In an article headlined State lacks doctors to meet demands of national healthcare law, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that, “As the state [California] moves to expand healthcare coverage to millions of Californians under President Obama’s healthcare law, it faces a major obstacle: There aren’t enough doctors to treat a crush of newly insured patients.”
So if California sees this as a problem, how is Idaho going to fare any better? StateImpact, a reporting project of local public media and National Public Radio, prepared a background brief titled Understanding Idaho’s Doctor Shortage. According to that brief, “Since at least 2007, Idaho has ranked near the bottom when it comes to the number of doctors working in the state. The latest available data from the Association of American Medical Colleges ranks Idaho 49th among states.”
California is considering expanding those occupations authorized to diagnose, treat and manage some illnesses. Maybe Idaho could do the same. We could use tourism industry professionals to perform those whatchamacallitectomies.
Run – Forest Gump – Run!!! Exactly the reason, I decided it was worth the pain to wait to get the referral to go to Washington for my fractured ankle – with no insurance.
Comment by Stebbijo — February 10, 2013 @ 6:18 pm
To see Obama get his comeuppance on Obamacare, and other things watch Dr. Ben Carson take him to school. It’s 27 minutes long, but well worth it.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/02/07/dr_benjamin_carson_addresses_national_prayer_breakfast_criticizes_obamacare.html
Comment by Will Penny — February 11, 2013 @ 8:45 am
I don’t get it. The real problem here is the lack of healthcare for millions of Americans. Why is it acceptable for millions of us to have no access to healthcare? It should be something we are all ashamed of…but rather it’s the latest joke for those who hate the president. How about trying to fix the problem of citizens not having healthcare?!
Do you really believe only those with money should be able to have healthcare? And if not, then what’s your idea for solutions? (Rather than ACA)How can UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE not be the best answer for this country??…unless of course, you think healthcare should be “for profit” only. How can people sleep at night? And WWJD? Huh?
Comment by chouli — February 19, 2013 @ 8:18 am
chouli
I agree with you except, I see the way government runs things. Look at SSI. Look at UR. Look at defense contracts. How about Dicks Company cleaning up Kuwait while he was VP. I have NO faith what so ever in our government running my healthcare.
There is a problem but I do not think government run is the answer.
Comment by concerned citizen — February 19, 2013 @ 9:10 am
Chouli,
I believe that any person who appears in the ED of a hospital having one is required by law to receive healthcare (medical attention). I think your objection is that there are disparate levels of health care based at least in part on what the patient can afford or is willing to pay for health care. If I choose to set aside none of my income for health care, if I choose to spend it instead on products and behaviors guaranteed to accelerate my need for health care, I don’t believe you or anyone else should be required to pay for the result of my choices. If I choose to set aside some of my income for health care, the amount I set aside and the method I use to leverage it allows me to determine the lower and upper limits on how much health care I will receive for the money I have.
ACA and universal health care might be the best answer if there are qualified medical practitioners to deliver it at a level of quality equally acceptable to all the patients. Apparently California is seeing a reduction in quantity of quality, qualified health care providers, and California is attributing that to ACA.
Among the many things important to me that I don’t want “government” administering, health care could be at the top of my list. If government were able to competently administer health care, the quality and availability of federal veterans hospitals would exceed the quality and availability of private hospitals.
Comment by Bill — February 19, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
chouli,
After a lot of thought, I have decided that our health care system should just stay the way it is. Folks who cannot afford insurance still qualify for assistance or they will bankrupt out like so many folks do. Even our local judges have no problem with that legal recourse. Hospitals are obligated under federal law to provide care as Bill tells us. However, with this government health exchange, folks who cannot afford to live now on their current wages and without an employer to help with health insurance, they will have to dig out of their pockets an amount that will provide them basically what they have now and live on less. Those folks who live for their refund won’t see it. The millions of dollars that will trickle up from the already impoverished will do nothing but provide our government a raise in the name of health care. Folks who can afford it will no longer be punished with higher premiums that are increased because of it’s use. No more pre-existing clauses either. Care will stop just like it always has when the doctor sees no more options. Nothing changes for the folks who do not have insurance now, except they become poorer and they still will not be able to afford to go to the doctor and deal with the co-pay. In fact it will just show up as government subsidized insurance and the care they get will be no different if they showed up with nothing . Medicaid rates will prevail while the windfall of cash from millions of citizens will be pocketed and health care will deteriorate while we point fingers at each other because that poor person was caught drinking a Mountain Dew with a bag of potato chips. It is going to be a mess. I used to work in a teaching hospital back east where folks who had insurance were on the same floor as those who had nothing. Elderly neglect cases with lice stayed across the hall from the millionaire while the lice jumped around without regard to anyone’s finances. Boutique hospitals (private) were cropping up years ago as an option for those with money and private insurance to consider so they were not exposed to the homeless and the conditions that come with those who are not financially secure. It’s coming … we are just slower out here. When you smell vinegar on the hospital floor – you will know that they have finally arrived. Staff will be so overworked, you do not even want to know the rest of the story.
Comment by Stebbijo — February 19, 2013 @ 7:03 pm