The True Cost of Healthcare:

[witness23]

A Doctor's View of Healthcare Costs


I was reading an article about the GOP's Medical Malpractice Reform Bill and came across this link and thought I would share it with the group. This issue is interesting to me because talking to doctors that I know personally and the research I've done, it's not Medical Malpractice insurance that's driving up healthcare costs.

Greg, since you've been in the field and know a lot about these issues, I was hoping you could give some feedback on how accurate or inaccurate the article is.

Link: Healthcare - Home

 

[greg334]

Well I have a simple point of view when I read articles like this, doctors do not know crap about the financial end of the health care system and my experience working with many of them proves that to be the norm, not the exception. People keep turning to them for some answers which they don't have unless they step out of their profession and enter into the financial end of it.

This does not mean there are doctors who don't care and will do things for patients under their care, but it does mean a lot of them run it like a business with the intent to remain it to be a business regardless what outside forces try to change them. Just look at medicare issue and you will see what I'm talking about.

With that said, one thing that stands out that shows me his political leanings is this little line;

Avoid "Cadillac" health insurance plans at any cost!

In addition to this, there is that makes me actually concern that this is not a doctor writing this at all but some political hack paid to write it;

Encourage your doctor to change his (her) billing practices for his own good!

If this was a doctor, he would know that 60% of the doctors practising in small/medium practices have some control over their billing practices while the other 40% have little control know not to get too much involved with the office management or hospital management to make much of a difference.

Outside of that, there are some good points made about pharma and drugs.