A suggestion for single-payer advocates

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who is a pediatrician and a strong advocate for government-run, single-payer health insurance. To her and all her friends who have formed an organization to fight for socialized medicine, I say this:

If you truly believe in single payer, why not set up your practice now so you ONLY take Medicaid patients? This is a serious suggestion; I’m not trying to be snide. Medicaid patients have an extremely difficult time finding doctors because the government doesn’t pay very much for those services. But if we went to single-payer, EVERYBODY would be like a Medicaid patient. If you truly think that’s best, and you’re willing to take lower compensation for your work for the public good, why not start now? You could significantly reduce your paperwork and staff requirements because you wouldn’t have to hassle with all the different providers. It would be a win/win, and it would be ethically consistent with your stance against private insurance.

My doctor in Canada said he received $8 for a patient visit. That’s Canadian dollars, mind you. Do you think that would work for you?

Comments

[mijan.livejournal.com]

As for why you can't shop around for chemo... I used to work for a big pharmaceutical company. In fact, I worked in Oncology. Funny, huh? I can tell you from the inside that the money is everything. Pharmaceuticals are BIG political business. I can't being to tell you how much money is wasted. It's insane. But it keeps consumers wrapped around their little fingers.

Part of the shortage of doctors is due to the cost of med school. That's half of why I didn't do it. (I was pre-med, majored in Biology, with a 4.0 GPA.) The other half was because I saw what was happening to the system. I'd spend more time fighting with insurance companies than taking care of patients. I wanted no part of that... so I'm "just" a biologist.

I'd write more, but I've actually gotta go. Maybe back later.

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

My husband is a colon cancer survivor, so you'll understand when I utter the words FOLFOX-4. :-)

Waste? YES. Huge waste. I was looking at the bills from the oncologist. He charged $1300 for a two-minute consult. The insurance said, "Nice try," and gave him $250. If I'd been aware of (and perhaps motivated to save on) the cost of this, I would have refused a few of his brief pep talks. It was the nurses who did all the work. Most of the providers have no reason to want us to know what their rates are, because then we might be able to compare prices, eh?

As for med school, I'm not sure why it has to cost so much, nor why we can't subsidize it to get more doctors, nor why there is a cap on the numbers we allow in. A friend of ours, an extremely bright kid, wanted to be a doctor. He couldn't get accepted to medical school. Not enough slots! And one admissions worker even told him, off the record, that he was the better candidate, but they had to fill the remaining slots with females and minorities. First time I ever felt sorry for a white guy.

So how much sense does it make that a kid who's always dreamed of being a doctor, who has the mental and emotional capacity to be a darn good one, is now selling insurance? That's fucked up.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

Waste? YES. Huge waste. I was looking at the bills from the oncologist. He charged $1300 for a two-minute consult. The insurance said, "Nice try," and gave him $250. If I'd been aware of (and perhaps motivated to save on) the cost of this, I would have refused a few of his brief pep talks. It was the nurses who did all the work.

Clearly, this is somehow Joe Biden's fault. Are you even listening to yourself?

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to blame Joe Biden for anything you like, but I don't know what you're talking about.

Let's try this. You read the entire thread you're commenting upon and then say something pithy that actually contributes to the discussion. Or just STFU. Your choice.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

self-referential comment is self-referential.

In other words... sochulist physician... heal thyself.

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

I'm still quite confused. I guess in your attempt to be witty, you've lost me.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

The former happens occasionally with him, the latter, well never.
You on the other hand are a pleasure :D

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

That's a relief. I was beginning to wonder if it was just me.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

It makes as much sense as me not going to med school, either. Granted, I'd feel nauseous if I got a med school slot over a male candidate who was better than me - I've never gotten ANYWHERE on anything but merit, and I wouldn't want to. (Example: when I was in the Army, I made sure I maxed out the MALE fitness standards.) My academic scores were good enough, and I could have gotten into med school purely on merit... but I didn't have the money. Of all the stupid things, right? My mother was a teacher, but my father was a financial idiot, and life has unexpected twists. I made do, but I also could have pushed for it... but I made my decision not to push to get insane loans because of the messed-up health care system.

We do need more doctors, and we need to support EDUCATION if we want to have enough doctors to go around.

Yeah... it's messed up. Just as messed up as the insane prices for basic health care.

[ccr1138.livejournal.com]

I am supporting a friend's kid who's going to med school now, so I understand. The student loan rates are obscene, and that's just the private lenders. (Who apparently aren't going to be allowed to lend students money any more? I don't know ... I haven't read that bit of the bill.) The interest rate on the Sallie Mae student loan was going to be 12.75% *adjustable*. Unbelievable. AND I got turned down as a cosigner by several banks even though my credit score is nearly perfect. Money sure is hard to come by these days.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

it is amazing to me that medicine is such a revered science, given that such accreditation is fairly recent.