Medical Care Options?

Today we are on the road. Both Martha and I are Cancer survivors. We both spend several days a year in Houston getting "follow up" checks at MD Anderson Hospital. If you have Cancer, in my opinion, there is no better place to be than MDA.

Cancer is a scary thing when you hear that you have it. But the minute you walk in the door at MDA you are struck by the confidence and competence of the staff and volunteers. All the volunteers are, themselves, Cancer survivors so that they already know what you are going through. They know the questions you have, even before you ask them. And the ambiance of the place, more like a nice 5 star hotel than like a hospital, makes you feel buoyed up rather than depressed. You are beginning to heal immediately, just by your change in attitude.

I had my Cancer surgery just 4 years ago and my wife had hers only 1 year ago. We are BOTH over 70 years of age but we didnt have to wait in line and were handled IMMEDIATELY upon referring OURSELVES. There was no need to have a doctors referral. And our insurance was Medicare!!!

So why are we passing a health care bill???

So that the government can cut the payments to our physicians and hospitals! My personal GP takes ONLY Medicare patients. He has told me that his business is on the verge of not being able to continue. Medicare already pays so little that the profit margin is razor thin. He tells me that he is considering changing his profession, perhaps going into research. The Malpractice insurance, something that the health care bill didn't even address, is huge here in south Texas, taking a huge bite out of any profit made. Other doctors feel the same and are leaving the country. As doctors move out of patient care in the US, because they cannot make a living, there will be fewer doctors to cover MORE patients.

There is NO DOUBT that this will lead to rationing.

There will be waits to get what is considered postponeable surgery's and treatments. Prostate Cancer is often considered to be one that can be postponed. They say you will die before it kills you. This is based on 50 year old logic and actuary tables. Do you want to risk the last 10 years of your life on 50 year old data. I didn't and found out AFTER the surgery that my Cancer was one of the fast growing kinds and would surely have killed me early.

I currently have two bad knees. The doctor does not want to operate on them YET because they do not hurt me. But as soon as they start hurting I will get replacements. But what if they dont start hurting until I am 80 years old? Will I then qualify for "just give grandpa a pill to relieve his pain"? Or will I have to stand in line for two years because its an "elective" surgery? Or should I start complaining about non existent pain so I can get the surgery NOW before the new health care bill comes into effect?

Well, there are a couple of alternatives.

1) Many American doctors are moving south with their offices, to Costa Rica for one. Why? Because the costs are lower. Insurance premiums for Mal Practice are very low or non existent.

As long as I can travel, or, you can travel, you can go south where your Medicare will go further. That's fine for those that can travel, but what about those that cannot travel?

Also, is it what we want to do? Do we want to move our medical services to foreign countrys? Are we going to outsource medicine? Now all the profits will be going to Costa Rica.

2) Many foreign hospitals and doctors are on the cutting edge of medicine. India has some great Heart hospitals. With our Medicare insurance that wont pay enough in OUR country, we can go to other countrys where the benefits are considered generous. Now, US Medicare payments will be going to India.

Is that what we want? Is that good for our faltering economy? Will that keep our economy ahead of the surging second place economy, China?

Jim Isbell
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