[Ethrane]

"I wonder how much medical professionals would make without socialized health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare."

Medicare pays about 30% of commercial rates, and Medicaid about half that...it doesn't even cover our cost outlays/overhead.

It's kind of complicated...I guess we'd in theory lose the about 20% of our total revenues generated by these programs (which BTW, consumes a lot more than 20% of our time). But then again, I doubt all those seniors would go without health care...some would get private insurance, and some would pay cash.

Kind of hard to tell.

[FITZ]

I guess we'd in theory lose the about 20% of our total revenues generated by these programs (which BTW, consumes a lot more than 20% of our time).

It is complicated. The reimbursement might be less --- but then again it is the Medicaid/Medicare patients who go to doctors and hospitals the most. Partly because the healthy working types are less likely to need doctors or lab tests or nursing care, doctors are lucky to see them once a year or so. You see the children and infants of the Medicaid class actually admitted to the hospital more often --- doctors will assume the educated parents can care for a child with a fever or a premature infant but keep the children of the Medicaid hospitalized longer just because the parent is less capable.