
in which you seek treatment health care treatment. But one
of the things that I recommend, or I again, this
is just a practical tip that I would recommend. You
don't have to do it, but I want to offer
(02:42):
it up, offer some form of solution to the situation. This,
to me, I feel like can be applied, can be
implemented by someone on a low or lower income scale,
middle class, and probably the higher class whatever. So treat
(03:02):
your you have to create.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Your own health plan. There.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, you have to treat your own create or or
start your own health health care plan. And what I
mean by that like, you don't have to be like
a Blue Cross, Boushield or United health Care, all these
good these big brands I'm saying, but you have to
treat your finances like an a health savings account or
(03:28):
you have to be your own health health savings account
ter or count countant as well as your own insurance plan.
And what I mean by that is like, if you're
on a budget and you budget for like groceries, and
you budget for other buildings, you have to create a
little budget for health care costs, right, And what I
(03:49):
mean by that is you can take as little as
ten dollars, probably a little as five dollars and you
start putting it to the side for health care expenses.
For those of you who don't work in healthcare, or
at least you don't work on the business side of
health care, I'm not sure if you know that self
paid fees are a lot less than insurance rates fees.
(04:14):
So let's say, for example, you may pay four hundred
dollars or it may cost you four hundred dollars for
a health encounter. And again this is just an example.
This is not like, that's not everybody. You may pay
like but again you may pay like four hundred dollars
and because you have blue Cross with shield, right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
But then if you're self paid, it may be like
three hundred or two hundred and fifty or something along
that line. It's cheaper.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
What I'm saying is self paid costs are cheaper than
insurance costs.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And the reason for that is because when the contracts are.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Negotiated with the insurances, the different insurances, there has to
be a I don't want to s say a middle
ground because that's not the right term, but the fees
or the hospital health care fees or charges have to
be able to coincide or be in alignment with the
(05:12):
contract that is negotiated for to do business with that
particular health care plan. So you want to make sure
you're getting the healthcare organization, want to make sure they're
getting the optimum reimbursement for the services as well as
again whatever negotiations are with the contract with that particular
(05:33):
health care brand. So I'm saying to you that you
may want to start creating your own little individual health
care plan. And that means just like budgeting money. To
the side, it's just like you're budgeting money to take
a trip. You know, you're saving money, or you're saving
for some big, some large purchase, or whatever the case
(05:55):
may be. You may have to start creating a little
bundle of joy or savings for your health care expenses.
I'm not sure how often you go to your health
care provider. I would say maybe at least two the
three times minimum or maximum. And of course you have
(06:15):
to go to the hospital, right you have to go
to the hospital, and I would say for emergencies or
what have you. So again I would say, you would
have to start creating your own health plan. Again, if
it's like five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, and if
you can do more, do more. Start putting the other side,
(06:36):
I would say each pay period or or at least
by the month, And that is strictly for health care expenses.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Health care expenses, so when you go to your.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Doctor's appointment or you have to get prescriptions or what
have you, you can just easily pull out that card and
utilize that card for your health care services, So again,
keep it separate from your other finances UH such as
like you know, you have to pay your mortgage, your rent,
(07:09):
you have to pay for groceries and things that I
make it a habit.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Make it a habit, make it a habit, make it a.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Point to start putting money to the side. And you
can also call your doctor's office and find out kind
of get an estimate of how much those services cost,
like UH an evaluation and management service, how much does
that service actually cost? Right, and then you can kind
of gauge how much money you need to save, how
(07:38):
much money you need to save.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
And for those of.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You who may have lost their job or they don't
have the the the the bandwidth to expand their budget
for UH for their own savings health care savings, then
you need to t really have that co conversation with
your health care provider, the office, the billing department, even
(08:00):
the hospital because there are people who donate.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Money to the hospitals.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Or to the healthcare organizations to help help those who
aren't who aren't able to pay for their medical services.
The charities and the donations and the organizations they have
funds set aside or donated to those healthcare organizations for
reasons such as these to help cover your self pay.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And the reason why I know this, I mean one
because I work in healthcare, but also as a consumer.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I would say a little over a year ago, I
did have an emergency or I was admitted to the hospital,
and at that time we were like converting to our
new insurance and I did not have my new insurance
card with me at that time. And you know, prior
to being discharged, I was you know, asked, you know,
(08:59):
it was re committed, like, hey, we do have a
char charity to help offset the the medical costs that
you and you incur while you were here for your state.
