My "Obamacare" Provision

[timfogarty]

Fortunately, my doctor called ahead when he sent me there a couple of years ago for suspected heart failure. I didn't have to wait at all, which probably pissed off all those suckers who'd spent hours waiting to be seen. Medical insurance is like a pass to the front of the line.

No, all ERs, including at county hospitals, are triaged.  The serious things go to the front of the line, whether they have insurance or not.  Suspected heart failure is something that would be put to the front of the line.

And when you're at a county hospital ER, it is not wait 10-24 hours before you see a doctor.  It's get triaged right away.  then wait a few hours to see a doc, then wait a few hours for x-rays or mri, then wait to see a doc for the results, then wait to see a specialist who may not be coming in until the morning shift, etc.   A friend with no insurance, who qualifies for Medical, spent more than 24 hours at County USC when he tore his bicep.  However, a year later when he cut his finger down to the tendon, only spent 11 hours in the ER. For that one, they cleaned the wound, and bandaged him up right away, but then he waited for the x-rays and specialist and then stitches.

[LittleJ]

Right now, the United States is short about 20,000 doctors.  this has nothing to do with obamacare, but with the cost of medical school.

you're saying but now there are more patients.  but the population of the US didn't suddenly increase.  these people who will now have insurance will now see primary care physicians rather than ER doctors.

or perhaps you're saying that doctors will make less money, because we're trying to get health care costs under control. well, in some cases that may be true.  But I really don't care that some docs will only be making $300,000 a year rather than the $350,000 that they're making now.

the best analogy I've seen is equal pay for equal work.  when the civil rights act was passed, employers suddenly needed to pay blacks the same as whites.  Sorry white guy, I can't give you a raise this year because I have to give it to the black guy to get his salary close to what you're making.  in the short term, there are winners and losers.  but that doesn't mean that in the long term it is not a good thing.

You don't like Coach, do you?

[Archer77]

If I knew the rates in an exchange were better than my current rates while maintaining the same level of benefits I would take advantage. 

[lacticacid]

Is it true that the federal politicians are exempt from Obama Care?

[Soul Crusher]

 

[Bad Boy Dazza]

Thanks To Obamacare, A 20,000 Doctor Shortage Is Set To Quintuple

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/06/10/thanks-to-obamacare-a-20000-doctor-shortage-is-set-to-quintuple/

[Bad Boy Dazza]

[ Invalid YouTube link ]

[polychronopolous]

Thanks To Obamacare, A 20,000 Doctor Shortage Is Set To Quintuple

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/06/10/thanks-to-obamacare-a-20000-doctor-shortage-is-set-to-quintuple/

Basic economics at work, which Obama wouldn't know the first thing about. Driving up the demand while depleting the supply(potential doctors who don't want to get involved in this mess and current doctors who are now currently looking towards earlier retirement to avoid it as well)

Maybe Obama can pass a law mandating people who have the potential to be doctors to be led to Medical School in handcuffs and strapped down to their desk 

[Tapeworm]

strange.  it doesn't start until Jan 1, 2014. any rate increases going on now are from external factors.

Insurers probably need to pay for all that champagne they popped open.

[doison]

No, all ERs, including at county hospitals, are triaged.  The serious things go to the front of the line, whether they have insurance or not.  Suspected heart failure is something that would be put to the front of the line.

And when you're at a county hospital ER, it is not wait 10-24 hours before you see a doctor.  It's get triaged right away.  then wait a few hours to see a doc, then wait a few hours for x-rays or mri, then wait to see a doc for the results, then wait to see a specialist who may not be coming in until the morning shift, etc.   A friend with no insurance, who qualifies for Medical, spent more than 24 hours at County USC when he tore his bicep.  However, a year later when he cut his finger down to the tendon, only spent 11 hours in the ER. For that one, they cleaned the wound, and bandaged him up right away, but then he waited for the x-rays and specialist and then stitches.

Yeah...lol
Patient: "Uh nurse...my ankles are swollen.  You can see where the elastic of my sock was."
Nurse: "fuck me running!  Get this man to the front of the line STAT...and tell every cardiologist you can find that we have a suspected case of heart failure in the ER!"

[nicorulez]

I wish the President would offer all you anti healthcare nutbags an opt out clause.  That clause includes your name being put into a database that lets everyone know that you willingly do not have any coverage. 
By doing so, you are releasing all doctors and medical professionals from the hypocratic oath as well as the right to any treatment including life threatening emergencies. 

