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#100629 - 06/18/08 12:30 PM Obama and Healthcare
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	What are your views on Obama's "solution" to lowering healthcare costs? In his plan he says that he will require all doctors to use EMRs. This will greatly reduce if not eliminate the medical transcription industry. I guess he thinks that Medical transcriptionists are why healthcare costs are so high. He is a very scary scary prospect for President to me. Ignorance is more dangerous than anything, especially when the ignorant one thinks he knows everything. Add that to the fact that he campaigns for 'change' yet all of the issues we can find out from him are just renewed Carter and Clinton policies. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100640 - 06/18/08 01:16 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
bobbcat bobbcat Member Registered: 03/27/03 Posts: 5773 Loc: My office.	From the horse's mouth. Several elements strike me as strong-arming the insurance industry and employers. It would be interesting to see just how far he could go with it. _________________________ Bottom line, it's either M-TEC or Andrews.
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#100641 - 06/18/08 01:22 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: bobbcat]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Very true bobbcat. Being from Illinois I emailed him to register my view of socialized medicine with him. He basically just gave him view that he wished that we could have socialized medicine but he did not see how it would work in our economy. That was of course after replying to me on a subject I did not write to him about. Scary scary man. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100660 - 06/18/08 03:38 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
Piglet Piglet Member Registered: 01/22/08 Posts: 657 Loc: Cromwell, CT	I think the scarier part is having all the med records in one place. I am not sure of the structuring of universal EMR, but I am concerned about having that type of information all in one place. Goes against the grain when you are taught never to put all your eggs in one basket. Going to have to build an infrastructure like Fort Knox. I don't think that we are going to cease to exist due to evolving to EMR. Those documents still need to be created. It's going to more of a strain on the technology end of things I think, not to mention the massive coordinated effort. It's a lofty dream. _________________________ Unapologetically me.
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#100662 - 06/18/08 03:51 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
Softail Softail Member Registered: 08/30/06 Posts: 379	His vision may be a bit lofty according to FactCheck.org. According to this article, it realistically would take up to 15 years or more to full implement such a plan. _________________________ The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits -- Albert Einstein
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#100663 - 06/18/08 05:08 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
whorn whorn Member Registered: 01/17/08 Posts: 521	Originally Posted By: ABMT I guess he thinks that Medical transcriptionists are why healthcare costs are so high. He is a very scary scary prospect for President to me. Ignorance is more dangerous than anything, especially when the ignorant one thinks he knows everything. While I'm not Obama, I think what Obama thinks is that there are roughly 38 million uninsured Americans and roughly 45 million underinsured Americans on top if that, which is becoming roughly 1/3 of the US population that are 'falling through the cracks' of the current health care system. I certainly do not think that Obama lays the blame of this problem on the roughly 230,000 medical transcriptionists in the United States. With that said ignorance is a dangerous thing, and for the sake of theory only if, in fact, 230,000 medical transcriptionists were actually the cause of 1/3 of the US population being squeezed out of the current health care system, than ignorance, and stupidity would, in fact, be allowing 230,000 people to retain jobs that were costing roughly 95 million people to be squeezed out of the health care system. Whoever becomes the next POTUS is facing massive problems, many of which have been ignored for years and are now almost out of control. At least some of the candidates are attempting to find some solutions to such problems rather than burying their heads in the sand.
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#100664 - 06/18/08 05:21 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: whorn]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	38 million uninsured Americans and 45 million uninsured Americans? hmm... not inflated numbers at all, perhaps? As hospitals are required to see patients whether they have insurance or not many people opt out of medical insurance. So, many that are uninsured are by choice. Those numbers also count the number of people that were uninsured for a short time but later got medical insurance. Either way, as the senate has made such a mess of running their own resturant not to mention how they have robbed Social Security to pay for other things (done by both parties, it is a bipartisan trait)do you actually think they can make informed decisions on what is best for yours and my healthcare. Also, considering that Mr. Obama's plans tend to not affect him, he plans to raise social secirty taxes, yet senators don't participate in Social Security. So, you know that will happen to everyone, not just the people making more than 250,000. To think that no one will fall through the cracks in any system is not realistic. I do not agree that SOME candidates are hiding their heads in the sand. I think that they are not just saying what they think people want to hear. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100671 - 06/18/08 06:01 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
whorn whorn Member Registered: 01/17/08 Posts: 521	What can I say Ann? I respect your viewpoint but completely disagree with it. Best wishes, Another Ann (AKA The Wornster)
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#100673 - 06/18/08 06:05 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: whorn]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Ditto, of course, Ann God Bless, _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100674 - 06/18/08 06:08 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: whorn]
Dabble Dabble Member Registered: 02/19/08 Posts: 240 Loc: Proudly in the USA	I live in PA, where the state government is trying to take care of their own. Many people have worked very hard to make sure medical insurance and/or medical care is available to all PA citizens. I sure don't want to the feds coming in and making a mess of it. And no, I don't partake of it. I have insurance through my employer. _________________________ Never explain yourself. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it.
