February 25th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
No Comments »
It looks as if President Obama’s plans for a February 25 bipartisan summit on health care will move forward, even as Republican leaders continue to express reservations.
The kicker is that the President is asking the GOP to show how it would “put a stop to insurance company abuses, extend coverage to millions of Americans, get control of skyrocketing premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reduce the deficit” (italics added by me). Many Republicans don’t view expanding coverage as a principal goal of health care reform. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
February 24th, 2010 by SteveSimmonsMD in Primary Care Wednesdays
1 Comment »
I don’t know if I can do it this time. A month ago, when it appeared that Congress had backed out of passing Health Care Reform legislation, I felt neither happy nor sad. I didn’t know how I felt but this past Monday, after the following triad of events had unfolded, it became clear to me that I feel weary towards the whole healthcare reform process:
- First, several states temporarily halted a rapacious rise in health insurance premiums from companies with quarterly profits last year in the billions of dollars. Seriously, don’t these companies have PR firms?
- Second, the Senate Finance Committee actually issued a drug warning and in this one act illuminated either a glaring problem with Congress or – far more concerning and unfortunately for us, more likely in this instance–some type of bias at the FDA.
- Thirdly, the President called for a televised debate on health care between ‘both sides.’ Then, within days, he posted his own plan on the White House website. It is a ten page summary I found hard to follow that left me with a troubling sense of déjà-vu.
Read more »
February 18th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy
1 Comment »
Tom Toles’ editorial cartoon in todays Washington Post says it all.
Washington has become a place where nothing can move, advance or happen. Having been paralyzed by a huge snowstorm over the weekend, the federal government has been closed since Monday, our roads are clogged with unplowed snow, our Metrorail system won’t run above-ground trains, the schools are closed (until June, it seems)–and to top it off, another 10-20 inches of snowfall is expected in the next 24 hours. (Yes, our trains really don’t run when we get more than a few inches of snow. You Chicagoans can stop laughing now.)
Of course, the snow and ice will eventually melt, and Washington will get back to normal. Not so the partisan gridlock that apparently will prevent anything from getting done even when the government reopens for business. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
February 17th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
6 Comments »
I am going to state something that is completely obvious to most primary care physicians: I do not accept Medicare and Medicaid patients because it is good business, I accept them despite the fact that it is bad business.
In truth, I could make that statement about insurance as a whole; my life would be easier and my income would be less precarious if I did not accept any insurance. If I did, I would charge a standard amount per visit based on time spent and require payment at the time of that visit. This is totally obvious to me, and I suspect to most primary care physicians. A huge part of our overhead comes from the fact that we are dealing with insurance. A huge part of our headache and hassle comes from the fact that we are dealing with insurance. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
February 9th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion
No Comments »
I am mad at congress.
I don’t care if they are Democrats or Republicans, I am sick of healthcare being treated as a political football. How much more of a crisis do we need before we actually start working on a solution? Why does each party have to sit on its side of the aisle shooting spitballs at the other? Each side has its pet issues that are tied to contributors, supporters, and lobbyists. Each side will work to see the other side fail even if the other side is right. Each side seems unable to do anything unless there is political value in it. Power is more important than service, and power is a short-term project. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
