letter I sent to my senators

[Guest guest]

This was not last year, but the year before, but the points

haven’t changed. Was cleaning up my email files and thought maybe

it might serve as fodder for anyone composing their own such missive…..planning

ahead for the NEXT time we have to do this.

Annie

From: webmaster@...

Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 5:41 AM

To: Skaggs

Subject: Copy of: Impact of Medicare payment cuts

Dear Senator Bunning:

It's not yet 5:00 a.m. I am up, unable to sleep,

worrying over how to

keep my medical practice open.

Ms. J.W. is on my schedule today. Will she be able

to make it to her

appointment, or will she miss this one too? She was

last in to see me

in June. She is 89 years old and has diabetes,

hypertension, heart

failure, arthritis, a troubling itchy skin condition and

mild dementia.

Because she doesn't drive and has no family, it is hard

for her to come

for appointments. Because of her dementia, she

forgets to order her

medications from the mail order pharmacy her prescription

plan requires

her to use. To help her stay healthy and out of the

hospital, I have to

help her a lot. I have to spend at least an hour on

the phone every

month to coordinate with both her mail order and

local pharmacies so

she will have medication. Last week she had acute

symptoms and I had to

arrange for a home health nurse to go check on her and

then discuss the

problem with the nurse. If she comes in today, I

will draw blood and

then have to discuss the results with her by phone, and

send them in

writing as well, in case she forgets what I tell her on

the phone.

If my lawyer provided comparable services to her from

June to November

at his hourly rate of $250 per hour, plus his

telecommunication,

printing and postage surcharges, it would cost over

$2000. If my

computer consultant did it at his $180 per hour rate it

would add up to

almost $1500. At $170 per hour, my accountant would

demand over $1300

for comparable services over the same time period. But

Medicare allows

me only about $78, and that only if she makes it to her

appointment

today. If she doesn't come in, if she changes

doctors, or dies, I will

have served her for free for these months. HOW LONG

DO YOU THINK I CAN

DO THIS?

After spending 10 years of my life and borrowing $100,000

to become a

doctor, after borrowing another $60,000 to start a

practice that paid me

no income at all for the first year, I am making less

than $30,000 per

year! I have not taken a vacation in

two years. I have only a high

deductible major medical health plan. I haven't

been to my doctor in

five years, or to my dentist in six.

You and your congressional colleagues MUST understand

that this cannot

go on. If our society values primary care medicine

less than the

services of other professionals, less than teachers, less

even than hair

stylists (Ms W pays hers $45 every other week, so over the

time that I

can hope to collect $78 for Ms. W's care, her hairstylist

collects

$360), THEN I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO ON!

PLEASE ACT SWIFTLY! Stop the cuts in physician payments

that are

scheduled to take effect in January. Once that

" first aid " has been

provided, then please go on to restructure the Medicare

payment system

so that it will keep me and other primary care doctors

open for

business.

Sincerely,

Skaggs

279 Malabu Dr

Lexington, KY 40502