Tuesday October 27, 2009, 6:59 am
Well, doesn't this bite me in my butt. But, please. doctors are still paid well, I don't care what practice you go into. Here, where I work , most of the people are on medicaid and medicare. Very poor area. No doctors look like they are hurting for anything. Recruit, put the word out. The field will get flooded. That always happens. A few years ago it was respiratory, then the nurse shortage. Word of mouth works wonders.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 9:08 am
Health care policies in the US leave a lot to be desired,. Why is it the most expensive in the world but only ranks 34th in UN status for actual healing. Makes me sick at heart.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 1:49 pm
Since my wife works in a hospital, I know all about the cutbacks. Everything is all about the bottom line and making the most profit for the hospital. Almost all health-care in this country is now for-profit. The only exceptions are medicare which is single-payer and the V.A. which is run by the government. And yes Ms. Bee, you are right about the US heath-care ranking. When hospitals decide to spend huge amounts of money on ads and executive perks and shareholders, there is less money to pay for personnel and equipment. How many billboards and newspaper ads for hospitals do you see every day? You would think that everyone would see this broken system and think it would be a no-brainier to fix it. BUT NOOOOO! The current debate about whether or not ALL the citizens in this country should even have access to health-care is truly mind-boggling! Here we are in another flu outbreak and we STILL have no Surgeon General because the Republicans are holding up the vote as a favor to the health-insurance companies.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 3:01 pm
Noted. Thanks Katie.

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 3:50 pm
Physicians are retiring at earlier ages and many are telling their kids to choose other fields. Their compensation, while well above average, is lower than it was in the past. Some of that income drop was caused by HMO's and medicare reimbursement rates. The articles main point is valid in my opinion.

The problem is confusion over the difference between price and cost. The government legislation on health care insurance only addresses the price side. If the cost to provide the coverage is higher than the reimbursement rate (price) then we will see a decrease in physicians. As to non-profit or profit, the only difference is the tax status. Non-profits still must generate enough to cover what they do, or as a local non-profit friend of mine likes to say, "No money, no mission".

Tuesday October 27, 2009, 9:02 pm
Yes most Doctors do not belong to the AMA, but then why is the AMA allowed to controll the education and certicication of all Doctors? Is the AMA not just another quasi-union that controlls the market? As a colo-rectal cancer survivor I hav a great and abiding respect for Doctors in general not so much surgeons who from my experience are arrogant,egotistical and really crappy with patients, could have been just my bad luck. But every since my journey through the health care system I have had this deep distrust of the AMA and its control over the medical profession, particularly when only 13% of Doctors actually belong to the AMA. Just where does all their authority and politiical power come from anyway?

Wednesday October 28, 2009, 3:46 am
I disagree with you LLoyd. Coming from a horrible summer where my hubby needed open heart surgery....the very BEST doctor was his cardiothoracic surgeon. My husband did not have a heart attack, but through tests, it was recommended that they open him up to fix things. He was fabulous, had great bedside manners, had a staff with him who were attentive & thorough, and he made such a small amount when we saw what Blue Cross paid him, we both were shocked.

His cardiologist (who also attended him along with the surgeon afterwards) is just the opposite...cocky, bad office service, and probably charged as much as the surgeon.

As for our family doctor? We're ready to change. I went in for a sinus infection this spring, and he gave me pain pills instead of an antibiotic. I should've sued! And what THEY make on an office visit is a crime!

Don't even get me going on psych's & therapists....now THEY are the ones who rip you off something awful! Check out what THEY charge! Talk about regulating THEIR charges!

What a messed up healthcare system we have!

Monday November 2, 2009, 7:32 am
Actually...the comment by Dove said it all!! Thanks!