" The doctor is absolutely right!

The biggest culprit in this fiasco is the middle guy, the insurance companies.

Medical doctors should not have to fight insurance clerks on how to treat their patients.

The paranoid right wingers fight any form of government involvement in our heath care system just like the NRA continues to fight any form of sensible gun legislation.

There are those that continue to preach that we have the best health care system in the world. I would argue that point. Now if you were to say we have the best health care system for those who can afford it, I would agree. "

" I fit this bill, please forgive the pun.

If I were to actually take care of myself better than I do, & go have a few tests done, & get myself checked out at the doctors', goodness knows what they'd find out about me.

But alas, like so many others, I don't need another bill on my hands.

So, until the unaffordable becomes affordable, or things are done differently, our healthcare will continue to suffer.

This could be remedied by those on both sides of the aisle, or the political fence if you will.

Remember, 'There is no "I" in team'. "

" Doctor, most of us on the outside know we need help but we are so overwhelmed by the medical bills, medical and insurance jargon that we have no idea how to even begin to fix this mess. Do you and your collegues have any ideas? Anything is a good start. Thanks for your letter. "

" A friend of mine used to live in Canada. There, if you need a doctor, you go to the clinic and pick up a number like at the drivers license bureau.

He had had flu like symptoms for about 2 weeks so he decided to leave the office 2 hours early to see the doctor. The clinic was open from 8 'til 5.

He took a number but was not able to see the doc before closing. He tried the same thing the next day with the same results. He decided to go the next day one hour before the clinic opened so he would be sure to get attention.

When he arrived at the clinic at 7 o'clock there was already a line all the way around the building. He did get to see the doctor just before closing.


One morning an employee stopped by his office and asked if he could have several days off. My friend said sure he could and asked if there was a problem. The man replied that his wife had just died of cancer. She had been on the list to get surgery for nearly three years and died before they could get to her.

That ,my friends, is socialized health care. Isn't it ironic that under the wonderful system of Canada over half of the at risk pregnancies come to the U.S.A. for prenatal care? "

" Political philosophy aside, the truth is that universal single-payer health care is coming to this country because health care is becoming utterly unaffordable, thanks to the greed of the insurance companies and the drug companies.
Stop by your local convenience store and look at the cans lined up on the counter begging for change to help the latest local children who have leukemia. This, in the "richest country in the world" and the one with the "best health care system in the world." What a sick joke. "

" Amen, TQ!
Well said! "

" Single payer health care is throwing the baby out with the bath water. Utter stupidity. Works good if no one gets sick. "

" Doctor, please reproduce with yourself and pass from this world. Want to rescume our health care system? Stop telling people to drop out of college, take your college scholarship and pay these medical bills, and worrying more about your bottom line than the health of other people. SBLHC can burn down for all I care, taking all the hack-jobs with it down in flames. "

" Isn't it ironic that the biggest critics of the Canadian health care system are Americans. From what I have read, the vast majority of Canadians are pleased with their system overall. To say that our health care system doesn't need a major overhaul seems rather naive to me.

Anecdotal little horror stories fail to address the problems, sapient. "

" So sapient, what's the answer? We have all of the questions, but we really need answers. Today, HALF of all bankruptcies are in court because of medical bills from catastrophic health issues. 75% of those cases HAD HEALTH INSURANCE!!! You may have insurance but in today's health care industry, that will not cover long term, excessive health care. You can easily loose everything. Including that job that keeps you in health coverage. "

" Well put, as well, Locke, & I agree!
Break out the marshmallows & hotdogs!
LOL! "

