Do we dare discuss the Supreme Court decision re: Healthcare

[Cataholic]

In an ideal world, doctors prescribe appropriate tests. In the real world, our litigious society almost forces MDs to prescribe the kitchen sink.

Do you really believe that health care has gone to hell in a hand basket because of too many tests? How about the argument that doctors aren't allowed to practice medicine because of what the insurance company mandates?

To really get a good understanding of the "malpractice crisis", read this article.

http://www.rwjf.org/pr/synthesis/rep...no8_primer.pdf

[pomtzu]

Do you really believe that health care has gone to hell in a hand basket because of too many tests?

Funny you should say that. There are many things I don't bring up with my PCP that maybe I should. Why??? - test-test-test - that's how he is. I have enough trouble without finding more that I wasn't expecting.

[Lady's Human]

Do you really believe that health care has gone to hell in a hand basket because of too many tests? How about the argument that doctors aren't allowed to practice medicine because of what the insurance company mandates?

The problem is BOTH!

I had bloodwork done. The list of tests was rather long, and I asked the doc about it.

They are required to run tests for things they don't think are problems, because the group and the insurance company has given them basically a list of "if you test for this you have to test for this too" as a CYA.

What the doc wanted to test me for pinpointed the issue rather quickly. The rest were just additional cost for all.

[Lady's Human]

My opinion on the whole medical system is that SOMETHING needs to be done, as it is unsustainable the way it currently stands.

What the something is, though, I'm not sure, besides the nagging feeling that this ain't it. I asked a Union rep well before the case was decided what this does to certain sections of our contract, as the contract defies part of the law. The response was "Oh, we didn't think about that". The law as it stands basically trashes one section of our CBA.

There are a myriad of issues with the current system, like treating emergency rooms as primary care offices, the billling and claims systems are a damned farce, the shell games in relation to contracting (doc A works out of hosp A, but isn't working for them, but a contract company, therefore all docs under the YZ name are PPOs for ABC ins. Co. is an expensive lie.....), and treating hospitals as nonprofits when they are very, very much for profit entities, regardless of the official status of the organization.

The biggest problem with the affordable health care act? Ask 3 different experts on the impact of the law, and get 3 different answers. To me that spells trouble, as it means no one knows what the real impact is going to be. That they passed such a broad piece of legislation without being able to quantify the effects is disturbing.

[RICHARD]

Again,

The HMO I worked for passed a 'secret memo' around saying that the providers were to curtail any 'unneeded tests'.

A friend took his son in to see about the kid's injured arm.

An ace bandage and a few hours later he went BACK TO THE ER and told the doc to x-ray the arm.

A broken arm, cast and six weeks fixed it.

-----------------------------

Forget the 'constitutional scholar' horse puckey.

Talk, no listen, to the people who see it from the inside....

Ask a med salesman about selling product to a hospital.

Go online and look at the costs for Zimmer, Synthes, Baxter products and what pills/meds cost.

(Don't forget to cost what the product cost to make, the testing and how many times it took to get it right-I don't begrudge the companies those costs, but when something goes wrong?)


MOFF,

the ten bucks charge was for toilet paper.