Comments on: Physician Shortage Caused by War on Terror http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/ Cleaning the Augean Stables of the Health Care Debate Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:29:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Catron http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4674 Catron Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:00:13 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4674 Matt, you need to read the site you referred me to. He has a March <a href="http://akifox.blogspot.com/2007/03/practice-update.html" rel="nofollow">post</a> that <em>proves my point</em>. His payor mix is PPO 79%, Cash 13%, Medicare 4%, HMO 0%. Despite this highly favorable payor mix (high PPO %), he’s still struggling financially. The rural areas I’m talking about have a typical payor mix of PPO 10%, Cash 5%, Medicare 40%, Medicaid 35%, Indigent 10%. No micropractice could come close to surviving with that mix. Matt, you need to read the site you referred me to. He has a March post that proves my point.

His payor mix is PPO 79%, Cash 13%, Medicare 4%, HMO 0%. Despite this highly favorable payor mix (high PPO %), he’s still struggling financially.

The rural areas I’m talking about have a typical payor mix of PPO 10%, Cash 5%, Medicare 40%, Medicaid 35%, Indigent 10%. No micropractice could come close to surviving with that mix.

]]> By: Matt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4671 Matt Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:08:44 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4671 You've provided no proof of your claims. You keep saying it's impossible, and I linked you to the people who are doing it. You have this odd belief that if physicians keep agreeing to accept the govt.'s money on the terms that it's offered, then the govt. is going to make the terms better out of goodness of their heart. Even a basic understanding of negotiations would indicate this isn't true. Who bids against themselves? As for facts regarding the standard of living that doctors currently enjoy, the DOL has all those stats. No profession is paid higher. You’ve provided no proof of your claims. You keep saying it’s impossible, and I linked you to the people who are doing it.

You have this odd belief that if physicians keep agreeing to accept the govt.’s money on the terms that it’s offered, then the govt. is going to make the terms better out of goodness of their heart. Even a basic understanding of negotiations would indicate this isn’t true. Who bids against themselves?

As for facts regarding the standard of living that doctors currently enjoy, the DOL has all those stats. No profession is paid higher.

]]> By: Catron http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4669 Catron Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:49:03 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4669 Matt, you continue to confuse assertions with fact. If what I say is nonsense, why don't you provide an alternate narrative and some documentation to back it up? Matt, you continue to confuse assertions with fact. If what I say is nonsense, why don’t you provide an alternate narrative and some documentation to back it up?

]]> By: Matt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4665 Matt Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:47:22 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4665 Again, this is nonsense. Do you own a business? You say "reigned in", but what you really mean is "pay more". You don't want the market, you want the govt. to simply pay more to physicians. Physicians have the absolute choice to sign up with CMS, and you can't blame them for doing so - after all, they get paid by a solvent party every time and it creates a damn fine standard of living. Maybe not as high as they'd like, but that's the trade. Here's a blog of a doc doing exactly what you say can't be done, with links to other: http://akifox.blogspot.com/ Again, this is nonsense. Do you own a business?

You say “reigned in”, but what you really mean is “pay more”. You don’t want the market, you want the govt. to simply pay more to physicians. Physicians have the absolute choice to sign up with CMS, and you can’t blame them for doing so - after all, they get paid by a solvent party every time and it creates a damn fine standard of living. Maybe not as high as they’d like, but that’s the trade.

Here’s a blog of a doc doing exactly what you say can’t be done, with links to other: http://akifox.blogspot.com/

]]> By: Catron http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4635 Catron Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:46:57 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4635 Nope. Sorry. A primary care doc accepts CMS red tape or he does without 50% to 75% of his potential patient base. A free market allows a service provider access to the entire universe of potential customers in his price range, not 25% to 50%. Until CMS is reigned in, the market is anything but free. Nope. Sorry. A primary care doc accepts CMS red tape or he does without 50% to 75% of his potential patient base. A free market allows a service provider access to the entire universe of potential customers in his price range, not 25% to 50%. Until CMS is reigned in, the market is anything but free.

]]> By: Matt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4590 Matt Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:33:47 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4590 That's simply wrong - there is a free market. There are physicians out there practicing right now who accept no insurance and no Medicare/Medicaid. Why more aren't doing it is a perfectly legitimate question. In the answer I bet you'll see why they have the reimbursement system they do. Sorry, I meant Medicaid. That’s simply wrong - there is a free market. There are physicians out there practicing right now who accept no insurance and no Medicare/Medicaid.

Why more aren’t doing it is a perfectly legitimate question. In the answer I bet you’ll see why they have the reimbursement system they do.

Sorry, I meant Medicaid.

]]> By: Catron http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4534 Catron Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:29:36 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4534 When Ron Paul boasts that he “did not accept Medicare,” it’s like saying “I refuse campaign contributions from Martians.” He was an obstetrician, which means that his patients were not eligible for Medicare. How many pregnant seniors do you know? He’s just exploiting your naiveté. As to participating in the free market, the issue doesn’t apply to me personally. I’m just a lowly finance guy. But it doesn’t make any more sense to address this question to a physician. There <em>is no </em>free market in health care in this country. CMS has made the non-par environment so toxic that non-participation isn’t really a viable alternative. When Ron Paul boasts that he “did not accept Medicare,” it’s like saying “I refuse campaign contributions from Martians.” He was an obstetrician, which means that his patients were not eligible for Medicare. How many pregnant seniors do you know? He’s just exploiting your naiveté.

As to participating in the free market, the issue doesn’t apply to me personally. I’m just a lowly finance guy. But it doesn’t make any more sense to address this question to a physician. There is no free market in health care in this country. CMS has made the non-par environment so toxic that non-participation isn’t really a viable alternative.

]]> By: Matt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4526 Matt Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:19:42 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4526 What numbers? The numbers that support every other professional in the town? And actually, Paul did. Refused Medicare, at least according to his bio. So again, how long would it take you to enter into the free market? You keep advocating it - what's stopping you? What numbers? The numbers that support every other professional in the town?

And actually, Paul did. Refused Medicare, at least according to his bio.

So again, how long would it take you to enter into the free market? You keep advocating it - what’s stopping you?

]]> By: Catron http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4524 Catron Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:32:55 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4524 <em>How do you know what it could support? </em> The numbers just aren't there. <em>Didn’t Ron Paul do that very thing?</em> I doubt it. How do you know what it could support?

The numbers just aren’t there.

Didn’t Ron Paul do that very thing?

I doubt it.

]]> By: Matt http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4521 Matt Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:10:12 +0000 http://www.healthcarebs.com/2007/07/21/physician-shortage-caused-by-war-on-terror/#comment-4521 How do you know what it could support? When was the last time anyone tried? In fact, didn't Ron Paul do that very thing? Right now, how long would it take you to extricate yourself from your current employment and enter into the free market? How do you know what it could support? When was the last time anyone tried? In fact, didn’t Ron Paul do that very thing?

Right now, how long would it take you to extricate yourself from your current employment and enter into the free market?

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