Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, made an important point last week about what could ail rural communities in the future: “Young families will not take the risk of raising their families where they cannot access health care,” Moran told a Hays gathering of the Kansas Hospital Association.
Stating his support for the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and his concerns about Medicare reimbursement rate cuts, Moran also said, “Health care costs, I think, is the No. 1 issue we face in this country. . . . Everyone ought to be coming together to try to find ways to at least slow the ever-escalating cost of health care.”
Of course, first everybody has to get past arguing about Michael Moore.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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15 Comments
Maybe with socialize medicine and you FORCE the new wave of foreign doc’s to practise there.
But even that doesn’t look good.
You get what you pay for. And how much is good healthcare worth? More than the boat or car payments?
What’s your life worth?
Hillary will get you a doc. Small towns will not be invisble to her.
I’m from the government. I’m here to help.
HEHE
Small towns in Canada have medical care. What do they do that we are not doing? As for the doc being an immigrant, I don’t care as long as he knows what he is doing and can speak English.
Hawaii is starting universal health care for all children under the age of 18…that’s LONG been overdue. Easy access to preventative medicine is the biggest step in cutting healthcare costs for everyone. Let’s hope the rest of the country will wake up soon.We need universal healthcare for everyone regardless, if we didn’t interfere with other countries the way we do, there would be enough money to do it.
According to Bush, universal health care already exists – just go to the emergency room! Those who think that the status quo is sufficient have obviously never had to go without quality health care close to home.
Capitalism at its best!
If rural communities can’t support medical care, then they don’t need it’
Simple economics.
When we get the health insurance companies out of the equation, then maybe we will get back to basic health care available to all.
I have never understood why the insurance companies’ pencil pushers have the authority if you go to a certain doctor or hospital. Why do they make the call of which tests or lab work is needed?
When the insurance companies took the place of the doctors doing their job, that is when health care went to be the most expensive in the world with very little satisfaction.
It is now a game that doctors and hospitals play with the insurance companies. They sumbit an exorbitant charge, the insurance company negotitates it down to pennies and then the self-pay patient pays the original exorbitant charge. The self-pay patient does not get a discount – why?
And then, of course, the insurance companies play the game of ‘that’s not covered under your plan’ game with the insured person. Isn’t it funny how the insurance companies control our healthcare system today and then we wonder why the current system is failing?
Take out the insurance companies’ motivation – profit and greed – and then we will see a different type of healthcare system in America.
Young families will not take the risk of raising their families where they cannot access health care,” Moran told a Hays gathering of the Kansas Hospital Association.
Mr. Moran, I would suggest also that young families will not risk raising their families where there are no living wage jobs either. This problem also needs to be addressed – not just the lack of health care in some town.
My family doctor moved to Wichita 15 years ago and set up his prctice.
He and another physician had the brilliant idea of rotating weekends so you could see one or the other 7 days a week.
The medical community immediately made it clear to them that they would not be allowed to practice medicine in Wichita if they continued.
They quickly adopted the status quo and have thrived in their practices.
One thing they could not threaten away was that my docor will often sit and talk with you for 30 minutes or more if necessary. Sometimes I get tired of him ‘visiting’ so much when I want to leave.
Maybe we could chain new doctors to offices in small rural towns.
Ultimate in control.
We are from the government. We are here to take care of you.
Happy – is your family doctor still with his partner and are they with a professional group?
I remember when doctors were in solo practices or with a partner. When I was a kid (in the 60’s) we did not have all these professional groups that were owned by corporations or hospitals. Today’s doctors are constantly being made to meet their quota of billable hours. And if a specific doctor does not make his quota of additional fees such as lab tests, diagnostic tests, etc. then that same doctor is called onto the carpet to explain his lack of performance.
Is this really what healthcare should be? Shouldn’t the doctors be the ones that determine what healthcare is needed by their patients? Why are pencil pushers in charge of the healthcare system today?
Physician heal thyself should be restated to be ‘professional health care groups heal thyself and get the hell out of the doctor’s way’.
“I have never understood why the insurance companies’ pencil pushers have the authority if you go to a certain doctor or hospital. Why do they make the call of which tests or lab work is needed? ”
It is simple. If your doctor fails to provide you care, you can sue his ass for malpractice. But if the insurance company denies you, there is nothing you can do because you are barred from suing them under ERISA. Therefore they can deny you any and all care and they often do. How do you think their profits have more than quadrupled since Bush was elected?
Small towns in Canada have medical care. What do they do that we are not doing? As for the doc being an immigrant, I don’t care as long as he knows what he is doing and can speak English.
Posted by: Kev | August 19, 2007 at 06:35 AM
Kev, you even been to Canada?
I frequently go fishing up there. Wasn’t able to take my father with me, as later in life he needed kidney dialysis twice per week.
The closes dialysis center in Canada was 150 miles away in Winnipeg.
Kenora has around 15,000 people, and Dryden 50 miles to the east has around 8,000 people. Those in Dryden drive 200 miles for dialysis 2 or 3 times per week.
Nice health coverage in small town Canada.
How can you blame Bush for ERISA and the inability to sue health insurance companies.
ERISA passed into law in 1974.
Agree that we should be able to sue the HMO when a $8/hour clerk in the HMO denies coverage for an item being requested by a Doctor.
You want to play the blame game all the time. Well there’s plenty of blame to go around on both sides of Congress you know.
Also would like to see reasonable limits on Medical Malpractice liability to:
1. Limit attorney fees and costs to 1/4 or less of any settlement.
2. Limit liability damage awards to $2 million per person or Actual damages, whichever is higher.
You can’t put a $$ value on any human life, but you can approximate the income someone might have earned in a lifetime. Most won’t earn more than that.
“Kev, you even been to Canada?
I frequently go fishing up there. Wasn’t able to take my father with me, as later in life he needed kidney dialysis twice per week.
The closes dialysis center in Canada was 150 miles away in Winnipeg.
Kenora has around 15,000 people, and Dryden 50 miles to the east has around 8,000 people. Those in Dryden drive 200 miles for dialysis 2 or 3 times per week.
Nice health coverage in small town ”
Of course I have been there. I was married there to a Canadian. And they have better health care than we do and it is cheaper.
“Also would like to see reasonable limits on Medical Malpractice liability to:
1. Limit attorney fees and costs to 1/4 or less of any settlement.
2. Limit liability damage awards to $2 million per person or Actual damages, whichever is higher.
You can’t put a $$ value on any human life, but you can approximate the income someone might have earned in a lifetime. Most won’t earn more than that.”
I don’t disagree with that. I would even limit it to actual damages unless gross negligence is proven against the doctor.