Firstly, I would like to see you go thru medical school and the difficult residency. Not to mention the horrid hours docs have to work.

My husband is an orthopedic surgeon. He leaves for work at 6am and gets home around 9pm monday thru friday. Every third weekend he is on call and must stay at the hospital. He is also a trauma surgeon and must stay in house to take care of pts when they are scraped off the highway.

The weekends he is on call he works all day on friday, goes to the hosp and works all night. Is lucky to grab a few hours of sleep, get up at 6am Sat. to round on pts before 7.30am surgery cases. (that were added on while he was getting his few hours of sleep). Same thing happens on Sunday. He than goes to work on Monday with a full clinic–to see the non surgical pts he did not operate on over the weekend. He is also on call every third wed, which means work all day and work all night and go to work a full day on thurs.

Not to mention he has to work many holidays in this same grueling fashion.

His overhead costs are 54% of money that comes in from insurance payments. If the insurance companies even pay. Medicare pays 10 cents on the dollar, and the insurance companies pay 20-30% of the actual bill. He cannot work less, because than he cannot make enough money to pay overhead. Overhead averages about 30-40,000 per month. Everything a pt sees when they walk into his clinic is paid out of pocket by him. Building rent, all employees, heat, lights, computers, phones, EVERYTHING!! If he bills for a 1,000 surgery, he is lucky to recieve 300, take 54% of that out for overhead. The rest of the money is taxed by the state and federal govt 50%. He is lucky to keep 0 out of a 1,000 surgery.

docs have to practice defensive medicine because of the ambulance chasing attorneys. This drives the cost of healthcare up. No mention of capping medical lawsuits. Most polititions are lawyers this is why this was not addressed in the healtcare bill.

So, for all of you people that think that docs make too much money, you are ignorant.

I would like to see the president and all of his buddies work one week in my husbands shoes. They could NOT do it. I would like to see all of the people that think the docs make too much money work a day in my husbands shoes. They could not.

The president, and all branches of govt. is not included in the healthcare bill, just as they do not pay into social security taxes. If this govt run healtcare system is so wonderful, why have they chosen to opt out?

Have you ever tried to deal with the IRS? The IRS is the largest department run by the govt, most americans are part of it. Try to call the IRS, you will be put on hold forever and treated poorly when your call is finally answered. The IRS does nothing for you but treat you like crap and take your money. Nationalized healthcare will be bigger than the IRS. Try calling and making a doc appt. good luck to you. You will most likely be on hold forever and have to wait in line for any medical needs.

nationalized healthcare has promised to pay specialists 150,000 per year. What happens when overhead is still 30,000-40,000 per month? The docs will be forced to close down their practices because they cannot afford to keep their doors open. What will happen than? The docs if they want to practice will have to become a federal employee. Than the govt will have control over them and dictate how, when and where they will practice. You think you wait in line for a doc appt. now, wait until the govt takes control.

The federal govt had a difficult time with the program “cash for clunkers”, and you think they can take care of your health?

The govt is only out for itself. The sooner you realize this the better.

What federal employee do you know that works weekends or holidays? When docs become federal employees, what will be the incentive to work those long grueling hours, weekends, and holidays? Have fun waiting in line.

We have friends that live in Canada. the clincis close at 4.30, when they need emerg care, they bring thier sleeping bags to the ER and plan on staying there for three days. My friends have to pay for two extra private healtcare plans besides canada’s nationalized healhcare. One for medications, one for ambulance rides to the ER if need be. Canada’s plan does not consider an ambulance ride to the ER after a bad car accident necessary. The US will follow in its footsteps. We also know of a cardiac surgeon in Canada, he was put on the wait list for three years for bypass surgery. He luckily had a huge heart attack while in the US visiting friends and had emery surgery here. Not to mention, the Canadian leader came to the US to have cardiac surgery. Why if nationalized healthcare was so good?

I have read a stat that 74% of all docs will quit when nationalized healthcare actually takes over. Have fun waiting in line.

What will happen when you need emerg surgery, and most of the surgeons have quit or been forced out of business because they cannot afford to pay overhead? Wait in line, and hope you don’t bleed to death before a doc from overseas can take care of you. If they can, or if you can understand them!

