Low pay from Medicaid keeps doctors away from primary care

You are absolutely right! Pvt insurers have limited access for years. What do you think a PPO or HmO is ? Limited access. Doctors and nurses sitting on the phone dictating what test, procedure or hospital stay will be covered. Can the government do better - who knows? My mom is receiving medicare - so far so good. She has more options than I do with private insurance.

Anon Y Mouse wrote:

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And this is different from having a private insurer doing essentially the same thing?
Sorry but if you want health care reform you have to do things that will stop money from leaking from the health care industry.
Malpractice insurance is probably the largest chunk of change that doctors face regardless of their ability to practice medicine. The bulk of the malpractice lawsuits are 'frivolous'.
But where will you find an honest lawyer who is willing to enact changes to the legal system which limits the ability of someone to sue someone?

UofC employee wrote:

Because of the FDA and the AMA becoming a doctor is way too long and expensive. If we could drastically shorten up the cost and time to get a MD then we could get more doctors willing to work for less. Just create legislation to allow non-MD's to practice medicine provided their patients consent and sign a waiver of liability. Allow third part law suits, but thats it. problem solved. how many EMTs paramedics, nurses, even aids can diagnose and treat symptoms as good as most doctors. take them off their high horse. create a bazaar out of this bureaucracy!
I would rather pay a freelancing EMT-P for a regular checkup or a prescription. doctors have blinders on and dont get out much

The average pediatrician makes less than a union dock worker in California according to published settlement papers from the last strike. They do it because they have a calling. Those other providers are not qualified as independent practitioners. Your notion of placing care in the hands of less qualified individuals shows a real lack of knowledge. People deserve to be paid appropriately for their profession. That is not happening in Medicine regardless of the type of practitioner you are. The training is long because the fundamental knowledge expected to be able to safely care for another human takes a long time to learn. Truncating the process and giving someone with the responsibility for a human life only part of the knowledge necessary is dangerous.

spongebob wrote:

i think you all need to realize whats going on here is wrong. i was just told by someone that she has not been paid in one month because of the medicaid situation and medicaid will not pay the doctors so they cant pay the staff. my son has an absest tooth and they cant pull it, they gave me a prescription and when i got it filled they told me that after yesterday all medicaid is no good that came from the doctors office and the pharmacy. i think health care workers and pharmacy people know more than we do and there is something the government doesnt want us to know.

Too bad I just saw this post now. Where do you think OBAMA got the money for "Cash for Clunkers" and to bailout General Motors and Chrysler? Money paid in by workers and employees for social security/medicare and medicaid....someone had to suffer so he could pay off the unions.......