" Harry Potter wrote:"Anecdotal little horror stories fail to address the problems, sapient. "
Indeed.
A few years ago I took an extended vacation in Canada, including Newfoundland. Once in Canada I always stayed at Bed and Breakfasts to get acquainted with the Canadian people.
In my conversations, I always -- casually because I did not want them to think I was taking one side or the other -- asked about health care and I found universal approval. It is my
understanding that, like our Medicare, the government does not prescribe the treatment; physicians make the medical decisions and the government pays the bill.
Last night the question was asked on TV, "Why do we hear about famous people who come to the US for health care?" Notice the ones we hear about are always famous AND WEALTHY. [But there are certainly famous and wealthy people who go to OTHER countries that also have excellent health care, but it never makes our newspapers.] No doubt about it, we do have an excellent health system -- for those who can afford it. But also, when compared with other countries -- on infant survival, lifespan, etc. statistics -- the US is way down the list, 25th or so among all the countries of the world.
There are now physicians in the US who provide "concierge services" -- who have a limited number of wealthy patients who pay a "retainer fee" upfront, plus high bills for services rendered, who give instant response. But not many people in Charleston can afford THAT kind of health care.
We can dream about the kind of health care we received, even as recently as 20 years ago, when MDs made house calls, were our personal friends, but those days are almost gone. I still smile when I remember while in graduate school I came home to Illinois with a bad cold and went to the elderly family MD who looked me over, gave me an envelope of pills and charged me "oh, let's call it 50 cents". I remember him with affection; when I was seriously injured in an accident as a child, he was at my side on the farm within 30 minutes and escorted me to the hospital. Similarly I remember a local physician who 40 some years ago almost lived at our house for 24 hours when an infant son was ill. But those days are gone forever. And it is partly our fault: we've made medical school so expensive, with inadequate scholarships and subsidies, that those who emerge from it are understandably anxious to pay off their loans -- and thus there are fewer physicians than would be the case if there was more liberal financing of medical school. I have a grandaughter who went to college recently with an MD in mind, but abandoned it when she learned of the cost of medical school.
The claim is that Canadian health care is slow, waiting lines, etc. Think that's not true here?? When I want to see a specialist it's not unusual to have to wait a month or two for an appointment. Some of my appointments with specialists whom I see regularly are scheduled 6 months ahead of time.
Obama's medical plan seems vague to me, but McCain's was clear: he was going to sell us as customers to the insurance companies. With their high overhead, urge to make high profits and constant efforts to avoid payment,
that is the WORST possible system.
As we all know, one of the worst factors in the medical system are the drug companies who claim high prices are the result of "research", but who spend more on marketing than research. The most cowardly recent act of Congress was the Medicare Drug Bill which made it ILLEGAL for the government to even bargain w the drug companies -- as it does for some other government- supported programs. And note that some of the members of Congress who pushed this requirement promptly left Congress for high-paying jobs with drug companies and lobbyists. "

" By coincidence, this is what I found when I opened my online NYTimes a few
minutes ago:
================================
WASHINGTON A federal court has blocked the Bush administrations effort to save money on Medicare by paying for only the least expensive treatments for particular conditions.

Congress sets Medicare payment rates and never intended to give officials broad discretion to alter them, the court said in an important test case on Oct. 16.

The case, just now being scutinized by Medicare officials and consumer advocates, involved drugs used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. of Federal District Court here said the policy of paying for only the least costly alternative was not permitted under the Medicare law.
=====================================
So when the right wing tells you under single payer the government, not physicians, would dictate treatment, it's ironic to learn that this is what THEY would do if in control of the system. "

" Becky, I really agree with what you said. There are many who have been devastated by catastrophic medical bills and my heart goes out to them. The answer? I don't know, however, I sincerely believe that the single payer plan would just devastate our health care system. Instead of raising everyone up to the level of the ones with good care it would drop everyone down to the level of the worst. The thing that would probably help our health care most of all would be if members of congress had to be on what they come up with for the rest of us. That would include them not being able to go to the head of the line when they need care. That'll never happen. "

" Cognitus: So when the right wing tells you under single payer the government, not physicians, would dictate treatment, it's ironic to learn that this is what THEY would do if in control of the system. "

All you have to do is look at what the proposed Hillarycare plan was. Bureaucrats, not doctors were making medical decisions. Also if a person needed medical care and had to wait for a dangerously long time, but had the means to pay for it himself, if he and his doctor did it on their own and bypassed the "system" they could both go to jail. I believe that one thing that scares the beejeebies out of some of us is what the Hillarycare proposals were. For those who took the time to investigate it was so horrific that the country rose up against it and it had to be abandoned. Now some are wanting to take it up again. How short is our memories. I just hope that the reason some are wanting this is not jealousy because some have good care and they don't so they want to drag everyone to their level. "

