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riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)

14. One of my client's is a cardiac thoracic surgeon. His malpractice insurance is @ $1 million/yr

Thu May 31, 2012, 07:45 PM

May 2012

On top of the school debt (approximately $200k) he accumulated by the time he was able to practice his profession (he was over 30 by the time he actually began practicing). He has an excellent surgical record but malpractice insurance eats into your bottom line in the biggest way. I notice on that list most of those physicians with the biggest salaries are the ones with the biggest malpractice exposure which they pay out of their own pocket so they need that extra money.

Yes, now he's very, very wealthy but the first decade was pretty rocky financially. One of the worst parts of his job is the insurance hassles for his patients. He has to hire staff to just handle his patients' health insurance companies - more $$ out of pocket. He pretty much hates his job now because its gotten harder to simply practice medicine

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Only 54% of doctors would choose a career in medicine again, only 11% feel "rich" [View all] Liberal_in_LA May 2012 OP

A few years ago I broke my arm abelenkpe May 2012 #1

Education costs are through Carolina Jun 2012 #77

That's probably true. MrSlayer May 2012 #2

Cry me a river. Bunch of privileged prima donnas - n/t coalition_unwilling May 2012 #3

making $158,000 a year does not sound like a hardship to me hfojvt May 2012 #4

But they didn't start making that money until they were in their 30s mainer May 2012 #10

Plus, the financial crisis in medicine has made the field a lot less rewarding than it was. cbayer May 2012 #11

You do realize that 400k doesn't buy much in any coastal city? taught_me_patience May 2012 #12

But it's those people who complain who shouldn't be in the profession to begin with. YellowRubberDuckie May 2012 #5

Exactly! When the AMA comes out for single-payer, then coalition_unwilling May 2012 #6

AMA is an institution of dusty old farts supported by the pharmeceutical industry. hunter Jun 2012 #50

Innocent question: who or what institution has responsibiltiy for coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #54

It has a lot to do with how many residency slots are open, and in what specialties... hunter Jun 2012 #58

The AMA has significant control over "number of slots" and SharonAnn Jun 2012 #65

The AMA has this control? I think not. mainer Jun 2012 #91

And therein lies the elephant in our social living room. Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #9

Agreed. YellowRubberDuckie May 2012 #15

Four years of college, four years of medical school, 3-5 years of residency training, cbayer May 2012 #16

The AMA. Egalitarian Thug Jun 2012 #57

thank you, cbayer Carolina Jun 2012 #80

Excuse me????????? Initech May 2012 #20

No, excuse yourself. You tell me why my wife and I must either die or go coalition_unwilling May 2012 #30

I know we don't have universal health care. Initech Jun 2012 #39

It does excuse a broad-brush claim against a profession that coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #41

Been a doc 32 years Chuuku Davis Jun 2012 #46

Hello, Mr. 21-post Newbie. Sorry you're not rich. Hope that's coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #47

Sorry, if you're highly intelligent and willing to go through a decade of education and training Rittermeister Jun 2012 #63

Gee, does my 6 years of undergrad and 6 years of M.A. and partial work towards a Ph.D. coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #64

Most doctors are not in the 1% Hippo_Tron Jun 2012 #83

I imagine we often rationalize to ourselves that "giving a shit" about people is a means to an end LanternWaste Jun 2012 #42

You are goddamned right that subsistence farmers in Rwanda should be coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #55

Doctors' bills are a very small part of the cost of health insurance mainer Jun 2012 #67

your anger is misplaced Carolina Jun 2012 #82

You know, that may well be. Little story for you, though. coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #84

Like any business, there's some people who have extremely lucrative operations Hippo_Tron Jun 2012 #86

what an ignorant thing to write. unbelievably ignorant. magical thyme May 2012 #21

Are you a physician? Are you making in excess of $150,000/year? Just coalition_unwilling May 2012 #29

Only 15% of US physicians belong to the AMA. cbayer May 2012 #31

The AMA certainly acts as if it represents physicians. I'm so sick of this society's fundamental coalition_unwilling May 2012 #33

The AMA has some role in the oversight of medical schools, but they don't control the numbers. cbayer May 2012 #36

no, I am a medical lab technician magical thyme Jun 2012 #51

Look, I drive a beat-up 1993 Nissan Sentra. My earnings in 2010 (last year coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #53

