Posted on 06/19/2009 12:38:28 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Dr. David Scheiner took care of Obama for 22 years. But they don't see eye-to-eye on how to fix the health care system.
David Scheiner, an internist based in the Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park, has a diverse practice of lower-income adults from the nearby housing projects mixed with famous patients like U.S. Sen. Carol Mosely Braun, the late writer Studs Terkel and, most notably, President Barack Obama.
Scheiner, 71, was Obama's doctor from 1987 until he entered the White House; he vouched for the then-candidate's "excellent health" in a letter last year. He's still an enthusiastic Obama supporter, but he worries about whether the health care legislation currently making its way through Congress will actually do any good, particularly for doctors like himself who practice general medicine. "I'm not sure he really understands what we face in primary care," Scheiner says.
Scheiner takes a few other shots too. Looking at Obama's team of health advisors, Scheiner doesn't see anyone who's actually in the trenches. "I have a suspicion they pick people from the top echelon of medicine, people who write about it but haven't been struggling in it," he says.
Scheiner is critical of Obama's pick for Health and Human Services secretary--Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who used to work as the chief lobbyist for her state's trial lawyers association.
"He doesn't see all the pain, it's so tragic out here," he says. "Obama's wonderful, but on this one I'm not sure if he's getting the right input."
What should the president be focused on? Scheiner thinks that a good health reform would be "Medicare for all," a single-payer system where the government would cover everyone and pay for it by cutting out waste in the system. "A neurosurgeon gets paid $20,000 for cutting into the neck of my patient.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
It looks like he’s complaining because Obama’s proposal is not Communist enough for his tastes.
Nah, he KNOWS he’s out of bui$ne$$.
"Scared to death takes on a whole new meaning."
I’d like to see Republicans offer amendments that would MANDATE that Congress and all Federal employees have ONLY the “Medicare” option for their insurance. Sauce for the goose...
My impression too. He's probably a very good doctor and a very poor numbers-cruncher.
Dr Scheiner should request a psych consult for his former patient. Stat.
Also sounds like he expected to be considered as HHS Secretary and wasn’t.
Scheiner should be happy- the Obama proposal would result in “Medicaid for all”, though perhaps not at the speed Scheiner would like.
And he thinks Obama doesn't get it. I fail to see the difference between what Obama wants and what this doctor wants. Either way, it's socialized medicine. Everyone gets minimal care, provided the govt can find enough doctors, and no one gets more than what some bureaucrat says is absolutely necessary. Some bureaucrat who is probably incompetent and got his job because he campaigned for a Democrat in the last election.
“Cutting waste out of the system”
In other words, CUT THEY PAY OF THAT NEUROSURGEON !!!
QUOTE “What should the president be focused on? Scheiner thinks that a good health reform would be “Medicare for all,” a single-payer system where the government would cover everyone and pay for it by cutting out waste in the system. “A neurosurgeon gets paid $20,000 for cutting into the neck of my patient. Have him get paid $1 million a year instead of $2 million or $3 million. He won’t starve,” Scheiner says. ENDQUOTE
Next generation it will be, why should that neurosurgeon make $1 million a year, give him 250,000 - he will not starve.
Then, why should that neurosurgeon make $250,000 per year, give him $50,000 - he will not starve.
Then, why should that neurosurgeon make $50,000 per year, give him $5,000 - he will not starve.
pretty soon, we have nobody good willing to be neurosurgeons.
Scheiner sounds like a communist moron.
this guy is a douche bag but just less of a douche bag than Obamalamadingdong.
Funny Quote in the comment section on the link though:
Posted by HydeParker | 06/18/09 08:03 PM EDT We should all listen to a man who has stuck his fingers up the President's b-tt. I wonder what the President would say about single-payer in that situation. "I once briefly talked to him about malpractice, when I was checking his prostate, and he took the lawyers' position. Big mistake."
Welp, he is FIRED.
The list, ping
not as hard to replace a garbage man or fast food worker.
“A neurosurgeon gets paid $20,000 for cutting into the neck of my patient. Have him get paid $1 million a year instead of $2 million or $3 million. He won’t starve,” Scheiner says.”
First, that is not where the costs are. The costs are the profits to the insurance companies. If you added up every doctor in the country and quadrupled their salary/income, it would be a pittance compared to the other costs.
This is the reason doctors are screwed - in-fighting.
This guy is just jealous. If he had spent another four years (minimum) training to be a neurosurgeon, and had the malpractice costs to go with it, and the requisite hand skills, he could be earning 2 million a year too.
With run of the mill finance people getting 2 million, doctors’ pay sucks. But this guy is too sour grapes to stick with his peers.
Doctors are the new social workers - women who work much fewer hours than their male peers and foreign medical graduates from Asia (Pakistan and India)are the only people becoming doctors now. US Medical schools can’t fill their spots, and have tremendously lowered their standards.
All the doctors I know do not have children going into the profession.
Bumpity.
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