Kennedy Comes to NC for Surgery
- Thread starter ZeroJunk
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benign.neglect
Moderator
He says if he goes through surgery well, he will run for Senator from NC, rather than Massachussetts next time.
Master Blaster
New member
Gee I wonder why he didnt go to Canada or England or some other country where they have socialized medicine?????
After all he is a big believer in Socialized medicine, and wants us all to benefit from the improvements it would bring to American Medical practice.
After all he is a big believer in Socialized medicine, and wants us all to benefit from the improvements it would bring to American Medical practice.benign.neglect
Moderator
The congression health plan will not pay for overseas treatment when treatment is available in this country.
mountainclmbr
New member
I hope he makes it through this so he can go back to the senate and tell the rest of the Democrats to quit hampering the pharmaceutical industry. All the regulation and lawsuits hinders this industry when they could be putting the resources to work on a cure for this scurge of a disease.
MedicineBow
New member
The point of trying to provide health care for all Americans -- or, as you call it in some effort to discredit the idea, "socialized medicine" -- is not to have people go overseas for treatment, but to give people access to the medical care we have here in this country.
Umm, he IS using socialized (as proposed by democrats, not actual socialized you do realize) medicine. Except it just isn't available to you and me.
See more info on Congressional Health Care
BoringAccountant
New member
The point and the idea may very well be good and for good purposes, but nonetheless the idea to REQUIRE healthcare and be administered by the state is plain and simple Socialized Healthcare. Or as Mrs. Clinton would like to call it...National Healthcare, Hillary's (Hilarious) Healthcare, or 'It takes a village' type junk.
MedicineBow
New member
I'm sure you're equally against the Socialized Armed Forces, Socialized Police, Socialized Highways, Socialized Schools and Universities, Socialized Fire Protection...but, as much as you despise those things, they are all activities we have gotten together to decide are important to the well-being and security of our country. So, while you may not like these "socialized" functions, they are what allow us to be strong.
Master Blaster
New member
The part that is growing out of control, unfortunately doctors say its incurrable, but it won't prevent him from returning to the Senate.
grymster2007
New member
Sure; armed forces, highways, fire and police protection are important to the well-being and security of our country. But socialized education and health care? Seems to me these benefit the few at the expense of the many.
MedicineBow
New member
There's an interesting idea, that universal public education and health care only help the few.
azredhawk44
Moderator
MedicineBow:
You will see the quality of Doctors in the US plummet if medicine is taken over by the government.
Government fixes prices.
Would you go to medical school for 12 years in order to be dictated the fees you can charge? To decide which patients to see, and which to reject? To decide that you don't want to accept $4.24 to apply a band-aid, because you feel it's worth $7.79?
Now, doctors have the option to decline to accept medicare as an insurance. Patients that want to visit a particular doctor, with an insurance plan he doesn't accept, must pay cash.
You put the government in there, and one of the first things they'll do is mandate that you can't deny medicare patients. Next, all the BCBS/Humana/Cigna and other plans immediately slash their reimbursement rates to match Medicare.
Doctors incomes end up:
1. Suffering because they now treat more Medicare patients than they used to, which historically has always paid consistently less than "real" insurance... those treatment hours could have been spent on a cash basis or on patients with better insurance.
2. Suffering because the other insurance carriers have exploited the situation and slashed their own compensatory rates.
Whereas a doctor now makes around $250K on a private practice, he would immediately have his income slashed down around $150-$175K, after perusing the compensation differences between various CPT codes of Medicare versus BCBS.
For someone who spends nearly $250K in education investment and constant improvement of education, that's not enough money.
And, there is no way to increase that pay based on performance or reputation.
You're endorsing making a Doctor into a slave, essentially. While it may initially be a well-paid slave, there is no self control over income, and you will see a day maybe 50 years from now where Doctors and Teachers are each making the equivalent of about $40K nowadays, stuck as social servants.
You will see the quality of Doctors in the US plummet if medicine is taken over by the government.
Government fixes prices.
Would you go to medical school for 12 years in order to be dictated the fees you can charge? To decide which patients to see, and which to reject? To decide that you don't want to accept $4.24 to apply a band-aid, because you feel it's worth $7.79?
Now, doctors have the option to decline to accept medicare as an insurance. Patients that want to visit a particular doctor, with an insurance plan he doesn't accept, must pay cash.
You put the government in there, and one of the first things they'll do is mandate that you can't deny medicare patients. Next, all the BCBS/Humana/Cigna and other plans immediately slash their reimbursement rates to match Medicare.
Doctors incomes end up:
1. Suffering because they now treat more Medicare patients than they used to, which historically has always paid consistently less than "real" insurance... those treatment hours could have been spent on a cash basis or on patients with better insurance.
2. Suffering because the other insurance carriers have exploited the situation and slashed their own compensatory rates.
Whereas a doctor now makes around $250K on a private practice, he would immediately have his income slashed down around $150-$175K, after perusing the compensation differences between various CPT codes of Medicare versus BCBS.
For someone who spends nearly $250K in education investment and constant improvement of education, that's not enough money.
And, there is no way to increase that pay based on performance or reputation.
You're endorsing making a Doctor into a slave, essentially. While it may initially be a well-paid slave, there is no self control over income, and you will see a day maybe 50 years from now where Doctors and Teachers are each making the equivalent of about $40K nowadays, stuck as social servants.
grymster2007
New member
OK; tell me how me paying for my neighbor’s heart bypass or college degree serves the security and well-being of anyone other than my neighbor?
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