" The biggest lie perpetrated on the American public is that solving our health coverage crises must cost more money. We're way spending too much and getting far too little in return as it is now. Honest reform could easily save us at least $350 Billion per year compared to what we're spending now. The key is to cut our unnecessary, greedy, amoral middlemen (profit-driven health insurers) and start utilizing efficiencies of scale. This does not mean "government-run" health care, but rather public insurance using private care, putting the patients with their doctors back in charge and working together instead of in fear of each other. Public insurance would be similar to public parks, roads, schools, police & fire departments, libraries, etc....only different. It would mean consumers would unite together for the best coverage at the best price with the most transparency in an easily and tremendously simplified system where no one would have to sue anyone anymore in a battle over who has to pay the bills. We would all chip in and pay them together, sort of like the Amish do now. Check it out at www.pnhp.org "

" It is not only insurance companies that are the problem.

When I was doing my ER time as an EMT trainee I was talking with a young intern doing his time. He ask me how much EMT basic's usually made, I said nothing, we usually work for free. I ask him the same question and I'll never forget his answer, I ask, how much does an ER doctor make, his answer! about 12 to 15000 a month, but that's befor taxes, and that's for 12 days. Strangely enough, EMT's save more lives in the field than doctors do in ER. "

" medic57 wrote on Nov 8, 2008 4:37 AM:

"I ask him the same question and I'll never forget his answer, I ask, how much does an ER doctor make, his answer! about 12 to 15000 a month, but that's befor taxes, and that's for 12 days. Strangely enough, EMT's save more lives in the field than doctors do in ER."

So give up 12 years of your life to make that kind of money. Pay $30- $75,000 per year for medical malpractice. Not to mention licensing, continuing education, and other requirements.

My question for Dr. Mathews is "How many days per month (or year for that matter) do you donate providing free medical care to those less fortunate in your community?" And I'm not talking about seeing public aide recipients during regular office hours. "

" If Doc Mathew has an income of less than $85,000/year (double the national median), I feel for him/her. Other than that, shut up. You chose your profession. You could have gone to technical school and became a welder and made $85,000 - liability insurance would not be an issue. A Walmart general manager with a B.S. can make at least that much. You went to school for 10 years - yippeeee. Someone with a broken finger might pay several thousand dollars if they go to an E.R. and follow up with an orthopaedic specialist; the same injury might cost a couple hundred bucks at an urgent care facility.

80% of what primary care docs do could be done by P.A.'s, if the AMA wouldn't freak out.

Many doctors claim that insurance premiums and low federal reimbursements make being a doc cost prohibitive; get a job framing houses and shut up. "

" We have the push to use the least expensive (and many times not as adequate) treatments now. I was once prescribed a medication that didn't work for me, and my doctor switched to a newer one that worked well. After my samples were used up, I went to the drug store for refills. The insurance rep called the store to instruct me that there was a cheaper med that they wanted me to use...the first one that didn't work. I told the pharmacist that I preferred my doctor's decision to that of an unknown individual from an unknown location and unknown medical background. I got the new med.

In a socialized medical system, this decision wouldn't have been possible. The powers that be decide which meds can be used based upon the cost of the med and not the needs of the patient. They budget for X-amount of each type of operation and stick to it. If they plan on 100 open heart surgeries and you are 101, tough luck. Just wait until the new budget year comes around. Maybe your number will be within the 100 then.

The only way out is to be wealthy enough to afford private pay. I have a friend in England who waited for years for corrective joint surgery. When he couldn't stand the pain any more, his family pooled their money and brought him to America. He had the surgery the next day.

There are Americans leaving the country for medical treatment. Many times they are seeking treatments that have not been approved by the FDA for use here. Sometimes the results are tragic. Just search out the word Thalidomide in your browser for one example.

