I just wonder why we could not have at least tried to see if opening up free market for people and providers to purchase insurance across state borders would help. What if it worked? What if insurance companies decided to offer better quality of care with more competitive rates to attract clients?

And There are some good things in the bill. It’s not just about premiums. And the pork filling the bill. It should be a bill that is passed strictly based on health care without any added cost to appease some politician’s constituents.

It’s actually overwhelming to process.

I wish I had read “It is Okay to Die” before the night my mom was dying in the ED. I felt so powerless to make the decision I knew I should’ve made. Fortunately, God made it for me. Although ..I had the head knowledge …my heart was winning …even though I also knew that at a certain point, it is more compassionate to let your loved one go. The most difficult night of my life.

As long as we keep spending our nation’s increasingly limited “riches” on futile end-of life care in mass quantities, no solutions exist. At one point there was a glimmer of hope that a bi-partisan commision slowly moving toward a moment of discussion of this topic. A certain kinda hot but very stupid female VP candidate started screaming about death panels and the cowards we call our elected officials from both parties ran as far from the topic of end of life issues as they could.

It is unfortunate that it will probably take the train running fully off the tracks before meaningful action will be taken. Thank god we now have a health care bill to assist with that. It certainly is not a fix, whatever anyone thinks of it. Hoping all Emergency physicians will keep edging their way back into public discussion of this topic. “Stewardship” is the apt word I have heard Dr. Henry use on numerous occasions.

I don’t believe anyone truly knows how the final chapters of the new health care bill will sort out but there is one thing I am fairly certain of:

Democrats: Way too happy they “won” this one.
Republicans: Way too unhappy they “lost.”

They did try to get state boarders opened up for free market but noooo ..they wanted this massive overhaul that they don’t even know what is in it except for their popular talking points that tickle the ears of people looking for free and/or insurance – but they don’t know the long term consequences of it.

Who the heck doesn’t know what the terms of a contract and it’s effects before signing it???? pelosi’s comment about that was an eye opener and why people rose up in the 2010 elections.

I just take issue with this massive overhaul ..that economists state will not be able to stay afloat without *massive taxes* …and still the quality and availability of care will be compromised. The *short term* gains are not worth the negative fallout that will come to *all of us – except the rich* in time… and not that long. And why is the UK backing away from their health care system now? My husband informed me that now veterans will be paying more for their benefits. I can still see the president’s smiling face (answering the reps who stated we will not be able to keep our doctors), reassuring us that we will not lose our doctors and now we know that is already happening for people that can’t afford their already increasing premiums. That is just devastating when you have a physician you trust and knows your case inside out and or med history inside out, and you’ve bonded with etc. It was a LIE. No taxes. A LIE. Won’t hurt people earning under 250,000.00 – LIE. Won’t increase pork. LIE. Won’t compromise medicare benefits. LIE. ….

I just don’t get it – I really don’t. If a ship is springing leaks …why in the world would someone drop a ticking bomb right in the center of it instead of plugging up the leaks to keep it from completely going under. And *the only one with life preservers are the *rich who will have choices and quality care.

Again …I believe in working hard, applaud success, and believe individuals have a right to keep what is rightfully theirs. I hate class warfare and while I believe we need social programs and SHOULD help truly less fortunate (not the scammers), it is wrong to penalize working society and decrease incentive to succeed, etc. I say this as someone who was middle class now in lower middle class and I don’t want handouts. Just a *JOB* and an opportunity for more success. And I would like to keep the health insurance my husband has worked hard for and we USE and paid into all these years, especially since he is now looking to retire.

WTH happened in this country these last few years – seriously?!

I still can’t get past Nancy Pelosi (I know my mantra by now), stating that they didn’t read the bill and they have to pass it to know what is in it. This monstrosity of a bill that I just heard today has recently had THIRTEEN THOUSAND MORE pages added in to it!

And I do not understand when anyone of reasonable intelligence/common sense has only to look to Europe to see how this ends up …would still send us full speed ahead to that broken track leading us over the cliff to certain devastation to our quality health care as we have known it.

It just is not right that the scenario you describe is the likely outcome if this is not stopped. Most people have decent insurance. The baby boomer is coming of age. They thought they’d have quality insurance since they worked and paid into it all their lives.

So basically …if you are rich …you will keep your quality healthcare because you will be able to afford it. How ironic given Obama’s position on the rich …which is so disingenuous. Do as I say – don’t do as I do. And I am not one to envy or want to take money from successful people who’ve worked hard for their money – not at all. I just can’t help but to see the disparity here.

And why couldn’t they at least just try opening up the free market and let people cross state lines to get insurance. What if? What if that actually worked to lower premiums and provide a better quality of insurance for both the patient and providers? What if?

And our 23 yr old son has benefited because he is still on our plan. But that short term gain is not worth the cost to all of us in the future and perhaps not too far off future.

I believe we need to help the uninsured. We also need to eradicate fraud so that only the people who truly need the insurance are covered. Surely …there is a better way than going against the will of the people when they shoved this down our throats. How can they not see the harm it is doing to patients and physicians? How can they not see the logic …or learn the lessons from other countries? All the IRS agents hired …all the pork in the bill to pay off politicians so they would vote …when that pork has nothing to do with healthcare, etc. What if they took that money and applied it to fixing one of the problems with health care?

And it makes me just crazy that they say they are helping medicare patients – put that lie out there ..when in reality they are losing benefits and even their doctors.

I just hope more people really pay attention. I am concerned that most of the population only hears soundbites that fit their political values and won’t take the time to do their own research. Then there is that commercial that shows patients finally getting the care they need thanks to the bill and urges people to go to the government site. I haven’t gotten myself to look at it yet ..but will at some point.

If government pays less for a visit, what do you think will happen with the visits? They’ll be shorter and less thorough. Or there will be quick exams and referrals for problems that the primary care physician probably could handle but which are too time-consuming.

“We’ll talk about a couple of your problems today, but then you’ll have to make another appointment for next week to talk about a couple of your other problems. And the week after that for a couple of your other problems. Have to stay on schedule so I can see eight patients per hour. Have a nice day.”

High-risk or time-intensive complaint? Let me examine you quickly, then either go to the emergency department or here’s a referral for a specialist. That type of visit will decrease risk, take 2 minutes, and Medicare will pay the same amount as if the doctor spent 15 minutes with the patient.

The mousetrap/mouse game will continue until slowly docs get fed up with all the administrative hassles in dealing with the government. There will be fewer and fewer available doctors and longer and longer waits.

And if anyone thinks that single payer is the answer, consider the motivations involved in any single entity paying for a country’s health care. Hint: Health of the people isn’t first on the list.

Like I said in the past – I’m glad I’m a doctor.

However, since nobody currently knows how this is going to finally shake out, it is worth noting one political “team” is way too happy about this, while the other “team” is way too pissed off. Both far more than the facts might allow for at this point.

At least it’s consistent where the U.S. ranks world wide in health care…