American Elephants

Doctors don’t think much of the healthcare reform proposals. They have deep concern about government competence and motives, concerns about rising costs and declining care,  possible rationing and a lack of governmental interest in limits on malpractice suits, according to an IBD/TIPP poll.

Only 33% of 1,376 practicing physicians who responded to a mailed questionnaire over the last two weeks, supported any of the health care plans that have appeared so far from the administration or Congress.  65% of the doctors were opposed.

The most startling response indicated that 45% of these professionals said they would consider closing their practices or retiring early if the reforms being considered were enacted.

Questionnaires were sent out to 25,600 doctors nationwide, on August 28.  The sample was purchased from a list broker.  One hundred of those responding were retired, and their answers were not included in the results.  The poll invited responding doctors to give their reasons for opposition or favor, and 1,300 written responses came in.

Doctors feared that any government reform would turn into a kind of “socialized” medicine.  They want no government option, no government-run program which would lead to high costs and low quality.  Some came from socialist systems and know that they do not work.

Many saw the plans as simply unconstitutional. They see government interference in medicine as failed in its objectives, causing moral and economic bankruptcy.

Doctors are angry over the lack of tort reform, which was mentioned by hundreds of respondents.  Physicians say that they practice too much defensive medicine just to protect themselves from lawsuits.  Doctors in some specialties such as neurology, pay as much as $250,000 a year for malpractice insurance.

Unlike the busy members of committees writing the mandates and requirements they wish to impose on the medical profession, doctors know the practice of medicine from the inside. Please read the whole article,  it is very worth your time.

Contrary to President Obama’s insulting remark, doctors don’t take out tonsils to make a few extra bucks.  Nobody goes through the long hard requirements of medical education and training without being highly motivated by something more than just making money.  If that was what they cared about, they could all run hedge funds.  They care about making people well and saving lives.  That’s why they went into medicine.  As Rush Limbaugh remarked a few days ago: “The emphasis in America is on saving lives.  In socialist countries the emphasis is on saving money.”

SERMO is the world’s largest online medical community with more than 100,000 registered, licensed physicians in 68 specialties in all 50 states, who collaborate on difficult cases, share clinical research and work towards better patient outcomes.

[Consider that the wise politicians in Congress require that physicians will turn in their results electronically to a committee of bureaucrats in Washington who will decide what the best medical practices should be, and require that all doctors follow those rulings.  Interesting comparison.]

Nearly 10,000 doctors representative of U.S. Physician population in regional distribution, urban and rural location, age and nearly all specialties were surveyed.  All were verified to have valid, active licenses to practice in America with a median 25 years of practice experience.

94% of the physicians surveyed do not endorse the healthcare reform bill in the House, nor do they support the AMA endorsement of reforms.  The AMA represents only a minority of doctors.

What medical professionals know is necessary to deliver best care bears no resemblance to the current system, nor to any managed care healthcare reforms in the House or the Senate.

Our politicians are attempting to change the entire practice of medicine and health care delivery system in this country.  The system has some real problems which were caused by government action.  Those problems can be fixed without tearing down the best medical system in the world.

The politicians have consulted lobbyists, CEOs of pharmaceutical businesses and hospitals — demanding that they agree to price cuts in exchange for not being ruined, labor unions who want to unionize all hospital workers,  labor union health care plan management, and who knows who else.  Who they have not consulted, nor considered, are patients (unless they have a sad story about evil insurance companies) and medical professionals.  That is not just an oversight.  It is a devastating admission that the politicians have not the slightest idea about what they are doing. Improving medical care is not part of the equation.  It’s all about control.

As Sandy Sczwarc, proprietor of Junkfood Science says: ” He who controls the medical profession controls life.”