tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post2957896639408608135..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Let’s Enslave Doctors To Save Obamacare!AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-48412251119529146732011-04-04T13:08:16.573-04:002011-04-04T13:08:16.573-04:00Patti, They shouldn't be happy campers. The g...Patti, They shouldn't be happy campers. The government right now is intent on making it impossible for them to structure their practices as they see fit, impossible for them to earn a living, and unforgiving about things like student debt. In effect, the government is looking to make them into slaves. And I can't see that making doctors happy.<br /><br />Best of luck to your nephew! :-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-1848108450031521602011-04-04T13:06:52.274-04:002011-04-04T13:06:52.274-04:00Stan, I don't think Americans will accept the ...Stan, I don't think Americans will accept the waiting either because it's not in our nature to accept bad things as they are and to assume there is nothing we can do about it.<br /><br />In terms of taking Medicare patients, my dad's doctor only sees my dad because he saw him for years before he ended up on Medicare. He doesn't take Medicare patients otherwise.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-89324932979463315242011-04-04T11:09:52.399-04:002011-04-04T11:09:52.399-04:00i have a nephew in medical school, and he is proce...i have a nephew in medical school, and he is proceeding in his studies, yet with great interest in how this will work for his profession. he and his fellow students are NOT happy campers, so much they trekked to austin to have a word with some folks.Notawonkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388997298014397980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-91659371468227064122011-04-04T10:56:45.165-04:002011-04-04T10:56:45.165-04:00I wonder if witch doctors will come back into vogu...I wonder if witch doctors will come back into vogue? My dad’s nephrologists, is from India by way of Britain, and tells of the horror stories that envelope the British medical system. He’s of the mind that Americans will not put up with the waits, we’ll see. He does not take anymore Medicaid/Medicare patients.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-27444783604058723782011-04-03T21:12:04.261-04:002011-04-03T21:12:04.261-04:00Ed, That is how it's happened everywhere else....Ed, That is how it's happened everywhere else. Once the government starts rationing, the only factors is ever uses is "usefulness to the state."<br /><br />I'm glad you remembered the short-thinking issue! I think that explains a lot.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-11094914056348775412011-04-03T21:10:53.629-04:002011-04-03T21:10:53.629-04:00Writer X, I think your rant is well taken. First,...Writer X, I think your rant is well taken. First, everyone's insurance premiums have been soaring -- last year and this year and probably next year too. Secondly, government employees are of course exempt from that because the government looks after its own and it doesn't mind robbing the rest of us to make that happen. Talk about a coddled group of good for nothings!<br /><br />Finally, from experience, I can tell you that this is a good system. They're apparently cropping up everywhere, so you may want to look around. Excluding federal intervention, I think this is the future -- a flat rate plan combined with some sort of catastrophic care insurance.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-38845002297786699422011-04-03T21:05:28.230-04:002011-04-03T21:05:28.230-04:00Lawhawk, That's becoming a common story. It j...Lawhawk, That's becoming a common story. It just doesn't make any sense for doctors to take Medicare patients because they lose money. So unless they have a pre-existing relationship with the doctor, it's getting harder and harder to for Medicare patients to find doctors.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-72765890519903427852011-04-03T20:49:07.678-04:002011-04-03T20:49:07.678-04:00Andrew on your point about liberals nothing thinki...Andrew on your point about liberals nothing thinking how people will react, I think you outlined it perfectly when you said they were short term thinkers. They see a problem and they want it fixed. They don't think about what will happen in a year or five years.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-86147650729529280632011-04-03T20:47:52.109-04:002011-04-03T20:47:52.109-04:00Andrew, Your right that only the panel part is wro...Andrew, Your right that only the panel part is wrong. This system will cost too much. The only way to fix that will be to deny care to people. They are going to find a way to prioritize that, and I think they'll base it on who has the most "value" to society. That will be the young and the healthy first and the old and the infirm last. I think that's horrible, but that's what they will do to control costs. It's inevitable.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-70047546963711045532011-04-03T20:37:02.942-04:002011-04-03T20:37:02.942-04:00Since the great and wonderful Obamacare has passed...Since the great and wonderful Obamacare has passed, my health insurance has increased more this year than in all previous years while at the same time the insurance pays for less than it did in the past. It is one big huge cluster@@@@, courtesy of our government. Meanwhile, people who I know who work for the federal government continue to have incredible coverage and pay very little for it, thanks to our ever-increasing tax dollars. <br /><br />I would very much be in favor of paying for a private, concierge service that is as far away from government meddling as humanly possible. It sounds like it would work and be a valuable service for people; naturally the federal government would want to get involved and screw it up. Rant over.Writer Xnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-35394361981212184662011-04-03T19:51:20.563-04:002011-04-03T19:51:20.563-04:00Andrew: When I retired and no longer had company ...Andrew: When I retired and no longer had company benefits, I decided to see what would happen if I used Medicare instead of buying a private plan (COBRA was ridiculously expensive). I got to see my regular doctors and a few specialists, even when I developed the cancer. It was some time before I found out that the only reason they took me was that I was a longtime patient or referred by a longtime doctor. None, absolutely none of the doctors were accepting new Medicare patients. And that was before Obamacare made things drastically worse.