Comments on: Congress meddles with MEDICARE http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/ Just another DreamHost WordPress weblog Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:47:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Emily http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-5970 Emily Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:19:49 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-5970 Yep, I read your blog and have you on my feeder. Whenever you post anything I should get a notice. I agree our medical care system is in trouble. I agree with the need to take care of the ill and elderly as a moral problem. My fee is a change is needed within the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies, not the physicians. Expecting government to fix it for us is unreal, it starts with us. Too many CEO's make incomes and receive bonus checks that could pay for several peoples yearly premiums. Yes, I will be here to read your posts. I need to! You help me think and analyze what my views are. I have a tendency to sit back and not get involved. Love ya! Yep, I read your blog and have you on my feeder. Whenever you post anything I should get a notice.

I agree our medical care system is in trouble. I agree with the need to take care of the ill and elderly as a moral problem. My fee is a change is needed within the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies, not the physicians. Expecting government to fix it for us is unreal, it starts with us. Too many CEO’s make incomes and receive bonus checks that could pay for several peoples yearly premiums.

Yes, I will be here to read your posts. I need to! You help me think and analyze what my views are. I have a tendency to sit back and not get involved.

Love ya!

]]> By: Monte Stevens http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-4251 Monte Stevens Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15:23 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-4251 Yep, I read your blog and have you on my feeder. Whenever you post anything I should get a notice. I agree our medical care system is in trouble. I agree with the need to take care of the ill and elderly as a moral problem. My fee is a change is needed within the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies, not the physicians. Expecting government to fix it for us is unreal, it starts with us. Too many CEO's make incomes and receive bonus checks that could pay for several peoples yearly premiums. Yes, I will be here to read your posts. I need to! You help me think and analyze what my views are. I have a tendency to sit back and not get involved. Love ya! Yep, I read your blog and have you on my feeder. Whenever you post anything I should get a notice.

I agree our medical care system is in trouble. I agree with the need to take care of the ill and elderly as a moral problem. My fee is a change is needed within the pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies, not the physicians. Expecting government to fix it for us is unreal, it starts with us. Too many CEO’s make incomes and receive bonus checks that could pay for several peoples yearly premiums.

Yes, I will be here to read your posts. I need to! You help me think and analyze what my views are. I have a tendency to sit back and not get involved.

Love ya!

]]> By: Sarah Puglisi http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-4228 Sarah Puglisi Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:57:25 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-4228 Of course I come read. I enjoy it. You are fair to every issue. I had a terrible time awhile back finding doctors to take Mom's Medicare after her stroke. My heart doctor and my neurologist wouldn't take her. I changed my neurologist because that offended me but the heart doctor is too good. so she got care by a Dr. I wasn't as happy about. My father has terrible pain resulting from four back surgeries and still no relief for pretty severe issue. It must be ridiculous pain he was always stoic and he complains-shocking me. Dad gets a little relief from physical therapy. His Cleveland Clinic Dr. writes the orders but due to regulations of Medicare he waits long periods without it and he just suffers incredibly then. It isn't even humane. He cannot afford it. That just gets me something fierce. Perhaps I get distracted by the Dr. that appeared to do well-I'm sure those entering the field face fantastic debt on loans. I am looking from the door of an educator guaranteed to live near poverty, with my closest friend a teacher having her daughter qualify for free and reduced lunch for her daughter on her beginning teacher's salary. While she and I faced repayment on those loans and a job so underpaid that it is one competing with military service for people that do the right thing and literally "pay for it." I hope Congress doesn't make things tougher. I never really got around to saying that your main point was important and thanks for writing about it. Of course I come read.
I enjoy it. You are fair to every issue.
I had a terrible time awhile back finding doctors to take Mom’s Medicare after her stroke. My heart doctor and my neurologist wouldn’t take her. I changed my neurologist because that offended me but the heart doctor is too good. so she got care by a Dr. I wasn’t as happy about.

