Doctor tells patients he will quit if President Obama is re-elected

Nurses Activism

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Doctors are throwing tantrums now.
#1. Pt visit time is so limited, it is just grossly inappropriate to spend an iota of it haranguing a patient about political issues. Invite them to a tea party, but keep it out of the appointment the patient is paying for (either directly or indirectly, as the case may be).

#2. The whole thing is ridiculous. The ACA is not the reason physician salaries have been declining. It is a red herring, and any informed physician knows so. Further, as of this morning it looks like it will take the proverbial "dead girl/live boy", a war in Iran, or a complete meltdown of the European market/currency for such an electoral miracle that might result in a Romney win. For God's sake, Obama is even leading in North Carolina, lol. Even the RNC doesn't think Mitt can win (some say they never did and it was always a ghost candidacy) and is already redirecting money for Jeb Bush in 2016.

In other words, it's a moot point. Mitt cannot repeal the ACA if he is elected, which he is not likely to be. The ACA is not the trigger for the problems the physician in the OP is complaining about in the first place. "Ha ha. We're in the stretch aren't we? Look at those clouds. It's beautiful."

The physician is a businessman. If he truly believes that something may put him out of business, there isn't any reason he should have to keep that from his customers. They can ignore his comments, tell him they don't care to discuss that issue, or they can find another physician if they want.

You are right. The ACA isn't the reason physician reimbursement has been declining. But once implemented, it is going to make physician and hospital reimbursement worse.

You must have been watching the Sunday news shows and now have joined the army of Democrats trying to spread the word that the election is over even though the polls indicate otherwise. For one, in North Carolina, depending on what poll you look at, it is dead even or Romney is ahead. Another poll shows Romney way ahead with middle-class families. Republican poll analysis: Romney winning with middle-class families - Ed Goeas and Brian Nienaber - POLITICO.com

The RNC doesn't believe Romney can win? And they are redirecting money to 2016? Very interesting. I would like to know more about that. Please let me know where you read that at.

An the ACA can't be repealed? Why not?

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Doesn't anybody else here think it's grossly unprofessional for a physician to say this sort of thing, even if in jest but especially if dead serious, to a patient?
:madface:

I think it is totally fair to alert patients that due to "a change in the economics of healthcare," or some such language like that, that the office could be closing within the next few months. I think it is unprofessional and inappropriate (and possibly untrue) to say that it hinges on Obamas reelection--that part is pure politics.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Again, there's nothing wrong with educating your patients about issues that affect their care, but lying to patients and threatening their care to try and swing their political views is despicable.

Primary care reimbursements have been too low since long before Obamacare, which is why Obamacare INCREASES primary care reimbursements up to 10% and brings medicaid reimbursements up to medicare levels.

As a pain management specialist and not a typical primary care provider, he may not see significant increases in his reimbursements, but then again he makes far more than a primary care provider. He's trying to get in on the sympathy PCP's get for their $175,000 a year median salary, although with a median salary of $340,000 a year, pain management MD's don't exactly fit into that category.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

1) Physician is a clinician during the appointment and his/her responsibility is to address the patient's health issues. I don't address issues of this sort with my patients during their visits, as I would consider that highly inappropriate and I think most of my colleagues would feel likewise. I also do not give two hoots what my patients think about this or the price of tea in China and do not care to hear their thoughts on either subject and do not have the time to waste engaging them on said nonsense. Nor do I think attempting to frighten or threaten my patients in effort to try to get them to vote for or against a policy or candidate I support or oppose is ethical practice. I think it borders on extortion.

2) As of Sunday Gallup had Obama ahead in NC by 2 pts, had them dead even. Not sure that matters, looking at electoral college votes, Romney does not have good odds as it stands and after the debates his odds may well get worse. I do think he is going to lose, and I don't think he was ever a serious candidate. I was listening to Politico Radio the other day and the guests were people from the George Mason U, someone from the Regan administration, and an expert on the electoral college, who was of the opinion that it is almost impossible for Romney to win at this point, barring some unbelievable scandal in the white house. He would have to carry Florida, Virginia, Colorado, NC, and Ohio (in addition to the states he is expected to) and the political scientists don't think he can do that, and he is already behind there and losing ground. Further, the political sci from GMU said the RNC really doesn't want him to win, they want Jeb in 2016 anyway. Theory being Jeb Bush may be the only one who could beat Hillary Clinton if she decided to run, because Bobby Jindal is just "too brown" to be a republican nominee, lol. The Regan administration guy is the one who said they have have been diverting money, and that top people at the RNC have been meeting with Jeb's people for 18 months preparing for 2016. They had to run somebody, so they ran Romney. It didn't matter who it was, because whoever it was was always going to be the "also ran."

