Re: Decrease in surgeries relative to the economy?
I have found that people are losing their insurance, so plastics etc is down, but overall surgeries are steady (the same or even more). People who get a hot appy or cholelithitis have no choice but to have them removed. Labor and Delivery is getting busier. (I guess people are staying home more!!!)
Here in So Cal as of today, unemployment is at 11% People are doing what they can to keep their insurance. I work for a very large HMO. We do not see pay issues. (We are not allowed to look at the part of the electronic file of patients that includes their $$$ status if it doesnt have anything to do with our job). We can be terminated for even looking.
American's hea;th care is a very good system. We have the ability to choose the kind of care we desire. The problem lies with our legal system and the stupid law suits. It has made the doctors order thing for self defense instead of need. Wasting money.
If socialized medicine comes, you will not be able to choose what you can choose now. You can not have your mother go into brain surgery to evacuate a hematoma from a fall because she is over 80 for example. Someone else, (probably the bloated government) will decide it isnt worth the cost.
That is just plain wrong. Your mother in this example may be a very healthy women, with all of her senses, plays golf 3 days a week and just had a simple fall. Socialized medicine also will have a significant effect on salaries. They will limit doctors pay to $120,000 (I got that amount from England). If docs only make 120, you know nurses pay will get cut significantly. Just food for thought. Be careful what you wish for.
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