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We mentioned last week President Obama is making a brief return visit to town today to speak to the annual meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates. Most pundits see the address as the first in what will be a growing and ongoing tussle over Obama's new health care package. But others, including the Tribune, are focusing more on the cost of Obama's trip home than what he has to say to the AMA. President Obama won't stay long, flying back to D.C. later this afternoon after making his appearance. According to the Tribune, the cost of the round-trip on Air Force One will cost around $236,000. And, as the Trib points out, "that does not include such expenses as Secret Service protection, motorcades and helicopter transports." It's believed that Obama will travel by helicopter from O'Hare to a location close to the hotel where he'll be speaking so as not to completely snarl traffic. Of course, buried in the Trib story are concessions that Obama's trips to Chicago are much shorter - and thereby cheaper - than trips taken by previous presidents to their home bases.
And what of the actual reason for Obama's trip? It'll be a pitch to a tough crowd as the AMA has long been resistant to reform, but Obama will appeal to them to support the government insurance plan, the most divisive part of his new health care proposal. According to Politico:
Obama will tell the AMA that a system overhaul cannot wait "another year or another administration," the administration wrote in its outline."The president will be clear that reform is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health," the outline stated. "He'll stress that as a nation we spend too much and get too little in return, incurring massive costs that are crushing businesses and families and on leading us toward exploding deficits, weaker benefits, and millions more Americans losing coverage.
"The president will thank the AMA for their leadership in promoting comprehensive reform, and he'll pledge to work with AMA to achieve reform that works for everyone," the outline stated.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to release its own outline of a plan later in the week.
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Of course the medical industry is against change..why would they want to risk a loss of income?
imo, if you go into the medical field, it should be because you want to help people, not make gross amounts of money.
People go into social work because they want to help. Social workers work long hard emotionally draining hours. They don't make money.
Yet, look at any dentist or dermatologist's checkbook.
If your desire is to have tons of money, go into the business or finance world.
The medical industry needs to be turned on its head...it should be about helping people. And everyone...EVERY single person in this country should have access to health care and not have to worry about going bankrupt to pay hospital bills, or have to choose between your medicine or feeding your children, or go without seeing a doctor because you have to pay your mortgage instead.
Any person who thinks that the system doesn't need to change, needs to spend a few years without health insurance, WHILE dealing with a major medical problem.
What part of the medical industry? I ask because the industry is vast and includes multiple players and competing interests. I am also lucky enough to know enough people in the medical industry that I understand that not all of them have the same views about health-care reform. Even the AMA has some significant divisions.
"People go into social work because they want to help. Social workers work long hard emotionally draining hours. They don't make money.
Yet, look at any dentist or dermatologist's checkbook."
So, no dentist or dermatologist wants to help? And I guess the size of the checkbook is dependent on a few things--geographic locations; outstanding student loans; insurance costs; etc.
"The medical industry needs to be turned on its head...it should be about helping people. "
It's not? I mean, I now have two of the best doctors of my life--one primary care, another specialist--and my health has never been better. I've actually been lucky enough to have some other great doctors throughout my life.
"And everyone...EVERY single person in this country should have access to health care and not have to worry about going bankrupt to pay hospital bills, or have to choose between your medicine or feeding your children, or go without seeing a doctor because you have to pay your mortgage instead."
I agree, and think our health care system represents one of the biggest economic drains now in the USA, but you sound like a TV commercial.
"Any person who thinks that the system doesn't need to change, needs to spend a few years without health insurance, WHILE dealing with a major medical problem."
Well, I have great insurance, and even I think there needs to be significant change.
Then again, some people without health insurance--not all, but some--need to take greater responsibility for their finances and personal health, too.
you ever live without insurance, matilda?
and for the record, I know personally about the checkbooks of doctors, dentists and dermatologists. There really aren't too many of them who get into the business to help people...not the way social workers do. Some may start out with the intention, but after a few years of working, and med school bills up the wazoo...that big paycheck, several houses, vacations abroad, etc. starts to look real good.
and yes, the WHOLE industry needs to change. From the insurance end, to the medical school end, to the treating patients end.
I also have a fantastic primary care doctor...whom I haven't seen in several years because I don't have insurance. He's pretty awesome, but he's not going to treat me for free. Can I afford insurance? Yes I can...but I can't get it because of the fucked up industry.
I don't feel like getting into it with you today...but if you have any stories to tell about what life was like without insurance when you had medical problems, then do tell.
But just because you have a good doc now, and have good medical insurance is just one of those "meaningless anecdotal" instances you rail on about. It doesn't really mean anything in the context of my post, which is basically that the medical industry needs to be turned on its head.
Medicine and healthcare should NOT be a for profit industry. Social Work isn't, why should medical care be for profit?
