The Goal: Preserving Health The Obstacle: Medicare

[antigop]

http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/198763.html

>>

I don't agree with Michael Moore's politics, but I was curious enough to see his docudrama Sicko. Everyone should be able to access basic healthcare, but market forces work against the notion of universal, equitable coverage.

As a family physician with a substantial number of seniors and elderly in my practice, I would caution Moore to be careful about what he asks for. Any government solution to healthcare would be politicized, and nothing would be as sensible or simple as depicted in the movie.

The folks who run our country's largest entitlement program, Medicare, and at least some of their congressional overseers have been rationing medical care to my patients through stealth and budget design for as long as I have been practicing. They seem to be acquiring even greater control of my practice as they anticipate a rising tide of aging boomers entering a program that most government experts and economists warn will run out of money within a decade or so.
>>

So do you think this guy has ANY idea what HR 676 is about?

[Lint Head]

1. If Justin Bartos doesn't like Medicare, as a physician,

he doesn't have to take what they pay. There are participating and non participating providers. The non participating provider takes what Medicare pays then bills the patient for the rest. The participating provider takes what Medicare pays. Guess which provider is liked more by the patient.

He can also refuse to see Medicare patients. No one is forcing doctors to take Medicare patients. A doctor will not stop seeing Medicare patients because Medicare represents 45% to 50% of their income. No doctor wants to lose that much of their income.
There are too many boat payments, green fees and overseas vacations to have.

Not all doctors are this way. There are some doctors that actually care about the health of people and are in the profession to do good. But there are too many that are not. One is too many. :dem:

[Mythsaje]

2. I was working for Washington Fair Share (now WashPIRG) one summer

and ended up in an upscale neighborhood in Everett where, apparently, a lot of doctors reside. We were pushing for restricting how much doctors could charge medicare patients. As you can imagine, it didn't go over very well.

I think rich doctors are as much of a problem as rich insurance execs and pharmaceutical lobbyists. The system as it stands works for THEM. And that's all they care about it.

[Prophet 451]

3. Um, it isn't politicised anywhere else

I'm a Brit, our NHS isn't politicised (well, it is but not in the sense he means). It helps if it's administered by professional civil servants of course, istead of politically appointed hacks.

[EST]

7. THAT, I believe, is the key.

Even the practice of appointing merely the heads of organizations as political payback presents too much manipulation.

Well policed, career bureaucrats have proven, again and again, to be the lowest cost for highest efficiency of any management system for very large organizations. Yes, there are problems with that, but they pale almost to insignificance compared to the "free market" model.

[Prophet 451]

8. Of course, there's always the danger

Especially with teh US obsession with "small government", that your nation will try doing it on the cheap. One of the key things about professional civil servants elsewhere is that they are well paid, mostly unionised and given pensions and benefits. Therefore, there's no incentive to bilk the system. If you try doing it on the cheap, it will cause temptation.

[EST]

9. "Little problem" Yes.

I can guarantee that is exactly what will happen, foregone conclusion, etc.
America-the "Beacon of whatever"-sure looks a lot like Russia of 1970.

[spag68]

4. F#$k market forces

This country should have health care.

[bemildred]

5. The "health care" system is politicized now, just not in a way that favors the public.

And it's rationed now too, the poor don't get shit.
And I think the idea of "controlling" his practice is great.

[sandnsea]

6. I hope someone responds to him

He complains about profiteering and abuse, then turns around and criticizes all those forms and restrictions because Republicans are obsessed with profiteering and abuse. Probably because they're always the ones doing the profiteering.