I didn’t say that physicians are the primary problem. But physicians are certainly part of the problem. I agree that the device makers, the pharma companies, the insurance companies, the hospital associations, etc… are the bulk of the problem. And, of course, big government is the ringleader.

But you must admit. Physicians flirt with the device makers, the pharma companies, the insurance companies and the hospital associations. It appears to be one big happy incestuous family to me. I don’t see the physicians resisting. Do you?

The government has given the medical industry monopolistic powers via laws paid for with bribes.

That’s the reason we spend 20% of our GDP on health care while the EU nations spend about 12% of GDP on average.

With that said, I have great respect for the physician community. You folks do most of the heavy lifting in our health care system and you worked hard to get to where you are. It’s not your fault the government and the corporations screwed up the system so badly.

I wouldn’t call a membership of over 200,000 low. Would you? About one of every three physicians in the US belong to the AMA. It is by far the largest physician association in the nation. And it is 2nd only to the American Chamber of Commerce in it’s lobbying efforts directed toward government. As I stated before, the AMA supported ObamaCare. Why would a large organization that represents many medical doctors do such a thing? Based on those facts I would say that the AMA is an influential voice for US physicians. That’s why I suggested that you should confront them and complain if you disagree with their politics.

Medical doctors are not forced to accept medicare or medicaid patients. That is the doctor’s choice. If you disagree with the reimbursement rates – don’t participate as a provider. Simple. Just take private pay patients.

I think it there should be a law mandating physicians to post a price list for procedures in their lobbies. In America the consumer is supposed to be the king. How can we be the king when we don’t even know what the hell the prices are for services rendered until the bill comes in the mail 3 weeks later?

Hey doc, I’ve got nothing againt medical doctors. Lots of you do good work. And you had to work hard for many years to get your license. So I have no bone to pick with you.

When you get the extra time you should research how the AMA lobbied the politicians to pass ObamaCare. The AMA is a large group of medical doctors. Look into how much money the AMA spent on campaign contributions leading up the the ACA vote. So many physicians ARE part of the problem whether you want to admit it or not.

I challenge you to put a price list in your lobby for your patients to review prior to consulting with you. Why not act like a regular business? If I walked into a store and none of the items were marked with a price I would walk out. Why should you and your colleagues get special consideration?

I never said that medical doctors were the ENTIRE problem. If you read my comments you noticed I referred to pharma and the huge medical corporations that include device makers, insurance companies, hospitals, HMOs, etc….

Big government is the biggest problem. They take bribes from all of the forementioned (to include from the AMA) and reward you by giving the medical industry monopolistic powers that no other industry is allowed.

Why does the AMA keep the population of physicians artificially low causing excess demand resulting in elevated medical costs? The AMA regulates the enrollment in the medical schools. We have one of the highest patient to doctor ratios in the world. I know people with EXCELLENT insurance who must wait 1-2 months to see a specialist in the wealthiest nation on earth. Then people talk about the long waits in Canada!!! HAH!

Previously I provided anecdotal information about a Medi-Cal patient who gets medical treatment head and shoulders above the quality of care she got at her previous LARGE private healthcare provider in California. As a doctor, you are probably aware of this too. And Medi-Cal doesn’t cost her a thin dime. No copays. No premiums. No deductibles. All free. Soup to nuts.

I know you folks work hard and have a ton of responsibility on your shoulders, doc. I respect your profession. Please don’t take my comments personally. But medical doctors must also do their part to take the bezzle out of the medical system. And you can start by complaining to the AMA.

No wonder Medi-Cal enrollment has soared!!! What’s not to love about it???

Yep. Go price the nutrient deficient FARMED RAISED salmon at your typical US supermarket. $10-$15 per pound.

Yet when I go to the independent asian supermarkets I can get whole OCEAN salmon for $3 per pound. Fresh too! They even chop it up for me for free. The US supermarkets refuse to slice $9/pound whole salmon. I have to take it home and do it myself!

But people chastise me and say I should be a patriot and “buy American”. Go figure! 🙂

If a small independent ethnic grocery store can sell me the same fish for a third of the price and provide better customer service why would I buy American?

And why can’t these massive inter-state American chain stores match the prices in these small independent ethnic grocery stores? What ever happened to the theory of “economies of scale” we learned in school?