One special interest group won last night

[RB TexLa]

Doctors got higher Medicare payouts. We have to make sure we keep those doctors troughs filled with slop.

[seabeyond]

1. i do not know that it is a bad thing. i would have to hear about it. in personal life

what i saw about this was really effecting doctors locally. but i am not really up on the issue

[Fumesucker]

2. When you get sick I suggest you go to a bankster for diagnosis and treatment n/t

[99Forever]

4. I'll second that. n/t

[fadedrose]

3. Many doctors won't accept medicare patients

and some of them that do, aren't the ones that you would like to treat you..they can send you to a specialist tho.

At least with an increase, we'll keep the ones we have now, and maybe get a few more.

[Mojorabbit]

13. My husband is a family practice doc

and he and all of the family docs we know are expert wonderful physicians who work the lowest paid rung of the medical profession because they care about taking care of people and families in that setting. They could have easily opted for higher paying specialties. We have a lack of family practice docs because the reimbursement has been so low. Hopefully this will help increase the numbers.

[bowens43]

5. The majority of the wealthy made out also, permanent tax cuts....

[pangaia]

6. True, has anyone ever known a poor doctor?

Or even a middle income doctor?
I am a doctor. I have a DMA-Doctor of Musical Arts. really :&gt I am definitely lower-middle income..

I think it is also a double edged sword. if payments to doctors had been cut, many more of them would either cut medicare/medicaid patients or at least stopped taking more.
Especially primary care physicians. Or as they say in the insurance lobby PCP. arrgh..

My PCP is in what I think is a pretty decent "Medical Group." The bill through Medicare is about $150 for a 20 minute visit -cheaper than my f*****g dentist. BUT, my oncologist, (SPECIALIST) for my last visit, billed my insurance company $580 for about 20 minutes..during which time he didn't even touch me,. In fact he has NEVER touched me. He just looks at numbers on his computer and asks me how I feel. (fortunately, he has a really hot Persian female resident who does the physical exam each time, which includes feeling for swollen lymph nodes, and you know where a couple of those are. .
(Don't worry. I am in remission from being diagnosed with lymphoma.)

At least my PCP gives me a digital rectal prostate exam once each year. Poor guy. --Sorry about including that little tidbit.

[Coyotl]

7. WOW, people on Medicare might be able to find a doctor now. NOT a bad thing!

[madfloridian]

8. That's a good thing.

Doctors who take Medicare patients do NOT get rich, the payments are not that high to them.

That's propaganda.

[JaneyVee]

9. This is good.

[jwirr]

10. The elderly win with them. Our doctors will not turn us away.

[MotherPetrie]

11. It's a good thing they did. They don't have to accept Medicare patients and

many don't because they essentially make nothing on them.

[forestpath]

12. I used to work for a doctor. She got PEANUTS for Medicare patients and

basically took them out of the goodness of her heart. She believed strongly in single payer, as do a lot of doctors. If you don't think doctors should be fairly compensated for Medicare patients I hope you have a great insurance plan when you hit 65.