I think that a lot of the problem comes from people who hear other people talking about their symptoms and treatments, and they think to themselves "oo, that sounds just like what I'm feeling! I want that treatment too!" and they go to the doctor, and when the doctor tells them, "no, no, you're not as bad as all that, you just need to (insert common sense behavior here)" the patient gets all indignant, insists they need what they're not being given, and they'll keep going to another doctor and another doctor and another doctor until they get what they want. That wastes a lot of time and money too. And then you've got the hypochondriacs who insist that yes they are sick/hurt/need surgery/whatever. It's so out of control, but letting the government try to fix it is like trying to put ten pounds of shit into a five-pound sack. It just ain't gonna work. Dr. Oz was on GMA this morning and he said the government can't do anything to control health care, because it has to start with each individual person deciding that they MUST take care of themselves. And a major part of that is eating right and exercising. How the hell is the government gonna monitor that in every individual in the country? It's NOT. It comes down to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. And, as we all know, more people are into instant gratification than they are into being responsible for themselves. The government cannot legislate morality and personal responsibility, no matter how hard they try.

Just sayin.'

o.O

This waa-waa piece seems to be describing our current system. BTW, doctors at Kaiser, where I took my son for two years, did not complain about overwork. Kaiser does require binding arbitration for all disputes, and pulls the plug (euthanasia) when they deem it justified. They are late adopters of new medical equipment and treatments.
It may the answer to our health care problems is to get the insurance industry out of it entirely, and go to the Kaiser model.
Yet the health insurance industry is pouring money into DC and pundit-land in jumbo-sized barrels, and to good effect, I would say. They are winning the debate.
Keep up with the waa-waa pieces.

Fewer and fewer incentives to become a general practitioner, more incentive to go into plastic surgery or dermatology.

I betcha I can get a consultation for a breast augmentation at least a week before I can get a regular physical exam.

I've been saying for years that the figure of "uninsured" is a bunch of crap. I knew a guy who was 58 years old with no health insurance. One of the statistical "uninsured". I knew him because I used to sail with him on his boat that he kept in a slip on Boston Harbor which is a pretty expensive place to keep your boat. One day when he was complaining about the cost of health insurance I asked him why if it was so important didn't he keep his boat out of the water and buy insurance instead. He didn't like that idea. He was betting that he wouldn't get sick until he was eligible for Medicaid.

And at my last physical I asked my PCP for a lyme disease test since I spend a lot of time on Nantucket. He refused to order the test without me showing any symptoms. Even after I told him I'd pay for it myself. He said that wasn't the way he practiced medecine. He'd only order tests he thought were needed.

I haven't been back to see him but when I do I'm going to ask him what he thought about The Messiah accusing Docs of removing tonsils so they could make more money.

what kind of a stupid comment is "waa-waa". I think a doctor has every freaking right in the world to make an exorbatent amount of money after the years of hard work and effort to achieve the title. I grew up with kaiser and unlike Amy, I had a few really bad expierences with them. I still think they contributed to my mother's demise at a young age. I guess it's ok with a society which showers criminal athletes with millions of dollars and then turns around and bitches about a doctor have the money to take a day of and enjoy a round of golf. Get the insurance companies out and replace them with what? The same government that cant fucking run medicare or social security? What a moron.

Years ago when I first had an HMO, I was thrilled because I had affordable insurance that covered almost everything. My doctor told me to watch the eventual changes to medicine because of the insurance industry. 20 years later, the primary care physician is nearly extinct. Everything is specialized medicine. My doctor steers his two sons away from medicine. Between what insurance pays now, the cost of malpractice insurance, and medical school loans, its not worth it any more.

A college buddy studied his brilliant ass off and went to med school, coming out as a GP. He now teaches high school biology.

I think that a lot of the problem comes from people who hear other people talking about their symptoms and treatments, and they think to themselves "oo, that sounds just like what I'm feeling! I want that treatment too!" and they go to the doctor, and when the doctor tells them, "no, no, you're not as bad as all that, you just need to (insert common sense behavior here)" the patient gets all indignant....

Reminds me of Ethan Frome:

She continued to gaze at him through the twilight with a mien of wan authority, as of one consciously singled out for a great fate. "I’ve got complications," she said.
Ethan knew the word for one of exceptional import. Almost everybody in the neighborhood had "troubles," frankly localized and specified; but only the chosen had "complications." To have them was in itself a distinction, though it was also, in most cases, a death-warrant. People struggled on for years with "troubles," but they almost always succumbed to "complications."

The loss of GPs is a disaster. In the cities, people go straight to specialists - even for silly little things. Add to that the cost pressure put on GPs by the government and insurance agencies, and they are going broke. There are lots of stories like that of the biology teacher.

I live in a small town where we still have a GP. When you wake up in the middle of the night with 104 fever that medicine doesn't touch, he answers the phone, gets up and comes to your house. He is past retirement age, but keeps working because no young doctor wants to take over the practice. When he does finally retire, likely the practice will close.

Not the way it ought to be, but the way it is...

"the primary care physician is nearly extinct"

Where? They're on every corner here in Austin.

Is waa-waa like wee-wee'd? They seem to make equal sense.

And the really funny thing is, so many of these morons who complain about their copay, or the high cost of insurance, think nothing of paying hundreds of dollars to go watch felons toss balls, or $50 to order a fight on HBO. Yeah, Drs are reeeeaaaaaly overcompensated.

Sometimes going straight to a specialist saves money. I don't need my GP to tell me "yeah, you're right, that mole DOES look weird. Go see a dermatologist".

The solution to this is simple; put the decision making into the hands of the consumer. Medical Savings accounts for routine medical expenses. The doctor would advise ("you do/don't need that expensive test") and the patient decides what to do.

No system can work effectively when we're depending of the virtue of individuals to do the right thing when all the incentives are lined up the other way. Eventually, the system will beat the virtue out of even the best (and, with this doctor, we're almost there).

What BillBodell says: make the incentives work the way you want the system to go. I am a huge fan of co-pays and big deductibles. If you want to finance these with medical savings accounts, fine - but if someone empties their account, tough.

There are too many people who go to the doctor with every ache and pain, heck, I know people who go to the doctor when they get a cold.

And on the other side: no insurance, then the co-pay is 100%. For those who genuinely cannot afford it, they are entitled to life-saving care only.