Semi-OT - Obama Care - Nightmare- has already hit

When you say "she will no longer take insurance" I assume she will be out of network for any insurance company or is it that she won't file for you anymore?

I remember "back in the day" (late 80's/early 90's) the HR secretary filed insurance claims for all the employees.  I remember always having to pay for the doctor's visits up front, bring her the bills for her to file and wait for a reimbursement check from the insurance company.  Then one year she was told she couldn't do that and we had to file on our own (no HIPPA laws then - this was just a cut-back in services).  She continued to file for the elderly retired employees (on the sly) because she felt sorry for them and didn't feel they should have to deal with learning the system at their age.  That was for regular office visits - if it was a hospital stay then they collected the deductible and % we were responsible for up front like the do now.

I have no doubt that our elected officials will sell out to the big businesses like they always do and then use the media to "spin it" to us instead of doing the right thing up front.  Sad, really.  Obama can't pass this on his own - he does not make laws.  If this passes in a form that is detrimental to us then there will be many hands in it. 

Sarah,

she will not take insurance, file insurance, work with insurance companies, deal with medical companies that give samples,etc.   Like she is totally giving up.  She is going back to old fashioned, you see the doctor, you pay..

I agree that Obama is not the one and only person related to this pending nightmare. But his name is on it and if that includes the 100's of lobbyists and elected officials that have influenced this, then so be it.  Yes, there are far too many hands in the pot.  It's just so scary and sad that my child's future healthcare, among others things looks so bleak.

I just pray that all those folks will just STOP, sit back, think through things thoroughly and then makes the best decision for everyone.   I want to keep my freedom and I don't want be a number in a line.

But what about the lobbyists over the last few years that have fought to get these insurance companies billions extra in profits.. and has turned being a doctor from a 400-1million dollar profession. to a 2-3-4million dollar profession...

just saying..

It's time for insurance companies AND doctors to stop being so greedy.

Becky,

I've been sitting here thinking about this since I read it earlier this morning.  I could not decide whether to respond or not.  After reading all the other responses, I decided I'll feel better if I say what I think.  So here goes.  I know my view will not be popular.  Most people don't agree with me.  So argue with me and flame me if you must.  I can take it.

So you will know where I'm coming from, I worked in a local nonprofit for 32 years.  While we did not provide direct services to the indigent, we did provide referrals.  I have seen first hand how broken our current health care system is.  Availability of health care is limited to people who have jobs.  And with more and more people laid off, fewer and fewer people have good health care.  It used to be mostly homeless street people who were, in my opinion, abusing the system.  Now it's families who have always worked, but now have lost their jobs and thereby have lost their health care. 

I believe all humans have a right to good health care.  It should be a right and not a privilege.  But, I don't believe we have a right to choose every aspect of our health care at the expense of basic care for others.  I would be willing to give up some of my "right to choose" if it would mean everybody could get good affordable care.  

I don't think the currently proposed plan will solve all the problems.  But I do applaud Obama's commitment to try to improve the system.  And yes, I know that changes are coming.  I'm also willing to acknowledge that changes will be painful.  But, I firmly believe that changes are needed.

I'm not a socialist by any means, but I can see that our health care system is broken.  It costs way too much to provide insurance coverage.  At the place I worked for 32 years, it was regular and usual for our health insurance cost to increase by 15 to 30 percent every year.  If, God forbid, you needed to cover your children and/or spouse, it cost more than $900 per month on top of what the employer already paid to cover the employee.  I have a very good friend who has worked for the last 15 years basically to provide health care for her husband because he was self-employed when he had a series of heart attacks then developed early onset Alzheimer's.  It was too late for him then, he was uninsurable any other way. 

Honestly, I think your doctor has gone off the deep end.  How nice for her that she has enough money that she can turn away patients whose insurance would pay.  That just illustrates for me that she is one of the "privileged" who doesn't have to worry about how to pay for life's basic needs.

Vicki,

Thank you for your response. I do appreciate it and I agree on several levels.  Really, I do.  

I have worked with indigents and abused women and abandoned kids throughout my scattered career.  I fully agree that these folks need a hand UP.  

I agree everyone should have affordable healthcare, so that they can also afford to help those that don't have healthcare. 

I have seen firsthand how Medicare and Medicaid has been good for my parents with her stroke.  Her bills would have been insurmountable without it.

I have been on 'welfare' or whatever it is called now, I have had a Lone Star card and I have been unable to afford insurance for my family.  I am very grateful that it is available it saved us in so amy ways.

I will never agree that healthcare is a right for anyone. I do feel that it is something that is deserved by everyone when there is some effort to make something of themselves and they don't sit back and demand it.

When I was teaching life and work skills to unemployed Moms on the welfare to work program, I was convinced by them that there is no reason to EVER work again. Why go and make an effort to earn an income when they can have one in their mailbox every two weeks with incredibly minimal effort.

