The piss-ant in me (re: Dr. mentioning insurance)

[Guest guest]

While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to tell me that

perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have insurance, they'd be less

likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what, unfortunately many who are

sick and need desperate help, don't for this reason!]

Sweet. Not! My husband pays for his insurance, through his employer.

He does for a reason, it's there for a reason. Enough said.

For the record, in the past...I could have accepted help (in some

areas) but I did not. Just as long as I could somehow " push through "

and by the skin of our teeth, we did.

That said, I have come to an age where I think and I know, I have

paid my " dues. "

Now the shoe is on the other foot and no, I don't feel bad about

using resources, where they may be available.

Anyway, in regards to what my Dr. said. When he made that statement,

I smiled. Because there are many who agree, yet from a different

position. I fully intend to point this out to him, when I see him

next.

To the below, wether you agree with his position (I don't know where

his heart is at) I do agree with his end statements.

Milton Friedman (Economist) responds to this question.

LA (LARRY ARNN): Is there an area here in the United States in which

we have not been as aggressive as we should in promoting property

rights and free markets?

MF: Yes, in the field of medical care. We have a socialist-communist

system of distributing medical care. Instead of letting people hire

their own physicians and pay them, no one pays his or her own medical

bills. Instead, there's a third party payment system. It is a

communist system and it has a communist result. Despite this, we've

had numerous miracles in medical science. From the discovery of

penicillin, to new surgical techniques, to MRIs and CAT scans, the

last 30 or 40 years have been a period of miraculous change in

medical science. On the other hand, we've seen costs skyrocket.

Nobody is happy: physicians don't like it, patients don't like it.

Why? Because none of them are responsible for themselves. You no

longer have a situation in which a patient chooses a physician,

receives a service, gets charged, and pays for it. There is no direct

relation between the patient and the physician. The physician is an

employee of an insurance company or an employee of the government.

Today, a third party pays the bills. As a result, no one who visits

the doctor asks what the charge is going to be†" somebody else is going

to take care of that. The end result is third party payment and,

worst of all, third party treatment.

[Guest guest]

Kate:

Thanks for posting that. ITS a terrible system and

YES, I do think many doctors are angry and they take

it out on the patients and can do so because those

patients are NOT paying them....the insurance company

does.

You are a chart that talks and asks annoying

questions. His job is to get you out of his face

ASAP, not treat you like a paying customer.

The guy at Starbucks who passes the HOUSE blend across

the counter will fix anything and be swift and polite

toward you....long before a doctor will treat you with

more deffernce than a used Kleenex.

Its really a systemic thing, and unfortunately we as a

country haven't got mad enough about it yet, all

though it appears to be changing a bit.

I have been treated (many women have too) horrendously

by the doctors, nurses, medical matrix and we know its

because the system has simply no incentive to do

otherwise.

Of course a silly non-sexy fat generating auto-immune

disease that is hormonally based is about the worst

chronic disease you can aquire for the " system " as it

is really an acute care system, not one that is

equiped even to care for chronic disease.

~E:)

--- Kate p2sgirl@...> wrote:

> While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to

> tell me that

> perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have

> insurance, they'd be less

> likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what,

> unfortunately many who are

> sick and need desperate help, don't for this

> reason!]

>

> Sweet. Not! My husband pays for his insurance,

> through his employer.

> He does for a reason, it's there for a reason.

> Enough said.

>

> For the record, in the past...I could have accepted

> help (in some

> areas) but I did not. Just as long as I could

> somehow " push through "

> and by the skin of our teeth, we did.

> That said, I have come to an age where I think and I

> know, I have

> paid my " dues. "

> Now the shoe is on the other foot and no, I don't

> feel bad about

> using resources, where they may be available.

>

> Anyway, in regards to what my Dr. said. When he made

> that statement,

> I smiled. Because there are many who agree, yet from

> a different

> position. I fully intend to point this out to him,

> when I see him

> next.

>

> To the below, wether you agree with his position (I

> don't know where

> his heart is at) I do agree with his end statements.

>

>

> Milton Friedman (Economist) responds to this

> question.

>

> LA (LARRY ARNN): Is there an area here in the United

> States in which

> we have not been as aggressive as we should in

> promoting property

> rights and free markets?