But I kept insisting I do have coverage, and I
did and I did and I do have coverage.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
So I say all that to.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Say that there are services there to help you with
your your bills. And again this was at the hospital,
and again I can't speak to what exactly those are,
cause each hospital is different, each healthcare organization is different.
But there are people who do. The philanthropists they may leave, uh,
(09:38):
like you know, there are some of their funds to
the h hospitals and healthcare organizations to help offset the
medical bills of those individuals who encounter that particular hospital
or organization.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
So I say that again, these are all my practical solutions.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
They're not in writing, they're not requires, just recommendation that
I would wanted to share with you as a consumer
that they offset that. But again, like I said, we
are all going to have a be impacted by these cuts.
I haven't done any deep diving as relates to how
(10:18):
it's going to impact us as medical coding professionals. I
do know We're just gonna code until we hear further information.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
We're gonna code accordingly.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
And again I can't speak again specifically to that because
each healthcare organization is different, each state is different, each
location is different, and each.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Contract that was negotiated is different. So I can't speak
to those terms as well. Neither excuse me.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
But I want to say that they are they yeah,
will be impacted. Another thing that I want to talk
about and so take the focus off the big bill
is again questions about medical coding and what can we
do to stretch our medical coding certification. It seems like
I am on constant repeat or replay when I talk
(11:09):
about using maximizing your certification. Don't be afraid to step
out and maximize on your certifications. You know so right now,
you know that we're into a lot of content creation.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
People are losing their jobs.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Again, you may have a different perspective on how certain
things are to be coded. It's okay to share your voice, right,
It's okay to share your thoughts, your process.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You know, and you may.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Find that you enjoy, say, content creation. You may find
that you enjoy editing, You may find that you enjoy
creating videos.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What have you To get your.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Message across to individuals, I've witnessed plenty, plenty of medical
coders on several platforms, you know, sharing their knowledge, sharing
their expertise or practical tips as it relates to medical coding.
And again, this is their journey. I'm not saying that
they're right or wrong, because I mean, that's their perspective,
(12:10):
just like no one tells me that I'm right and
wrong with This is just my journey, my perspective on
what I've learned, and my take on the medical coding industry.
So again, I encourage each of you to to start
sharing your content, start getting your feet wet, start becoming
comfortable with being uncomfortable. We all have to start somewhere
(12:32):
so that way, in the event, and I'm not saying
that this will happen, but in the event, something does
happen to where whether it's an AI takeover, AIAI takeover,
because you can use AI to help you with your
content as well, So go ahead and maximize your certification
(12:53):
if you want to write a blog about it. If
you don't feel like, you know, making videos, you can
write a blog. You could be like me and do
a podcast.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
So there's so many.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Things you can do to to share your knowledge and
your wisdom as well as your tips on the medical
coding industry. So yeah, so that's all that I have
for this code and break. But again I want to
share with you my thoughts because I did receive questions
on my like what my feedback on my thoughts were
on the Medicaid cut.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Again, I haven't done any research, but.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
This again, this, this, These are just my thoughts and
my quick practical solutions on how we can maneuver through
this as consumers. So that's all that I have for today,
and as always, remember to take your code and break.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
So until next time, toodles,
Time to take a coding break.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello, Hello, Hello, and welcome back to the Coding Break podcast.
