Step Right Up! Ge.......t'cher Free Health Care...Right Here!

[ABM]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/06/91696/health-care-overhaul-spawns-mass.html

Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.

Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups.

"They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.

McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were hoping that the overhaul would translate into instant, affordable coverage. That widespread misconception may have originated in part from distorted rhetoric about the legislation bubbling up from the hyper-partisan debate about it in Washington and some media outlets, such as when opponents denounced it as socialism.

"We tell them it's not free, that there are going to be things in place that help people who are low-income, but that ultimately most of that is not going to be taking place until 2014," McLean said.

Adults with pre-existing conditions are frustrated to learn that insurers won't have to cover them until 2014 (though those under 18 will be protected in late September); then they become both hopeful and confused upon learning that a federal high-risk pool for them will be established in the next few months. "Health insurance is so confusing. You add this on top of it and it makes it even more confusing," McLean said.

The Obama administration is embarking on a years-long public education campaign about the overhaul, including a Web component. However, much of the guidance will depend on Department of Health and Human Services regulations that are still being developed.

Parents of young adults, including those who are preparing to graduate from college this spring, have heard that the overhaul will let them keep their children on their insurance plans until they reach age 26. That starts in September, however; they have to determine how to cover them until then.

A new wave of inquiries could come next month as federal COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers dry up......................

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

And Medicaid is drying up: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/health/policy/16medicaid.html

Also, in talking to doctors thru our company, many will no longer take Medicare/Medicaid/OHP as it pays so very little, it's a drain on their practices.

I hope when all the insurance companies are gone in 6 to 8 years, the single payer Obamacare plan pays more than Medicare/Medicaid, or care will be hard to find at all.

 

[MARIS61]

And Medicaid is drying up: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/health/policy/16medicaid.html

Also, in talking to doctors thru our company, many will no longer take Medicare/Medicaid/OHP as it pays so very little, it's a drain on their practices.

I hope when all the insurance companies are gone in 6 to 8 years, the single payer Obamacare plan pays more than Medicare/Medicaid, or care will be hard to find at all.

Gosh, some doctors may have to sell off a piece or 2 of their exotic car collections in order to afford that family vacation compound in Fiji.

Seriously, I've never met a doctor who wasn't obscenely wealthy in comparison to his patients, and I'm sure I never will.

If the time ever comes when Americans consider themselves above that sort of non-rewarding demeaning work, I'm sure our massive labor force of illegal aliens will step in and take their place willingly for less money.

 

[MARIS61]

Consider the source:...Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states...

 

[Denny Crane]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100....html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

Medical Schools Can't Keep Up
As Ranks of Insured Expand, Nation Faces Shortage of 150,000 Doctors in 15 Years

The new federal health-care law has raised the stakes for hospitals and schools already scrambling to train more doctors.

Experts warn there won't be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured under the law. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

That shortfall is predicted despite a push by teaching hospitals and medical schools to boost the number of U.S. doctors, which now totals about 954,000.

The greatest demand will be for primary-care physicians. These general practitioners, internists, family physicians and pediatricians will have a larger role under the new law, coordinating care for each patient.

 

[barfo]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100....html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

Medical Schools Can't Keep Up
As Ranks of Insured Expand, Nation Faces Shortage of 150,000 Doctors in 15 Years

The new federal health-care law has raised the stakes for hospitals and schools already scrambling to train more doctors.

Experts warn there won't be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured under the law. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

That shortfall is predicted despite a push by teaching hospitals and medical schools to boost the number of U.S. doctors, which now totals about 954,000.

The greatest demand will be for primary-care physicians. These general practitioners, internists, family physicians and pediatricians will have a larger role under the new law, coordinating care for each patient.

Hmm, a large number of high-paying jobs created indirectly by a government program. Who would'a thunk it?

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

A govt. plan that is overly optimistic at its inception. Who'd have thunk it.

 

[deception]

Hmm, a large number of high-paying jobs created indirectly by a government program. Who would'a thunk it?

barfo

bush created those same jobs at the VA hospitals caring for your wounded heroes

 

[Sug]

bush created those same jobs at the VA hospitals caring for your wounded heroes

Link?

 

[blazerboy30]

Hmm, a large number of high-paying jobs created indirectly by a government program. Who would'a thunk it?

barfo

Sweet. The government could also make a large number of high-paying hole-digging jobs too. Let's do it!

 

[barfo]

Sweet. The government could also make a large number of high-paying hole-digging jobs too. Let's do it!

So your point is that doctoring and hole digging are equivalent, i.e. useless?

If so, interesting point.

barfo

 

[blazerboy30]

So your point is that doctoring and hole digging are equivalent, i.e. useless?

If so, interesting point.

barfo

Strawman alert! Strawman alert!

 

[barfo]

Strawman alert! Strawman alert!

It's not a strawman, silly, I'm asking what point you were making.

barfo

 

[blazerboy30]

It's not a strawman, silly, I'm asking what point you were making.

barfo

My point was, "what's your point"? Government created, high-paying jobs is easy to do, and we could do it any time we want. That doesn't mean it is a good thing.

Maybe you weren't implying that these government created high-paying jobs were a good thing, but that is how it came across.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Gosh, some doctors may have to sell off a piece or 2 of their exotic car collections in order to afford that family vacation compound in Fiji.

Seriously, I've never met a doctor who wasn't obscenely wealthy in comparison to his patients, and I'm sure I never will.

If the time ever comes when Americans consider themselves above that sort of non-rewarding demeaning work, I'm sure our massive labor force of illegal aliens will step in and take their place willingly for less money.