Once govt healtcare takes over, the docs will not be able to own MRI units or day surgery centers. Nat health care will not reimburse for these services if doc owned. Hospitals will be controlled by the fed govt. If a hospital wants to expand they have to have special permission from the feds in order to do it. Again, have fun waiting in line if the hosp is the only place surgical procedures can be performed. Even if the surgeon wants to operate, there will be limited surgical suites they can utilize. MRI’s will be a thing of the past. Good luck with the early detection soft tissue cancer diagnosis. You will get a cheap x ray that is a poor diagnostic tool to detect soft tiss. cancer.

One thing you do not understand, people do not work for free.

The brances of govt recieve 4,000 in income, this does not include all of the handouts they get. I find it interesting the president and his friends want to major tax hike people that make over 0,000. If you cannot see that govt and the officals are out for themselves you are blind.

The govt officals love to pit people, classes, docs, pts all against each other. This is how they get things passed.

Again, branches of govt DO NOT pay into social security taxes
Again, branches of govt WILL NOT take part of nationalized healthcare
Again, branches of govt WILL NOT see the major tax hike

THE GOVT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU, THEY JUST WANT TO FEATHER THIER OWN NEST!!

If a person is rewarded by not working, they will not work.
If a person is rewarded by hard work, they will work.

Whatever behaviors are rewarded is what behaviors will be manifested.

Doctors did not write this healtcare bill, politicians did. You, that think docs make too much need to get the facts, from hardworking healthcare providers.

From a doctors wife who is also a registered nurse

“The lack of physician voices, and reticence to contact our Representatives results in our silence as tacit approval.

Obama and Pelosi recently called doctors “greedy”. This is a new tactic imposed to silence dissenting voices”

First off, doctors are very important to society, if not the most important type of contributor, providing care for any type of individual. Not to mention the work you must put in in order to become a doctor so that you are able to CORRECTLY treat and heal patients.

Secondly, there are plenty of other fields that make the same, or even more than doctors, and they do not contribute the same amount of value to society. Ex. football quarterbacks making .5 mill a year, lawyers who make a hefty salary, and top business CEO’s.

I am not trying to “downplay” these other fields as it takes just as much effort and will to become a professional athlete or successful lawyer, but in the contribution to society hierarchy, I would say that human treatment, making sure the individual is healthy, is far higher than providing entertainment to the public.( referring to any major league sports star)

Also, I think that Obama should address the economic situation and America’s current status in the world first, as opposed to funding something that will only deter getting America back in the black as during Clinton’s presidency.

I’m no political expert, but why not just do what FDR did? Social projects to provide jobs, instead of trying to get something that needs money to be accomplished. (UHC)

Firstly, I would like to see you go thru medical school and the difficult residency. Not to mention the horrid hours docs have to work.

My husband is an orthopedic surgeon. He leaves for work at 6am and gets home around 9pm monday thru friday. Every third weekend he is on call and must stay at the hospital. He is also a trauma surgeon and must stay in house to take care of pts when they are scraped off the highway.

The weekends he is on call he works all day on friday, goes to the hosp and works all night. Is lucky to grab a few hours of sleep, get up at 6am Sat. to round on pts before 7.30am surgery cases. (that were added on while he was getting his few hours of sleep). Same thing happens on Sunday. He than goes to work on Monday with a full clinic–to see the non surgical pts he did not operate on over the weekend. He is also on call every third wed, which means work all day and work all night and go to work a full day on thurs.

Not to mention he has to work many holidays in this same grueling fashion.

His overhead costs are 54% of money that comes in from insurance payments. If the insurance companies even pay. Medicare pays 10 cents on the dollar, and the insurance companies pay 20-30% of the actual bill. He cannot work less, because than he cannot make enough money to pay overhead. Overhead averages about 30-40,000 per month. Everything a pt sees when they walk into his clinic is paid out of pocket by him. Building rent, all employees, heat, lights, computers, phones, EVERYTHING!! If he bills for a 1,000 surgery, he is lucky to recieve 300, take 54% of that out for overhead. The rest of the money is taxed by the state and federal govt 50%. He is lucky to keep $100 out of a 1,000 surgery.

docs have to practice defensive medicine because of the ambulance chasing attorneys. This drives the cost of healthcare up. No mention of capping medical lawsuits. Most polititions are lawyers this is why this was not addressed in the healtcare bill.

