Any other doctors thinking of calling it quits?

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people complain because they don't realize what waters we are going into. --when you find yourself with cancer and want the best treatment for you or your family and will be told that you have to wait for treatment or that you are not going to be treated because stats say your are a long shot you will wish for the old system esp. when you realize that your quality of life is going to go down to take care of a bunch of people who for the most part choose to be where they are. I know too many people in countries like France who have horror stories. Too often we hear about anonomlies in the us healthcare system that are geared to get you to want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have great healthcare here and if you are really poor you get great healthcare. The percentage of the underinsured is really a small percentage of people and most just do not want to put funds toward their insurance. It sounds crazy but a lot of people would buy a new car before paying that premium and most companies do provide good care and even for those who buy their own insurance, there are a lot of ways to reduce costs--I have bought premiums before and I just sucked it up because insurance is important. I do think there is room for growth..tort reform.tort reform. tort reform..getting that cost under control will help everyone but it's not popular with the Democrats..and that isn't going to change until it is really hammered out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people complain because they don't realize what waters we are going into. --when you find yourself with cancer and want the best treatment for you or your family and will be told that you have to wait for treatment or that you are not going to be treated because stats say your are a long shot you will wish for the old system esp. when you realize that your quality of life is going to go down to take care of a bunch of people who for the most part choose to be where they are. I know too many people in countries like France who have horror stories. Too often we hear about anonomlies in the us healthcare system that are geared to get you to want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have great healthcare here and if you are really poor you get great healthcare. The percentage of the underinsured is really a small percentage of people and most just do not want to put funds toward their insurance. It sounds crazy but a lot of people would buy a new car before paying that premium and most companies do provide good care and even for those who buy their own insurance, there are a lot of ways to reduce costs--I have bought premiums before and I just sucked it up because insurance is important. I do think there is room for growth..tort reform.tort reform. tort reform..getting that cost under control will help everyone but it's not popular with the Democrats..and that isn't going to change until it is really hammered out there.

That's really not true. 42% of people 19-64 are either uninsured or underinsured. Kids are generally covered by CHIP if they are low-income, and people over 65 are covered by Medicare. But for those who have to truly pay for insurance, coverage is pretty dismal.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/616350.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index_lifestyle

[Anonymous]

"I think a lot of people complain because they don't realize what waters we are going into. --when you find yourself with cancer and want the best treatment for you or your family and will be told that you have to wait for treatment or that you are not going to be treated because stats say your are a long shot you will wish for the old system esp. when you realize that your quality of life is going to go down to take care of a bunch of people who for the most part choose to be where they are."

I don't think you realize what water you are in today. Don't you realize that this where a significant number of people are today? You may be fortunate to afford insurance but many are not. They face full bankruptcy or worse just forego treatment until it becomes emergent and untreatable. Our health care system and approach to medicine is overly driven toward a profit margin and overserves a few at the expense of many others. The unemployment rate is starting to highlight that as many people are now losing their insurance and can not afford COBRA. At in the non-coverage for pre-existing conditions and many people are in big trouble.

[Anonymous]

To 15:10. I am an attorney and was terminated last year while already pregnant. My employer doesn't fall under FMLA, COBRA etc because too few employees so my health insurance ended three months after my job ended. I cannot get new insurance in DC because pregnancy is a pre-condition. I have not found a new job partially because of the bad economy but partially because of my big belly when I go to interviews. My only income is unemployment. I don't have large savings to pay my health costs up front I will pay them down gradually when I can again. Your opinions about putting money to insurance premiums or tort reform are stupid and uninformed.

[Anonymous]

As I stated above-there will always be cases that are anomolies and there is always room to explore growth but.for the pregnant lady--if you really couldn't get insurance on your own, why didn't you get any job just to make sure you had coverage? What about your partner..could you get on their insurance? I would be working at Starbucks before I gave up health coverage. Are you asking then that the entire system be scrapped because of your personal problem? As for people 19-64--you should have health coverage and you should pay for it unless...you have a physical reason that you can't work. In the end, while sad, the entire us should not give up quality care for the people who choose not to be insured. Again...85% of the country has insurance..that isn't bad.

