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ObamaCare
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Location: Blogs Doctor Kara's Blog |
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| Posted by: Kara Clapp |
4/5/2010 |
| Lately I have been asked by patients and business associates what I think about the passage of health care reform in March 2010, so here is my opinion. And before anyone posts hateful responses, remember two things: (a) I'm entitled to an opinion as a citizen and as a person working in the health care field. I have access to information you do not have as a person outside the "system" and (b) hateful inappropriate disparaging personal attacks will not be posted. I only welcome comments that are thoughtful, communicated well, and which will help others think about the issue at hand more deeply.
ObamaCare is a a policy of failure and higher health care costs. It is a false promise and represents government at its worst. More intrusion and enforceable by the IRS no less. Twenty-something single men who have enjoyed choosing to be self insured will have to make room in their budget for pediatric and obstetric care. Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Insurance Plans policy holders will be fined for not having the Obama approved HMO/PPO plans. Since when do we fine free citizens for choosing a plan that best fits their needs and helps them be in the driver's seat for health care decisions? Welcome to 2014. What if the government told you that you must buy only American cars and if you own a Honda, you have to pay a fine each year you choose to drive a Honda? Kinda ridiculous isn't it?
I think health care reform revealed the truth. The truth is that you can't insure health. You can only insure against the financial ruin of catastrophic accident or illness. That's what "health insurance" really is.
Furthermore, you may think that the policy is "soaking the rich". In truth, you are next in line. The tax burden that health reform created will creep into the middle class and you will be defined by the government as the "rich" as it suits their purposes for collecting more taxes. Get ready for lay-offs and more unemployment in the next few years. Those "wealthy" business owners that reform targeted also include your employer who will be facing higher taxes and penalties. But who cares? You got "health reform". I know I won't be hiring any employees soon as the TARP bailout and the health reform taxes just made the financial burden too great for me. And I'm already working 60 hours a week. Am I supposed to work 7 days a week, just to hire an employee while paying even higher taxes?
Besides that, I'm still waiting for Utahns to wake up and really see what I've been doing in the community for the last 3.5 years: offering great health care service for an affordable price. You really don't need expensive HMO/PPO plans and health care that most of us use every day is affordable.
For those of you who are still unconvinced that government involvement in health care is great, then I invite you to talk to a Medicaid or Medicare patient. They've had the "public option" for a while now. Ask them how badly it sucks to call 10-20 offices just to find one that still accepts Medicaid, then ask them how long they have to wait to get in. The truth is that reimbursement rates are so low that most providers cannot take the loss and turn new patients away. The current rate of physicians who do not accept new Medicare patients is 80%. I expect this number to increase if the 21% cut isn't repealed when Congress reconvenes next week.
In my case, I know that 21% cut hurts because I was already leaving 15% on the table as a non physician provider even though I do the same work as a physician in controlling hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Add to that the 8-10% cut that Medicaid puts on top of all that and now the true cut in provider reimbursement is about 40%.
Can you afford a 40% pay cut? I can't either, so my only option is to opt out of the Medicare and Medicaid or retire and go flip hamburgers at Mickey D's. I'd make more money as a fast food worker than I currently do.
So that's my opinion about ObamaCare and any other government involvement in health care.
Dr. Kara |
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