A Dutch study has found that caring for long-lived healthy, thin non-smokers costs more than providing medical care for obese people or smokers (imagine how much more than obese smokers!).
No word yet as to whether Hillarycare will subsidize Big Macs and Marlboros.
. . . consider this: British patients are waiting more than two years for hearing aids, and up to five years for modern digital replacements for their outdated analogue hearing aids.
Bit hey, socialized medicine will fix all our problems, right?
Yet it seems that all doctors are well paid. True, some specialists excell at making the big bucks -- but there ain't many doctors hurtin' for money.
Now in Florida, capitalism is coming to medicine:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida launched a program in November to reward doctors for good performance, and it could mean an extra $3,000 to $12,000 a year. UnitedHealthcare plans to introduce a program in Florida later this year that could mean up to $20,000 a year for top doctors....Handled correctly, this could be a very good thing. Hopefully the government will stay out of it and let American business do what it does best: innovate.Ultimately, this may lead many insurers to push consumers to the best and most cost-effective doctors, by offering cheaper or no co-payments, or by jacking up the co-payments for those considered poor performers, said Francois de Brantes, General Electric's leader of healthcare initiatives....
''If it's done right, it can improve the quality of healthcare,'' Nielsen said. ``The problem is who is deciding what makes for good performance. It's the large employers and health plans that are pushing this. The biggest fear from doctors is that it's just cost containment.''
In 1994, Tennessee passed what was then a very hot New Democrat idea--call it government managed care--a version of the reform the former first lady was also pitching nationwide. TennCare promised the impossible dream of politicians everywhere: Lower health-care costs while covering more of the "uninsured." They got the impossible, all right. After 10 years of mismanagement and lawsuits, TennCare now eats up one-third of the state's entire budget and is growing fast. Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, is preparing to pull the plug and return the state to the less lunatic subsidies of Medicaid.Actually, the author misses one of the most maddening aspects of TennCare: more than a few of those 1.3 million covered by TennCare are not state residents at all: they come across the state line from neighboring states. Others are residents and will be forever: they are buried here. TennCare is rife with fraud.The TennCare concept was for the state to operate like an HMO, providing health insurance to those who needed it and paying the premiums for those who couldn't afford it. The idea was even sold as a cost savings because it would provide "managed care" (volume discounts, preventative care, etc.). TennCare opened enrollment to hundreds of thousands of people who did not qualify for Medicaid, even to some six-figure earners. Costs quickly exploded, and despite attempts to tighten eligibility rules the program still covers 1.3 million of the state's 5.8 million people.
One would think that our politicians would just cut back on coverage and tighten up requirements. One would be right: they've tried. But:
A Nashville non-profit called the Tennessee Justice Center has hamstrung reforms for years by suing to enforce a series of consent decrees, some of which predate TennCare.Easier yes — in the short run. In the long run these bleeding hearts are going to bleed us dry.Prescription drug costs alone increased 23% last year, as there are effectively no limits on the number or types of drugs the system will pay for. If a doctor prescribes aspirin, TennCare pays for it. Ditto for antacids for heartburn and other over-the-counter products. If TennCare denies a claim for a drug or any other type of care, an appeal can be filed for next to nothing. Fighting each appeal costs the state as much as $1,600 in legal fees. With 10,000 appeals filed every month, it's often easier and cheaper to pay a claim, regardless of the merits.
WINDSOR DOCTOR Albert Schumacher believes it's his ethical and moral responsibility to tell patients they can cross the border for faster tests. The president of the Canadian Medical Association said the country's doctors have no choice when waiting times get unhealthy for their patients."Right now physicians scramble to get their patients the treatment they need," Schumacher said.
"Getting it in a timely way is virtually impossible."
In a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade yesterday, Schumacher said the shortage of health professionals and the inability to access timely care for patients is undermining confidence in the system.