
Your list of "probable consequences" is based on what? Fear? Are you worried your income will go down?
Have you read and do you fully understand the health care bill and the second bill to fix the problems in the first one? I'm sure this is an imperfect bill that will cost some people money and inconvenience, but there is joyous celebration in many families because of it too. It's certain that people with the best insurance will pay more for that insurance. But it is not clear by any means that taxes or premiums will go up for the majority of those with health insurance now. In fact, it could be argued that premiums will go down, on average, as more young, healthy people are added to the system, spreading the cost of insurance among a larger number of people. Rationing? Please. This is the argument that gets people riled up the most, but it's simply not true. The "r" word has been used for decades as a reason not to reform health care in the US. Please, Dr. KIA, stick to facts. |
I agree with ethe PP. I'm the poster who first mentioned that one consequence of this bill would be people would have a hard time getting doctors to see them. I'm NOT listing that as an objection. I'm thrilled we have finally got this bill passed. It's just that, I hope someone is thinking about addressing the critical need for more general internists and family doctors, at least; within the next two years would be great. Otherwise, what happened in MA is going to happen nationwide. For me, with my doctors, I'm not worried -- they probably just won't accept new patients. But the working poor who do have insurance will start to feel the effects as their doctors try to squeeze in more patients... and they will start to call this new turn of affiars "Obamacare".
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What is happening in Massachusetts "is" going to happen nationwide, but I don't think that's a reason to throw out the bill. It will take some time for the market to change. People who don't have insurance and/or a relationship with a physician now are going to be the ones having trouble getting appointments. What I think will happen first is a fast growth in urgent care clinics like Nighttime Pediatrics or whatever they call themselves now. Uninsured people use them now, and they'll likely continue to use them even after they get insurance. At least for things that require fairly immediate treatment. They might get their well-baby visits scheduled just fine with traditional pediatric offices. And it might be this way for a few years until the market adapts. |
Regarding this potential doctor shortage, isn't it possible that foreign students who are currently in US medical schools and had been planning to head home may now stay? I realize that you don't just crank out medical professionals like widgets, but if there is suddenly a lot of money to be made in the medical profession, I have confidence that people will find a way to get those jobs (whether they are the people we want having those jobs is a different topic). Regardless, of all the potential problems we could have, a shortage of doctors seems vastly preferable to most.
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I have a child who was born with a pre-existing condition that excludes him from open market health insurance plans. His sin to the insurance companies was to be born missing a few fingers! That's all it takes for lifelong insurance discrimination in this fine country of ours. Under the new law this is forbidden. He is 100% healthy and has been to the pediatrician for exactly 3 sick visits in his 3.5 years. Not very many parents can say that especially those whose kid is in daycare. DH and I have been living under the pressure of one of us keeping a job with large group coverage so that he stays continually covered. He costs the insurance company significantly less than his older typically handed brother, go figure. We now will be able to insure our son without prejudice against his "condition". If you met him I bet the last thing that you would notice is his hand. He is not impaired by it what-so-ever.
The Swiss have a similar system to our new one and they are not floundering and it has not caused catastrophic economic collapse or rationing of health care. They do not have death panels just a requirement for all citizens to have health insurance and subsidies for those in need. |
We currently have rationing, currently its based on who can afford to pay (insurance or out-of-pocket). |
I was going to mention that, too, but didn't want to open up the whole can of worms "doctors who don't speak English," when what they really mean is the "doctor has an accent." |
I was wrong and you're right. Every citizen is going to have increased access to better doctors for even less cost. |
There doesn't need to be a doctor shortage, we just need to use them more efficiently. Many nurse practitioners and PAs can handle the majority of sick visits. Yes, doctors are still needed for many, many things - but why tie up a doctor to screen toddlers for ear infections and strep throat? |
"There doesn't need to be a doctor shortage, we just need to use them more efficiently. Many nurse practitioners and PAs can handle the majority of sick visits. Yes, doctors are still needed for many, many things - but why tie up a doctor to screen toddlers for ear infections and strep throat? "
I completely agree. The big two reasons few doctors stay in or choose primary care is their huge debt and the difficulties in managing small practices. Doctors spend way too much time trying to deal with the various insurance companies and they are not business people by training. They often have an office or billing manager who only has basic skills trying to wade through it with them. I'm surprised that doctor's practices haven't formed some sort of consortium to deal with billing and office management issues. Programs that helped subsidize medical school for doctors entering targeted areas would help too. Its completely crazy but you hear about the nursing shortage all the time but there is a growing glut of recent nursing grads who can barely find a job six months after graduation even if they are willing to relocate to Montana. |
Very interesting essay that juxtaposes the historic collapse of Detroit to the possibilities of Obamacare.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north828.html |
OMG 21:48 are you for real? A conspiracy to hide the death of a city?
Detroit is dying because it was built around the domestic car industry. Sorry to burst your bubble but US cars aren't worth shit. Detroit is dying because people stopped buying pieces of crap for cars and the companies went bankrupt and laid off their workers. Unemployment = default on mortgages = exodus from the city. |
The laughably ironic (though very sad) fact is that one of the major things that killed the US domestic car industry was out-of-control healthcare costs. 40 years ago, the carmakers could easily pay for health insurance for current employees and retirees. But medical insurance costs, particularly for retirees, started the auto companies' decline. Not even moving major portions of production to Canada could save them. |
ditto. yes, it would be nice and appropriate, if people went to their primary care physicians more, and to the specialists they actually need to see. however, i doubt that that will happen. currently a TON of people are claiming the "I came to the ER because I have no insurance" line - however there are so many people that come to the ER for a very specific (ongoing) problem that they already have specific doctor for - but only because they don't want to pay the $30 cash copayment, they run up a $3000 dollar credit bill in the ER instead -it's incomprehensible. - but our legal system does not allow us to turn them back to their doctors at the door and save them and society the bill - no tort reform = no true health care reform. |
Hmmm, foreign doctors are not staying in many cases because they cannot do so legally, immigration is very difficult for them; they are coming here on certain visas that have set expiration dates and cannot be extended. I have seen multiple talented doctors leave the country that would have considered staying had it been possible. I'm not sure whether it is planned to change immigration laws for doctors... |