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#100675 - 06/18/08 06:14 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: Dabble]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Hi Dabble, I completely understand. The Feds need only look at the many failed example of socialized medicine to see that it does not work. As soon as someone knows something is free, they will go to the doctor for a stubbed toe. Prime example is Mass. The doctors there are working 12 hours a day and more doctors are still needed due to the growing demand of healthcare there. In Canada people wait months to get a simple scan. I heard about one man that was thought to have a brain tumor but was told he had to wait six months to get the test to confirm it before they could treat him. That is one reason why so many peoople want to come to America for healthcare. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100683 - 06/18/08 07:44 PM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
Piglet Piglet Member Registered: 01/22/08 Posts: 657 Loc: Cromwell, CT	Not for nothing, I don't see how the free market approach has done us any favors either. I would rather have a percentage of my taxes be funneled to a single-payer healthcare system than our current model, and never have to deal with another insurance company for as long as I live. The fact is, there is about 15% of Americans without insurance. Those people are without insurance because they are low income earners whose employers don't offer insurance. As insurance premiums keep rising, that number will continue to rise with it. Conservatives never want to address the issue of the drain on employer resources to have to pay for their employees healthcare. I would imagine there would be quite a bit of economic growth in the US if US companies weren't forced to pay for health insurance for their employees. Not to mention that healthcare costs have risen to the point that being without it is just not an option. There are also significant wait times here in the States. We have an extreme shortage of doctors. Especially now that so few are going into general medicine but choosing specialities instead because of the higher pay scales. Need I mention ER over crowding? We are in serious need of healthcare reform and I think it is a great disservive to fellow Americans not to look at the issue from all angles. We are supposed to be the greatest country in the world and we can't even figure out a healthcare model that benefits both citizens and employers. I think a single payer system could very well work here but it will take effort from everyone and not just a select few. Washington could end the war in Iraq and stop the billion dollar ear marking and start putting that money where it is needed most, education and healthcare, with state flexibility to do what is best for them based on their strengths and weaknesses. I just don't think it is wise to completely disregard it as an option. _________________________ Unapologetically me.
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#100712 - 06/19/08 12:20 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: Piglet]
moaab moaab Member Registered: 02/02/08 Posts: 378 Loc: Chicagoland	Personally I think that healthcare should be handled at the state level where states can decide what will work best for its residents. I don't think that the federal government can or should have a "one size fits all" healthcare plan. If healthcare does go the way of the government, those dollars should be kept close to home where we citizens can have more say in how they are spent. Maybe there are many without insurance, but as ABMT stated, some of those uninsured are temporarily between jobs. Don't forget that young workers in their 20s many times opt out of insurance due to the fact that they think they won't need it and/or don't want to spend the money for it (I was one of those back when I was in my 20s. Thank God I stayed well and safe.). So while I think that there are uninsured citizens who do want coverage and it is a problem, I don't believe the numbers are as high as the politicians would have us believe. Just adding my 2 cents! _________________________ Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.........Abraham Lincoln's mother
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#100715 - 06/19/08 12:37 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: moaab]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Moabb, well put. I don't think that we should jump into a new plan for healthcare because there are problems with this one, especially to one that we have seen fail over and over again in other countries. I did medical bililng in the past and was always amazed at the number of people who drove up in brand new cadillacs to bring in their public aid cards for us to copy to file their claim. One person said they could do without talking to another insurance company...ever try to get answers or payment from a government office? Believe me, I practically had to beg for the doctor's payment that was only 25% of what was charged. I have since heard that that percentage has decreased even more. Medicare payments were not much better. Therein lies alot of the reason for soaring healthcare costs to self pay patients. Especially with HMOs and PPOs. Many many doctors have just given up and quit practicing. And then there was the woman who once she got her Medicare with Medicaid supplement would call the ambulance company every month and then on the way to the hospital would say she felt better and that she needed a prescription filled. The ambulance could do nothing about it since she said she was sick. They had to take her. Ironically, public aid would have paid for a taxi to go get her prescriptions filled, too, but she would rather take the ambulane right to the hospital. It was faster. Ah, yes, our tax dollars at work. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100718 - 06/19/08 12:50 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