3) The ACA can be repealed by a 2/3 majority of congress. Not by Mitt personally.

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1) Physician is a clinician during the appointment and his/her responsibility is to address the patient's health issues. I don't address issues of this sort with my patients during their visits, as I would consider that highly inappropriate and I think most of my colleagues would feel likewise. I also do not give two hoots what my patients think about this or the price of tea in China and do not care to hear their thoughts on either subject and do not have the time to waste engaging them on said nonsense. Nor do I think attempting to frighten or threaten my patients in effort to try to get them to vote for or against a policy or candidate I support or oppose is ethical practice. I think it borders on extortion.

2) As of Sunday Gallup had Obama ahead in NC by 2 pts, Rasmussen had them dead even. Not sure that matters, looking at electoral college votes, Romney does not have good odds as it stands and after the debates his odds may well get worse. I do think he is going to lose, and I don't think he was ever a serious candidate. I was listening to Politico Radio the other day and the guests were people from the George Mason U, someone from the Regan administration, and an expert on the electoral college, who was of the opinion that it is almost impossible for Romney to win at this point, barring some unbelievable scandal in the white house. He would have to carry Florida, Virginia, Colorado, NC, and Ohio (in addition to the states he is expected to) and the political scientists don't think he can do that, and he is already behind there and losing ground. Further, the political sci from GMU said the RNC really doesn't want him to win, they want Jeb in 2016 anyway. Theory being Jeb Bush may be the only one who could beat Hillary Clinton if she decided to run, because Bobby Jindal is just "too brown" to be a republican nominee, lol. The Regan administration guy is the one who said they have have been diverting money, and that top people at the RNC have been meeting with Jeb's people for 18 months preparing for 2016. They had to run somebody, so they ran Romney. It didn't matter who it was, because whoever it was was always going to be the "also ran."

3) The ACA can be repealed by a 2/3 majority of congress. Not by Mitt personally.

1) I understand where you are coming from. And I don't totally disagree. I may not like it if my physician got into that with me. If he is saying what he is saying because he is generally against a candidate, then I would also agree that is not ethical. However, if he is saying it because he believes it to be true that he will go out of business, then I would disagree that is extortion or that he is lying.

2) Thanks for the further explanation about the RNC not really wanting Romney to win and everyhting else related to that . I question what those people said. I haven't heard it before and still can't find out much about it. That seems too big to be a secret. Plus, that just doesn't make sense in my mind.

And, what is an "Electoral College Expert"? They can add together double-digit numbers? Anyone can look at the states Obama has, and the ones Romeny has, and then look at the swing states and can easily see how things stand.

Anyway, we shall see what happens.

3) OK, so Mitt can't do it all by himself. But it can be done. Should Romney win, and the Republicans win the Senate and keep the House, then it should be repealed as that is what the public was essentially voting for.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

Well, "experts" have been wrong before. It won't be long and I guess we will see how it pans out. And there really still is time for the dead girl/live boy scenario, so don't lose hope. ;)

The pendulum swings back and forth every few years either way. Historically both sides generally get equal opportunity to completely foul everything up as best they can. If your party doesn't win this time, they probably will next time. It's all pretty even-steven in the long run.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Very unprofessional to talk about politics and try to frighten patients to not vote a certain way. I would never see that doctor again.

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For those of you ill-informed. These changes have been happening for about a decade.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

Follow the money. Follow the money. Follow the money --->>>>> insurance companies/hospital administration.

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I cant believe it.

___

zadbane kombajny

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.

This has very little to do with Obama or Romney care. Obama is cutting Medicare reimbursement by 15% across the board next year (as admitted by Obama last night in the debates.) This is in addition to decreased reimbursements for early readmissions.

This will affect EVERYONE in health care, MD's, NP,s, RN's, etc. I am so tired of hearing politicians say that Medicare is so much more efficient than insurance plans when Medicare doesn't pay nearly as well and Medicare gets cut every year - next year will be the worst for reimbursement in history. Many MD's and NP's are saying the same thing about retiring/leaving, they just didn't get their 5.5 minutes on the news.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

When my father decided to close his practice he sent out notices to all of his patients a year in advance. That notice gave them time to shop for a new family physician and request copies of their records be sent to the new office. I think it's more professional to warn patients that a practice may close than to remain silent and let them find out when the doors are locked.

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I'm curious as to what some of you think about the email this CEO sent to his employees.

CEO to Workers: I May Fire You if Obama Wins - Yahoo! Finance

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