We are a nation filled with materialistic whiners. We go into large debts due to the belief that we deserve all the latest gizmos and the fanciest places to live. We believe that we should never suffer from a cold, aches and pains, or indigestion. We flood the doctor's offices and hospital emergency rooms with trivial ailments, many times paid for through health insurance. And the insurance companies are more concerned with profits than assisting individuals in their times of medical need.

We have also become a nation who has become enamored with picking up huge amounts of money in civil courts. We sue for anything at the drop of a hat, and ask for ungodly amounts in settlement. Case in point, the recent case where a "gentleman" was asking for a million dollars for a suit lost at the cleaners. There are individuals who deserve to be sued and made to pay, but civil litigation was never intended to be a source of personal income. One result was to help increase medical expenses by driving up the cost of malpractice insurance.

Insurance companies want huge profits. State and federal representatives want high paying jobs in the private sector when their terms of "service" are completed. Drug companies spend billions on research and expect trillions in profit. Everybody wants a big piece of the pie. In the meantime there are sick people refusing treatment, preferring to die rather than see their families bankrupted by medical expenses.

There will be no solution until everybody cooperates. Saying "they ought to do something about this" is passing the buck. "

" It seems that the letter from a local doctor pointing out some obvious problems with our health care has turned into a forum for doctor bashing.

The idea that our health care system doesn't need improved seems rather naive to me. "

" http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publicatio...

The above article compares waiting lists and medical resources such as CT scanners, nurses, doctors, hospital beds and finds that the countries with more efficient universal health care systems actually have more health care resources and many of them do not have longer waits and the people have better access than they do in the United States. So, why is health care so much more expensive in the U.S.? The authors suggest that one reason might be because health care services are overpriced in the unregulated United States health care system "

" http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publicatio...

The above article compares waiting lists and medical resources such as CT scanners, nurses, doctors, hospital beds and finds that the countries with more efficient universal health care systems actually have more health care resources and many of them do not have longer waits and the people have better access than they do in the United States. So, why is health care so much more expensive in the U.S.? The authors suggest that one reason might be because health care services are overpriced in the unregulated United States health care system
*******************
Even now, the Republicans are accepting money to filibuster health reform legislation in the Senate. Lobbyists for the health insurance and medical technology industries have their arguments ready. Universal health care is socialized medicine. It will bankrupt the economy. We can not possibly spend as much public money as the countries in Europe do on health care----

Guess what? We already do

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4435594 "

" United Health Group is our nation's largest profit-driven health insurer. Recently CEO William McGuire left with $1.6 Billion (yes that is a "B") in unexercised stock options, not including his hundreds of millions in salary, or his hundreds of millions of stock options he'd already cashed out, or his retirement package. To make (can't say "earn") that money he made sure his corporation over-charged healthy people as much as possible and denied desperately needed medical care to sick people as often as possible. This is a great business model for him, but not so hot for consumers.

No business that wants to remain viable would allow an unnecessary middleman to divert one third of the money it spends before any goods or services could be delivered, and "We the People's" business can not afford to allow it either. We need public coverage with private care, and we needed it yesterday. How many of our seniors would have health coverage today if not for "socilized" Medicare?

What those of us under 65 have is "anti-social". It pits doctors against patients, employers against employees, and Americans against Americans.

We already have public roads, libraries, schools, fire protection, police protection, child protection, military protection, parks, postal service, retirement protection, and health coverage for everyone over 65 (among other things), and we're not a "socilist" country yet..nor would we become one if we all chipped in together (like the Amish do) and made sure everyone is covered and all our medical bills are paid. What this would create (for the first time) is: health care justice and the end of legal discrimination against sick people in America; total freedom of choice among independent providers; an affordable, sustainable and transparent system where everyone can see who is paying how much for what; the end of suing each other constantly over who has to pay the medical bills....plus hundreds of billions of dollars in savings compared to what we're spending now. United we would be protected; divided we are conquered.

