Doctors Eying the U.S.: Canada Is Sick About It

NY Times ^ | 10/17/03 | CLIFFORD KRAUSS

[DoctorMichael]

My Uber-Furher is helping an Anti-American, Bush-hating (....private comments he has made to me....) mainland Chinese MD get his 'equivalency' so that he can practice here in the US. We are being inundated with a lot of foreign doctors that want to come here.

[verity]

Why would anyone want to be a Doctor in this day and age?"

It must be the attraction of those free massages referenced in the lead article. lol

[DoctorMichael]

.......AND, they pay half (or more) of that $300K in malpractice insurance because of the trial lawyers.

[Desparado]

The big dark secret is that it is all just a wealth shifting scheme. The govt forces us to pay taxes, and then it doles the money (Billions of dollars) out to the Healthcare industry. The poor stupid people in the middle are just being used as pawns. They are the conveyer belt that is used to move the money from the tax revenues to the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industries. They don't care because they are not paying for it. It's easy to go to the Doctor and have thousands of dollars of useless testing done when you are not going to have to pay for it.

[friendly]

Can someone explain why all the doctors are from India and the Middle East? Doesn't Canada have medical schools ... or don't Canadians atttend them?

Medicine is not attractive to the Best and the Brightest young North Americans. If you look at the horrors of modern practice, you generally choose another field, any other field. We are reduced to stealing Best and the Brightest from other countries!

[DoctorMichael]

I agree with your statement, however..........To say that its solely the fault of 'Big Drugs' and 'Big Healthcare' is not seeing the whole picture. Its a "Perfect Storm" scenario where various forces are converging that exacerbate and accelerate a bad situation to the detriment of the American people, much the same as the illegal Mexican immigrant situation is the fault of both businesses needing cheap labor (Republicans) and certain political Party's (Democrats) needing voters that are beholden to them.

'Wealth shifting' is a by-product (an 'Effect') not the 'Cause', IMHO.

[MarkL]

Yes, and if you think health care is expensive, wait until it becomes free!

And if you like renewing your driver's license at the DMV, you'll LOVE government run health care... For a preview, go to any VA hostpital (with certain exceptions, like Walter Reed, or any other hospital near politicians!). The KC VA hospital was nearly closed down for health code violations, including rat and fly infestations!

Mark

[friendly]

Of course, anyone with wealth, including the Canadian limosene liberals, just hops on an Airplane and heads south for any needed medical care

The elite in Canada (and Washington) have their own free luxury, high quality health system that in a million years they would never allow the peons.

All I want is the same health care opportunities as Hillary, Ted Kennedy, and the rest of the elite (of both parties!).

[friendly]

Post #23: amazing and interesting!

[friendly]

Medicare is a nemesis to an increasing number of MDs, who try to avoid it if at all possible. Many others are trapped in Medicare based practices and burning out rapidly as a result.

[Jim Noble]

I don't think you can be put in jail by Medicare-yet.

However, you cannot treat a Medicare patient outside of the system without being banned from Medicare-which, for most primary care types means being put out of business.

[Desparado]

I understand what you are saying, but at the same time there are a lot of people letting this happen and jumping on the train for a free ride; both citizens who are getting free healthcare and meds, and industry people who are getting rich at the expense of the American taxpayers. And that doesn't even begin to address the gigantic Govt. machine of union (i.e govt) workers that it is taking to perpetrate all this on the American People.

[friendly]

There are many tens of thousands of pages of incomprehensible Medicare regulations that crminalize every aspect of physician practice. 100% of physicians are in criminal non-compliance with the code.

The fact that MDs are not being tossed in jail in this Stalinist system on a regular basis is irrelevant.

[Jim Noble]

100% of physicians are in criminal non-compliance with the code.

Yes, I know. I'm one of them.

I have assumed that, one day, we can be collectively or selectively rounded up and that we will be given an offer we can't refuse.

[DoctorMichael]

".....a lot of people letting this happen and jumping on the train for a free ride....."

Agreed. Citizens, Industry people, Politicians, Govt. Unions: The Perfect Storm.

[seowulf]

Socialism has a fundamental flaw: It removes the power to allocate scarce resources from the point of economic impact where the decision must be made to a centralized point where it is impossible to have the correct information concerning all parties within an appropriate period of time in order to make the proper decision.

---

Correct observation. Socialism in all its forms is the cause of the problem. Every socialist "solution" from progressive income taxes to free government education allocates resources inefficiently.

If there were no taxes on income (work), then there would be no incentive for peoples medical insurance to be connected to employment. Since there is a tax on income, workers want that income sheltered by having part of their income provided in "free" benefits, like health insurance. Of course government gets to make the rules on how businesses must provide the insurance. People began to believe years ago that they are not responsible for their own health because it was taken out of their hands. Now they think government or their employer are responsible for their health (witness the grocery store strikes). Now, not only do they not take proper precautions for their own benefit (healthy eating, exercise) but they expect someone else to fix everything with those "free" drugs and healthcare.

[friendly]

100% of physicians are in criminal non-compliance with the code. Yes, I know. I'm one of them. I have assumed that, one day, we can be collectively or selectively rounded up and that we will be given an offer we can't refuse.

You have just described the exact history of the medical profession in East Germany, Cuba, and (to a more velvet gloved degree) Canada.

[friendly]

bttt