No, Ingrid, I just dislike extremely broad generalizations, especially when the industry you describe is vast. Give me a break. You argue by generalization all the time. Last week it was sports. Now it's the medical industry.
"Medicine and healthcare should NOT be a for profit industry. "
Yeah, good luck with that one, especially if pharma is included in your definition of the medical industry. How 'bout this: We work within the reality--medical care largely will remain extremely capitalistic in the USA--and go from there. We can still come up with some major improvements. How? I'm not nearly that smart. But politics in this country will mean capitalism will somehow have to remain a prime part of our medical industry for some time--that is, no matter how much some want it, we will always have an American system, likely much more socialistic than it is now, but nothing like the situation in France or some of the Nordic countries.
Or, you can merely wait for unicorns to start serving you breakfast in bed.
Whatever the case, I look forward to the next appearance of your broad brush. Remember to replace it from time to time, though, as overuse makes it less effective.
"Any person who thinks that the system doesn't need to change, needs to spend a few years without health insurance, WHILE dealing with a major medical problem."
Been there. Not fun.
And since when did the supposedly liberal media start concerning itself with how much it costs to transport a president to a speech? How much did it cost for Bush to visit Chicago last year?
no kidding. forget Chicago, how many personal flights did Bush take to Crawford?
"imo, if you go into the medical field, it should be because you want to help people, not make gross amounts of money."
I have heard that most residents are at least 300,000 dollars in debt. They have to apply for financial hardship loans just to live.
You don't go into medicine for the money, believe me. The money may come later, but not for years. These people work their asses off before they see a dime.
I believe I made that clear in my post.
I have many doctors in my family, so I know how much they work before the money starts flowing in...yes they work their asses off before they see a dime, but most of us work our asses off til the day we die and never see a dime.
@matilda....you got something against unicorns? Also...there are times a broad brush is called for.
"there are times a broad brush is called for.
Maybe--unlikely, but maybe--but this certainly isn't one.
Speaking of the "medical industry" as though it is this monolithic entity contradicts reality. There are multiple motivations and views held by the differing segments of this industry and the large numbers of people within those segments.
And to imply that some health professionals don't want to help anyone as a prime motivation--and to them further imply that one in health care can be interested in either good work or money, but not both--also contradicts reality as I've known and experienced it.
Yet you seem to expect people to take your argument on this issue seriously.
"And to imply that some health professionals don't want to help anyone as a prime motivation--and to them further imply that one in health care can be interested in either good work or money, but not both--also contradicts reality as I've known and experienced it."
Wow...reality as you know and experience it must be really sheltered.
Actually, I know quite a few people in health insurance, doctor care, nursing care (both RN levels and others), research, education, medical administration and big pharma (including marketing and research and administration). In all segments I have known people motivated by the desire to do good work and also earn the best living possible. Some the best compensated people (and we are taking big bucks here) I've known in the medical industry also are motivated by a driving need to help humanity that, frankly, humbles me. Really. So, even with my minor anecdotes, I have rendered your generalization useless.
But the latter point is this, and holds true beyond my mere anecdotal evidence: All professions attract all kinds of people, some with competing or complimentary motivations, no matter childish attempts to generalize. People are complicated.
Again, if generalizations make you feel better, continue on. Consider it a medical benefit that contributes to your mental health. But don't expect serious people to take you seriously. Or anyone with any knowledge of the medical industry.
matilda, this really isn't the forum for getting into detail. Most of us have jobs and such and post quickly throughout the day.
I have accumulated many thoughts about this subject over the years...but for right here, right now it's basically generalities.
If you don't take me seriously, that's ok...but when I write letters to my senator and big-type important people and unicorns, they do take me seriously.
If you honestly don't think that the medical industry needs to be turned on its head then probably not even specifics would change your mind.
Everyone you know seems to be reincarnations of Marcus Welby.
Personally, I don't know too many Marcus Welby types in the medical field.
But in the meantime, I think that greed needs to be addressed, in a big way, in the medical industry. Starting with doctors and going all the way up to lobbyists for big pharma.
I had a conversation with a cardiologist at our last block party about how many young people he knows who are going into certain specialties ONLY because the starting pay is so high, stress is low and the malpractice insurance affordable.
When you have med students choosing areas specifically because of monetary reasons, then you have what you call the "health care system in the United States of America"...things have got to start changing.
"If you honestly don't think that the medical industry needs to be turned on its head then probably not even specifics would change your mind."
Christ, Ingrid, I never said that. In fact, if you read my post, you'll see what I believe.
My only point was to quite arguing in generalities and put away that broad brush. You do it about pets. You did it about sports. Now you do it about the medical industry. It's a dumb tactic that "generally" doesn't work with anyone who paid attention in school.
