And from going to seminars, I’ve heard that from a lot of doctors. Do any of you realize that doctors pay upward of $150,000 in malpractice insurance a year. If you’re just starting out, you not only have schooling to pay for, and the malpractice insurance, but you also have overhead, as in office, office furniture, office costs ie: telephone and the list goes on. If a doctor does not make a “living” or profit, then what is the motivator for having that much costs involved? Would you work at your job for nothing? Would you pay for all your student loans, insurance premiums if you didn’t know that you would have the money available to continue to practice.

In January of this year, we filed with medicare patients and we received the payments in April. How many of you would work for 4 months before you got a paycheck?

My doctor is old school, he makes sure his patients have his home phone number, he’s went to their house, even to the hospital when he wasn’t their “doctor on record” just to make sure they were doing okay. He’s involved in every step of his patients care, but he’s quite tired of one) being accused of making money hand over fist and being part of the “problem” as opposed to fixing the problem, and 2) frustrated with the system himself as he gets dictated to as to how much time he’s suppose to spend with a patient (he doesn’t follow that rule) and because of that, he could be dropped from several insurances. And I can’t even count how many times he has not charged a patient because he knew they were down on their luck, but didn’t have the money to get theirselves better.

At this rate, we’ll be lucky if we can even keep doctors in the states. There’s more I could say, but this is near and dear to me on both sides of the issue. I mean, I also am a “patient” at times as is my family, but I do work in the field and I have several suggestions for what to do, but the government isn’t going to listen to us because they want their hand in the cookie jar even more than it is. This isn’t about “fixing” health care.

I just read an article saying that medical costs is by far the major reason people go bankrupt.

This is the future of medicine. The have-nots and the vast middle will have the three-walled system. The rich folks, such as the Obamas, will have the ability to contract with a boutique physician practice. There is no way in hell that the “haves” will have to get in line with the plebians. That is the great untold truth about single-payor or universal health care.

I can make healthcare equitible immediately. Dont provide any to anyone.

It also solves the secondary goal you state, which is making sure nobody makes any money at it.

If these are the benchmarks, problem solved.

Chad has implemented this system of healthcare pretty well on both fronts. I think their life expectancy hovers around 40.

My brother was in UCLA Santa Monica hospital for 5 days and the charge was over $49,202 for medical services and another $5,050 for other services. Medicare paid $5,050, the amount they allowed UCLA. His secondary Medicare supplement insurance paid $1,068. My brother was told he was not responsible for $48,134. Patient savings: $43,084.

I hate to think what the cost would have been without good insurance. I still haven’t seen the bill from the next hospital he was transferred to where they did a half-assed job of diagnosis before sending him to a nursing home. When I tried to get his medical records as next of kin, I was told that because of privacy laws, that is impossible without a power of attorney for health care or a conservatorship, which I do not have.

Not only did the hospitals make outrageous charges, but his doctor dumped him the moment he was admitted to a hospital, and it was like pulling teeth for the hospital to get information from the doctor needed to treat his multiple long standing conditions. His doctor doesn’t like to take Medicare patients. Had the doctor treated him properly, there is a good chance he would’t have ended up in the hosptial.

One of the biggest and easiest things we can do to bring down costs is to get pharmaceutical advertising off of TV. They have to build their huge ad budgets into the cost of their drugs. And it also may increase unnecessary doctor visits (to request the drug). And some doctors will allow themselves to be pressured by their patients into prescribing what the patients ask for (after diagnosing themselves) so as not to anger the patient.

We are only as strong as our weakest link,

What get’s me Doc

Everything that obama has said about infrastructure,building high speed rail,planning for alternative fuels,building better fuel efficient cars to national health care have all been issues dear to me for years.
I have been wanting all this for 30 years..One reason for my support of Hillary.
So why do I sound like a John Galt

Simple!

No Money and the real risk of hyper inflation which will lead to a world very dark.

It is basically immoral to have corporations making profits from human misery and misfortune

Yes, and I am pro business, and am nobody socialist ordinarily. I draw the line here, knowing how our system is so corrupt. Nobody should want for clean air, food, clean water and basic health care. We would want no less for dogs in an animal shelter. We deserve at least as much for ourselves.

Exchanging “evil big business insurance companies” for “the government” does not improve care.

It does make it equitable. It also removes the insurance profit from the system. Government also will have overhead, yes. But, there will be no need to advertise, pay agents, buy skyscrapers etc. Also, less money for insurers to speculate in stocks and futures. Health care needs to be a service, and not a business. That is all I want to say about it. I always beat this horse ot death. This time no. I am fully reconciled to our mediocrity for the time being. Maybe when Mexico passes us by we can wake up.