Bureaucrats making medical decisions? Waiting for medical treatment?

[Hugabear]

These are the two primary objections that the knuckle-draggers like to bring up to the proposed health care reform. What these fucking idiots don't realize is that we already have those with our CURRENT system!

Bureaucrats making medical decisions, denying vital treatments or test? Bingo, our private insurance companies and HMOs pretty much have that covered.

Having to wait for treatment? Go ahead, call up a specialist right now, and try to set up an appointment for tomorrow. The receptionist will probably laugh at you. Chances are you'll be lucky if you can be seen within the same month. Depending on the specialist, you may have to wait several months just to be seen!

So what in the fuck are these nitwits objecting to that our current system doesn't already suffer from?

[babylonsister]

1. They're being intentionally ignorant. Obama specifically

mentioned a panel of doctors to determine the value of tests, not bureaucrats.


Oi!

[MichiganVote]

2. More bureaucrats none the less....

[babylonsister]

3. If not doctors, who should be on these panels and make these

decisions?

[MichiganVote]

4. Well here's a thought...how about, no wait, that might be too simple...but

how about the frickin' patient and the Doctor they choose to partner with them in their health care? Do we really need to bring in the entire post office to decide whether or not you're going to get your mail every day? Can we just assume a few things? Mail+Mailbox=mail to private party

Patient+Doctor=Health Care

[babylonsister]

6. The patient has no knowledge of how to make him better and what

tests he/she needs. And you're micromanaging in your mind-it's not going to happen that way.

But the doctor, I'm all for it.

[MichiganVote]

7. What I am attempting to say is that for thousands of years, patients and their Doctors

have managed quite well to determine care. "Tests" today that are defined by the insurance companies or the panels that insurance companies put together does not equal good medicine. There are already too many hoops for people to jump through.

In the mental health end of things it really gets interesting. Patients are routinely denied care by so called, "clinicians", may of whom have less experience with mental health services than the patients themselves. For those with chronic mental illness that means they get worse, so they get a 'worser' diagnosis which eventually results in less care and more medication.

[babylonsister]

8. I'm not talking about mental health. I think the patient should

be involved there.

But for an appendectomy, maybe someone needs to draw the line about which tests might be required before it's done, and then just do it.

[Hugabear]

9. Besides - nobody's saying that you can't have a test or procedure done

We're talking about deciding how much taxpayers should have to bear the burden for. If we're going to have any realistic hope of keeping costs down, then there will have to be choices made. If you want a test or procedure that a board of doctors (and not simply a barely qualified bureaucrat) decides is unnecessary, you can still opt to pay for it yourself, or seek a private insurance company.

[babylonsister]

10. Sounds like a good solution to me. I'm sure people who

don't have insurance would love to see a doctor to cure their ills, especially if the price is reasonable.

Most people want to be able to see a doc when they feel it's important.

I so hope this passes.

[csziggy]

5. Just went through getting treatment from a specialist

Six weeks to get the first appointment after referral from my GP. Six weeks to get followup appointment. Another six weeks to schedule needed surgery. Ten days after surgery to have stitches removed (appointment made at the same time the surgery was scheduled). Six weeks after that for follow up to surgery appointment.

Mine was not an emergency surgery, but I hurt a LOT before I went in for the first appointment with the GP, so every delay was another month and a half of pain.

The only time I got in sooner than six weeks for any of the specialists in that group was when I blew out my knee, couldn't stand and my GP made a special plea for me. And the only reason I could be fit in was it was before football season and the surgeon wanted to get me taken care of before any of the players on the local team got their knees messed up. If a football player had needed surgery, I am sure mine would have been delayed since the practice has a contract with the team.