I drive a beat-up 1997 Honda Civic with 215,000 miles on it magical thyme Jun 2012 #66

In my fifth year as an undergrad (majoring in English and History), I took coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #68

I went back at 55...and I regret it magical thyme Jun 2012 #71

Wow, thanks for that detail. I really wish I hadn't been so brash and full of myself coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #72

the grass is always greener on the other side, always magical thyme Jun 2012 #79

Your response would make a brilliant OP of its own (and you coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #85

thank you and you're welcome magical thyme Jun 2012 #99

I am a physician. So is my husband. We both quit the profession. mainer Jun 2012 #69

Yipes, did you bother to read the OP? The lowest paying M.D. on the coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #74

I went into publishing. mainer Jun 2012 #89

He-he. I went into publishing (but never got rich at it) and ended up wishing coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #94

Well, that's how life goes. A lot of unknowns involved. mainer Jun 2012 #96

When I was first getting started in political activism oh so long ago, one coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #97

Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper than $1000/mo if you just went in and paid cash? dkf Jun 2012 #98

All true though at least the physician once licensed treestar Jun 2012 #40

This message was self-deleted by its author Initech Jun 2012 #44

my reply was to Coalition Unwilling magical thyme Jun 2012 #52

Yeah so am I. Initech Jun 2012 #56

Oy, you might want to delete your post and re-post coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #75

Some in this thread are clueless and wrongly paint with a broad brush Carolina Jun 2012 #88

You see, there will not be physicians here on DU to argue with you, why? Burma Jones May 2012 #23

Too busy with their investments maybe. - n/t coalition_unwilling May 2012 #34

too busy... looking for tax shelters. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2012 #87

you obviously have no idea of the Carolina Jun 2012 #78

The big problem here is that those making the least are the ones who often do the most work. cbayer May 2012 #7

+1 tallahasseedem May 2012 #13

I would challenge them to spend a semester in med school magical thyme May 2012 #22

Well Said and Agreed n/t OhioChick May 2012 #28

OK. I'm a nurse,and work with a LOT of docs still paying off loans w8liftinglady May 2012 #8

One of my client's is a cardiac thoracic surgeon. His malpractice insurance is @ $1 million/yr riderinthestorm May 2012 #14

A combination of things here jp11 May 2012 #17

written like somebody who truly does not have a clue what they are writing about magical thyme May 2012 #25

Thanks for ignoring what I wrote and making excuses for the things you think I said. jp11 Jun 2012 #81

As I tell my kids.. sendero May 2012 #27

As logicians might say, Money is necessary but not sufficient for coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #48

People who say that money doesn't buy happiness don't know where to shop. KansDem Jun 2012 #61

That's cute.. sendero Jun 2012 #62

My brother's school had a strict interview policy. Initech May 2012 #18

I bet the didn't poll my doctor or dentist here in the Bay Area. 1300 bucks for a root canal. He demosincebirth May 2012 #19

Gee, I don't know, maybe he pays his staff decent wages...the slime...... Burma Jones May 2012 #24

No one working in a dental office can support a family of two. Not even in the demosincebirth Jun 2012 #59

Don't even get me started on dentistry and so-called 'dental insurance'. God, coalition_unwilling May 2012 #32

you think he simply pockets Carolina Jun 2012 #90

Awww, must be getting harder for them to steal from insurance companies and the government RB TexLa May 2012 #26

50 million Americans DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE and we're coalition_unwilling May 2012 #35

totally agree. demosincebirth Jun 2012 #60

Yes, we should care. Without doctors, there's no healthcare mainer Jun 2012 #70

You know, how about I just crawl off and die, since that's coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #73

Doctors aren't the ones who drive up healthcare costs. It's the cost of hospitalization. mainer Jun 2012 #92

Read the final chapters of Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth". The fate coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #95

Among all the real and imagined injustices in our society... BlueCheese Jun 2012 #37

the thing is I know a lot a non-medical doctors Johonny Jun 2012 #43

Absolutely. Your carpenter can perform brain surgery perfectly well. mainer Jun 2012 #93

My doctor's med school was completely paid for by the US Air Force kskiska Jun 2012 #38

Yes my cousin complains a lot. And she works all the time. Maraya1969 Jun 2012 #45

OT, but really enjoyed your description of your cousin, especially your coalition_unwilling Jun 2012 #49

"Only 54%"? surrealAmerican Jun 2012 #76