The Doctor Factor

Back to comment about health Insurance and employer based benefits.
Do you realize that the exact reason we do not have a national plan or universal to access to a universal plan is the employer based system which
1- is discriminatory ( try getting a group plan for small biz with some chronically ill employees)
2 segments the market for the benefit of , well, guess who, the insurance companies
3- reduces wages paid to employees ( everyone knows wages have not risen under bush but did you know that employer costs ( employee comepensation which counts heath insurance) has? This could have been wage increases.
4- keeps out small business and the self employed- work for the man ??? or else!
5- promotes wage slavery those who work in undesirable positions merely to obtain insurance.
6- Watch how fast a national plan or universal access would emerge if the work force was not indentured servants ( see health insurance hostages) .

Please refer to the comment i posted on (NOT) Worth Your Time.

There is a study going on on identical twins that prooves or will proove that drinking 8-12 cups of green tea per day, reduces the risk of developing cancer about 80-90 %. Experts will recommend a daily intake of two pills that contain the equivalent extracts. This will be published in a future edition of TIME magazine, online edition.

Did you know that if McCain is elected you will have to pay income tax on the value of the medical insurance that your employer gives you? Worse still, he is offering a tax break for people who pay their own insurance, BUT only $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

Let's say you have a family of four. Your insurance policy costs would be at least $1,500-2,500 per month under a self-pay plan, which cost more than employer group plans. So, you pay $18,000 -$30,000 per year for insurance, and you get to deduct only $5,000 of that. If you paid $25,000 for you insurance, you would be out of pocket $20,000 per year. This is FAR WORSE than the current system, where if you are self employed you can deduct 100% of you medical insurance costs.

So, if you're not self employed, you would stick with your Employer's plan. Employer plans for a family of four have a value of $900-$1,500 per month totaling 10,800-$18,000 per year. Surprise! On April 15th, you owe tax on all of that as INCOME to you. Say your bracket is 25%, and the value of your Employer medical plan is $14,000. You will OWE THE IRS an additional $3,500, and that's ON TOP of whatever monthly premium you already pay to your employer for your insurance.

Many analysts say that McCain's new rules would encourage employers to stop offering health benefits. If that happened, then far fewer Americans would be insured than are insured today, because what family of four can afford $18,000-$30,000 out of pocket per year for self-pay health insurance?

Furthermore, McCain's plan does not require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions of people who self-pay their insurance. People under employer group plans have all of their pre-existing conditions covered. This is a hugely unfair aspect of the current system. Insurance companies can afford to cover the pre-existing conditions of the much larger pool of people with group insurance, but they refuse to pay the pre-existing conditions on the smaller pool of self-pay customers. They have been allowed to price gouge the self-pay customers, which is a form of market manipulation that should be illegal.

So let's say one of your kids had diabetes and you have high blood pressure, then your employer stops offering insurance. You now have to buy your own, but you and your child are INELIGIBLE due to pre-existing conditions. Oh, yeah, they will let you buy the insurance, but you can't use it for any pre-existing condition until you have paid on time every month for two years. And you know what happens at one year and 11 months? You get a letter saying your policy has been cancelled. I have many patients this has happened to.

McCain's plan SUCKS.

It does nothing to help middle class working Americans afford or obtain medical insurance. In fact, it makes the current system WORSE.

This describes my feelings, exactly! I have never been able to explain to people the importance of the relationship that I have with my oncologist. And why I will never change Drs. as long as she continues to practice & I continue to live.
I am a breast cancer survior of 10 1/2 yrs to date.
My oncologist has always treated me like a person and not just a disease.
As a nurse with 51 yrs of practice, I know what a rare trait that is, in most Drs.
My hat is off to her & all like her.
If you find someone like this, both competent & caring, to help you with your battle, Hang on to them!

What a beautiful and hopeful story. These doctors sound like wonderful human beings who exemplify all the positive things we think of when we hear the word "doctor". There's a lesson in there for all doctors not just the ones who deal with patients battling deadly diseases. Certainly the more dire your medical circumstance, the more compassion and support you need. But we all put our health into our doctors' hands feeling vulnerable and looking for a caring heart as well as competant care.

What a beautiful and hopeful story. These doctors sound like wonderful human beings who exemplify all the positive things we think of when we hear the word "doctor". There's a lesson in there for all doctors not just the ones who deal with patients battling deadly diseases. Certainly the more dire your medical circumstance, the more compassion and support you need. But we all put our health into our doctors' hands feeling vulnerable and looking for a caring heart as well as competant care.

This is so very important and of interest not only to doctors but also to patients who need to know that yes, there are doctors who will take the time to connect on a personal level. Thank you for featuring this critical aspect of the treatment regimen.