[Anonymous]

I am not asking for the entire system to be scrapped but I am asking that anybody that wants to get insurance should be able to get it through a job or otherwise. As for the rest, you need to read my email more careful: I have tried to find a new job but haven't been successful yet.

[Anonymous]

Enjoy your new single-payor health system staffed by nurses. I'm glad I have the option of not working, or going into research. I will miss seeing patients, but I won't miss the hassles or the 7-minute new patient appointments. I just hope enough of my colleagues stay in practice long enough to take care of me and my kids and their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just because 85% have health insurance, it doesn't mean they are sufficiently insured and/or happy with it. Many people go broke trying to foot a $13,000 a year premium for family coverage. If you don't get it subsidized by your employer, it's very difficult to pay for. As a result, many people are underinsured. They go without needed health care, and often get sicker as a result, costing the system more money. A significant percentage of your insurance premium reflects the cost of uncompensated care. Get those people insured, and your premiums go down.

That is why they make high deductible policies that are cheaper, but you have to save cash, and work on staying healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 15:10. I am an attorney and was terminated last year while already pregnant. My employer doesn't fall under FMLA, COBRA etc because too few employees so my health insurance ended three months after my job ended. I cannot get new insurance in DC because pregnancy is a pre-condition. I have not found a new job partially because of the bad economy but partially because of my big belly when I go to interviews. My only income is unemployment. I don't have large savings to pay my health costs up front I will pay them down gradually when I can again. Your opinions about putting money to insurance premiums or tort reform are stupid and uninformed.

If you are unemployed, aren't you eligible for medicaid? I had to go that route with my first and I thought the coverage was great.

[Anonymous]

"As I stated above-there will always be cases that are anomolies and there is always room to explore growth but.for the pregnant lady--if you really couldn't get insurance on your own, why didn't you get any job just to make sure you had coverage? What about your partner..could you get on their insurance? I would be working at Starbucks before I gave up health coverage. Are you asking then that the entire system be scrapped because of your personal problem? As for people 19-64--you should have health coverage and you should pay for it unless...you have a physical reason that you can't work. In the end, while sad, the entire us should not give up quality care for the people who choose not to be insured. Again...85% of the country has insurance..that isn't bad. "

Are you living under a rock? Many companies and most small businesses do not offer health insurance! Starbucks is a stand out. Try getting a job in retail, or Walmart or many of the part time positions that are designed not to offer health benefits! One of the reasons that my husband and I chose to not have one of us stay home was health insurance. We both maintain jobs at large companies with good benefits to protect against one of us losing our jobs. We are highly skilled so we have that option many do not. 42% of the population who do not qualify as being small children or the elderly over 65 is a huge number! I suspect that you wouldn't care if it was 99% as long as you were part of the 1%.

[Anonymous]

My parents are both doctors and our circle of friends growing up was mostly in from the medical profession. All I can say is that I actually think I had a real calling to be a doctor, and continue to have pangs of desire to go to med school, but then someone who lives the life in its current form calls me back to reality. I realize that throughout the economy here and elsewhere pay is not determined by work volume or merit, but it makes me just sick when I think how poorly our doctors (and teachers, though it's by no means limited to these professions) are paid, and how well some real seeming duds do financially, particularly real estate developers, a rather large bulk of whom seem to have taken over their parents' businesses. Not that that's a bad thing, and the economy will be what it will be, but the difference sure is striking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"As I stated above-there will always be cases that are anomolies and there is always room to explore growth but.for the pregnant lady--if you really couldn't get insurance on your own, why didn't you get any job just to make sure you had coverage? What about your partner..could you get on their insurance? I would be working at Starbucks before I gave up health coverage. Are you asking then that the entire system be scrapped because of your personal problem? As for people 19-64--you should have health coverage and you should pay for it unless...you have a physical reason that you can't work. In the end, while sad, the entire us should not give up quality care for the people who choose not to be insured. Again...85% of the country has insurance..that isn't bad. "

