Sunday, February 23, 2014

One Doctor's Response to Obamacare

Mary K Wulfers emails:
Just read and listened to the news item in this post (ObamaCare Exchange Enrollees Can't Get Doctors To See Them)and the relevant question is: Who wants to see a doctor who is being forced to treat them?
My husband is a primary care physician and we’re opening a cash-only practice in less than one month (after two years of planning). My husband is 61 years old and could easily retire.  A cash-only practice will keep him in the practice pool.  Many other doctors in the same position as my husband will just throw in the towel and quit, resulting in even fewer doctors treating all those patients.  Just another unintended consequence of Obamacare that few are talking about.


22 comments:

  1. There are many cash only clinics popping up. However, there are some states like Florida that mandate accepting Medicaid as a requirement for licensing. This is how the state will not make it "illegal" but not allow it to happen.

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  2. Where is this cash practice? What is the fee schedule?

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    1. I know of one clinic in Oklahoma that publishes their prices online.

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  3. Here's a good example of a doctor who has been running a no-insurance based practice like the Wulfers intentions. Dr. Berry practices in Tennessee.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSXlGYUzo-o

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  4. If he is secure financially and can easily retire, why not treat the sick for free? Why did he become a doctor? Show some professionalism. Stop being so greedy.

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    1. Why don't you donate all your money to EPJ? Stop being so greedy.

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    2. Do you work for free? I didn't think so. Resist the urge to be generous with someone else's time. Stop being so controlling of other people's lives.

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    3. Jerry,

      A couple of things:

      #1
      It may come as a surprise to you, but a good percentage of doctors become doctors to earn a good living. After 8 years of school + residency, their investment is substantial and they are looking for a return on their time & money.

      If you would like to limit the pool of doctors to only those that do it only because they care for people and not money, then the doctor shortage would be more substantial than it is already becoming.

      Further, some might suggest investing 10-12 years of your life without a significant financial reward might actually be stupid.

      Would you like a stupid doctor treating you?

      #2
      Let us look at this statement: "A cash-only practice will keep him in the practice pool."

      If the doctor didn't care, why would he bother? As his wife said, he has enough. Would it not be more "greedy" as you put it to simply retire and enjoy his life without the hassles of practicing? In other words, he'd be "greedy" with his desire to enjoy his life, correct?

      Clearly Jerry, not only is the doctor not "greedy" as you put it, but caring in that he wants to treat people and much to your chagrin, dictate the terms himself under which he will treat them.(like getting paid in cash)

      Rest assured he probably recognizes those of limited means and charges them less, but obviously doesn't want to reinforce a gov't run system that undermines his choices and redistributes/rations healthcare by gov't, for obvious reasons.(that would be govt's continual failure to do so in an efficient and effective manner)

      Your demagoguery I'm sure would work well in certain arena's, but we try here at EPJ to stay focused on logic even though you catch a couple of libertarian flys in your web now and then.

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    4. Because it's his life, his choice, not yours. Show some integrity. Stop being so immature.

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    5. There are numerous additional costs and expenses associated with running a medical practice compared to retirement: rent, utilities, staff salaries, equipment, material, keeping up to date in the field by attending trainings and seminars, etc. etc.. The good doctor's wife already said that they could retire, but its because the couple is not greedy with their own time and enjoyment of life that they are staying in the pool of practitioners.

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    6. STFU Jerry, you idiot.

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    7. Why aren't you a doctor? Why are you so selfish? Have compassion for your fellow man and become a doctor.

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  5. Because, Dumb Ass, His receptionist and nurses want to get paid. So, by the way, does the landlord, the electric company, the water company, and the labs who run the tests on the patients you want him to treat for free. So do the people who clean his office after hours, or do you want the doctor to stay after work and do that for free too?

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    1. Don't waste your time on Terry, she ain't worth it.

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  6. Wolfgang here is no doubt spending all of his time providing his highly skilled services, whatever they are, for free to the needy. He surely has nothing in common with those greedy sinners at whom he so righteously sneers. Indeed, his service seems to be proselytizing the wayward sinners here at EPJ in proper politics and economics, the selfless gospel of our statist New Messiah. Wonderment is too mild a response to the unbounded generosity of Obamaist do gooders, humanitarians with SWAT team enforcers.

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  7. I'm one of the lucky ones who lost their insurance due to Obamacare (my carrier left the insurance field and does not offer health insurance anymore)

    Ms. Wulfers, I am actively seeking doctors, group practices, clinics, labs, facilities that want to operate outside the existing "health care" framework. In other words, cash-basis like most of the other products and services I buy. There are MANY people seeking the same.

    Your husband is making a great business decision that will reward him financially and, in my opinion, professionally. I believe this will be the direction that many who stay in the health care field will move.

    Odd when you think about it. Perhaps this morally-bankrupt attempt by leftist progressives, known as Obamacare, will be the primary impetus to returning much of health care to the market, where it belongs. Certainly not what they planned or wanted but unintended consequences are part and parcel to all actions by The State.

    And we also get to watch folks like Jerry Wolfgang seethe with rage and disgust as it happens. A twofer!!

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    1. Great response. Too bad they could NOT care less about "the little people" and just keep fighting.

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  8. how long until cash only practices are outlawed and doctors are threatened to have their licenses pulled if they treat patients outside the current system? i dont think its too far fetched.

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    1. It seems like the logical next step for the central planners/redistributionists, my understanding is that it is illegal to pay for medical services in Canada that circumvent the socialized system in place there(spent Xmas with my sister in Toronto), with variations from province to province and minor allowances for things generally considered outside actual healthcare(cosmetic).

      My sisters significant other has a three year old from another marriage that was running a high fever, one of his discussions on the phone with his ex-wife was his unwillingness to sit in a waiting room for 6 hours unless he was sure his kid was really in need.

      It was interesting to watch as an outside observer. I suggested that he just pay a doctor cash/more money to avoid the wait and he informed me that it "wasn't allowed".

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  9. @MK Wulfers: Don't assume it's an "unintended" consequence of Obamacare to drive doctors out of the field. The history of government is a consistent cycle of deliberately creating new catastrophes, then expanding government power to pretend to solve the problem. The absolute last concern of central planners is our health, wellbeing or longevity.

    @ Anon, 2/23, 7:41 PM: I agree. It is inevitable. At some point, accepting government patients WILL be a condition of medical licensing. No one will be allowed to practice medicine without being a willing cog in the government machine.

    @ Everyone else: Are you sure J Wolfgang is a real person? I can't believe anyone would sincerely post the types of stuff he does regularly. I'd be very surprised if he wasn't a fake persona created by Messrs Wenzel or Rossini as a type of "foil", expressing outrageous opinions just to generate discussion and debate. It's this post, I think that proves it. Not even the most ardent liberal would demand something so ridiculous as a doctor working for free unconditionally.

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