Posted on 05/31/2010 7:13:03 AM PDT by Reeses
As I’ve long suspected, “health care reform” has emboldened the Justice Department to take a more active role in enforcing government price controls against physicians. Today the Antitrust Division, joined by Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, forced a a group of Boise orthopedists to accept price controls for worker’s compensation and HMO contracts as part of a settlement accusing the doctors of “price fixing”:
According to the complaint, the conspiring orthopedists engaged in two antitrust conspiracies, which took place from 2006 to 2008. In the first conspiracy, through a series of meetings and other communications, the orthopedists agreed not to treat most patients covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
They entered into a group boycott in order to force the Idaho Industrial Commission to increase the rates at which orthopedists were paid for treating injured workers. The Idaho Industrial Commission sets the fee schedule that determines the amount that orthopedists and other healthcare providers usually receive for treating patients covered by workers’ compensation insurance. The boycott resulted in a shortage of orthopedists willing to treat workers’ compensation patients, causing higher rates for orthopedic services.
In the second conspiracy, all of the defendants, except [one], and other conspiring orthopedists agreed to threaten to terminate their contracts with Blue Cross of Idaho. They jointly threatened to terminate their contracts to force Blue Cross of Idaho to offer better contract terms to orthopedists.
...
A doctor that feared prosecution could seek amnesty — and provide the Justice Department a blank check to rummage through his files and private communications. And if that doesn’t work, the DOJ can always seek wiretaps of physicians’ phones and computers, a power awarded the DOJ during a 2006 renewal of the PATRIOT Act. The potential exposure of your physician’s confidential records — including your medical records — is limitless.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
The very first thing communist regimes do is ban free trade unions.
They are allowed to form a union through SEIU, any other form of Union is illigal and we cause you to be deported to Russia.
Here’s an alarming incident.
You aint seen nothin yet. In 10 years we will be lucky if we have any doctors left.
History always repeats itself. It's very predictable and boring actually.
Doctors, be afraid, be very afraid. THe reasoning in this case will not be restricted to workers’ comp matters, but will extend to fees in Medicare and Medicaid. You are now officially slaves to the state!
Liberals aren't much for consistency are they? Funny how it's OK for the White House to be involved in secret meetings to influence people like Sestak, including sending an ex-president to offer him a ‘position’ to drop out of a political race, but physicians can't speak to each other.
“History always repeats itself. It’s very predictable and boring actually. “
Agreed. Says something about the perpetual susceptibility of people to bulls**t.
The PATRIOT Act might be used against doctors in the U. S. A. who want to set their own prices?
Good gravy, the nation has gone insane.
Communism is antithetical to freedom and the Constitution. It should be made illegal. It’s adherents should be jailed. It’s what they will do to us.
That would mean jailing everyone in Obama’s regime - sounds like a plan! Come on November. Come on 2012.
Atlas Shrugged will soon become popular reading for MDs right along with medical journals.
Actually, more of us have already read it than you might suppose.
"Going Galt" will become more and more attractive for Docs as they continually tighten the noose around us for "the greater good."
There will be a Dr. Shortage in the future.....
.....The ones that will exist will be the ones who couldn't make it if there were a surplus of Medical School candidates.
You will have to go to your county clinic and wait for hours to see a Physician, only to be told to come back later.
Doctor shortages anyone?
I guess Barry and Holder, the New Black Panther "protector of foreign patriots" (A.K.A. terrorists), believes doctors must do their patriotic duty and "take one for the state" - by losing money on the government sponsored HC patients and over charge private HC patients to remain solvent.
Meanwhile, bailouts for his domestic security forces (his comrades in the UAW, SEIU, etc.), shall continue.
Actually, they jail or kill the doctors, replacing them with barely trained state health workers who cannot diagnose or treat anyone for much.
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http://www.rightsidenews.com/201003269246/editorial/are-you-ready.html
(c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESERVE.-
(1) PURPOSE.-The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve program) to assist regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions.
(2) USES.-The Ready Reserve Corps shall-
(A) participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;
(B) be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;
(C) be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and domestic; and
(D) be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in section 399SS) to improve access to health services.
Another problem is doctors are increasingly paid the same amount no matter their skill level, from beginner to master. And it does not matter if the doctor got straight As in medical school, or straight Cs. Why study hard? The pay isn’t any better.
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