Comments on: Doctors Communications to Patient’s Family http://www.healthpolcom.com/blog/2010/02/10/doctors-communications-to-patients-family/ A Forum for Discussing and Analyzing Healthcare Issues Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:00:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Bedside Bad Manners – 3rd Edition | Top Health Coverage http://www.healthpolcom.com/blog/2010/02/10/doctors-communications-to-patients-family/#comment-35275 Bedside Bad Manners – 3rd Edition | Top Health Coverage Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:09:04 +0000 http://www.healthpolcom.com/blog/2010/02/10/doctors-communications-to-patients-family/#comment-35275 [...] the doctor said, and we should prepare ourselves.” The Health Policy and Communications blog points out that this doctor mistakenly neglected to include the family in his “continuum of [...] […] the doctor said, and we should prepare ourselves.” The Health Policy and Communications blog points out that this doctor mistakenly neglected to include the family in his “continuum of […]

]]> By: Amir http://www.healthpolcom.com/blog/2010/02/10/doctors-communications-to-patients-family/#comment-34672 Amir Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:17:20 +0000 http://www.healthpolcom.com/blog/2010/02/10/doctors-communications-to-patients-family/#comment-34672 The current proposal in Congress does not address any of the most meaningful issues in health care: 1) The need for single-payer insurance Multi-payer systems inflate health care costs and give 8-12% of total health system costs to private insurers in system waste 2) True universality of coverage in a plan that doesn’t create a second-class citizenry of the insured Congressional plans still leave 10-15% of our country insured and create a second-class system of the poor insured that will place them below Medicaid recipients with respect to stigma and prioritization of care 3) The crisis of doctor shortages and primary care deficits in American medical care Doctors are retiring at record rates and they are only being replaced at 75-85% rate because of a monopoly and market-control of the MD control by the AMA. Also, we have a 2/3 primary care / specialist ratio and 40% less per-capita doctors than the best European and Scandinavian countries. We have plenty of dermatologists and radiologists but not enough doctors to complete basic screenings and offer fundamental preventative care 4) Tax shortages for the Federal government and a lack of funding for the Medicare (and Social Security) trust funds With a $13 trillion deficit and annual budget deficits of greater than $500B, our country and our entitlement programs are heading for bankruptcy without a 7% across the board tax cut. The idea of providing greater benefits without tax hikes is a myth impossible through policy 5) Tort reform and the end of defensive medicine The featured research section of my website discusses the true costs of defensive medicine, which are high and staggering. Most studies that indicate these costs are 0.5% of total system costs are flawed econometric studies that poorly measure true indirect effects on health care costs within our American system My website addresses these issues, and many more, as they related to health policy, comparative health systems and public health. I encourage you to all check the site out and appreciate your visits. Every visit also raises money that goes 100% to charity to fight disease. [Editors Note: This identical comment has been posted on several other blogs and online news sites.] The current proposal in Congress does not address any of the most meaningful issues in health care:

1) The need for single-payer insurance Multi-payer systems inflate health care costs and give 8-12% of total health system costs to private insurers in system waste

2) True universality of coverage in a plan that doesn’t create a second-class citizenry of the insured Congressional plans still leave 10-15% of our country insured and create a second-class system of the poor insured that will place them below Medicaid recipients with respect to stigma and prioritization of care

3) The crisis of doctor shortages and primary care deficits in American medical care Doctors are retiring at record rates and they are only being replaced at 75-85% rate because of a monopoly and market-control of the MD control by the AMA. Also, we have a 2/3 primary care / specialist ratio and 40% less per-capita doctors than the best European and Scandinavian countries. We have plenty of dermatologists and radiologists but not enough doctors to complete basic screenings and offer fundamental preventative care

4) Tax shortages for the Federal government and a lack of funding for the Medicare (and Social Security) trust funds With a $13 trillion deficit and annual budget deficits of greater than $500B, our country and our entitlement programs are heading for bankruptcy without a 7% across the board tax cut. The idea of providing greater benefits without tax hikes is a myth impossible through policy

5) Tort reform and the end of defensive medicine The featured research section of my website discusses the true costs of defensive medicine, which are high and staggering. Most studies that indicate these costs are 0.5% of total system costs are flawed econometric studies that poorly measure true indirect effects on health care costs within our American system

My website addresses these issues, and many more, as they related to health policy, comparative health systems and public health. I encourage you to all check the site out and appreciate your visits. Every visit also raises money that goes 100% to charity to fight disease.

[Editors Note: This identical comment has been posted on several other blogs and online news sites.]

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