As I recall most doctors don't belong to AMA anymore and AMA pushed and endorsed Obamacare.
he is right lets stop treating all illegal aliens now.
I do think the point is that we are a nation of hypochondriacs and that when health care is "free" some folks just go to the doctor at the drop of a hat. Hey, it only costs $20 for a copay -- maybe the doctor will pay attention to you and treat you like you matter (there are a lot of lonely people in society).
When people really pay for their own care, then they will get just the right amount of care.
I get damn little medical care (knock on wood)for a 60 y/o, rarely use it, but it probably won’t be there for me when I need it if Obamacare goes into effect.
I believe it. People go to the doctor because they have a runny nose. “Insurance pays for it”, so sound economic decisions go out the window. If we had to pay for own medical care (with insurance limited to catastrophic incidents), people would make better decisions.
Ever tried to phone your doctor to ask him a question? They refuse to talk to you without an appointment!
The proper term is “over-utilization” one of the major cost drivers of medical inflation.
I knew of a “gimmee girl” who would take herself or her kids to the emergency room for the sniffles.
In this respect, the title is correct.
antibiotic overuse is sparking the rise of more resistant infections....
and viruses....people don't feel well and if the dr tells them to go home and take plenty of fluids, and rest and maybe some aspirin, I can tell you many people would feel put out NOT to have some antibiotic ordered...and antibiotics do nothing for viruses...
“...issues that could have been dealt with by phone, by email or by a nurse.”
Not if it’s an ED issue. Well, maybe the nurse part.
Sorry.
True. Let’s see a competent polling firm like Gallup do the survey to the most painstaking, scientific standards they can, and even yet we cannot treat the result as anything more than a picture of the average doctor’s view — it would have no moral force.
People get too much health care, because they don’t pay for it, and because often they don’t even pay for their insurance. So they lobby their employer for gold-plated insurance, and then use the insurance to go to the doctor for every minor issue.
If people had to pay real money to see a doctor, they wouldn’t abuse the system. Money is a great way to “ration” care by making people understand there is a COST. If they have to pay the real cost of the care, they will look for lower-cost options first, like maybe a phone-in discussion with a nurse, or using online tools that many insurance companies are now setting up to help people do their own triage.
Very rarely will any doctor handle an issue over the phone. Even if is a recurring problem/relapse of a chronic nature that they have treated before, they give you the medicine you immediately need, but require you to get an appointment and be seen in the office.
Think about the poor people who suffer with asthma in the scheme of socialized medicine shortages, with the EPA banning over the counter meds to treat an attack.
I have three MDs. who tell me when to see them again. Two demand twice/year, one, three times, plus he demands I get a blood test before each appointment.