Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to NEJM Survey (compared, retirement)
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CNSNews.com - Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to Survey Reported in New England Journal of Medicine (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/62812 - broken link)
Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to Survey Reported in New England Journal of Medicine
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By Christopher Neefus
(CNSNews.com) - Nearly one-third of all practicing physicians may leave the medical profession if President Obama signs current versions of health-care reform legislation into law, according to a survey published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Yeah, sure they will. When hell freezes over. Let's see- I got a great job with high pay doing what I want to do and I went to school over 27 years of my life to do this BUT I am gonna just chuck it because I don't like the President. And I will go drive a cab or something. Makes sense to me!
Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to NEJM Survey
Unfortunately, that would probly be the better third of the field, leaving us with poorly trained physicians and a lot more who would still be learning english.
I'm glad I'm old enough to realize that if I give up my meds I won't be around long enough to care much.
IMO, the 2/3 of doctors who are just in it for the money can go to hell anyway. I can't tell you how many doctors I've been ushered through like an assembly line who missed vital stuff. In fact, my mother died because of one. No thanks. You-all who are just looking for huge wads of cash for very little effort can go anyway. The 1/3 who can stay are worth dozens of you each.
Sure, but there's alot to be said for needing 'experienced' ones around too.
Some of the WORST doctors I have ever been to have been the older ones. They're burned out, they think everything is a "women's complaint" no matter where or how it occurs and they scream at you, "Who's the doctor here?" if you suggest something.
They think there are all sorts of silly made-up things that basically never happen (like autism, for example). They think you're either cute and funny or irritating and out of line if you open your mouth during the 5 seconds they deign to see you, and that's only because it takes that long to sign off with what the low-paid nurse just wrote down.
They've been in the medical community they know NOBODY will shoot them down no matter what they do to a patient (or don't bother to do). So they don't bother to work as hard. If at all (at least while seeing patients; who knows--in the hospital they're probably more or less forced into action, if only because people are looking). More pay and more years in practice, in my experience, have NEVER equated harder working or more in tune with what a patient needs. It's exactly the opposite--and I've always had insurance! We're not talking clinics here...in case anyone is wondering. I've worked for many years and paid for insurance for many years and this is what I've gotten, and what I hear a lot of people get. **
'Bye! See ya. In with fresh people who give a shoot about patients.
** I should give a recent example...my mom was some time ago. I go to a doctor in coddled little Glendora in Southern California. A huge percentage of people are moneyed. It's cushy. Not exactly a revolving door of screaming naked children and patients sobbing to be taken care of and an exhausted doctor at the helm working toward midnight or anything, I mean please. As far as a job for a physician goes, from what I see, it's about the softest and easiest one could choose from basically anywhere.
I recently switched to a different doctor in that same practice when my then-doctor made one too many mistakes. I loved him as a person--would've had him over to dinner with my family in a heartbeat--but he was a moron. He just...didn't have to keep up with anything current. Why should he? He overbooked and made patients wait an hour, then charged us if we were 10 minutes late. You get the picture...typical modern-day medicine. Anyway, the most recent fiasco was when he tried to prescribe me something for migraines. I recalled something I'd read and I asked, "Can't this cause problems if I take it with (X) (my other medication)?" He giggled and patted my silly little worrying hand. "No, no. These are fine together!" So I picked up the prescription and read the insert and bang, there it was. DO NOT take it with my other medicine...unless I wanted to stroke out or have a heart attack or seizure. Fabulous.
Sorry. Huge bills in to rich insurance companies and therefore getting lovely huge payouts back, if anything, has not improved the state of modern medicine. And all I've heard over the past 15-20-ish years, from conservatives too, mind you (they've been the loudest!), has been how medicine has gone downhill and how doctors just don't care...and how insurance companies rape patients and have made the quality of medicine a little higher than zero on a good day. I mean come on.
CNSNews.com - Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to Survey Reported in New England Journal of Medicine (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/62812 - broken link)
Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to Survey Reported in New England Journal of Medicine
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By Christopher Neefus
(CNSNews.com) - Nearly one-third of all practicing physicians may leave the medical profession if President Obama signs current versions of health-care reform legislation into law, according to a survey published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
While 1/3rd might seem steep, we will lose many of the best doctors out there. We will also lose many of the best future doctors-to-be.
I'm sorry, but while many doctors might not be "in it for the money" if you take away a sizeable chunk of their incomes... why did they spend 10+ years in college/residency? Why did they take the gamble of going into a ridiculous amount of debt just to stay afloat?
To help people? I'm sure that is true for many of them. But, while some doctors will work on a few patients pro bono, they don't want to see themselves devalued so greatly. If I was a doctor, I'd want to be on that upper crust. The big house, fancy car, exotic vacations, cash to put your kids through the best schools... that all comes with it. Why go through the trials of becoming a doctor if there is no payday at the end?
Because they are good people? Many of them are. Each of us would feel pretty pissed off if our salaries were cut with no help of recovery. We might switch jobs/careers. Now imagine if you invested as much time as a doctor did into his/her career?
And what of the bright kids destined to be the next generation of doctors? That nice payday is the extra enticement. They'll surely pick something else, leaving the lesser candidates to graduate med school and cut my artery on the operating table.
One of the few sensible posts on this thread. The bright kids are not applying, especially to the primary care specialties, as the income disparity is great compared to that of cardiologist or anesthesiologist, etc. Wait til the Nutjob in the WH tries to equivocate a cardiologist income to that of a primary care provider!! Let the games begin. Who knows what all is in that "historic" bill to further devalue those who spent years and years of hard work and money to become part of what was once held as an esteemed and noble profession.... Anyway, no matter which specialty, it comes down to less income and more patients, the future of those in medicine is merely a grueling thankless existence. And I have no interest in staying on for that lifestyle. I suspect the whole of medical care will come down to the level of the VA (and worse), a very cumbersome and inefficient system of healthcare. No doubt the bulk of the healthcare "professionals" who appear on the scene to take up the slack will be culled from overseas. You know, the ones who reuse needles and think nothing of it....
Just as soon as my present position is ended, I am one of the 1/3 who is gone. (Off to start a much less stressful and more yielding business proposition.) The future of medicine now is whatever medical school applicants out there can be recruited, many of whom most assuredly will not give a damn about patients. The "new medicine" is all about big business. And now, big government business more aptly. Have worked with these "new" doctors, patients shun them, they know the difference in care. Let the foolish and naive who support this travesty of a bill have at it...those who support the new math of LESS qualified physicians available and the ADDITION of 32 MILLION more patients. Best of luck in your brave new world of noncare.
Last edited by lilypad; 03-22-2010 at 09:40 AM..
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