Now there are many many many folks that need help for the rest of their lives and I am more than willing to do what I can to promote full coverage for them.  Problem is, with this cookie cutter healthcare system, everyone is compromised.  All those that don't have enough pride in themselves to earn their own living when they can will be getting the benefits as well.  That frustrates me.

There are basics needs that everyone should be able to receive. 

I will always believe that as along as you try and make an effort and do what you can to take care of yourself, then assistance should be provided.

I believe before they pass any of this healthcare revamp, that the welfare, free housing and ALL aspects of the government freebies needs to be revamped.  There has to be a better way to weed out the 'scammers' leaving more for those that honestly, truly need and deserve it.

I am, and probably always will be a 'middle of the road' person in my views.  If you need it and can't afford it, then there is help.  If you just WANT it and can work, then that's being a spoiled child.  I feel like it's a matter of taking pride in yourself and saying "I earned it" or "I am doing my best, but I need help."   I just hate the extreme anything and I am afraid that is where this is all going.

I do feel that my doctor went off the deep end as well, but I think she is also feeling like that is the last bit of control of her own person business that she has left.  She was inundated with patients and had no time for anyone.  Now she can choose and, even though it sucks for me and the rest of her patience, that's her freedom.  Now I get to choose if I want to pay to see her.

Now all these paragraphs to simply (lol) say there has to be a middle ground and a better way to do it.  These extremes one way or the other is hurting us all.

Thank you again for taking the time to respond.  And I imagine we agree more than we disagree.  Just not easy to express.

Hugs!

Vicki, you are absolutely right.  It's easy to point fingers and call those with the courage to attempt reform "socialists," but healthcare is a unique market that doesn't work like other "free" markets.  There is some societal agreement that it should be a basic right for everyone, yet most people cannot begin to afford it on their own.

The current system is NOT working.  Only the very wealthy have true "freedom of choice" now.  The uninsured -- a huge portion of the population -- have no real choices at all.  [There but for the grace of God we go!!]  They can try to get care at public facilities, if they are fortunate enough to live in a place like Dallas County where public facilities exist.  Or, as George W. Bush suggested, they can clog our emergency rooms.  Or they can go home to die.  Those are their "choices."  Even the lucky dogs who are insured must stay within networks that are chosen for them in order to afford their deductibles and co-pays.

There is simply no way to provide health care equitably for everyone in the current wasteful fee-for-service system, with its lack of incentives for preventive care and lack of access to information that could allow patients to act as informed healthcare consumers.  We need to think long and hard about decrying reform efforts until we've come up with better ideas.  (Paul, I know you disagree with me, but at least you have your own ideas to offer.)  Keeping the old system is not a humane or economically feasible option.

yes, yes..  we do need to think long and hard before we jump ship.  What we have is not working and what is proposed is even worse. 

I just pray that someone will step back, breathe and say,  how can we work this out.  Slowly, diliberately, and without robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

There will never be something perfect for everyone, but there is a better way, and we are just not there yet.

I don't blame your doctor for doing this and it sounds like she has enough patients that she can afford to lose those who have to use their insurance to afford to go to her.

I know my own medical care is going to be MUCH more expensive for me next year.  I have been fortunate to have very good insurance, but now that the job market is so soft my employer isn't worried about their talent jumping ship so they are shifting a lot more of the cost to us.  Our business is way down so nobody will complain - we are thankful to have jobs and insurance. 

Next year, we will be paying the first $700 out of pocket before they pick up anything, so if she was my doctor, I would be paying for it up front anyway - I imagine $700 would be more than you pay all year (or close to it) for all of your doctor's visits combined - especially since we aren't even talking about dental or vision.  I remember calling my son's daycare up (1980's)  to see if the current bug was viral or bacterial because I couldn't afford to take him to the doctor if my deductible wasn't met.  Maybe that helped him in the long run - fewer antibiotics in the his system.

I know this will sound racist to some, but I want to know what they are going to do about the medical care for the illegals here, besides turn a blind eye and keep expecting the legal taxpayers to pick up the tab.  Things have changed a lot in the 43 years since I was in school.  I was a straight-A student and worked in the Principal's office and one day they kicked 4 kids out of school because they found out they were in the country illegally.  Now, many would argue that we need to educate the children - that they shouldn't suffer.  And I would argue that we made it too easy and comfortable for them to be here and that is why the illegal population has increased exponentially.  If we need the labor force, then provide a legal means to do it and force them and their employers to pay their fair share of the taxes and quit exploiting them.

I have zero faith our politicians to grow a backbone and do the right thing.  There are plenty of models in other countries that have better survival rates in all categories - cancer, heart disease, infant mortality, etc.  We have an opportunity to use it as a basis and improve on it but I have seen no evidence this will happen.

In the meantime both my brother and oldest son cannot afford the insurance coverage offered by their employers and both have full time jobs and work hard for their money.  When my son split his head open and had to get stitches at the emergency room he couldn't afford to pay the bill so guess who pays?  We all do.  As usual.