October 15, 2009

Today is a generally lousy day. It is raining all day, it is cold (like 41 degrees) and it is just plain blah.

It's like you don't want to go out of the house because it's just not worth it.

Watching television or listening to the radio you can not help but notice all these hospital and medicine advertisements.

I don't know how other people are with this thing but I do have a doctor. Whatever he prescribes I'll take. I will not go to him with the name of a prescription just because I saw it on television and, suggest he prescribes it to me. And I am absolutely convinced he will not prescribe it just because he saw it on television.

The same goes for the hospital ads. I always thought that doctors are affiliated with certain hospitals. Hospitals are not Macy's that you just walk in because you like their ads. Doctors send people to hospitals.

I know there is a lot of ad money in this but to whom these advertisements are aimed at? Because as far as I am, Average Joe, concerned it is a total waste of time and good money.

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As long as we are talking about medical things, here is a thought. Doctors are sworn to heal the sick. At least that is what good old Hippocrates was hoping for. However, today's doctors are also sworn to milk Medicare and the insurance companies. It is mind boggling how smart they are when it comes to billing for their services.

For example: a certain procedure is billed for $850. The insurance company approves $280 and pays 80% of it which is $224. The doctor accepts it and bills the patient for the remaining $56 and everybody is happy. Why the doctor didn't bill $280 right at the beginning. Because he was hoping to get more out of the insurance company.

I was always amazed at that in addition to the latest medical innovations, the doctors are up on all the latest insurance gimmicks. I am sure the AMA is conducting workshops on how to get the most out of all the coverages. No wonder the doctors are against the proposed health plan and are terrified at the thought of socialized medicine. They don't want to lose their cushy lifestyles, their Mercedeses, their country clubs etc.

I think doctors drive this train. If they wouldn't be so greedy, hospitals would be less expensive and the price of medicines and everything health related would go down also.

This where the solution to the health plan should start. The culture of the medical profession must change before anything else can change.