Republicans try to lure physicians back to the fold after their shameful performance in the Medicare bill debacle.
It comes a little too late, in my view. Actions speak louder than words. When the chips were down, health insurers clearly took precedence over physicians.
Related posts:
- Medicare pay for performance, what went wrong?
- The number one reason why doctors are leaving upstate New York
- How to convince doctors to accept health reform
- My take: Medicare payment cuts averted
- McCain’s Medicare vote comes back to haunt him
- P4P: Insurers taking the credit
- WhiteCoat: Never say never
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Demographics are changing…in our country, in the medical community, and among physicians. As a young physician, we don’t really care that much about the trial lawyers (actually I think many of us would appreciate having them on OUR side to protect US against patients, lol).
AMA and the GOP are distracted by malpractice issues. Yes, we care. But we aren’t voting on one issue.
What we care about is…getting paid, and working less. If the GOP really wants my allegiance, how about paying off my $250K student loan debt? What about holding the insurance companies accountable, and the government accountable for paying me what I’m worth? How about making it less cumbersome for us to make a living? Things that matter DAY IN AND DAY OUT to all of us (not just a few who get sued).
As we struggle, living paycheck to paycheck, it’s no wonder that we are now seeing ourselves more as “workers” and less as…rich white guys trying to get over. We have been demoted to “health care provider” and are not allowed “live by the Republican philosophy” of fair market value for services, capitalism, decrease regulation…as they expect us to pledge allegiance because of historical (?mythical) tax benefits…and by relying on our “hatred” of trial lawyers.
We are finally more sophisticated than that…I hope.
And as things brown up in the country (like it or not it’s happening), and estrogen becomes the dominant hormone in the medical schools, I’ll bet that eventually the support ratio for democrat to republican (and money spent) actually REVERSES where it’s 80% Dem and 20% Rep.
“We are finally more sophisticated than that…I hope. “
I doubt it. In a few years we’ll have another insurance “crisis” and the GOP will be expecting you guys to go to bat for the health insurers’ cousins, the liability carriers, and you’ll be out in force again backing any Republican who makes even a passing reference to the evils of “trial lawyers”. You put a nice face on an issue which is really all about benefiting the insurance industry. Kevin and his ilk will be regurgitating insurance industry lobbying just like they were a year or two ago, and even today still do to a more limited extent.
Circle of life.
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