It doesn't take a genius to understand that we simply cannot keep feeding the beast that is the problem and expect the problem to be solved. Most businesses do not have to hurt people in order to make money, and we should stop the health insurance industry from doing the incredible amount of damage that is is doing to our people, our economy and our country. It is well positioned to diversify, unlike the millions of American families from whom it rips the safety nets out from under just when they need them most. Is it too much to ask this incredibly cash laden industry to figure out another way to make money that is not responsible for millions of unnecessary deaths, disablings, bankruptcies and terrorized American famlies? Al Qaeda can only hope to bring a small amount of the damage down upon our people compared to what the profit-driven health insurance industry is doing now.

At least doctors SAVE lives, and I would be the first in line to make sure sure all care givers' salaries remain at the top of the heap where they belong, because they perform extremely valuable services for our people. If we weren't giving the health insurance industry so much of our money, we could afford to cover everyone reliably and comprehensively from cradle to grave (like every other civilized nation), pay care providers well, and still have hundreds of billions in savings left over every year. "

" 1. We need to reduce the cost of medicine. Prescriptions, procedures, Office calls, and etc.

Above the nurses and general staff, a LOT of medical field is overpaid.

Equipment is well overpriced.

Medicine has gone to the highest bidder!

Although I don't want the lowest bidder to provide the medical needs, something a lot closer would be good.

2. With lower medical costs, more people would be able to afford coverage, and more businesses would be able to provide it for their employees.

3. If as an adult, sit at home, not working, capable of working, but no intentions of holding down a steady job, then do without.

We have too many lazy deadbeats sucking the life out of the rest of us that work, retired, and pay the taxes that pays for you to do nothing. "

" Bernie wrote on Nov 11, 2008 10:02 AM:

" United Health Group is our nation's largest profit-driven health insurer. Recently CEO William McGuire left with $1.6 Billion (yes that is a "B") in unexercised stock options, not including his hundreds of millions in salary, or his hundreds of millions of stock options he'd already cashed out, or his retirement package. To make (can't say "earn") that money he made sure his corporation over-charged healthy people as much as possible and denied desperately needed medical care to sick people as often as possible. This is a great business model for him, but not so hot for consumers.

No business that wants to remain viable would allow an unnecessary middleman to divert one third of the money it spends before any goods or services could be delivered, and "We the People's" business can not afford to allow it either. We need public coverage with private care, and we needed it yesterday. How many of our seniors would have health coverage today if not for "socilized" Medicare?
+++++++++++++++
NO, What we DO need is laws that make CEOs like McGuire unable to receive so much at the expense of the customers.

Imagine the people that could have been cared for with all those bennies that McGuire got.

And make it so that it is not limited to the medical field. "

" Wouldn't that be sort of like redistribution of wealth, cd? Oh my, a right winger advocating putting limits on corporate salaries. Rush and your pals at the Faux news channel ain't gonna like that one, cd. And I hope NeoCon misses that one too. "

" Maybe if the health care system in this country would quit trying to rip off the people, they wouldn't need help. Health care costs have risen at a higher percentage than almost anything else in this country. In countries that have price controls on medicine, prices are anywhere from one half to one third the price they are here. And that is on products made in America and shipped to other countries. There is no justification for the costs by the medical profession other than greed. The biggest scam in this country is a toss-up between the insurance industry or the health care system. And it's amazing how tied together they are. "

" Harry, I agree with you.
Wow, is the world coming to an end?
Putting the Blame on the Corporation that created this mess is where to start and the solution is to have the people cure the problem.

Three things corporations with profit motives should not be in allowed in are Prisons, Schools and Medicine, cutting corners in these areas to make money/profits, puts everybody at risk. "

" cd wrote on Nov 11, 2008 2:19 PM:

" Bernie wrote on Nov 11, 2008 10:02 AM:

" United Health Group is our nation's largest profit-driven health insurer. Recently CEO William McGuire left with $1.6 Billion (yes that is a "B") in unexercised stock options, not including his hundreds of millions in salary, or his hundreds of millions of stock options he'd already cashed out, or his retirement package.

----------------------

Wow, this guy did even better than Dick Cheney, who despite promises to the contrary, zealously clings to his Halliburton stock options.

And for our friend Todd Reardon, maybe there's hope for you yet. Keep posting, you might be surprised at what else we might agree on. I happen to know that Steve will retire at the end of this term, and I will be looking for a new candidate to support. "