General Discussion

eridani

(51,907 posts)

73. Doctors here have to go heavily in debt for their professional educations

Tue May 29, 2012, 12:16 PM

May 2012

Also, there are no cost controls on any of the things they need to practice. And malpractice insurance is far more espensive. (That's because universal health care eliminates the major motivation to sue after an unfavorable outcome--vastly higher lifetime medical costs.)

At a single payer convention in the early 90s, a doctor who moved back to Canada after trying to make more money by relocating to the US explained that though his gross was far higher here, the net wasn't all that much better. He finally got disgusted by seeing more diabetic leg amputations in 5 years in Idaho than he had seen his entire life in Canada.

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The stunning truth about healthcare pricing [View all] FourScore May 2012 OP

Yep. Edweird May 2012 #1

A lot of medical institutions have cash payer rates... cynatnite May 2012 #2

I don't have insurance & I've always had great difficulty in getting healthcare facilities to tell HiPointDem May 2012 #17

Nor have I. dotymed May 2012 #54

All throughout the nineties, truedelphi May 2012 #61

I am sorry they treated you that way. Kolesar May 2012 #69

I wonder whether those cash rates are allowed for people with insurance but a high deductible? renate May 2012 #37

I haven't found this to be the case TheFarseer May 2012 #58

It seems like it varies from facility to facility... cynatnite May 2012 #59

Amazing. It would be cheaper for me to hide my insurance and pay cash! Liberal_in_LA May 2012 #82

Well, in our situation at the time it was appropriate... cynatnite May 2012 #83

thank dog obamacare has saved us from the evil insurance companies lol nt msongs May 2012 #3

Thank dog people are getting obama a progressive congress instead of bitching... uponit7771 May 2012 #4

Thank you! This needs to be stated every time we BlueCaliDem May 2012 #19

Instead of making excuses, study some political history. bvar22 May 2012 #23

+1,000,000 Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #28

Which Obama had on Jan 20, 2009 Doctor_J May 2012 #31

I'm not so sure about that Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #40

True. I meant the mandate (political capital) Doctor_J May 2012 #43

Great joke. cliffordu May 2012 #30

Yeah, 'Ol LBJ was a fantastic guy. A lot like GW in certain ways. Ikonoklast May 2012 #44

THIS is no joke: bvar22 May 2012 #45

And it will be there we he wins, again. boppers May 2012 #67

What about all those that were telling him this on Sunday? n/t Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #47

Love those pics of LBJ 99th_Monkey May 2012 #46

I hatede LBJ with a Purple Passion for The WAR. bvar22 May 2012 #56

Apples and oranges... AynRandCollectedSS May 2012 #50

Unfortunately for us "real" people, Obama was far truedelphi May 2012 #62

Obama the bi-partisan president. Which only serves to screw over the majority of Americans. SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #78

Excellent job pointing the finger at Congress rather than the guy that pushed it and signed it. progressoid May 2012 #34

Right... AynRandCollectedSS May 2012 #51

So you agree he deserves some of the blame. progressoid May 2012 #55

Oh, c'mon. It was a big fucking deal remember? progressoid May 2012 #35

A bargain. The $ that the Insurance Mafia paid to buy Baucus Lieberman and Obama kenny blankenship May 2012 #41

Like "military intelligence," truedelphi May 2012 #75

+1 freshwest May 2012 #5

We don't need health insurance. yellerpup May 2012 #6

+1,000,000 hobbit709 May 2012 #7

You are spot on! GObamaGO May 2012 #10

Insurance companies are parasites. Lugnut May 2012 #11

Health "insurance" must die. kenny blankenship May 2012 #18

I have Medicare Old Codger May 2012 #8

Thank you for posting this and saving me the effort. Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #48

yup! madrchsod May 2012 #71

In the Netherlands in 1996, my husband had an emergency root canal eridani May 2012 #9

I lived in Holland and I had a root canal, but I paid nothing BlueCaliDem May 2012 #20

Because you were a legal resident eridani May 2012 #21

My bad. I thought you meant you lived there. BlueCaliDem May 2012 #39

Doctors here have to go heavily in debt for their professional educations eridani May 2012 #73

We need to stop allowing accountants and actuaries to practice medicine GObamaGO May 2012 #12

"Evidence shows that healthcare costs are arbitrary and capricious." Hissyspit May 2012 #13

Water is wet! Blecht May 2012 #14

The lack of price transparency is a problem. subterranean May 2012 #15

That was always the problem with health savings accounts spinbaby May 2012 #24

"Evidence shows that healthcare costs are arbitrary and capricious." proReality May 2012 #16

Using our precious healthcare dollars to fatten the wallets of for-profit investors.... Scuba May 2012 #22

My daily medication turns out to cost less if I pay cash. tclambert May 2012 #25

"It's made up" Alcibiades May 2012 #26

And there are laws in almost every state Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #27

I certainly don't know of any such law Sgent May 2012 #29

The Wall Street Journal Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #38

No there are not such laws in every state. truedelphi May 2012 #63

Ummmm...... Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #72

I understand what you are saying. I didn't have those statute truedelphi May 2012 #74

860% profit for BCBS. Doctor_J May 2012 #32

an ~90% cash discount -- this makes me rethink everything maggiesfarmer May 2012 #33

Great to see a little libodem May 2012 #36

The viciousness of the Health Care "Debate" was evidence enough for a lifetime! Moostache May 2012 #42

The average CEO is earning $9 mil, the medical personnel does not make this much. Thinkingabout May 2012 #49

Health care charges multiple prices just like airlines and hotels FarCenter May 2012 #52

As I've said many times here. sendero May 2012 #53

Oh and we consumers don't need to worry about our fate when we truedelphi May 2012 #65

Well Obama certainly thinks so and has stated as much. SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #79

I assume you are joking.. sendero May 2012 #81

I heard an analysis of the US health care system on NPR this a.m. VPStoltz May 2012 #57

I have the feeling that either the question or answer was misunderstood ..... oldhippie May 2012 #60

Open the market to international competition. I want to contract my insurance SDjack May 2012 #64

OMG....my son had a brain tumor riverbendviewgal May 2012 #66

Health Insurance Companies JEB May 2012 #68

the base price is what medicare will pay.... madrchsod May 2012 #70

Cash No Good Brainstormy May 2012 #76

So of course the solution is to force everyone to purchase insurance from these SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #77

Kicked and recommended for highlighting what logic and common sense should tell anyone even Uncle Joe May 2012 #80