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What planet are you on? Where are these fancy rich doctors? The average physician salary is about $200k, and the family docs, pediatricians, etc, are making way under that. It's the only job that has been getting a pay cut adjusted for inflation for the last 20 years.
That salary, after federal taxes, is about $136k...oh, yeah, that's super-rich mansion time!
What a bunch of crap.
Uh, it's not a bunch of crap. These fancy rich doctors are in Bergen County, NJ.
I'm not sitting here making this stuff up. What planet are YOU on? $200K a year? Give me a break. Maybe in the boonies somewhere. Doctor who charge $300/$400 per 15-20 minute appointment are not crying poverty, even after their malpractice insurance premiums and other expenses.
For the record, I just looked up in the state tax records the house of the doctor I mentioned in my previous post, who charges $368 for the initial 15-minute appointment. She's a very nice person, by the way. Her house is assessed at 1.255 million. No, that's not in league with Brangelina or a baseball player, but she's not paying for that with $136K after taxes, either.
Most doctors in the area live in towns like Franklin Lakes and Upper Saddle River, where average house prices are 1.5 million.
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 01-30-2010 at 10:16 PM..
Uh, it's not a bunch of crap. These fancy rich doctors are in Bergen County, NJ.
I'm not sitting here making this stuff up. What planet are YOU on? $200K a year? Give me a break. Maybe in the boonies somewhere. Doctor who charge $300/$400 per 15-20 minute appointment are not crying poverty, even after their malpractice insurance premiums and other expenses.
Geezus. Just go look up the stats instead of making up anecdotal crap as your evidence that all doctors are rich scammers.
Frankly, I think it's sick that people would resent someone who had to work that hard and who has that much responsibility from making a higher salary than Joe Blow office worker. Gimme a break.
Some News, Msnbc.com readers reveal financial hazards in current health system.
As the mother of a toddler who survives only because of the breathing tubes up his nose, the feeding tube in his gut, and the expertise of doctors in three cities, Courtney Elliott is keenly aware of the high costs of medical care — in every sense of the word.
These days even if you do have insurance- you get a serious illness or accident, you are most likely seriously screwed. One bad slip on the pavement and you could be looking at tens of thousands of dollars of out of pocket costs... even with insurance. Recent survey shows medical costs leading to 62% of personal bankruptcy in U.S.... Families forced to mortgage their homes....
Geezus. Just go look up the stats instead of making up anecdotal crap as your evidence that all doctors are rich scammers.
Frankly, I think it's sick that people would resent someone who had to work that hard and who has that much responsibility from making a higher salary than Joe Blow office worker. Gimme a break.
So...you are one of those people who "reads" things into a post that aren't there. I never said I resented anyone at any time anywhere, nor did I ever anywhere refer to them as "rich scammers", and you of course know that but just had to throw that in because..well, who knows why people like you do that on these forums. There's one on every thread. As a matter of fact, if you actually read what I wrote, you would see that I specifically said I have nothing against anyone getting rich, just that they can afford to give back as part of the solution.
These days even if you do have insurance- you get a serious illness or accident, you are most likely seriously screwed. One bad slip on the pavement and you could be looking at tens of thousands of dollars of out of pocket costs... even with insurance. Recent survey shows medical costs leading to 62% of personal bankruptcy in U.S.... Families forced to mortgage their homes....
That number is disputed. The dispute revolves around the inclusion of some people who didn't REALLY go banckrupt due to medical bills. Woolhandler, the author of the study cited in your link, tells us that 34%, over half of the 60% claimed as banckrupt becasue of medical costs, were included because they spent $5,000 or 10% of their yearly income on medical expenses the year they filed for banckruptcy, regardless of what other debt they had accumulated.
Imagine this; A guy who makes $100,000 buys a new $50,000 car, and drives it to Atlantic City for a gambling weekend. He loses $10,000 at the craps table and speds another $5,000 on hookers and booze. In a ridiculously drunken state, he leaves the hooker after their party, heading home in his new car, and crashes into a car pulling into the Casino. In addition to totalling his car and breaking his leg and a rib, for which injury he had to go to the hospital, he also totals the other car, fortunately not injuring it's occupant seriously. The hospital bill for his injury is $5,500, and the other guys car costs $40,000. HIs car insurance company will not pay any of it becasue he was drunk when he caused all this damage, and the other guy sues him for the cost of the new car. He misses a couple of weeks with the injury and in court with the lawsuit, and his income drops significantly.
When he files for banckruptcy, the study cited in your article counts him among the 60% who went banckrupt because of medical expences.
I know it's an extreme (and hopefully funny) example, but it serves to illustrate the uselessness and dishonesty of the study.
That number is disputed. The dispute revolves around the inclusion of some people who didn't REALLY go banckrupt due to medical bills. Woolhandler, the author of the study cited in your link, tells us that 34%, over half of the 60% claimed as banckrupt becasue of medical costs, were included because they spent $5,000 or 10% of their yearly income on medical expenses the year they filed for banckruptcy, regardless of what other debt they had accumulated.
Imagine this; A guy who makes $100,000 buys a new $50,000 car, and drives it to Atlantic City for a gambling weekend. He loses $10,000 at the craps table and speds another $5,000 on hookers and booze. In a ridiculously drunken state, he leaves the hooker after their party, heading home in his new car, and crashes into a car pulling into the Casino. In addition to totalling his car and breaking his leg and a rib, for which injury he had to go to the hospital, he also totals the other car, fortunately not injuring it's occupant seriously. The hospital bill for his injury is $5,500, and the other guys car costs $40,000. HIs car insurance company will not pay any of it becasue he was drunk when he caused all this damage, and the other guy sues him for the cost of the new car. He misses a couple of weeks with the injury and in court with the lawsuit, and his income drops significantly.
When he files for banckruptcy, the study cited in your article counts him among the 60% who went banckrupt because of medical expences.
I know it's an extreme (and hopefully funny) example, but it serves to illustrate the uselessness and dishonesty of the study.
And there are people like me who have worked nearly 40 years and the spouse becomes ill, terminated from her employment of 15 years because of illness. Family loses their coverage because of the termination. I pick up insurance from my work paying out of pocket $1000 a month while fighting the insurance company.................We can go on and on about examples. The system is broken and getting worse each and everyday and that's a fact.
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