Friday, May 2. 2008A major cause of rising health care costs is people abusing the system. Or is it?
A major cause of rising health care costs is people abusing the system. Or is it?
This seems to be one of the most accepted beliefs in our country. We claim that because of abuse by patients we are paying more for Medicare. I myself have said it as well, however after some research I am looking differently on the whole topic. Patients don't write their own prescriptions, book their own tests, schedule themselves for a series of follow-up appointments, or admit themselves to hospital for surgery. People normally go to the doctor because they think something is wrong, not because their idea of fun is sitting in a waiting room for a couple of hours, or much longer. I am sure there are people abusing the system; but first, let’s stop the enablers of that, such as the doctors and medical professionals that are making money off our healthcare system. The real abusers of the system are the ones getting money from it. If I get paid to see you for one appointment, and paid for every appointment after that, I guess I would do the same as well. I would have you back as many times as I could as well. So what needs to be done? Trackbacks
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It is a very complex issue. I believe that we all need to realize that that healthcare is NOT free in Canada. It is paid for through high taxes. Yes some doctors want to milk the system but we all need to be accountable to use the system wisely and not abuse it. I personally believe in having a healthy lifestyle and to have the government give tax breaks for those that do things like join the gym. Taxing cigarettes and junk food heavily is the way to go to offset the costs of medicare.
Do you honestly think a doctor wants to spend all their time booking appointments, running blood tests, and screens all for the big old office visit amount of $18 for a routine visit? Do they not pay income taxes that are through the roof and pay secretaries, write reports and other letters free to other doctors as referrals for FUN? Doctors DO NOT get paid for each prescription written, they do not get a bonus for each blood test or xray form they give a patient. That is part of their standard fee and medicare only pays the physician so much.
Heaven forbid if ONE patient dies because ONE doctor decided not to follow up on a patient complaint! That brings me to another high cost. Malpractice insurance is through the roof. Why not try and get a quote? That is also not paid for by the Medicare system. How much overhead is paid for office maintenance? This is not paid for by medicare, the Doctors have to pay this. Every cotton swab, every band-aid, Every syringe, EVERY SPECULUM in their office comes from their POCKET! Every glove used and how about the little covers that they slip over the Otoscopes? Those are disposed of as they cannot be reused, they are paid BY THE PHYSICIAN! Let's not forget the prescription pads they write their prescriptions on...The Doctors pay for that too. Yeah, patients sitting in a ER waiting room because the have the sniffles... in your opinion that is not as bad but yet the Doctor who tests the patient is? No, If you truly want to be an informed person, make friends with a physician and perhaps his accountant and then ask yourself who is to blame? The Doctor for doing his/her job, or the patient who takes up physicians time. When realistically that time would best be served on someone with a real serious health problem. As for surgeries, as the daughter of a General Surgeon, they DO NOT perform operations unless they are certain it needs to be performed or requested to prevent a compounding issue. Elective surgeries (such as liposuction, facelifts, etc.) are another topic altogether and those types of surgery are not paid for by medicare, unless your health is AT RISK. Don't always blame a Doctor, blame the true abusers: the patients who crave attention, those that thrive on what they consider to be a free offering. Make no mistake about it, DOCTORS pay too, either in listening to health complaints or from the pocketbook having to provide the tools required to do their jobs well. Don't just look at the surface. It's what's inside that counts. Medicare may not be perfect, but we are far better off than our neighbours to the South. If the Medicare system were not in place, those blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, etc, would still be ordered at the frequency it is now, it would just come out of your pocket'. Best of Health to everyone! |
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