Somebody has to pay for the educated talent.
Take it away from the doctors, there are fewer and poorer doctors.
Take it away from the universities who teach the doctors and there are fewer professors.
Pay them all appropriately and let the victim of health pay for it for the rest of their lives if they haven't planned on the worst of times to hit them personally.
Personal freedom dictates that the individual make the decision.
Sadly enough personal freedom is rapidly becoming a thought from the past any more.
Since Medicare Part B originated in 1965, ALL MD specialist training at ALL US facilities has been paid for by Medicare Part B. The numbers of specialists trained have been 100% controlled by our government since then. A pilot program in NY, statewide in 1999 or 2000 tested a reduction of 25% of training positions for ALL specialties to see if the institutions could get along with less ‘residents’. They did OK due to the load being picked up by the salaried and PRIVATE STAFF MDs. The NEXT year, 25% of all specialty training slots were cut NATIONALLY. Shortage, indeed. Govt. creates the problems, draconianally, then offers the ‘solution’.
As part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Bill of 1987 during the Reagan administration with a Democrat Congress, major specialist Medicare reimbursement cuts were made for all surgical specialties beginning in 1991. The massive cuts were not announced and caught the surgical specialiste quite by surprise on Jan. 1, 1991. The cut more than accounted for the monies MDs paid for malpractice premiums. The cuts effectively reduced medicare MD reimbursements to varying degrees by specialty..some were cut up to 65%!..the rates have held FLAT since 1991, 18 YEARS! Replace MD surgical specialist compensation to 1990 levels and the problem with MDs accepting Medicare patients for fianancial reasons disappears, and the malpractice premium problem is reduced significantly . Again, the govt. caused the problem, and, now offers draconian solutions...like national ID cards in return and association with medical care.
Medicare Part D (medications), is what really has broken medicare..it is bigger than parts A, B, C combined. When Medicare A, B, C existed alone, MD costs, after the reductions of 1991, were about 18% of the budget. NOW, after Medicare Part D, MD costs in the insolvent system are below 10% of the budget. Govt. and the public would like it even lower. Lots of luck.
To really save money the govt could adopt the Soviet ‘feldsher’ system for local medical representation...look it up. It could also shorten medical school to a two year AA degree after High School (who needs medical Phds anyway?), and, shorten specialty training to one year while experienced specialists exist with decades of high level experience to maximize the skills transferred in an efficient manner. Just thinking. The current Administration and Congress have SO MUCH to deconstruct and streamline in a more cost effective manner.