Thursday, July 24, 2008

healthcare

h/t to jollyroger-

doctors opting out of 'great' healthcare system

4 comments:

jmsjoin said...

It stinks but like everything else period it will get a hell of a lot worse more so if the right steals another election. The more the entire world falls behind Obama the more ignorant the chief goon and McCain are getting.
We were just told we need $800 a month to pay the oil company for our house. This entire mess is Bush’s and it will all get a hell of a lot worse and there is not much Obama can do about it if they don’t kill him first! oh Betmo!

Unknown said...

I understand that the point of the article you linked to is to illustrate what a mess our health insurance system is in. Still,I can't feel overly sorry for those doctors, I'm afraid. At one time it was Medicaid that was refused because it was too much of a hassle. In my community, which is the poorest in Massachusetts, people have difficulty accessing medical care because doctors refuse to accept their government health insurance. Dental care is even harder to come by, for those few procedures that Medicaid covers. And now they don't want to accept private insurance either? In my mind, it's not an either/or situation at present. Doctors have an obligation to care for people and a lot of them don't give a crap. Doctors in the U.S. make pretty good to incredible money. Maybe these could go without that extra vacation to Aspen or something and hire the help they need to deal with the paperwork.

Sorry, but this has long been a thorn in my side. When I did advocacy work for the poorest in my community, my people were constantly butting up against this problem.

If we get national health, it will be no different. I think doctors need to start sucking it up and caring for patients who have insurance and stop the whining about not getting paid. They get paid plenty. Who the hell do they want for patients, people who pay out of pocket?

I hope it's ok that I ranted and I do, of course, agree that changes need to be made. I just can't imagine any system that won't involve a lot of paperwork and some sacrifices for all of us - like people experience in Portugal, a country whose national health I'm quite familiar with and the poorest country in the EU. But it's working pretty well.

billie said...

of course it's ok if you rant :) i am not a big fan of insurance companies at all- but i do agree with your assessment of doctors at this point. the ama has long abdicated its responsibility to big pharma and it's like the unholy trinity of big pharma, doctors and insurance. all the way around- it makes me deeply suspicious of anything in the health industry. part of my mom's health issues came from listening to her doctor and taking her cholesterol and copd meds faithfully. all of them were recalled. she won't take anything but aspirin now.

Unknown said...

It fecking sucks!!!! Ugh!!!

:-) Thanks luv, you're the cooliest!