My father has terrible pain resulting from four back surgeries and still no relief for pretty severe issue. It must be ridiculous pain he was always stoic and he complains-shocking me. Dad gets a little relief from physical therapy. His Cleveland Clinic Dr. writes the orders but due to regulations of Medicare he waits long periods without it and he just suffers incredibly then. It isn’t even humane.
He cannot afford it.
That just gets me something fierce.

Perhaps I get distracted by the Dr. that appeared to do well-I’m sure those entering the field face fantastic debt on loans.
I am looking from the door of an educator guaranteed to live near poverty, with my closest friend a teacher having her daughter qualify for free and reduced lunch for her daughter on her beginning teacher’s salary.
While she and I faced repayment on those loans and a job so underpaid that it is one competing with military service for people that do the right thing and literally “pay for it.”

I hope Congress doesn’t make things tougher.
I never really got around to saying that your main point was important and thanks for writing about it.

]]> By: Opa http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-4222 Opa Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:49:13 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-4222 Sarah, Monte, Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Usually I get very few comments and it is tempting to think the blog is seldom read. You two cheer me. And, Monte, I am probably too heavily invested in this issue. To me providing health care (or denying care because a person can not afford insurance) is a moral issue. Did not intend to glorify physicians, or ask people to feel sorry for them. I also know medical doctors who drive expensive cars and live in fine houses. I guess the ones that I interviewed thought they should earn more after 8-10 years of medical education and several hundred thousand dollars in student loans that need to be repaid. My reference to them being "one of the least lucrative professions" was meant to be comparative: People in "finance and investments" make much more than the average doctor, and those in government power seats (Senators, Congressmen) Make generous amounts compared to average physicians (doesn't include specialists). I think the real point is that many physicians who take MEDICARE, will decide to drop Medicare patients when their fees from Medicare are reduced by more than 20 percent. And if these doctors stop treating Medicare patients, where will the patients go for healthcare? Opa Sarah, Monte,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Usually I get very few comments and it is tempting to think the blog is seldom read. You two cheer me. And, Monte, I am probably too heavily invested in this issue. To me providing health care (or denying care because a person can not afford insurance) is a moral issue.

Did not intend to glorify physicians, or ask people to feel sorry for them. I also know medical doctors who drive expensive cars and live in fine houses. I guess the ones that I interviewed thought they should earn more after 8-10 years of medical education and several hundred thousand dollars in student loans that need to be repaid. My reference to them being “one of the least lucrative professions” was meant to be comparative: People in “finance and investments” make much more than the average doctor, and those in government power seats (Senators, Congressmen) Make generous amounts compared to average physicians (doesn’t include specialists).

I think the real point is that many physicians who take MEDICARE, will decide to drop Medicare patients when their fees from Medicare are reduced by more than 20 percent. And if these doctors stop treating Medicare patients, where will the patients go for healthcare?

Opa

]]> By: Monte Stevens http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-4216 Monte Stevens Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:15:53 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-4216 Not sure I agree with your statement that physicians are one of the least lucrative professions. As in any profession they may not make as much within their first few years but beyond that most physicians I know seem to have nice homes, cars, and take some pretty good vacations. I also make the assumption they have good incomes because of the high charges I see on bills for such short office visits. I've seen charges from physicians I never saw or knew while they assisted another physician during one of my surgeries. I just had a visit last week with a new physician and as usual the 15 minutes seemed incredibly insufficient and left me feeling like I was nothing more than a number, a part of their production line for the day. He wanted to setup a followup appointment in a month because he was going to be gone for the month of November. Vacation or training? And, I suppose we need to define what we consider a marginally profitable business, $25,000 or $250,000 a year. This has been one of the most vocal posting I've read of yours. It seems to have hit a nerve and very personal. There's been a pattern to ask questions to your readers without so much personal feelings as this one. I hope everything is okay. Not sure I agree with your statement that physicians are one of the least lucrative professions. As in any profession they may not make as much within their first few years but beyond that most physicians I know seem to have nice homes, cars, and take some pretty good vacations. I also make the assumption they have good incomes because of the high charges I see on bills for such short office visits. I’ve seen charges from physicians I never saw or knew while they assisted another physician during one of my surgeries.