I can introduce you to at least two who are friends of the family. They actually cannot do their own lab work now, since the basic cost of owning and operating the machines is not covered by the insurance payments to them (which come 4-6 months later). So they outsource it to companies who can use economies of scale to drive the price down a bit--which means patients wait longer for test results, diagnoses, etc.

Does it cost less for an illegal immigrant to treat a patient than a licensed doctor? Maybe, I don't know. What I do know is that, unless your definition of "obscenely wealthy" includes those making well less than some of their patients, perhaps there are people you should meet.

On a side note, out of pure curiosity, what sizes are the practices/hospitals that you go to in Central Oregon? Is it more the 3-4 doc general practice? Hospital-based clinicians? Family docs you can negotiate and barter with?

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'm intrigued that there will be many more openings for physicians...but isn't there already a shortage? (I don't really know--that was a legit question)

It was my (perhaps wholly uninformed) understanding that, with increases in medical school costs and workload-v.-reward (pay) issues that have been brought up over the last 10-20 years, that there were far fewer docs coming into the workforce. What's going to change to reverse that trend? Higher workload for less pay? Seems like the cost-benefit analysis for someone looking to spend ~7 years in school may be better served becoming an engineer with a joint B.S./M.S and an MBA. Then again, maybe there's a chance that there are more nurses that are able to practice. I don't know.

 

[OddEnormous]

These are all such scary words that are scaring me.

 

[OddEnormous]

I'm intrigued that there will be many more openings for physicians...but isn't there already a shortage? (I don't really know--that was a legit question)

It was my (perhaps wholly uninformed) understanding that, with increases in medical school costs and workload-v.-reward (pay) issues that have been brought up over the last 10-20 years, that there were far fewer docs coming into the workforce. What's going to change to reverse that trend? Higher workload for less pay? Seems like the cost-benefit analysis for someone looking to spend ~7 years in school may be better served becoming an engineer with a joint B.S./M.S and an MBA. Then again, maybe there's a chance that there are more nurses that are able to practice. I don't know.

All good questions. I just wish there was someway for us to know what things would be like in a country with government health care.

 

[blazerboy30]

All good questions. I just wish there was someway for us to know what things would be like in a country with government health care.

Oh, you mean like the other countries that have it, that have less quality healthcare than our country?

There are lots of data points. You should try not to ignore them.

 

[blazerboy30]

Gosh, some doctors may have to sell off a piece or 2 of their exotic car collections in order to afford that family vacation compound in Fiji.

Seriously, I've never met a doctor who wasn't obscenely wealthy in comparison to his patients, and I'm sure I never will.

If the time ever comes when Americans consider themselves above that sort of non-rewarding demeaning work, I'm sure our massive labor force of illegal aliens will step in and take their place willingly for less money.

You shouldn't be angry and blame others because you live in one of the poorest parts of the state (Lapine). You're opinion is nowhere near reality.

 

[maxiep]

Hmm, a large number of high-paying jobs created indirectly by a government program. Who would'a thunk it?

barfo

Yeah, what could be sweeter than spending six years in grad school and residency to make a whopping $75-$125K/year. All that and you have the privilege of paying tens of thousands a year in malpractice insurance, but you had better not ever make an honest mistake, because then you can't get coverage at all and all that schooling goes right down the drain.

You're better off just being a longshoreman instead.

 

[Minstrel]

Yeah, what could be sweeter than spending six years in grad school and residency to make a whopping $75-$125K/year. All that and you have the privilege of paying tens of thousands a year in malpractice insurance, but you had better not ever make an honest mistake, because then you can't get coverage at all and all that schooling goes right down the drain.

You're better off just being a longshoreman instead.

Tort reform would be a good addition, I agree.

 

[maxiep]

Tort reform would be a good addition, I agree.

In the words of Howard Dean, the Democrats can't go after the trial lawyers.

 

[barfo]

Yeah, what could be sweeter than spending six years in grad school and residency to make a whopping $75-$125K/year. All that and you have the privilege of paying tens of thousands a year in malpractice insurance, but you had better not ever make an honest mistake, because then you can't get coverage at all and all that schooling goes right down the drain.

You're better off just being a longshoreman instead.

If you only make $75K as a MD, you are doing it wrong.

barfo

 

[maxiep]

If you only make $75K as a MD, you are doing it wrong.

barfo

Right now, yes. Wait until we go single-payer, which this bill puts us on the path toward. In the future, when they squeeze payments to physicians, that will be the norm. When I lived in Sweden around the turn of the century, doctors made $40-55K.

 

[BrianFromWA]

to put it in perspective, how much did a truck driver/machinist/pilot/food service worker make?

 

[barfo]

Right now, yes. Wait until we go single-payer, which this bill puts us on the path toward. In the future, when they squeeze payments to physicians, that will be the norm. When I lived in Sweden around the turn of the century, doctors made $40-55K.

That was a pretty good salary for 1900

Sweden isn't the US. Sweden (I'm guessing, I haven't looked it up) never had extremely high MD salaries.

barfo

 

[Blaze01]

Gosh, some doctors may have to sell off a piece or 2 of their exotic car collections in order to afford that family vacation compound in Fiji.

If you only make $75K as a MD, you are doing it wrong.

Average salary for general\family practitioner is $122,000-$144,000....That is hardly considered the wealthy elite....

Now a specialist? Well they are making up to twice as much or more....thus the reason why so many doctors go into specialist fields....

and I don't expect that salary to go up under Obamacare...not with them jerking Medicaid payments, malpractice insurance (which strangely is not? addressed in this massive health care overhaul)...quite the reverse actually.....

I don't see a lot of incentive here for people to go to school for that period of time and under that kind of debt expense and having to cover massive liabilities for a $75-100k job.....