The Homa Files

“As costs explode, Congress will try to wring out ever more “savings” by underpaying doctors and hospitals.”

Full article: WSJ, What’s Up, Docs?, July 20, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804389935663419.html

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Ken’s Take

Cutting to the chase, the crux of ObamaCare is (1) to provide tax-payer funded health insurance to 45 million uninsureds — many of them who don’t deserve it (think non-citizens, and young workers who choose to self-insure) (2) to ration medical services, especially among older folks and (3) squeeze doctors’ earnings. 

Frankly, I think doctors deserve to make a lot of money.  Most are pretty smart, all go through rigorous (and expensive) training, all get paid a pittance in their early years as they work round-the-clock as residents and, most important to me, they are gatekeepers to quality of life for me and my loved ones.

Doctors are already being squeezed.

One doctor friend of mine gave up the fight a couple of years ago, quit his practice, and went to work for a pharma company.

Another – a doc who prided himself on providing highly personal care — is now forced to treat 1/3 more patients to maintain his income level. Dr. Welby is being forced to become Dr. McDonald’s.

Still another doc has ‘vertically integrated’.  As payment rates have dropped on her basic services, she started providing services previously done by specialists.  Think OBY-GYN docs doing ultrasounds — lots of them — on pregnant moms. That boosts their income, but pressures the radiologists — who used to do the procedures — to find fill-in business.  A vicious cycle.

Does anybody really think that’s a formula for higher quality, lower cost healthcare?  Seems penny wise, pound foolish to me.

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This entry was posted on July 20, 2009 at 7:58 am and is filed under Health Care / Medical Insurance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.