>

> MF: Yes, in the field of medical care. We have a

> socialist-communist

> system of distributing medical care. Instead of

> letting people hire

> their own physicians and pay them, no one pays his

> or her own medical

> bills. Instead, there's a third party payment

> system. It is a

> communist system and it has a communist result.

> Despite this, we've

> had numerous miracles in medical science. From the

> discovery of

> penicillin, to new surgical techniques, to MRIs and

> CAT scans, the

> last 30 or 40 years have been a period of miraculous

> change in

> medical science. On the other hand, we've seen costs

> skyrocket.

> Nobody is happy: physicians don't like it, patients

> don't like it.

> Why? Because none of them are responsible for

> themselves. You no

> longer have a situation in which a patient chooses a

> physician,

> receives a service, gets charged, and pays for it.

> There is no direct

> relation between the patient and the physician. The

> physician is an

> employee of an insurance company or an employee of

> the government.

> Today, a third party pays the bills. As a result, no

> one who visits

> the doctor asks what the charge is going to

> be†" somebody else is going

> to take care of that. The end result is third party

> payment and,

> worst of all, third party treatment.

>

>

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

~The Ancient Mariner

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

~E,

Thank you for responding. I'm so angry [and] I agree with what you've

said.

I agree, some things are changing but I think, this should have been

changed long ago. I honestly think another unified uprising is in

need, to create an honest change. As a society, we are too

fragmented. Of course, the media only reports what they want/thinks

others want to hear.

[stepping aside, I just read that the current Womans Day magazine has

a story about Thyca]

I have to wonder, if this was a " condition " that primarily affected

men, if we would have progressed more? My thought is, yes. Thinking

poorly of women will cause the physician to slow down or entirely

bypass further testing.

If I can get down to the bottom of this and it is agreed that things

are not right...poo is going to fly in all directions. For as long as

our Dr.s live (who've I've dealt with)...they will not forget me.

Things need to change. While I am not impatient, I do believe in

sooner, rather than later. No B.S. the tread hits here.

I don't want ANY person to have to go through this. I can not change

the world...but in my small town, I can change things.

Thank you " E "

~Kate

>

> > While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to

> > tell me that

> > perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have

> > insurance, they'd be less

> > likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what,

> > unfortunately many who are

> > sick and need desperate help, don't for this

> > reason!]

> >

> > Sweet. Not! My husband pays for his insurance,

> > through his employer.

> > He does for a reason, it's there for a reason.

> > Enough said.

> >

> > For the record, in the past...I could have accepted

> > help (in some

> > areas) but I did not. Just as long as I could

> > somehow " push through "

> > and by the skin of our teeth, we did.

> > That said, I have come to an age where I think and I

> > know, I have

> > paid my " dues. "

> > Now the shoe is on the other foot and no, I don't

> > feel bad about

> > using resources, where they may be available.

> >

> > Anyway, in regards to what my Dr. said. When he made

> > that statement,

> > I smiled. Because there are many who agree, yet from

> > a different

> > position. I fully intend to point this out to him,

> > when I see him

> > next.

> >

> > To the below, wether you agree with his position (I

> > don't know where

> > his heart is at) I do agree with his end statements.

> >

> >

> > Milton Friedman (Economist) responds to this

> > question.

> >

> > LA (LARRY ARNN): Is there an area here in the United

> > States in which

> > we have not been as aggressive as we should in

> > promoting property

> > rights and free markets?

> >

> > MF: Yes, in the field of medical care. We have a

> > socialist-communist

> > system of distributing medical care. Instead of

> > letting people hire

> > their own physicians and pay them, no one pays his

> > or her own medical

> > bills. Instead, there's a third party payment

> > system. It is a

> > communist system and it has a communist result.

> > Despite this, we've

> > had numerous miracles in medical science. From the

> > discovery of

> > penicillin, to new surgical techniques, to MRIs and

> > CAT scans, the

> > last 30 or 40 years have been a period of miraculous

> > change in

> > medical science. On the other hand, we've seen costs

> > skyrocket.

> > Nobody is happy: physicians don't like it, patients

> > don't like it.

> > Why? Because none of them are responsible for

> > themselves. You no

> > longer have a situation in which a patient chooses a

> > physician,

> > receives a service, gets charged, and pays for it.

> > There is no direct

> > relation between the patient and the physician. The

> > physician is an

> > employee of an insurance company or an employee of

> > the government.