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-42380821790530396012011-04-03T19:11:15.320-04:002011-04-03T19:11:15.320-04:00DUQ, I am all in favor of ignoring liberals. I th...DUQ, I am all in favor of ignoring liberals. I think they have little to offer except destructive "solutions" and injecting blame into every situation. They are best ignored.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-38153094139781721112011-04-03T18:49:39.032-04:002011-04-03T18:49:39.032-04:00If we're going to fix the health care system, ...If we're going to fix the health care system, doctors need the freedom to come up with arrangements like this. If liberals are going to whine and scream every time a doctor does something creative, then they we need to start convincing the public to ignore liberals entirely because they have nothing to add to the debate.DUQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-16531579401991968672011-04-03T17:35:11.829-04:002011-04-03T17:35:11.829-04:00T_Rav, I think that's right. I think the lead...T_Rav, I think that's right. I think the leaders of liberalism are ideologically interested in controlling people and getting them dependent on the government for the things they need in their daily lives. But average liberals don't think that way, they just want a free lunch and they suffer from a great deal of envy/spite and they don't like the idea that other people have things they don't.<br /><br />So that leads to the leaders trying to grab as much control as possible and the rank-and-file just going along because they think they are getting something for nothing. And neither group cares or realizes that people will react by refusing to work or offer their services or by cutting corners. So it comes as a huge surprise to them when things blow up and start to go wrong.<br /><br />At that point, they reach for the next most obvious short-term solution... wage and price controls. And when that doesn't work, they'll try something else like rationing, tax hikes, forcing people to take inferior care, importing foreign doctors (i.e. cheap labor), and finally telling us "we've been betrayed and we'll just have to tough our way through it."<br /><br />Liberalism is a mess. It really is a destructive force that does an incredible amount of harm to the world and the people in it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-6256557567146950082011-04-03T17:28:18.084-04:002011-04-03T17:28:18.084-04:00Andrew, you don't have to tell me. One of my f...Andrew, you don't have to tell me. One of my friends down here is a doctor's kid, and I hear all about how much burden the medical profession is under, even without ObamaCare. <br /><br />And you're exactly right on the control thing, though I would add it's also due to liberals' inability to comprehend that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Blocking people from leaving the profession or refusing to treat Medicare cases is the next logical step when doctors react to this disastrous plan, and I have no doubt wage controls will be coming soon if they can get away with it. This is basic "Third Way" thinking, and Obama and his entourage are the poster boys for it.T_Ravnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-48159452311798626892011-04-03T17:27:15.866-04:002011-04-03T17:27:15.866-04:00Bev, That's absolutely correct. Doubling down...Bev, That's absolutely correct. Doubling down on stupid seems to run in their blood.<br /><br />Plus, don't forget that they will also try to scapegoat people. The guy who tried it last time wasn't any good.... the evil rich/doctors/Republicans who stood in the way betrayed them.... "unknown" people undermined the plan.... the mysterious bad economy that suddenly appeared is to blame.... etc.<br /><br />It's never their ideas that were to blame.<br /><br />What's just as interesting to me is that when you break it down and you ask a liberal "would you continuing working just as hard if I cut your pay in half?" They will always say "hell no!" Then you ask them why someone else should keep working if you cut their pay and they say... "they can afford it." It's incredible hypocrisy.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58787224757363272232011-04-03T17:21:30.515-04:002011-04-03T17:21:30.515-04:00Actually Andrew, they DON'T just do it and the...Actually Andrew, they DON'T just do it and then wonder why it all went so wrong. When "it" goes horribly wrong they just double down on "it". They will swear that the idea was perfectly conceived, but was executed by "the others" which is why "it" went horribly wrong. Lather, rinse, repeat...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-55239228061919216872011-04-03T17:12:10.088-04:002011-04-03T17:12:10.088-04:00Jed, I think that's right. Private insurance ...Jed, I think that's right. Private insurance should be for large expenses, not day to day stuff. The day to day stuff should be as cheap as possible and as easy as possible to get so that people remain healthier in the long term. Insurers should love this system. But right now they've latched onto the current model and they aren't willing to give that up. It's short-sighted.