"When you have med students choosing areas specifically because of monetary reasons, then you have what you call the "health care system in the United States of America"...things have got to start changing."
I see your point, but is there some reason you are implying that doctors shouldn't care about paychecks? That does not make one a bad person, as long as one still wants to do good work and help people through one's work.
How easy it must be to have such binary thoughts. I envy you.
I can live now. matilda envies me.
Actually...I envy you...having such good insurance and able to have all those multiple thoughts!
How much money did GWB save by flying over New Orleans and not landing?
I am sure any US presidents time is easily worth the expense if he is on the job. Didn't Bushie have like 50 vacation days at this point in his term?
Also: I do not think that Doctors are being unfairly compensated currently. I want the person who has my life in their hands to have lots of schooling, be very smart AND very well compensated.
The false correlation here is that insurance companies make doctors money. The problem is that insurance companies add too much unnecessary overhead to the process.
TWO WORDS: PRE-EXISTING CONDITION
People get all pissed about AT&T and their iPhone contracts- gimme a break. It is a travesty that we can't take our ailments from one job to the next.
The official BlueFairlane Health Care Solution: Medical school should be free. Admission should be based entirely on academic performance.
My reasoning for this is that the enormous cost of medical school leaves medical professionals with huge debts upon graduation. This drives many into high-cost specialties while helping to increase the cost of care all around. Eliminating that initial cost would remove much of the financial burden doctors start out with. Meanwhile, competition to get into medical school would skyrocket, meaning we would ultimately get better doctors.
Now, as far as the cost of insurance and what the bloated insurance industry does to medical costs, I've got nothing. Personally, I think in an ideal world there would be no insurance companies and that governments would cover the cost of care directly (much as governments cover the cost of defense to external threats), but I know such a solution will never come about in the U.S.
Interesting idea, but another factor is the malpractice insurance paid by many doctors, too. I think your plan would have to address that somehow while leaving strong protections for consumers. How? Wish I were that smart.
Making medical school free will only have a small impact- and why should med students get free healthcare while engineers and teachers have to pay?
Malpractice insurance is justified IMO based on the risk they have dealing with clients lives.
This is a case where insurance is in fact that: a tool to mitigate collective risk. Provided Drs have free choice on which malpractice insurance they want to get the costs _should_ even out.
strike healthcare, insert education
My solution for the malpractice issue would require more social change than to be practible, but I'm talking pie-in-sky utopia anyway, so here goes ...
I think that unless incidents of malpractice reach the criminal or at least grossly negligent level, doctors should not be held responsible for on-the-job errors. We should acknowledge the fact that they're humans and not miracle workers. The government should cover the cost of the consequences of these actions, i.e. the resulting needed medical care and living expenses that stem from an accident. The notion of punitive damages should be dropped completely.
Cases of criminal or gross negligence shouldn't see a civil court at all. They should fall in the purview of criminal courts.
As I said, though, this would require a fundamental shift in American society, which has too often used the civil courts as a means of exacting justice for the unavoidable unfairness of life.
As someone who works in the health field, I feel that the government should NOT offer a so-called "public option." This would create disincentives to employment and encourage waste while making health care inferior.
Instead, the government should foster more competition from PRIVATE insurance carriers.
But it needs to be available to EVERYONE. We need to have a single payer system in this country that is available to every. single. person, with or without a job.
Which is another issue I'd like to take issue with. Health insurance should not be tied to ones job.
Private sector competition hasn't done much to create incentives for employment or discourage waste so far. I doubt continuing more of the same is the solution.
Despite Canada and a good portion of Western Europoe proving that assumption to be false. And delivering at a cheaper cost to its taxpayers.
http://www.gladwell.com/2005/2005_08_29_a_hazard.html
That Ingrid is a dummy, I have lived with a serious condition for my whole life. I still do not want this new help plan. There is health care out there right now for ever one, yes you do have to pay for it, I am not say that it does not need change. But to make everyone change is not fair. I don't see how someone who does not know me or what i have can come in and tell me what kind of health care i need. That is so stupid. I should get to pick what i want.
That's exactly what insurance companies do now. Duh.
And for the record, I can afford it, but I have been denied health insurance by every single carrier in this state because of certain medication I took a few years ago.
If you're not working at a job that provides insurance, it is practically impossible to get single payer insurance. Your body has to be pure as the driven snow, you have to be in perfect health with NO past problems or pre-existing conditions.
You don't see how someone who doesn't know you can tell you what kind of health care you need? What are you? Dense? That's exactly what they do now. Insurance companies tell doctors what they'll pay for. The doctor doesn't make that decision.
Do you enjoy having someone jerk sitting behind a desk telling your doctor what he's allowed to treat?
You're believing the pathetic hyperbole and outright lies of Sarah Palin and Glen Beck. That's a pity.