> > Today, a third party pays the bills. As a result, no

> > one who visits

> > the doctor asks what the charge is going to

> > be…quot;somebody else is going

> > to take care of that. The end result is third party

> > payment and,

> > worst of all, third party treatment.

> >

> >

>

>

> Day after day, day after day,

> We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

> As idle as a painted ship

> Upon a painted ocean.

> Water, water, everywhere,

> And all the boards did shrink;

> Water, water, everywhere,

> Nor any drop to drink.

>

> ~The Ancient Mariner

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to tell me that

> perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have insurance, they'd be less

> likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what, unfortunately many who are

> sick and need desperate help, don't for this reason!]

This makes no sense..sorry.. those with money usually are healthy and

able to work..once an ilness hits or chronic disease then the persons

ability to pay for medical services goes down while the need for

medical services goes up. Once they are medically unable to work and

have no income, then medical services kick in ..

A lot of people could be functioning through work and life with proper

medical treatment.

Kats3boys

[Guest guest]

kat,

I too believe that a person can be well (or better), with work and

*proper* medical treatment. The problem is, many are not being

treated appropriately.

If their condition is left untreated and it's bad enugh...it's going

to affect " productivity. " Any economist, who is familier with health

conditions, worth his/her grain of salt...will point this out.

I can't help but wonder, those with thyroid condtions...given endless

scripts (misdiagnosed)...had the Dr. just bucked up, ordered correct

tests...how much money and misery would be spared? That's just the

tip of the iceburg.

To me, it doesn't make sense that a Dr. would go into hypochondria or

the insurance bit...without looking further. It doesn't make sense to

me that a Dr. will schedule insulting visits...without looking

further. In Aug. of 05 had my then Dr. checked further, maybe I

wouldn't be here today. I don't know.

I'm finding contradictions.

~Kate

>

> While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to tell me that

> > perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have insurance, they'd be

less

> > likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what, unfortunately many who

are

> > sick and need desperate help, don't for this reason!]

>

> This makes no sense..sorry.. those with money usually are healthy

and

> able to work..once an ilness hits or chronic disease then the

persons

> ability to pay for medical services goes down while the need for

> medical services goes up. Once they are medically unable to work

and

> have no income, then medical services kick in ..

>

> A lot of people could be functioning through work and life with

proper

> medical treatment.

>

> Kats3boys

>

[Guest guest]

Gee Kate:

The monetary toll the disease and all its fragments

take is HUGE.

I read an article, (maybe you can find it on the web)

that layed out exactly how much thryoid disease costs

Canada and the US combined. The figure was calculated

at 3 billion annually, and speculated that the true

figure was much higher.

~E:)

--- Kate p2sgirl@...> wrote:

> kat,

>

> I too believe that a person can be well (or better),

> with work and

> *proper* medical treatment. The problem is, many are

> not being

> treated appropriately.

> If their condition is left untreated and it's bad

> enugh...it's going

> to affect " productivity. " Any economist, who is

> familier with health

> conditions, worth his/her grain of salt...will point

> this out.

>

> I can't help but wonder, those with thyroid

> condtions...given endless

> scripts (misdiagnosed)...had the Dr. just bucked up,

> ordered correct

> tests...how much money and misery would be spared?

> That's just the

> tip of the iceburg.

>

> To me, it doesn't make sense that a Dr. would go

> into hypochondria or

> the insurance bit...without looking further. It

> doesn't make sense to

> me that a Dr. will schedule insulting

> visits...without looking

> further. In Aug. of 05 had my then Dr. checked

> further, maybe I

> wouldn't be here today. I don't know.

>

> I'm finding contradictions.

>

> ~Kate

>

>

>

> >

> > While at my last Dr. visit, my Dr. had the gaul to

> tell me that

> > > perhaps if people (ahem, women) didn't have

> insurance, they'd be

> less

> > > likely to utilize medicine. [Guess what,

> unfortunately many who

> are

> > > sick and need desperate help, don't for this

> reason!]

> >

> > This makes no sense..sorry.. those with money

> usually are healthy

> and

> > able to work..once an ilness hits or chronic

> disease then the

> persons

> > ability to pay for medical services goes down

> while the need for

> > medical services goes up. Once they are medically

> unable to work

> and

> > have no income, then medical services kick in ..

> >

> > A lot of people could be functioning through work

> and life with

> proper

> > medical treatment.

> >

> > Kats3boys

> >

>

>

>

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

~The Ancient Mariner

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

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