My thoughts on Health Care Reform

[erikpaul]

I'm going to keep this brief. I'd really like to hear comments from those out there on what you think should be done with health care in the U.S.

I think we need to reclaim our profession. My grandfather was a urologist in Los Angeles that treated many of Hollywood's finest (I guess they didn't have HIPAA back then). He dedicated time each week to pro bono work. He felt it was his professional duty to care for the indigent. My mother relayed that this was required by the California Board of Medicine, but I doubt the validity of that until I see proof.

In any event, I think that we, the doctors, have an opportunity to solve this health care crisis. It will take work and reform from the US government to make it happen, but it is possible.

I believe that providing pro bono work on a weekly basis will help relieve the stress. We can care for the indigent and do an amazing job. I truly feel that our morale will increase, as it is nearly impossible for a human to serve and be angry at the same time.

We would obviously need to see reforms in these areas:

1. malpractice reform (so we don't fear getting sued by the very patient we served for free)
2. increased reimbursements for PCPs so that this group can be cared for. This will aid the PCP shortage and draw graduating students in.
3. affordable health insurance for many more (not all)--one way to achieve this is to remove the high risk patients from the private insurance pool and place them in the public pool.

I truly feel that, if we had an increase in our salaries and saw the above reforms that our profession would be able to care for those that can't afford to pay. Some doctors I've spoken with thought this was a great idea, but thought we should get tax credits for this work. I don't think we need that. I think serving humanity will be reward enough.

We don't need the government to solve the health care industry. We have the power to do it ourselves, with increased selflessness.

what are your thoughts?

[mbrown]

Though I have many opinions on health care reform, I thought I would share just one.

Medicaid pays pennies for doctors to treat patient so they end up losing money on seeing these patients and many doctors just flat out refuse to do so. In order to encourage seeing poor patients I think the government should extend "Good Samaritan" laws to any work a physician does that does not provide a net profit for the physician. In much the same way that you cannot sue the U.S. government, a physician treating patients for the U.S. government and not making any money off the transaction should have the same protection. This should provide a lower insurance premium to the doctor since his overall liability would be decreased.

I realize that there will be detractors to this proposal as many will argue that the poor should have a right to sue if proper care is not given. I do not disagree that a physician should be held accountable for his or her care - but only on a professional level such as their credentials, license, etc. and not monetary.

Anyways you can rip this argument apart all you want

[Edrobi4]

Not my opinion but interesting none the less:

http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/a...surance-health