Posted by
Board Certified M.D. on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 2:50:06 PM
Health Care is a no win situation with either McCain or 0bama because many people want it for Free period! Definitely 0bama's plan will destroy the US healthcare system much faster than its current rate. McCain's plan will allow for the continued decay to continue not because his plan is bad but this slow sprial has been trending for decades. Healthcare has become a defacto Right that should be paid for in the minds of most Americans. People are willing to pay for their pets to get treatment but hate to pay for their own personal healthcare unless it is a Cosmetic Procedure...ie Joe Biden's Hair Plugs which cost some $10-20k!
The Healthcare issue is a tough one for M.D.'s. I do not think the system is as broken as they claim. 2/3 of the "45 million UNINSURED " are healthy and under 35 and healthy and just do feel health insurance is a waste of money at this point in their lives. Just in the last week I've done Pro-Bono work on 5 patients. 3 with CVA(Strokes) an immigrant Man from Brazil, a young young man with endocarditis whose scarred mitral valve has an infection which broke off the valve traveled downstream to the brain causing a blockage resulting in a stroke, a relatively young lady with Breast Cancer which has metastasized to the spine and spinal cord who knew she had a lump in her breast for over 5 years which had increased in size and never had it checked, a man with a CVA, a man whose was intoxicated and wrecked his motor cycle and sustained lacerations, a traumatic brain injury and broken pelvis.
My point is that everyone who needs it get treated. All these Patients are getting Brain Scans both MRI's and CT scans, Ultrasounds, Echocardiograms, Chemotherapy, Radiation and Rehabilitation. Somehow in spite of the cost the current system in place in America is able to absorb the cost of this free health all over the USA. I have practiced in 4 states, California, Ohio, Texas and now Utah and have witnessed the same observation in all state. .
Here is a good article from the Miami Herald that gives a pretty good overview of the 0bama-McCain Health Care proposals.
Bottom line is that we are headed for a National Heathcare Program regardless of whether a GOP or Democrat is in the Oval and have been headed in this direction since my father was a practicing surgeon in Ohio from the 1960-1990's. Under a Democrat it will happen much faster. The problem is the cost the enormous cost especially considering the current economic crisis where is the money to come from? Currently the system somehow works and is the best Healthcare system in the world and why Canadians come here for healthcare involvement both doctors and patients!
An attorney in her 50's and has been a staffer for a Congressman in DC and her area was heathcare, later she was a lobbyist and now practices heath care law spoke to me of Americas Healthcare future. She confirmed what I already knew. Medicare sets the template for paying/managing health care. All the reforms trickle down to 3 party payer such as United Health, Blue Cross/Shield, Cigna etc. Why? cuz Medicare is constantly looking for ways to cut costs and if Medicare does it so can the big insurance companies. Doctors have little if any say.
0bama will open up healthcare to everybody and will use the Federal Heathcare Employee plan for the general public. How will we pay for it is the question? She indicated that Medicare is planning and moving towards implementing a plan to pay one lump sum for a particular diagnosis to the hospital-doctors and tell this entity to divide it as they see appropriate. So lets say the will pay a lump sum of $6000 for a heart-bypass after a heart attack. Cost usually is ~30-40k. Who do you think will get the lion's hare of this? Hospital! Thus M.D.'s will leave the profession and Hospitals become old and run down as they will not be able to afford its overhead. Thus we'll have a European/Canadian stagnant and over-burdened healthcare system.
The only Solution will be a 2 tiered system. One where the market forces allow for People willing to pay out of pocket for healthcare and the socialized version. It is happening in Canada
Private health care in Canada is about more than increased choice for the very rich. It's about providing options to people on wait lists who are suffering in pain and have had to put their lives on hold. For some, it's about gaining access to life-saving drugs or cutting-edge treatments that aren't funded by the public system. In this, the first-ever guide to the burgeoning industry of for-profit medical care, Maclean's details what is available, what it costs and where to get the services that are increasingly in demand. We also explore private sector firms that offer ways to access public care in a more timely fashion.
Otherwise healthcare will end up being like the US Postal Service! I will probably leave it and go to vet school or do something else?