Been spending my free time emailing, faxing and snail mailing my resignation of my AMA membership as have most of the other doctors that I know who still were members. I shouldn't have but I watched the Presidents news conference last night. There was more confabulation that I get when a gang banger is trying to explain how he got shot while minding his own business. I dont know how Congress and other politicians can say with a straight face that they are going to get down to the problems and fix health care without coming full circle and discovering that they caused all the problems! Healthcare used to be a true free market, you went to the doctor and the hospital and negotiated your price. Then in WW2 Congress set wage limits, to help get better workers, companies could not pay their people more so they started adding healthcare as a benefit. As these people got benefits and could afford more care, other got jealous and soon Congress came up with Medicare which was at first and emergency back up but soon became an entitlement. Since it looked bad for private insurance to pay for what Medicare would not, it had to compete and of course grew and grew to the monster that it is. Every year Congressmen would add new perks and new groups that are entitled to it, not to mention more and more administrators and federal employees. Congress then worked to decrease all the possible ways that services could be performed cheaper by not letting physicians collectively negotiate with insurance companies for fees and approved diagnosis and treatments. The created Stark laws that prevent single office care so you cant have a Wallmart where in one office visit you can get your xrays, labs and meds. The politicians kept the door open for every possible frivolous lawsuits which boomed defensive medicine. Congress then made sure that you cant go to an insurance company and get a huge discount because you dont smoke and are not overweight because that would be discrimatory. They made sure that if are an illeagal immigrant you can go to any hospital and get the best care possible so that the cost is passed on to those who actually have private insurance.
If Congress wants to get to the bottom of the healthcare mess, they need to be able to look in the mirror unfortunately their Nihilstic delusions wont let them see their reflections. Just like reflectionless vampires, they will go on and suck the blood out of their victims.
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Thanks for the history lesson. I did remember Pete Stark posts and how he has affected medical care/physicians.
I had to look up "Nihilstic" and so learned a new word. :)
I heard the AMA supports the Obama plan.
Hannity was talking about the Hawaiian child care plan that failed because parents who were paying for their child's ins dropped it and put their kids on the *free* ins.. that was only intended for the children who fall between the cracks.. not poor enough for mdcd, but can't afford insurance. So there was some kind of corruption. You've brought this concern up... paying parents would enroll in the free care.
there is concern that corruption would be on a massive scale for the Federal program without implementing the manpower to counter it on a large scale. (different show)
Interesting post.
Btw -you're funny! "There was more confabulation that I get when a gang banger is trying to explain how he got shot while minding his own business." LOL!
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