[redhead]

Hi everyone.

As a person who works in the U.S. healthcare industry, I cannot emphasize enough how broken our system is on every level imaginable.

Independent family practitioners are leaving the profession in mass because they can no longer obtain adequate reimbursement from insurance companies or from government entitlement programs to cover their overhead and malpractice insurance premiums. Large hospitals that can afford to take the hit are taking over, resulting in corporate healthcare that is largely being run for profit.

To avoid getting sued, doctors are forced to order costly tests so as to reduce their risk for liability. This raises premiums even higher.

Because so many folks have lost the jobs to which their health benefits were linked, the majority of people now receiving medical care in our practice are the ones on a public option (i.e. Medicare), a term many elected officials condemn as being a terrible affront to our democracy. I talk to patients every day about insurance and can guarantee that not one of them would be willing to part with this entitlement program if you asked them to.

I’ve seen people show up in tears because they were ill with no insurance, and couldn’t afford to pay for a visit. My heart goes out to them. On many occasions, the doctor I work for will treat them knowing he will never be paid, in addition to treating those who can pay, but simply choose not to and ignore the bill. He's not sure how much longer he can afford to stay in business.

What’s most tragic is that we now have a system of government in America that is controlled by special interest groups. Since the insurance companies finance the campaigns of many of the people in congress, how likely is it that they will vote against the financial interests of the industry that put them there? Anytime a politician makes it their mission to overturn ANY kind of reform, you can pretty much guess where their bread is being buttered.

I suspect there would be much more sympathy for the problems faced by millions of uninsured Americans if the elected officials and their families suddenly stopped receiving the “Cadillac” insurance policy they provide for themselves, complements of the U.S. taxpayers.

Just thought I’d share with everyone what the perspective is from a family practitioners office, first hand. I’ve tried to be as apolitical as possible so as not to offend anyone with this posting.