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"The medical field is not mature. Only in a mature industry do you generally see cost reductions."

Agreed. I think however that the inflection point is at hand. While looking over the heap of paper records in my doctors office I was struck by the gross inefficiency of the whole process. Huge dollars can be wrung from this system and as the workers in the office attested, they have already started to computerize.

The fact that doctors are being literally priced out of business means that the status quo cannot continue... hence it will change.

The wild card in the process is how hard the medical professionals will fight this modernization. I think it will be imposed on them but its possible they could fight a delaying tactic.

I read that one hundred thousand people are killed per year due to the mess in doctors offices and hospitals. These can and will be prevented as time passes further taking costs out of the system. Couple that with cheap fixes to todays expensive illnesses and I think you have the makings of a reversal of trend.

I think you have the makings of a reversal of trend.

It would sure be nice, but I am not confident that it can occur.

And I am confident that the government cannot do anything but cost us more.

The biggest problem in Medicare today is that DR.s are scared to death of law suits, and therefore run every test that if not run, could cause a suit.

Some of these tests cost thousands of dollars, and the complaint was "I have pains somewhere, or I feel funny."

I just watched my mother in law, a hypochondriac, go thru a dozen Cat scans, upper GIs,Lower GIs, Radio-CT's and last but not least, a stint installation procedure, only to find out, that she was fat and out of shape.

To this day, no doctor has actually told her that. The stint was found not necessary and the operation aborted. Now they are adjusting her meds and taking her off some stuff she was getting for her BP. They put her back on a the basic Pee pill as I call them, and she is just fine.

But still fat and out of shape. They refuse to tell her what her problem really is.

I figure we got at least $40,000 invested in the last three months of merry-go-round. The tax payers are getting shafted and she is still fat and out of shape, and worried she has serious problems.

I can't tell her either, or my wife will pay the price for my honesty. But the doctor should.

She is a tough old bird of 66 and a worry wart with a matching case of "hate the son in law" for honesty syndrome.

This thing is likely going to surpass $60,000 bucks and not a single person will diagnose her true problem. Not a single one.

Sorry, rant over.:-))

Kill all the lawyers!