Are you living under a rock? Many companies and most small businesses do not offer health insurance! Starbucks is a stand out. Try getting a job in retail, or Walmart or many of the part time positions that are designed not to offer health benefits! One of the reasons that my husband and I chose to not have one of us stay home was health insurance. We both maintain jobs at large companies with good benefits to protect against one of us losing our jobs. We are highly skilled so we have that option many do not. 42% of the population who do not qualify as being small children or the elderly over 65 is a huge number! I suspect that you wouldn't care if it was 99% as long as you were part of the 1%.

If you live in MD or VA, you are covered by medical assistance if you are pregnant, regardless of income.

[Anonymous]

If you live in MD or VA, you are covered by medical assistance if you are pregnant, regardless of income.

Ditto this. I know in Maryland all pregnant women are covered for prenatal care and delivery.
Is this not the case in the district? If not, that really sucks and should be changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"As I stated above-there will always be cases that are anomolies and there is always room to explore growth but.for the pregnant lady--if you really couldn't get insurance on your own, why didn't you get any job just to make sure you had coverage? What about your partner..could you get on their insurance? I would be working at Starbucks before I gave up health coverage. Are you asking then that the entire system be scrapped because of your personal problem? As for people 19-64--you should have health coverage and you should pay for it unless...you have a physical reason that you can't work. In the end, while sad, the entire us should not give up quality care for the people who choose not to be insured. Again...85% of the country has insurance..that isn't bad. "

Are you living under a rock? Many companies and most small businesses do not offer health insurance! Starbucks is a stand out. Try getting a job in retail, or Walmart or many of the part time positions that are designed not to offer health benefits! One of the reasons that my husband and I chose to not have one of us stay home was health insurance. We both maintain jobs at large companies with good benefits to protect against one of us losing our jobs. We are highly skilled so we have that option many do not. 42% of the population who do not qualify as being small children or the elderly over 65 is a huge number! I suspect that you wouldn't care if it was 99% as long as you were part of the 1%.

If you live in MD or VA, you are covered by medical assistance if you are pregnant, regardless of income.

Not true in Maryland. The income cap is 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. Which is $36,000 right now.

http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/mma/mchp/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"As I stated above-there will always be cases that are anomolies and there is always room to explore growth but.for the pregnant lady--if you really couldn't get insurance on your own, why didn't you get any job just to make sure you had coverage? What about your partner..could you get on their insurance? I would be working at Starbucks before I gave up health coverage. Are you asking then that the entire system be scrapped because of your personal problem? As for people 19-64--you should have health coverage and you should pay for it unless...you have a physical reason that you can't work. In the end, while sad, the entire us should not give up quality care for the people who choose not to be insured. Again...85% of the country has insurance..that isn't bad. "

Are you living under a rock? Many companies and most small businesses do not offer health insurance! Starbucks is a stand out. Try getting a job in retail, or Walmart or many of the part time positions that are designed not to offer health benefits! One of the reasons that my husband and I chose to not have one of us stay home was health insurance. We both maintain jobs at large companies with good benefits to protect against one of us losing our jobs. We are highly skilled so we have that option many do not. 42% of the population who do not qualify as being small children or the elderly over 65 is a huge number! I suspect that you wouldn't care if it was 99% as long as you were part of the 1%.

If you live in MD or VA, you are covered by medical assistance if you are pregnant, regardless of income.

Not true in Maryland. The income cap is 250% of the federal poverty guidelines. Which is $36,000 right now.

http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/mma/mchp/

Even so, pp should have been saving for a rainy day. Just get through the pregnancy by paying the doctor out of pocket. Mnay women have to choose slightly lower paying jobs with good bennies that are more secure while they are having their kids. Another reason that the spouse should be insured.