<br /><br />There are, however, some big companies stepping into this concierge medicine field and I suspect that their model will eventually win out because it just makes so much more sense.<br /><br />But in the meantime, the system will limp along getting worse and worse until it collapses. And the whole time, the Democrats will do their best to plug the holes by punching more holes in the rest of the dam. I think ultimately, this is about control and the Democrats want the government to control healthcare. They don't care about quality or cost, they only care about control. And patients and taxpayers will suffer for that.<br /><br />That should bother people a lot.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-88698568444478932082011-04-03T17:01:59.480-04:002011-04-03T17:01:59.480-04:00The insurance people didn't think that one thr...The insurance people didn't think that one through. They should want primary care to be a flat fee that becomes uninsured just like the old days. Private insurance companies should be engaged in major medical insurance to pay for big ticket items, not routine care. Of course, under Obama, his real slate is to control prices and premiums in a way to drive out private carriers. Just as with Doctors, he wants to keep them from charging what is needed. There is a song by the Rolling Stones titled "Memo From Turner, " from the soundtrack of the movie "Performance." In it, James Fox portrays a hit man on the run from the mob who is given some mushrooms and hallucinates Mick Jagger as a mob boss." Point is the last line is where Jagger tells the people they now "all work for Me!" which is the real point of everything B.O. is doing.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-83306148779650179342011-04-03T17:01:37.151-04:002011-04-03T17:01:37.151-04:00Ed, Let me add, "what could possibly go wrong...Ed, Let me add, "what could possibly go wrong" is exactly where the problem lies with liberalism. They just do things without ever thinking about the consequences. They never ask how people will react. They just do it and then wonder why it all went so wrong.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-10621115827328691652011-04-03T16:50:59.078-04:002011-04-03T16:50:59.078-04:00Ed, I heard that, but I didn't hear the detail...Ed, I heard that, but I didn't hear the details or I would have mentioned it. That's pretty obviously the first round. Next they will require a doctor to certify that the procedure can save you. That's when a lot of people are going to be shocked that there are indeed "death panels," they just aren't panels.<br /><br />Liberals no longer shock me. They don't grasp human nature and they don't care. They just think in short term solutions -- "we need medical care for everyone, ok, everyone gets it." .... "oh, it costs too much? Pay doctors less. What could possibly go wrong?"AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-80754856705111344592011-04-03T16:43:25.963-04:002011-04-03T16:43:25.963-04:00Liberals never cease to amaze me. I heard somethi...Liberals never cease to amaze me. I heard something this weekend too about Medicare now starting to offer old people the right to NOT take life saving procedures. Can you say "rationing"? How long before that becomes a requirement. "Oh gee, you aren't worth saving, sorry."Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-47666768665370316272011-04-03T16:34:16.496-04:002011-04-03T16:34:16.496-04:00Joel, You mean the East German model?!
In all ser...Joel, You mean the East German model?!<br /><br />In all seriousness, I don't think they will do that. BUT, I think liberals will happily convert doctors into quasi-state-employees and will regulate what they can charge, who they can see and under what terms. If they don't do that, then doctors will continue to flee the government-run programs and there won't be enough doctors to handle the patients in the government-run programs.<br /><br />Of course, even if you turned all doctors into slaves tomorrow, that will only work until they stop practicing entirely or they flee the country. And I'll bet Obamacare has already reduced the quality and quantity of applicants at medical schools.<br /><br />Eventually, we'll end up like England, importing unqualified doctors from third world countries and hoping they don't bail out as soon as they can.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-69697957675990378532011-04-03T16:30:19.510-04:002011-04-03T16:30:19.510-04:00T_Rav, If you ever get the chance to talk to any d...T_Rav, If you ever get the chance to talk to any doctors, I recommend it. You will be shocked. I've spoken to several doctors who have stopped taking Medicare/Medicaid patients because (1) they lose money on those patients and Medicare expects them to over-charge their private clients to make up the difference, (2) the restrictions on what they can and cannot do are stifling, and (3) they have rules that do things like preventing them taking cash for certain procedures if they also see Medicare patients or rules that say that if they ever give a discount to any patient, they must automatically extend it to all Medicare patients under threat of being jailed for defrauding Medicare (even if it's a one time discount to someone who genuinely needs the help). It's insane. There isn't a more heavily regulated industry in the world.<br /><br />And one response to this has been doctors leaving the system and refusing to see Medicare/Medicaid patients. Some even refuse to see insurance patients. Basically, these doctors have decided they are going to run their own practices the way they want. And that doesn't sit well with leftists/democrats.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-7845571715370776842011-04-03T16:28:01.334-04:002011-04-03T16:28:01.334-04:00I wonder when it will become illegal for doctors t...I wonder when it will become illegal for doctors to leave their profession. That seems the next logical step.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.com