Docs 4 Patient Care -- Time for a New Look for Doctors

Human Events ^ | 02/19/2010 | Hal Scherz

[ChessExpert]

When healthcare became the centerpiece of the Obama legislative agenda in early 2009, it appeared that the government takeover of 1/6 of our economy was imminent. A big part of the reason for optimism on the part of the Democrat leadership was the absence of any meaningful resistance. A frequent question posed by the opponents of this policy was where are the doctors in this debate?

[rlmorel]

"...A frequent question posed by the opponents of this policy was where are the doctors in this debate..."

They are all working...

[Ditter]

My doctor informed me that he is for Obamacare. I am looking for a new doctor, I no longer trust his judgment. If anyone in Houston has an Internist that they would like to recommend I am taking suggestions.

[joesjane]

I hope you plan on telling your physician why you are leaving.

[Ditter]

I am not sure how I will handle it, I may just fade away. I haven’t found a new doc yet.

[Kimmers]

You are right to look for a new one....your internist is stupid....any doc that is for Obmacare probably graduated at the bottom of his med school class....

[joesjane]

I suggest you make it a potential learning situation for your doc.

[ChessExpert]

It was assumed that the American Medical Association (AMA) provided the platform for doctors to air their views. It came as a shock to most people when it was revealed that this was not the case, and in fact, only 17% of all doctors were members.

Only 17% of doctors are in the AMA. Wow.

It is easy to assume that the AMA IS American medicine. I suppose that is like assuming that NOW is the actually the national association of women - not just in name, but in fact. I read once that the Concerned Women for America has far more members than NOW. It's a conservative women's group: http://www.cwfa.org .

There are medical associations other than the AMA. I read the accusation that the AMA came to dominance after they and the pharmaceutical companies cozied up to one another, and this marriage leads to suboptimal health maintenance and care today. Aside from that, I believe that large loves large. Big business, big medicine, big labor, even big religion, all get along with big government and vice versa. It works out well for the leadership. It does not work out so well for the rank and file. Unaffiliated individuals really get screwed.

[gusopol3]

I remember in 1964 when my family’s pediatrician started sporting a “Republicans for LBJ” button— and he was a guy in his sixties at the time, I would guess. They’ve been out there a long time.

[GailA]

Be sure you get a copy of your records first. Our Doc, is totally against obamadeathcare. He has put up a sign in his office that says if Medicare is your ONLY health ins. then you need to pay the part Medicare doesn't cover UP FRONT, or no appointment. It doesn't pay his overhead.

Rename, repackage, rewrite it a tad smaller, and sell another pig in a poke.

Tennessee has joined several other states in trying to pass a Health Care Freedom Act. NO COLAs for granny, retired Military or retired fed employees. BIG NEW fees for Tricare for Life retired over 65 Military's secondary health ins. (DOD bill already passed, delayed but goes into effect 2011)

New Dem mantra: Woof, woof eat dog food granny....ala let them eat cake.

Obama's War on Seniors

Friday, February 19, 2010

Obama says slight fix will extend Social Security

http://townhall.com/news/us/2010/02/19/obama_says_slight_fix_will_extend_social_security

Socialized Med Thread

TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.)

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/hcva09/hcva110609-1.htm

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options 11/06/09

Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

Congress plans to block Tricare fee increases
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_tricarefees_blocked_100709w

By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Oct 7, 2009

Tricare fee increases imposed last week by the Defense Department will be repealed by a provision of the compromise 2010 defense authorization bill unveiled Wednesday by House and Senate negotiators.

Snip

The fee increases were announced on Sept. 30 and took effect on Oct. 1, but the defense bill, HR 2647, includes a provision barring any fee increases until the start of fiscal 2011.

Snip

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Matz, president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, said the announcement of fee increases was shocking considering that the Obama administration promised earlier this year to hold off on any new fee Tricare fee increases until fiscal 2011.

“President Obama and DoD assured NAUS and the entire military family earlier this year that there would rightly be no increases in any Tricare fees” in fiscal 2010, Matz said. “We took them at their word, and I can’t believe that a co-pay increase like this was allowed to go forward,” he added.

Bambi doesn't keep his promises...so buyer beware.

[Ditter]

I don’t know what excuse I would give in asking for my records before changing doctors. I think technically MY records belong to HIM. (hope I am wrong about that)

[therut]

You do not have to give a reason. He has to provide you with a copy. He can legally and will charge a fee for copying your records( usually 10-25 cents per page it varies). If you go to another physician and that physician requests the records be sent to him ( You fill out a request form from your new doctor at their office) MOST physicians will not charge the new physician the copying fee.

[GailA]

Your new doc can request your records. May depend on what state you are in but since you pay the bills, you should be entitled to your personal medical records. Just a simple I would like a copy of my records should be enough. Your x-rays belong to you too. If in doubt call your state rep or senator and ask, they’ll know or find out.

[ChessExpert]

Here's something from the article that I would like to understand better:

To compound the problem, the AMA betrayed the very people that it was ostensibly meant to represent. This was to protect its $100M medical coding franchise that the federal government grants the AMA as the basis by which doctors and hospitals get by paid insurance companies and the federal government -- a major incentive for the group to endorse state-run medicine. (emphasis added)

Can anyone explain the "$100M medical coding franchise that the federal government grants the AMA"?