Obama Health Care- Continued

[djs]

So here is an interesting twist.....

Many doctors make over $250K currently, not all, but many. Some nurses make over $250K (yes, really, but it takes overtime).

One of the ways to lower the cost of health care is to, well, lower the cost of health care by limiting how much health care professionals get paid. This is already in the works with medicare and will likely happen in other areas as well.

So now, we'll have fewer people making the level of income required to pay for all of the health care that will be given to those who can't afford it.

I'd love to see the math on all of this. There is no way it all works without some very unrealistic expectations.

Dan

 

[agent4sail]

So here is an interesting twist.....

Many doctors make over $250K currently, not all, but many. Some nurses make over $250K (yes, really, but it takes overtime).

One of the ways to lower the cost of health care is to, well, lower the cost of health care by limiting how much health care professionals get paid. This is already in the works with medicare and will likely happen in other areas as well.

So now, we'll have fewer people making the level of income required to pay for all of the health care that will be given to those who can't afford it.

I'd love to see the math on all of this. There is no way it all works without some very unrealistic expectations.

Dan

Interesting that the citizens of the largest free market society in the world, would entertain limiting anyones ability to earn an income. Suggesting the medical professionals are the reason for our high costs of care, is suggesting we can find the same level of care we currently enjoy, for less. The costs of an undergraduate degree, followed by medical school, followed by the years of internship and residency requirements, the costs of setting up an office, the equiptment costs, front and back office staff, mal-practice insurance, as well as the daily expenses and normal costs of living for their family, etc..., seems these would warrant their high incomes. We have several friends who have left the medical profession to pursue other more profitable careers.

I have been told that the typical family MD, non specialist, earns less than $160K/yr. It would be tough to get rich on $160K a year while having to pay off college loans and office overhead. Profitable, maybe after 10+ years.

The high costs of research and development of new technologies, pharmaceuticals, and lab procedures, as well as the ever increasing costs of education, play a much larger part in the run-a-way costs of medical care, than the incomes of the MD does.

But, on the other hand, do you want someone who isn't as well educated, has less experience, less testing and diagnosis equiptment, well educated staffs, and access to modern hospitals, caring for you? Do you really want a 'minimum-wager' doing surgery on someone you care for?

 

[Joseph H. Deacon III]

"Less incidence of heart disease, obesity and diabetes in those societies due to better diet and exercise. Americans don't take care of themselves and are are in general fatter and lazier due to prosperity in this country.

Smaller more homogeneous populations. Higher per capita taxation combined with flat economic growth and very little military obligations (They rely on us for our markets and our military)

It would be an utter failure in this country because of the fact that the average American is irresponsible, incompetent and always acts against his own best interests in matters of health and usually in all ways generally"

Agreed - unless there is a fundamental change in the way people take care of themselves, healthcare in this country will never change, regardless of who is paying for it. People are generally lazy and careless about many things in this country.

 

[Ranger]

It's my perception that Americans don't think health care is a problem until it is their problem. If everybody was on a high deductible HSA policy, they would sure shop around and ask their doctor's plenty of questions.

I am on a $10,000 deductible health insurance plan. Here's some of the issues I have noticed:

(1) The office workers at the doctor's office don't know how much the charges are. So it's hard to shop for services if they won't quote a price. I found a doctor who works alone in his own practice and we worked out a deal for cash payment.

(2) You can go to 3 different pharmacies and get 3 very different prices for medicine. We have quoted the same drug with prices ranging from $38 to $128. It seems to depend on which distributor they use. The drug at Walmart costs $128, we go to Sam's Club, pay the $100 membership fee and get that drug for $38. We can get the same drug at another pharmacy for #38, see below.

(3) My wife takes 4 medications. We had to ask the doctor to
write the prescriptions on 4 separate forms because we still wind up going to 4 different pharmacies to get the best deal.
Wouldn't you drive across town to save $50?

We don't get the network discounts because my wife has an excluded condition. Excluded from coverage, excluded from negotiated discounts.

In 3 years I haven't met my $10,000 deductible. But I do get a card on my birthday stating that my premiums are going up due to my age!

If everybody had to shop around for their healthcare, I think things would be different.

 

[bill3173]

...also far less stress in those societies since you're not under pressure to actually produce anything.

That's pure gold.

 

[bobson]

Interesting that the citizens of the largest free market society in the world, would entertain limiting anyones ability to earn an income. Suggesting the medical professionals are the reason for our high costs of care, is suggesting we can find the same level of care we currently enjoy, for less. The costs of an undergraduate degree, followed by medical school, followed by the years of internship and residency requirements, the costs of setting up an office, the equiptment costs, front and back office staff, mal-practice insurance, as well as the daily expenses and normal costs of living for their family, etc..., seems these would warrant their high incomes. We have several friends who have left the medical profession to pursue other more profitable careers.

I have been told that the typical family MD, non specialist, earns less than $160K/yr. It would be tough to get rich on $160K a year while having to pay off college loans and office overhead. Profitable, maybe after 10+ years.

The high costs of research and development of new technologies, pharmaceuticals, and lab procedures, as well as the ever increasing costs of education, play a much larger part in the run-a-way costs of medical care, than the incomes of the MD does.

But, on the other hand, do you want someone who isn't as well educated, has less experience, less testing and diagnosis equiptment, well educated staffs, and access to modern hospitals, caring for you? Do you really want a 'minimum-wager' doing surgery on someone you care for?

Ummm, you can't have nationalized healthcare WITHOUT a cap on medical professional earnings. The sad thing as the cap dissuades people from entering the medical field we have less doctors to care for everyone.

I've never understood the argument for nationalized healthcare. We have the finest health care in the world for 85% of the population bar none. Children can get FREE world class healthcare from the Shriners and Children's Miracle network, and assitance from the Ronald McDonald house etc. Children in Britain and France wish they could get that kind of care. Does anyone believe the care received under the CHIP program will be anywhere near the care received at a Shriner hospital? No one can be denied access to emergency care. Walmart has many prescriptions for $4.00 for a month supply. We have plenty of mini-med plans availible for affordable rates. Medicaid is avilible for the very poor.

We have a system like that and someone honestly thinks by having the government run things it will get better? It can't get better. It can only get worse.

 

[Mr. Bill]

I Want Free Fat Farms Spa Food!

 

[TXINSURANCE]

Interesting that the citizens of the largest free market society in the world, would entertain limiting anyones ability to earn an income.

Obama does this every day. That is the core of his philosophy.

 

[motoxxx]

When you limit how much money people can make, there will be no incentives for the best doctors/nurses to stay in the industry. The quality of our health care will decline massively. But then again, that is what Obama wants. Bring our contry down to the level of the rest of the world instead of building everyone else up.

 

[bobson]

When you limit how much money people can make, there will be no incentives for the best doctors/nurses to stay in the industry. The quality of our health care will decline massively. But then again, that is what Obama wants. Bring our contry down to the level of the rest of the world instead of building everyone else up.

But it isn't fair that someone can make $300,000 a year while others barely have enough money to eat. Most people that are poor work just as hard as many world-class surgeons they just don't have the advantage of education.