moaab moaab Member Registered: 02/02/08 Posts: 378 Loc: Chicagoland	I was listening to a nurse giving a lecture back several years ago. She began her nursing career in the 1960s. She said that hospital billing prior to 1973 (I think that was the year she gave.) included the cost of the procedure and the cost of room and board. She said that when Medicare got involved (again, I think she stated it was 1973 but I could be wrong), they began asking for itemized bills so that they could decide what they would and wouldn't cover. It was at that time that hospitals began itemizing invoices for each pill, bandage, etc. She said that was the beginning of the nightmare because private insurance companies soon jumped on the bandwagon and began picking and choosing what they would cover. Just thought you might find that little bit of history interesting! _________________________ Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.........Abraham Lincoln's mother
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#100721 - 06/19/08 12:55 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: moaab]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Moabb, That is very interesting. Notice once again the continuing thread in all of the problems is government involvement. That is why I am so leary of the government controlling my healthcare. I would rather call an insurance company any day rather than the government. Did that for too many years when I did billing. BTW, meant to tell, please stop hitting your head on the keyboard!! I love that. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100722 - 06/19/08 01:10 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
moaab moaab Member Registered: 02/02/08 Posts: 378 Loc: Chicagoland	I agree about government involvement. And, ABMT, with you being a fellow Illinoisan, you understand corrupt politicians! I think Illinois has one of the most corrupt state governments in the country (I was surprised to hear one of the talking heads on TV affirm that.). If people understood Illinois politics, they would understand the reason why Barack Obama joined Rev. Wright's church in the first place, and the reasons behind some of the other questionable "friendships" that he has here in Illinois. Nothing against Obama -- he just played politics Chicago-style in order to get ahead. I felt like I was hitting my head on my keyboard all day yesterday. I felt like my transcriptions were Swiss cheese. The more I tried to plug up the holes, the more frustrated I got. Ugh! _________________________ Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.........Abraham Lincoln's mother
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#100725 - 06/19/08 01:19 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: moaab]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	Oh, Chicago politics is the most corrupt in the nation, I think. I hope they get our illustrious governor out of there soon!! He should have Ryan as his roomie. I do have something against Obama. He preaches "Not the same old Washington" but he is the same old Chicago. Which is worse? His bid for the Senate was not the cleanest, typical Chicago political machine. If people across the nation even paid attention to Chicago politics they would run from any politician that slithers out of there. Will send you some Tylenol for that headache you must have. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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#100726 - 06/19/08 01:31 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: ABMT]
moaab moaab Member Registered: 02/02/08 Posts: 378 Loc: Chicagoland	I'm hoping that we will soon be able to recall our illustrious governor. I read that he had been raising money so that he could make a run for the White House! Somehow I think that the "same old Washington" would be much better than the "same old Chicago". My mother and grandmother worked for both Cook County and the City of Chicago from the 1950s to the 1980s. And my grandmother's cousin was the former Mayor Anton Cermak who was assasinated while in office. (Shh! It was a mob hit and Roosevelt was never the target!) The stories I could tell! Thanks for the Tylenol! I'm feeling much better now. I did not mean to hijack this thread, so I better give it back and go to bed! Edited by moaab (06/19/08 01:33 AM) _________________________ Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.........Abraham Lincoln's mother
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#100727 - 06/19/08 01:33 AM Re: Obama and Healthcare [Re: moaab]
ABMT ABMT Member Registered: 06/07/07 Posts: 897 Loc: IL, USA	moabb You did not hijack it, you enhanced it. Been a pleasure. Good night. _________________________ Ann Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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