I really don't understand what the problem is.
Posted on 09/30/2012 9:47:49 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
* State to save $20 million over five years - governor
* Aim is to reduce duplicate testing for patients
* Doctors paid by the hour rather than by procedure
* Employees pay neither a co-pay nor a deductible
HELENA, Mont., Sept 29 (Reuters) - Montana, looking to cut down on state healthcare costs, has opened the nation's first government-run clinic for state employees in a program the Rocky Mountain state's governor says could ultimately cover a much broader range of people.
Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer says the primary care clinic in the state capital Helena will keep the area's 11,000 state workers and their dependents healthier while saving the state $20 million over five years. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
So the state set up an HMO for it’s Helena employees? State employees are not the problem. Paying doctors an hourly wage should make them more productive. /sarc
How many people used their "sick time" for shopping, golfing etc.....It was really abused where I worked...which was in government at the time.
So, a physician would get the same amount of money whether he performs an intricate brain surgery, or he writes out a prescription for aspirin... yeah, that’ll lead to better patient care.
Good luck with that. Another liberal utopian dream.
Who wants their doctor paid like a Wal Mart employee?
Oops, I should have specified “per hour.”
I’m a patient of Togus (Maine) VA faiity.
I’ve never received better care.
Interesting..since this is what businesses did years ago to provide health care for their employees...before the days of Big Government and Globalism
If done properly, it will decrease insurance costs. Funny, but the biggest detractors to the Montana state government doing this will be private insurers and Private corporate medical facilities...who rely on the government for their business
Well if its good enough for my car......
NOT
It's a horrible idea. It's one government solution to fix a previous problem directly caused by government action. The idiot Marxist FDR and his Statist minions imposed wage controls in WWII. To get around it companies started offering to pay for health care. That was the start of third party payer.
.Taking the insurance money normally paid as a benefit and spending it on actual care.
Only those who don't think through the unintended consequences would conclude such. Hazlitt, Bastiat, Friedman have written extensively on the fallacy of "government solutions."
The only true solution is to somehow have mechanisms in place to transition the government completely out of health care. (probability 1 in 1,000,000,000.)
Outside of Constitutionally authorized duties, everything, absolutely everything the government touches it corrupts and eventually destroys.
Within 10 years the people of Montana will come to despise this "solution."
“If you are anywhere near the exit at 4:30pm, better stand back.”
Unless its the “we live on the overtime” crowd... I can see it taking 5 hours to get an aspirin....
I really don't understand what the problem is.
Old Governor Brian Swindler helping the citizens of Montana. That dumbass is still looking for Froggy Dew.....and his brain.
Old Governor Swindler had one campaign issue.......one. He was going to turn Montana coal into oil and reduce the price of gas. You can’t fill the tank on a lawn mower with the gas made from Montana coal. He lucked into an oil boom in Eastern Montana. He actually makes Obama look like a hard worker.
LOL...that reminds me of a true story....friend of ours has in law who is a surgeon (heart, I think)....and he SMOKES! And, he told said friend when questioned about that....”You do NOT want me NOT smoking if I am going to do surgery on YOU!”
I’m under VA care and I like the respect they show to us patients. Though the employees might behave better since we are Vets after all.
Oh, and he was going to help the Indians. Him and the Democrats mandated Indian history classes in the schools. Unemployment rates on the reservation that make France look like a champ....alcohol and drug abuse rates that are truly shocking......a suicide rate that breaks your heart...dropout rates that make Detroit look like a city of scholars....an entire race and culture ghettoized on the Great Plains by their Democrat friends. But, we study their history. Thanks Brian!
The only people who want government health care are those who have never had to have it. There are nice people in the VA system, but the VA itself is screwed up. Take a look at how fast they’re processing claims. My Dad was a Korean War Veteran. He had a blood test done by the VA. He kept asking for the results. He called them for months. He died waiting for his results. Right there in Montana.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.