I am your Coding Break medical coding coach Tam Talk
here to talk about everything the good, they're bad, as
well as the ugly as it relates to the medical
coding industry. So what shall we talk about today? So
there are a myriad of things that we can discuss,
(00:27):
but I think I want to tap on the subject
of the Big Beautiful and what I mean by the
big beautiful of the Big Beautiful Bill, also known as
the Big Medicaid cut, the Big Medicaid chopper, right, So,
to be honest with you, I haven't done a lot
of deep diving research on this bill yet, and again,
(00:50):
as it relates to Medicaid and also how it relates
to the medical coding industry, I'm sure it will have
some influence or impact on our roles. What that impact
influence will look.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Like, I'm unsure.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I can say There'll probably be some tightening of the
reins as it relates to finances, but that's that's not
just with medical coding, that's just with healthcare and just
as a general population overall. That it will have some
type of impact on and on in that perspective. But yeah, so,
(01:30):
like I said, I haven't really done a deep dive
on the bill just to kind of pull out any
things that that I could share with you all as
it relates to this bill and how it will affect
the health care industry.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
It's gonna it's going to affect the healthcare industry.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
No doubt, no doubt. But I did want to come
on and just kind of share some possible practical soles,
not so much on a big organization or healthcare organizational level,
but as an individual, as a consumer, things that we
(02:10):
can do to kind of offset or to help offset
the costs or the expense of health care.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Now, of course, healthcare costs were very.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Dependent on the location and the provider and the organization
in which you seek treatment health care treatment. But one
of the things that I recommend, or I again, this
is just a practical tip that I would recommend. You
don't have to do it, but I want to offer
(02:42):
it up, offer some form of solution to the situation. This,
to me, I feel like can be applied, can be
implemented by someone on a low or lower income scale,
middle class, and probably the higher class whatever. So treat
(03:02):
your you have to create.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Your own health plan. There.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, you have to treat your own create or or
start your own health health care plan. And what I
mean by that like, you don't have to be like
a Blue Cross, Boushield or United health Care, all these
good these big brands I'm saying, but you have to
treat your finances like an a health savings account or
(03:28):
you have to be your own health health savings account
ter or count countant as well as your own insurance plan.
And what I mean by that is like, if you're
on a budget and you budget for like groceries, and
you budget for other buildings, you have to create a
little budget for health care costs, right, And what I
(03:49):
mean by that is you can take as little as
ten dollars, probably a little as five dollars and you
start putting it to the side for health care expenses.
For those of you who don't work in healthcare, or
at least you don't work on the business side of
health care, I'm not sure if you know that self
paid fees are a lot less than insurance rates fees.
(04:14):
So let's say, for example, you may pay four hundred
dollars or it may cost you four hundred dollars for
a health encounter. And again this is just an example.
This is not like, that's not everybody. You may pay
like but again you may pay like four hundred dollars
and because you have blue Cross with shield, right.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
But then if you're self paid, it may be like
three hundred or two hundred and fifty or something along
that line. It's cheaper.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
What I'm saying is self paid costs are cheaper than
insurance costs.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
And the reason for that is because when the contracts are.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Negotiated with the insurances, the different insurances, there has to
be a I don't want to s say a middle
ground because that's not the right term, but the fees
or the hospital health care fees or charges have to
be able to coincide or be in alignment with the
(05:12):
contract that is negotiated for to do business with that
particular health care plan. So you want to make sure
you're getting the healthcare organization, want to make sure they're
getting the optimum reimbursement for the services as well as
again whatever negotiations are with the contract with that particular
(05:33):
health care brand. So I'm saying to you that you
may want to start creating your own little individual health
care plan. And that means just like budgeting money. To
the side, it's just like you're budgeting money to take
a trip. You know, you're saving money, or you're saving
for some big, some large purchase, or whatever the case
(05:55):
may be. You may have to start creating a little
bundle of joy or savings for your health care expenses.
I'm not sure how often you go to your health
care provider. I would say maybe at least two the
three times minimum or maximum. And of course you have
(06:15):
to go to the hospital, right you have to go
to the hospital, and I would say for emergencies or
what have you. So again I would say, you would
have to start creating your own health plan. Again, if
it's like five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars, and if
you can do more, do more. Start putting the other side,
(06:36):
I would say each pay period or or at least
by the month, And that is strictly for health care expenses.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Health care expenses, so when you go to your.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Doctor's appointment or you have to get prescriptions or what
have you, you can just easily pull out that card and
utilize that card for your health care services, So again,
keep it separate from your other finances UH such as
like you know, you have to pay your mortgage, your rent,
(07:09):
you have to pay for groceries and things that I
make it a habit.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Make it a habit, make it a habit, make it a.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Point to start putting money to the side. And you
can also call your doctor's office and find out kind
of get an estimate of how much those services cost,
like UH an evaluation and management service, how much does
that service actually cost? Right, and then you can kind
of gauge how much money you need to save, how
(07:38):
much money you need to save.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
And for those of.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You who may have lost their job or they don't
have the the the the bandwidth to expand their budget
for UH for their own savings health care savings, then
you need to t really have that co conversation with
your health care provider, the office, the billing department, even
(08:00):
the hospital because there are people who donate.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Money to the hospitals.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Or to the healthcare organizations to help help those who
aren't who aren't able to pay for their medical services.
