VT-Chicklit
Lovin' The Homestead
Wrong! The current bills that are running around on Capital Hill do not exclude malpractice suits against the doctors that are providing medical care under the "Government Plan". This is just one of the reasons why so many doctors are against much of what is being proposed! You will have a government desk jockey aproving or denying care that has been recomentded by a doctor. If there is a bad result because of it, the doctor is still responsible, and can be sued. The government can not be sued. You currently can sue your insurance company! Additionally, if you are denied doctor recomended care by your insurance company, you currently can take your case to the Insurance Commisioner in your state and in most cases, unless there are specific exclusions in your insurance contract, you will get the care your doctor recomends. If the government takes over health care,who will you plead your case to then?BigDaddy wrote: Just another good reason for single payer. If the docs are on the govt payroll you can bet the damages would be controlled. No multi million dollar pain and suffering settlements.
For everyone who thinks health care is expensive now, wait until it is free! Government health care will cost you more than "just money", it can cost you your health or even your life. You currently can get care now, even if you are broke and living under a bridge. Yes, you might not be able to go to just any physician because you have a cold or even the flu, if you cant pay. You can, however go to the emergency room, even get a ride there in an ambulance, without the ability to pay dime one! It is an expensive proposition for the rest of us who have that ability to pay our bills, but it is a cheaper proposition than government health care.
We do not have enough doctors to be able to do what is being proposed. Additionally, polls have been taken that show up to 40% of doctors will close their practices and retire if reduced rates, more patients and more government red tape come to pass. Specialists have not spent 20 or more years being trained inorder to have the government drastically reduce their rates and make practicing medicine more difficult. Many specialists are humanitarians, providing free surgeries in third world countries, where the citizens cant just show up to an ER and get the care they need. We at least have access to some of the best care in the world. We just have to pay for it. If, the Lord forbid, I or my husband were to get some terrible disease that costs huge amounts of money for treatments and medicines, I would gladly go bankrupt and loose my house, cars, boat, and live in a shack, if it meant that we had gotten the care that was needed to save our life! Things mean nothing if you are an invalid or dead.
The currently proposed plans are OK if you are well, but if you are REALY SICK with a disease that will cost alot of money to cure or require cutting edge medicine, you may be out of luck! People will die waiting on a list for care or be denied life saving treatments because they are cutting edge or the results are not guarenteed. I realise that there are people who die now because of issues receiving the care they need. I think the last estimate I saw was around 14,000 each year. I believe this number would be much higher under a single payer system. My reason is that the large increase in people accessing the system and the inadequate numbers of doctors will automatically mean long waits to be seen by a primary care doctor. Primary care doctors will be gate keepers for specialists and testing, *who will also have long waits. Pray you dont get something that requires care quickly because there will be waiting lists to wait on all along the way, before you eventually get your care. This is not always condusive to good out comes!
*Note: When I say long waits, I do not mean 3 or 4 months it could be 6 to 8 months or longer, depending where you live and how many specialists are in your area! I currently have been on a waiting list inorder to get a primary care doctor since June. I will not be able to get my first apointment with this doctor until January 7 (7 months). The doctor is new to my rural area and I havent been able to find one who will take on new patients locally. I have been using a local clinic, which is inadequate for things other routine care. This is before "government care". It will only get worse if they pass it!