I just had a visit last week with a new physician and as usual the 15 minutes seemed incredibly insufficient and left me feeling like I was nothing more than a number, a part of their production line for the day. He wanted to setup a followup appointment in a month because he was going to be gone for the month of November. Vacation or training?

And, I suppose we need to define what we consider a marginally profitable business, $25,000 or $250,000 a year.

This has been one of the most vocal posting I’ve read of yours. It seems to have hit a nerve and very personal. There’s been a pattern to ask questions to your readers without so much personal feelings as this one. I hope everything is okay.

]]> By: Sarah Puglisi http://blog.opa-opines.net/2009/10/27/congress-meddles-with-medicare/comment-page-1/#comment-4211 Sarah Puglisi Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:42:31 +0000 http://blog.opa-opines.net/?p=330#comment-4211 I've never met a single doctor that drove a car as poor as mine, or that seemed to struggle financially to the degree I have. But I guess they might. In the mess we have now, they might stop buying Mercedes and giving the appearance of making pretty good money. I know they are denying Medicare patients, but I have apparently unfairly thought they were also furious they could not continue to make extraordinary amounts from the program. Outright corruptly in some things I've seen, but it has been awhile. Even several friends of mine that are doctors are so flush in comparison to what I made. I worked ten years below 25,000 in a state that made you bankrupt at that and only in the last 6 or so have seen about 50,000 after a 27 year career that included paying for degrees, and spending quite a bit back into the classroom.That just isn't comparable. The phone call made to tell me I had a tumor showed up as an over 100 charge to my insurance. Just the call, and I didn't ask for it. I'm expected to spend and give because it's the right thing to do as a teacher by definition. I sit in a broken chair-never have I worked any job in teaching with a chair remotely acceptable and not one doctor I ever was treated by had anything less than a nice office, furniture, technology. Perhaps they just don't appear to be as bad off as they must be. So my expectation is doctors should give to their elderly patients that care they need. It's too bad all the middlemen can't get hit and reduced too. The whole mess of all of it is a shame. But I just have a hard time thinking doctors have done so poorly, that's something I really will need to look into, my notions are so off that track. I guess I have the same erroneous assumptions. I’ve never met a single doctor that drove a car as poor as mine, or that seemed to struggle financially to the degree I have. But I guess they might. In the mess we have now, they might stop buying Mercedes and giving the appearance of making pretty good money.
I know they are denying Medicare patients, but I have apparently unfairly thought they were also furious they could not continue to make extraordinary amounts from the program. Outright corruptly in some things I’ve seen, but it has been awhile.
Even several friends of mine that are doctors are so flush in comparison to what I made. I worked ten years below 25,000 in a state that made you bankrupt at that and only in the last 6 or so have seen about 50,000 after a 27 year career that included paying for degrees, and spending quite a bit back into the classroom.That just isn’t comparable.
The phone call made to tell me I had a tumor showed up as an over 100 charge to my insurance. Just the call, and I didn’t ask for it.
I’m expected to spend and give because it’s the right thing to do as a teacher by definition. I sit in a broken chair-never have I worked any job in teaching with a chair remotely acceptable and not one doctor I ever was treated by had anything less than a nice office, furniture, technology. Perhaps they just don’t appear to be as bad off as they must be.
So my expectation is doctors should give to their elderly patients that care they need.
It’s too bad all the middlemen can’t get hit and reduced too.
The whole mess of all of it is a shame.
But I just have a hard time thinking doctors have done so poorly, that’s something I really will need to look into, my notions are so off that track. I guess I have the same erroneous assumptions.

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