So, for all of you people that think that docs make too much money, you are ignorant.

I would like to see the president and all of his buddies work one week in my husbands shoes. They could NOT do it. I would like to see all of the people that think the docs make too much money work a day in my husbands shoes. They could not.

The president, and all branches of govt. is not included in the healthcare bill, just as they do not pay into social security taxes. If this govt run healtcare system is so wonderful, why have they chosen to opt out?

Have you ever tried to deal with the IRS? The IRS is the largest department run by the govt, most americans are part of it. Try to call the IRS, you will be put on hold forever and treated poorly when your call is finally answered. The IRS does nothing for you but treat you like crap and take your money. Nationalized healthcare will be bigger than the IRS. Try calling and making a doc appt. good luck to you. You will most likely be on hold forever and have to wait in line for any medical needs.

nationalized healthcare has promised to pay specialists 150,000 per year. What happens when overhead is still 30,000-40,000 per month? The docs will be forced to close down their practices because they cannot afford to keep their doors open. What will happen than? The docs if they want to practice will have to become a federal employee. Than the govt will have control over them and dictate how, when and where they will practice. You think you wait in line for a doc appt. now, wait until the govt takes control.

The federal govt had a difficult time with the program “cash for clunkers”, and you think they can take care of your health?

The govt is only out for itself. The sooner you realize this the better.

What federal employee do you know that works weekends or holidays? When docs become federal employees, what will be the incentive to work those long grueling hours, weekends, and holidays? Have fun waiting in line.

We have friends that live in Canada. the clincis close at 4.30, when they need emerg care, they bring thier sleeping bags to the ER and plan on staying there for three days. My friends have to pay for two extra private healtcare plans besides canada’s nationalized healhcare. One for medications, one for ambulance rides to the ER if need be. Canada’s plan does not consider an ambulance ride to the ER after a bad car accident necessary. The US will follow in its footsteps. We also know of a cardiac surgeon in Canada, he was put on the wait list for three years for bypass surgery. He luckily had a huge heart attack while in the US visiting friends and had emery surgery here. Not to mention, the Canadian leader came to the US to have cardiac surgery. Why if nationalized healthcare was so good?

I have read a stat that 74% of all docs will quit when nationalized healthcare actually takes over. Have fun waiting in line.

What will happen when you need emerg surgery, and most of the surgeons have quit or been forced out of business because they cannot afford to pay overhead? Wait in line, and hope you don’t bleed to death before a doc from overseas can take care of you. If they can, or if you can understand them!

Once govt healtcare takes over, the docs will not be able to own MRI units or day surgery centers. Nat health care will not reimburse for these services if doc owned. Hospitals will be controlled by the fed govt. If a hospital wants to expand they have to have special permission from the feds in order to do it. Again, have fun waiting in line if the hosp is the only place surgical procedures can be performed. Even if the surgeon wants to operate, there will be limited surgical suites they can utilize. MRI’s will be a thing of the past. Good luck with the early detection soft tissue cancer diagnosis. You will get a cheap x ray that is a poor diagnostic tool to detect soft tiss. cancer.

One thing you do not understand, people do not work for free.

The brances of govt recieve $174,000 in income, this does not include all of the handouts they get. I find it interesting the president and his friends want to major tax hike people that make over $250,000. If you cannot see that govt and the officals are out for themselves you are blind.

The govt officals love to pit people, classes, docs, pts all against each other. This is how they get things passed.

Again, branches of govt DO NOT pay into social security taxes
Again, branches of govt WILL NOT take part of nationalized healthcare
Again, branches of govt WILL NOT see the major tax hike

THE GOVT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU, THEY JUST WANT TO FEATHER THIER OWN NEST!!

If a person is rewarded by not working, they will not work.
If a person is rewarded by hard work, they will work.

Whatever behaviors are rewarded is what behaviors will be manifested.

Doctors did not write this healtcare bill, politicians did. You, that think docs make too much need to get the facts, from hardworking healthcare providers.

From a doctors wife who is also a registered nurse