Mayo Clinic in Arizona to Stop Treating Some Medicare Patients

So, how much should they make? What would be acceptable to you?

 

Nope. My vote didn't do one thing to help elect him. John McCain won Arkansas very, very easily.

Besides, I also voted for Ron Paul. I'll gladly own that vote.

 

I can complain about someone making $1,500. That doesn't mean I want anything done about it. The problem is when liberals and conservatives and statists complain and then want their complaint about something made into law. I may complain about how much someone is paid but I don't want it made into some kind of law.

 

Not according to the Bible.

 

Don't know what you refer to, but according to the First Amendment, Ken has this right as an American.

 

Why are you avoiding the question? If they shouldn't be allowed to make $1500 then how much should they be allowed to make?

 

No one should be banned by law from making $1,500.

 

I don't understand.

What is your complaint with someone making $1,500 per hour?

BTW the article didn't say that the doctor makes $1,500 per hour - you sort of extrapolated it - how I do not know.

 

Mine has stated that he would go to a cash-only practice and retire only if the government did not allow him to do that.

Of course, if the government stopped him, knowing him, he'd probably go hide out in the woods like the old moonshiners and treat people out there.

 

Why not? You obviously don't think they should make that much.

 

I don't like that the Dallas Cowboys don't play in the Super Bowl every year but I'm going to advocate passing a law to make it so.

 

If someone makes $1,500.00 an hour, then so be it. Just don't complain when you only the rich can afford health care. How are people who make $10 an hour or $20 an hour or $30 an hours supposed to afford health care when they are having to pay the doctor $1,500 per hour. A person making $10.00 an hour has to work 150 hours to pay for one hour with such a doctor.

 

Who says that doctors make $1,500 per hour - other than you?

You seem to have dreamed up this figure.

My guess would be that the average doctor makes 1/10th that amount.

 

Physicians' fees seem steep until you realize that they must cover increasing practice expenses, especially staff payroll and medical malpractice insurance. For example, in Florida a solo surgical practice could require between $400,000 and $500,000 income just to meet expenses. More staff is required to stay on top of the increasing complexities of insurance. But while expenses increase, reimbursement from insurance has significantly decreased. What that creates is stressed physicians trying to see more patients to meet those demands. It means less time for individual patients, a weakening of the physician-patient relationship, an environment more conducive to mistakes, and demoralized physicians and patients.

Why do physicians charge so much? Why should I as a patient even care about their financial well-being, especially when I see what they bill me or my insurance?

There is more to the picture of physician charges than meets the eye. As you will see, what they are paid, by patients and by insurance, impacts the quality of our healthcare. . . not because they are greedy, but because today it takes so much more to keep their practices open -- and because there are issues of ethical relationship with insurance companies, physicians and patients.


http://www.ethicalhealthpartnerships.org/doctorfees.html

 

From the article: "A Medicare patient who chooses to stay at Mayo’s Glendale clinic will pay about $1,500 a year for an annual physical and three other doctor visits".

How much time would three visits plus a physical entail?

By the way, 1/10 of that amount would still be $150/hour. How many of their patients make $150/hour? Or even $30/hour? Or even $20/hour?

 

So 1500 is a yearly cost not an hourly cost. And you need to remember the overhead doctors pay out. Their very own services are not free to them either.

 

I know. The current trend is not sustainable. If we don't turn the health care back to the free market system with a plan similar to this - www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa650.pdf - then eventually only the elite will be able to afford health care whether one has insurance or not.

 

On that we do agree brother. :thumbs:

 

Why are you digging yourself deeper and deeper on such a silly stand?

"$1,500 a year for an annual physical and three other doctor visits" does not mean $1,500 per hour.

A comprehensive physical could involve numerous tests, lab fees, etc. and could require the patient to stay for a few days.

Just let it go. You are looking silly over this.