Health Care Lessons From The Bay State

Isn't the finanical problem in Mass a result of having the state pick up the costs for the uninsurable, high risk people, while the private insurance companies continue to skim the low risk insurers and remain profitable?

If the entire state went to single payer, in this case the paid through the state, wouldn't the total cost go down significantly?

Prof Gruber did not address the issue of prevention..health insurance will not provide the coverage needed to truly provide PREVENTION as opposed to DETECTION....I firmly believe the drug companies and the insurance industry are in the drivers seat on this issue, allowing for the concept of true PREVENTION to serve as a "tongue in cheek" spin off, steering it right back into the idea that "DETECTION" is synonymous with "PREVENTION"...how utterly absurd

Have your listeners go to the American Association of HealthFreedom and find Mark Hyman, MD and his nine point plan, and there you'll find TRUE healthcare reform and not more of the same old antiquated methods of modern medicine that has put this country at the bottom of the list of nations when it comes to the health of the population and at the Top, I might add, when it comes to triage.

I am generally a fan of the show and try to listen when I can. Unfortunately it often means listening to the replay so that I cannot call and comment, but tonight I feel I have to make some contact. I was just driving home from finishing my day at work when I heard Mr. Gruber state that part of the problem is that physicians are making money akin to the investment bankers that we have been hearing so much about. As a primary care provider, who has just arrived home after a 15 hour day, most of which was spent taking care of patients who have no insurance or who are insured under the state Medicaid program, I find this kind of blanket statement extremely offensive. While I agree that there are some who make poor decisions and order too many unnecessary tests and procedures, and there are many whose salaries are unnecessarily high, I feel that this kind of statement sends a very poor message. As a primary care physician, I am constantly being forced to squeeze in more patients into an already full schedule, often extending my day with additional appointments or phone calls to patients. The demands on primary care have risen, leaving us with more patients with serious medical issues and limited specialty care, while the insurance reimbursement has decreased. In my opinion, an intelligent health care reform would focus on preventative medicine in order to solve our health care crisis. That means understanding health care from a primary care provider's perspective. Far from making wages like an investment banker, I am working to pay off student loans that exceed the yearly salary of an investment banker. I only hope that those trying to reform our system listen to the providers within the system instead of to uninformed blanket statements such as the one I heard tonight.