The charities and the donations and the organizations they have
funds set aside or donated to those healthcare organizations for
reasons such as these to help cover your self pay.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And the reason why I know this, I mean one
because I work in healthcare, but also as a consumer.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I would say a little over a year ago, I
did have an emergency or I was admitted to the hospital,
and at that time we were like converting to our
new insurance and I did not have my new insurance
card with me at that time. And you know, prior
to being discharged, I was you know, asked, you know,
(08:59):
it was re committed, like, hey, we do have a
char charity to help offset the the medical costs that
you and you incur while you were here for your state.
But I kept insisting I do have coverage, and I
did and I did and I do have coverage.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
So I say all that to.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Say that there are services there to help you with
your your bills. And again this was at the hospital,
and again I can't speak to what exactly those are,
cause each hospital is different, each healthcare organization is different.
But there are people who do. The philanthropists they may leave, uh,
(09:38):
like you know, there are some of their funds to
the h hospitals and healthcare organizations to help offset the
medical bills of those individuals who encounter that particular hospital
or organization.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
So I say that again, these are all my practical solutions.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
They're not in writing, they're not requires, just recommendation that
I would wanted to share with you as a consumer
that they offset that. But again, like I said, we
are all going to have a be impacted by these cuts.
I haven't done any deep diving as relates to how
(10:18):
it's going to impact us as medical coding professionals. I
do know We're just gonna code until we hear further information.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
We're gonna code accordingly.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
And again I can't speak again specifically to that because
each healthcare organization is different, each state is different, each
location is different, and each.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Contract that was negotiated is different. So I can't speak
to those terms as well. Neither excuse me.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
But I want to say that they are they yeah,
will be impacted. Another thing that I want to talk
about and so take the focus off the big bill
is again questions about medical coding and what can we
do to stretch our medical coding certification. It seems like
I am on constant repeat or replay when I talk
(11:09):
about using maximizing your certification. Don't be afraid to step
out and maximize on your certifications. You know so right now,
you know that we're into a lot of content creation.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
People are losing their jobs.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Again, you may have a different perspective on how certain
things are to be coded. It's okay to share your voice, right,
It's okay to share your thoughts, your process.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You know, and you may.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Find that you enjoy, say, content creation. You may find
that you enjoy editing, You may find that you enjoy
creating videos.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
What have you To get your.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Message across to individuals, I've witnessed plenty, plenty of medical
coders on several platforms, you know, sharing their knowledge, sharing
their expertise or practical tips as it relates to medical coding.
And again, this is their journey. I'm not saying that
they're right or wrong, because I mean, that's their perspective,
(12:10):
just like no one tells me that I'm right and
wrong with This is just my journey, my perspective on
what I've learned, and my take on the medical coding industry.
So again, I encourage each of you to to start
sharing your content, start getting your feet wet, start becoming
comfortable with being uncomfortable. We all have to start somewhere
(12:32):
so that way, in the event, and I'm not saying
that this will happen, but in the event, something does
happen to where whether it's an AI takeover, AIAI takeover,
because you can use AI to help you with your
content as well, So go ahead and maximize your certification
(12:53):
if you want to write a blog about it. If
you don't feel like, you know, making videos, you can
write a blog. You could be like me and do
a podcast.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
So there's so many.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Things you can do to to share your knowledge and
your wisdom as well as your tips on the medical
coding industry. So yeah, so that's all that I have
for this code and break. But again I want to
share with you my thoughts because I did receive questions
on my like what my feedback on my thoughts were
on the Medicaid cut.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Again, I haven't done any research, but.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
This again, this, this, These are just my thoughts and
my quick practical solutions on how we can maneuver through
this as consumers. So that's all that I have for today,
and as always, remember to take your code and break.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
So until next time, toodles,
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