Ok Abraham, question for you. 83 percent of American have insurance they already like. Of the 17% who didn't have healthcare, probably 5% could have had insurance but chose not to pursue it. Ok, Obamacare is now present. It is taking money from Medicare to fund it. The exchanges are allowing individuals who do not have healthcare to obtain, pre-existing conditions are no longer a barrier (which is actually good). Subsidies are going to individuals who claim they can't afford it. Basically, taxpayers are paying for the population that couldn't afford to have healthcare to get it.

Thus, the 83% who have insurance are going to see their premiums rise. Either it is going to be taxes (which have already increased) or insurer premiums or both. The insurance leveraged to the underserved is going to be an expansion of Medicaid, which is barely accepted by physicians currently. Trust me, as a physician specialist, I am one of four physicians locally who will see Medicaid patients. They have to drive thirty miles to find a Medicaid provider. If the exchanges do provide a commercial insurance like United Health or Blue Cross, do you think they would essentially give away their best insurance on the cheap. Hell no, the deductible is going to be thousands of dollars. Thus, the poor with insurance will still suck off the system as they won't pay their deductible and the insurance will not kick in until they so. Thus, eventually the commercial exchanges will go the way of the dodo bird. Medicaid expansion will be the norm. You will have a lot of people with shitty insurance that will have to resort to utilizing the ER as their primary care docs and suck the system dry  . Great plan this Obamacare.

[syntaxmachine]

Thus, the 83% who have insurance are going to see their premiums rise. Either it is going to be taxes (which have already increased) or insurer premiums or both. The insurance leveraged to the underserved is going to be an expansion of Medicaid, which is barely accepted by physicians currently. Trust me, as a physician specialist, I am one of four physicians locally who will see Medicaid patients. They have to drive thirty miles to find a Medicaid provider.

1. Can you provide any insight as to why health services are so much more expensive in the U.S. as opposed to other OECD countries?

2. If the insurance to be extended to "underserved" populations is an expansion of Medicaid, won't the program negotiate prices below the commercial average? Is it possible that this reduction in the price of services rendered, in conjunction with the fact that more people will be insured (thus leading to more resources pooled), could largely offset the costs of subsidization or even reduce health expenditures overall? Wouldn't this effect be amplified if Medicaid expansion occurs?

3. In the private realm, isn't it the case that your gloomy prediction of commercial exchanges going kaput only likely if you're right that poor persons offered commercial insurance will fail to pay their deductibles? Is there any definite indication that this will be the case? If it isn't the case, aren't there opportunities for cost reduction since millions more will be insured, and thus more resources pooled?

4. I don't know shit in this realm; I'm simply trying to understand things better with these questions.

[AbrahamG]

strange.  it doesn't start until Jan 1, 2014. any rate increases going on now are from external factors.
group plan rates were skyrocketing long before ACA.  The ACA is an attempt to get the prices under control. 

allowing you to pay to keep your kids on your group plan until they're 26 didn't cause your rates to go up.

I find it strange that pro business conservatives are so quite about ACA.  Since the vast majority of Americans get their health insurance through their work, health care is a huge burden on these businesses.  A other industrial countries provide health care or health insurance through the government, giving their businesses an advantage in a global market.  Businesses should be screaming for single payer. How much more competitive would they be if the cost of health insurance for employees and retirees were suddenly gone?

REPS

[AbrahamG]

Right now, the United States is short about 20,000 doctors.  this has nothing to do with obamacare, but with the cost of medical school.

you're saying but now there are more patients.  but the population of the US didn't suddenly increase.  these people who will now have insurance will now see primary care physicians rather than ER doctors.

or perhaps you're saying that doctors will make less money, because we're trying to get health care costs under control. well, in some cases that may be true.  But I really don't care that some docs will only be making $300,000 a year rather than the $350,000 that they're making now.

the best analogy I've seen is equal pay for equal work.  when the civil rights act was passed, employers suddenly needed to pay blacks the same as whites.  Sorry white guy, I can't give you a raise this year because I have to give it to the black guy to get his salary close to what you're making.  in the short term, there are winners and losers.  but that doesn't mean that in the long term it is not a good thing.

More Reps