[jsgnado1996]

Forgive me, I'm a naive child, but I would appreciate some feedback.

I had an idea the other day about solving some issues with healthcare. I have a perspective from a different view than most. Some background: I am a 17 year old with private healthcare, and my dad is a surgeon. For years being a doctor has been a job regarded as high paying, and most people believe families with doctors are high class. This is decieving and false. My family is middle class and struggles with money even though my father works 15-20 hour days 5 days a week. This is a problem, ladies and gentlemen. The current healthcare system is leaving one specific group in the dust: medical workers. When uninsured patients come in needing surgery, my dad is bound by law to help, no matter if the patient has the money to pay or not. This is a problem because when my dad needs his paycheck, there is a very small percentage of what the surgery cost. My dad regularly gets paid 50-100 dollars for surgeries that cost 800-4000 dollars because the patients do not have insurance, or even money to pay with.

I propose a solution. We have government healthcare (though flawed) but we send them to private hospitals and then tell the insurance agencies to duke it out with the government. We need the government to go one step further and create government hospitals where employees are on government salary so that it is ensured that they get paid fairly. Then the private hospitals have the right to refuse service to those who Cannot pay.

Thoughts?

[Umami]

By 2014, everyone will be required to have health insurance either through a private insurer or the government.

[jsgnado1996]

I really don't see that happening.

[Umami]

Bullet point 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient...uary_1.2C_2014

[jsgnado1996]

There are loopholes. And this idea I am presenting is still valid even if everyone has insurance. Government healthcare specific hospitals still make sense.

[TheSilentAssassin]

Originally Posted by jsgnado1996

There are loopholes.

Where?

[barrel roll]

Doctors don't have to take any patient that walks through their practice's front door. They don't have to accept any insurance provider they don't want to.

[jsgnado1996]

If they fill out paperwork, then yes, they do. And the loophole is that you can be waived if your financials don't meet spec.

[barrel roll]

Doctors do not have to accept new patients, nor do they have to accept all insurance providers.


Emergency rooms are something different.

[F1VENOM]

Originally Posted by barrel roll

Doctors do not have to accept new patients, nor do they have to accept all insurance providers.


Emergency rooms are something different.

Indeed. I hate moving and making all the phone calls.

[jsgnado1996]

yes, but If my father didn't take patients that couldn't pay, my family would be broke. 70 percent of his surgeries do not pay out. Guys, I'd like some feedback on the hospital idea rather than nitpicking the details, if you wouldn't mind. All I know is that when I told my dad this he said "That would be awesome."

[F1VENOM]

He doesn't get paid for 70% of surgeries but is still able to support a family? Some would argue that's one problem, exorbitant salaries.

[jsgnado1996]

Originally Posted by F1VENOM

He doesn't get paid for 70% of surgeries but is still able to support a family? Some would argue that's one problem, exorbitant salaries.

He is only able to support us because he works 100 hours a week. My dad developed Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative disease, from the stress of his work at age 50, but can't retire because he doesn't have enough money to put his kids (me and my two brothers) through college.

[TheSilentAssassin]

Originally Posted by jsgnado1996

And the loophole is that you can be waived if your financials don't meet spec.

Show me this please.

[barrel roll]

Originally Posted by jsgnado1996

...at age 50, but can't retire because he doesn't have enough money to put his kids (me and my two brothers) through college.

Don't doubt this for one second. But you (and your brother) should do that your damn selves and stop mooching off of your loving parents.

but that is off topic.

[jsgnado1996]

Originally Posted by barrel roll

Don't doubt this for one second. But you (and your brother) should do that your damn selves and stop mooching off of your loving parents.

but that is off topic.

Good point and completely valid, and we are. I am planning on an AFROTC scholarship and my brother is applying for the naval academy.

[scienceguy]

In theory I like the government hospital idea. I don't think the private sector could have designed a more inefficient system for payment if they tried. Just talk to any doctor and they'll have a story for you. There's a reason I didn't go to med school, and what's happening now is it. The average doctor doesn't make that much after expenses if ou consider the cost and time of medical school.

It's also a thankless job unless you are fixing fistula in the Congo.... But then you make even less.

My sticking point for government hospitals is, how well do you expect the government to manage them? If we use our roads and bridges as an example, I expect not well.

[Snake13]

This story does not compute

[slateman]

If you want to look at how good a government hospital is, look no further than VA hospitals.

[F1VENOM]

Originally Posted by jsgnado1996

He is only able to support us because he works 100 hours a week. My dad developed Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative disease, from the stress of his work at age 50, but can't retire because he doesn't have enough money to put his kids (me and my two brothers) through college.

For someone who's father is a physician, you don't understand disease processes. One does not simply acquire MS from stress, at least it's not known.

Sounds like an emotional appeal and I'm not biting. Doctors are notoriously overworked but certainly not underpaid unless there's extenuating circumstances that you're not revealing.

[TheSilentAssassin]

Originally Posted by slateman

If you want to look at how good a government hospital is, look no further than VA hospitals.

God, you love to stay stupid things don't you.