Click here to read President Barack Obama's commentary on health care reform, which was published in today's Fresno Bee. The commentary was originally published in the New York Times.
President Obama talks about need for health care reform in op/ed
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Reading the commentary, Obama's goals are great and smack on with some of the biggest problems we have with healthcare. However, identifying the problems and needs are only half the solution. What I am not seeing enough of is HOW. How can these solutions be put in place? How will it be paid for? How is the cost going to be sustainable for the long term? I think that is the next focus of information to the People should be because I don't see it. I don't see how this healthcare utopia can be sustained. I'm all for working toward the goal where is the real world accounting of it?
One problem now that will get worse is the shortage of physicians in the U.S. When more patients are added to the load, there'll be no one to take care of them.
Obama plans to cut reimbursements to physicians as a way to "save" Medicare however, that will make fewer physicians willng to treat Medicare patients. Thus, a further shortage.
And, if the "public option" has low reimbursements, doctors won't be willing to treat those patients either.
One concern I have is that a mandate will be made on physicians to treat those patients for less pay. That wuld drive physicians out of the medical profession for good.
You know Fran, I've been worried about that very thing. There has been a shortage of nurses for a couple of years now and doctors don't seem to be plentiful either. Crowded waiting rooms, doctors saying they aren't taking new patients, etc. I certainly don't want to see these medical professionals get the short end of the stick in a reform.
We will continue to bring in physicans from foreign countries who are just as qualified as the ones we have here.
Fran; every physician I knew who had contracted with a government sponsored health paln had a private practice on the side. In UK and on the Euro continent.
My problem is a cultural one, maybe even racial.
We have so many doctors here in Fresno who come from cultures where a woman does not have the worth of a cow or other animal. But our medical schools still ration admittance. Why? I must confess , being a female, a doctor shingle from Bombay does not instill me confidence. hahaha with some chagrin.
"My problem is a cultural one, maybe even racial.
We have so many doctors here in Fresno who come from cultures where a woman does not have the worth of a cow or other animal."
Sad we still have racial prjudices in Fresno. My Sister-in-law (a nurse) gets phone calls asking what nationality the doctor is.
Who fricken cares? I guess the racists do.
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Spare us your WWII story we've heard it before.
One solution is to offer tuition free med school to those who are willing to work in clinics in low income areas for 4 to 6 years. They'd save up to $150,000 and the patients would be treated.
Rich! I "fricken" care. It is my choice, my right, and no doctor has been hurt by me for not going to him...do you understand? Not that it is any of your "fricken" business, but my family doctor of many years was Chinese, and I adored him. And if I post something you don't want to read...just don't. I shall post whatever it may be as many times as I feel like it, and the beehive will publish. Do you understand? I guess you are sore because I told you that you had no righ to tell blogger "Eugenia1896" what she can say and what not. And being rude to me does not enhance your stature a bit. But you are welcome!
The tuition free innovation in return for medical services sounds great. Perhaps we might loose less of potentially great doctors due to the high cost of Med school.
A physician goes to 8 years of college and med school, then has 3 to 8 years of residency before they are able to fully practice. Add the loan burden and it's not a pretty profession.
Our son received an Air Force scholarship for med school and is serving his first of four years in the service to "pay" them back. Then he has 3 to 5 more years of residency so he'll be in his late thirties. At least he won't have the heavy debt to repay.
Wow! A doctor in the family! Lucky you with such an admirable son!
He's a good kid who's enjoying the service. He's stationed in S. Korea for one more month before going to Ohio for his last three years.
He's going to stay in the Midwest. When I asked him if he'd come back to California his reply was, "I'm not stupid, Mom." Sigh. Oh well. Ohio is lucky to have him
No I can care less what you say, but when it cuts across racial lines it is serious.
You admitted it yourself in your post which I quoted for you.
Just because you had a Chinese doctor does not obsolve you from racist remarks toward other ethnic groups.
It's the hardest thing to admit (racism) especially when your caught flat footed in your own words!
Kim-
You stole my thunder with your post. Excellent concise, brief summation of what the issues are. It's not whether we reform health care, it is how. Unfortunately, if one doesn't accept the prescribed changes from Obama/ Pelosi/ SEIU/ Reid there are a whole lot of people (sheeple) that accuse you of being heartless. We'll get through this though, after this plan crashes and burns.
But that's just it Joe, there isn't anything absolutely concrete yet to crash and burn. And we don't want crash and burn. We want reworked and reworked until it works...however long that takes. Right now I think Obama's biggest problem is his hurry. I understand his hurry, but I think he just needs to step back and reassure people it'll take as long as it takes.
a and o are removed from one another neigh an entire keyboard, So it's not a typo but ignorance. hahaha! And as for my choice of doctors? I choose whomever I want. I need not to be "absolved" from anyhting. And I happen to have a very high instep. Maybe you should take a dive into the river Karma. There you can come across that Euro-lady floating about in a "muuumu" Haha! hihihi ! Dearest daughter of mine...I know it is trashy...but I am having fun.
Scot-
My reference to "crash and burn" was to the plan, not to the effort. I see how my choice of words may have conveyed an unintended meaning. I think you and I agree that the effort should continue after whatever the outcome of this current effort. I think a good start would be on principles that people on both sides of the fence can agree to. For example, I think the practice of terminating someone's private insurance if they become afflicted with a catastrophic illness can be addressed. Likewise, I think there can be a way to get those who chose not to get health insurance to contribute to the cost of their care currently paid by those who obtain coverage. While I find the notion of new taxes repugnant, I think levying a tax on those who work and don't carry health insurance to help offset the cost of treating the uninsured is not unreasonable. Also, transitioning away from individual state regulation of private health insurance so that insurers could sell their product nationwide would be another area that would result in progress. These are just a few examples, I'm sure there are others just as worthy.
Once we take the steps, modest as they may be at first, to address the issues that everyone seems to agree on, perhaps the more difficult issues can be rationally addressed.
I know your proud Fran, you ought to be. Please pass on my personal thanks for his service. I had the opportunity to be treated by U.S. Air Force medical services on a few occasions, they're the best.
no name in self preservation ha! = Isabell Lawson That wasn't hard to figure out.
President Obama please keep talking, keep reassuring us... and don't stop. Rasmussen (-)14
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
It was never intended to be hard to figure out.hahaha!
"no name in self preservation ha! = Isabell Lawson That wasn't hard to figure out." posted by Duh
Duh! I am posting for the third time that it was not meant to be hard to figure out. I was playing around.
When it rains it pours....lol
He has less that a month to go in S. Korea. Besides working with terrific people, he's been required to fly in the F-16's, poor baby. What an experience he's had.
I have also been the recipient of pilot gratitude, though not quite as exciting. Without going into the details, it involved a six pack of Coors left up in a tree next to the mail room at RAF Upper Heyford by a couple of great guys returning from Colorado in an F-111.