Support for repealing Obamacare plunges to an all time low.

Largely because if Obamacare were the panacea for the health care woes in this country, the large labor union heads would see that and be on board. Instead, they believe that they can bargain collectively for better health care for their membership than what they can get under Obamacare.

 

Doctors fold up their practice? Right, that will be a cold day in hell...

 

Talking about delusional. We already have a guaranteed wage. Its called the fed. minimum wage.

I know this might be an odd concept, but businesses really do not have an unlimited purse. How is that filling the wealth gap?

If you want to improve the wealth gap, then our government should discourage people from living beyond their means.

 

The government discouraging the people from living beyond their means is laughable. Hell after 9/11 when asked what the American people could do, GWB said "buy things". The USA is a consumer based economy. It isn't coincidence that Americans are in debt and have the purchasing habits they have, nor is it coincidence that debt accumulation is as easy as it is in the USA. The government wants you to spend, over reach, because that us what corporations want and this country more than any other is beholden to corporate interests.

 

And do you believe that a "college education" is going to somehow fix this?

The problem with the shrinking middle class is that much of the middle class should not have been listed as middle class. It doesn't matter how much you make, if you're spending (wasting) every dollar you earn, times will catch up to you. When you have households making 100k a year and have leveraged all their debt, that isn't middle class.

 

You are wrong. This started happening for economic reasons, even moreso in places like the Rio Grande Valley. This is especially true in specialties, like OB/GYN. Even the Washngton Post reported that more doctors are leaving practice in advance of the implementation of Obamacare.

This doesn't even begin to discuss the many doctors that have stopped accepting Medicare patients due to the reduced reimbursement rates. Doctors are now losing money on Medicare patients.

 

If you make more than minimum wage, say $10.00 an hour because you are an industrious fast food worker who got raises, you are now up to $20,000 a year, how are you supposed to save or invest any money?

 

Can you please show me where I said anything about a "college education" fixing anything?

 

My job involves seeing the financial statements and tax returns of doctors. I have yet to come across a doctor that has had to fold up shop. Doctors in more isolated areas has been an issue for a long time.

As far as doctors losing money on Medicare patients, it depends on the doctor as I know many that accept Medicare and are doing very well.

 

Its not economical to hold any business in south texas that relys on people having insurance. i mean you think people can afford out of pocket doctor fees down there. you think they have wealthy county hospital systems. to hold up lack of healthcare in that area ad your argument is laughable

 

On medicare obamacare or not the obama admin has cleaned up billiins of medicare fraud. that may include more govt scrunity of payouts but avg tax payers are all benefiting from the effort.

 

I'm sure that your anecdotal evidence is telling of doctors across the practice of medicine. A quick Google search for "doctors leaving practice" will link you to several articles that say the same thing I am. I think the Washington Post and other periodicals have done better research in this phenomenon.

As for Medicare, you do realize that Obamacare is also reducing the reimbursement rates, right? Doctors that previously did ok on Medicare will struggle going forward. The system is being designed to stack them deep and sell them cheap. This is not the way I want my doctor to practice. To increase speed, you often sacrifice accuracy.

 

Can you provide me hard numbers on the numbers of doctors that are actually leaving the practice? Not doctors that have practiced for 30 years, accumulated wealth and decide to leave early... Not doctors that state that they will leave in the next ten years.

 

Refman i doubt you are medicare so i wouldnt worry. you seem to have afundemental misunderstanding of the purpose of the law. the fundemental purpise of obamacare is to get more people insured. the insurance that the govt eants to push people into isnt govt medicare which btw is for older people. the govt is working with private insurance companies to get more people private insurance. the more healthy people in the system will drive down the cost. states that are comprising with the law have allowed more insurance company options through exchanges and this has actually driven down insurance costs in those states. simple supply and demand.

 

I've heard this argument about doctors quitting the practice but this seems like a trend that started before Obamacare given that many people were not going into general practices and some specialties like OB/GYN in favor of other more lucrative specialties. Rural medicine has always been a pretty tough sell and as the rural population as declined it seems natural that less and less doctors are willing to practice in those areas.

Anyway I have a hard time seeing a wholesale abandonment of the profession. Considering how much time and money is invested in becoming a doctor.

 

Practicing medicine in an area like the rio grande valley is more charity than business

 

You don't find that 34% of doctors and 57% of oncologists plan to leave their practice before 2022, with 55% of them being under age 55 alarming? Odd. I do. 57% of oncologists nationwide fit into that category. This, cuopled with a reduction in med students does not paint a rosy picture for the future of health care.

My former father in law has had his attorney and accountant run the projections, and he is looking to start transitioning patients to other doctors or try to sell his practice. His colleagues in other specialties, like cardiology are doing the same. This is in Fort Worth, not some rural area.

The model given the reduced payouts and lack of ability for the doctor to advocate not only will cause mistakes, but also will cause an significantly increased risk of facing a malpractice suit. With most hospitals, get sued twice for malpractice in your career, and your privileges at the hospital are gone. Spending 5minutes with a neurology patient so you can enough of them to avoid going broke and not being able to advocate for the patient once the insurance company denies coverage makes being sued much more likely.

 

All I know is what I have been told by friends and family who are doctors. Many of them are planning on going into either ancillary or unrelated businesses. Regardless, they are planning to cease seeing patients.

 

And this is historically true. The idea of doctors making a lot of money is very modern and anomalous. Historically, it's a lean and good-will-driven profession.

I'm not saying that's good or bad... I'm just saying.

My parents always bring up this "doctors folding up their practices" argument, and they watch a ton of FOX news, which is known to beat the Obama(s)care drumb at regular intervals.

The "83% of physicians" bit from the GOP has been completely debunked by politifact et al, but that doesn't mean that some lower percentage may be considering retirement.

Time will tell.