Health Care: The Ticking Time Bomb

I think that healthcare reform SHOULD BE DONE; but not by government bureaucrats whose only true reason for doing this is for votes.

I say give it back to the people in the front line--the healthcare provider.

I will support as long as I don't have to have it--or am forced to have it, that is. I want a choice and I'm not willing to be put on a "list" to for tests. No way.

I'm reminded, reading the above, of an ad for something that had the jingle, "Have it your way, have it your way......" I guess you live in a large enough community now, to be able to have immediate availability for MRIs, IVPs, etc. Have you a choice of any physician in any part of the USA now, with your health insurance, without paying more for "out of area" physicians?

My personal friends (docs of different specialties) say that they won't participate if it causes them problems. Some of them don't take medicare or medicaid now; and if my GP gets overwhelmed by it, well then I look for a GP who takes only private insurance.

Doctors also have had it their way for all their professional lives, since graduating medical school and completing whatever residency they chose (for which they qualified and which had space for them). Recently, however, they've been told by insurance companies, what meds, procedures, tests, and procedures their patients can have, based on financial reasons, rather than health of their patients.

There are plenty of problems with the current way insurance companies cause unemployment of older employees, charging exorbitant premiums for those over 55 years of age, with subsequent lack of availability at an "affordable" cost, of other health insurance, especially when an existing illness is on board.......

Uninsured patients have no source of care currently, other than ERs which don't treat them except to stabilize their condition and hoist them out. That is very costly for taxpayers now - you, me, and everyone else who pays taxes. I was recently in an ER lying there for 2 hours without being seen by any HCW, having been transported by ambulance with GI hemorrhaging. The charge for that was $5,000.

My history given by the EMTs, was taken by the triage nurse (although uncharted), included my past episodes of GI bleeding, inability to stand that day due to weakness and dizziness, etc. I'm on Medicare, so that was more costly (for taxpayers) than it would have been if a CBC had been ordered, blood drawn, and results in within a half hour, with the transfusions given that afternoon. Then I could have gone home, instead of being admitted for 3 days during which my regular medications weren't available. A home health nurse could have drawn the next CBC, to see how much more bleeding happened, rather than having more expensive (than having it done at the same place as an outpatient) hospital ones done.

Doctors historically have been unaware of the costs of such things, and therefore have been ordered, by insurance companies regarding the possibility of getting everything from diagnostic tests to treatment and procedures indicated, based on costs. Why are they so resistant to having doctors working for our elected government, doing that, instead of nurses hired by insurance companies making huge profits, with strict directions/guidelines to which adherence is mandatory, dictating care for the past 5 decades, at least?

I'm not willing to compromise my family nor me for the government's mandates.

You people have no idea what the gov't is up to.

And, pray tell, what special insight into "what the gov't is up to" do you have that the rest of us don't??? Is it perhaps because I'm not listening to Rush or watching Faux News that I'm so uninformed? I do make an effort to follow the news and stay informed through a variety of legitimate news sources, but maybe that's not good enough ...