Comments on: Doctors Going Broke

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:10:37 +0000

Janet, please contact me if you will at tomjung@ghcnow.com

Your story is a good one and an all to common one. I would like to tell your story.

By: Janet Hayes

Janet Hayes — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:55:42 +0000

My husband is a specialist, been in practice for over 30 years, always lived within our means. Our overhead continues to increase yet our reimbursements continue to decline. In non-adjusted dollars we are paid less than we were 10 years ago. We are encouraged to buy more technology, do electronic health records, and spend more of the money we don’t have. My husband is 63 and only knows Ophthalmology. He is a great doctor, well thought of in the community, but that no longer brings patients in the door. Patients go where their insurance is taken and Doctors accept the paltry non-negotiated fee. Insurance premiums rocket higher and reimbursements decline. Guess where the money is, not in the pockets of most health care providers. Oh yeah, we net 150,000.00/year. How much do the top 20 in any insurance company make? Remember no Doctors no health care.

By: Wes

Wes — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:48:05 +0000

“Let’s not blame health insurers. They represent the voice of their policyholders who are hurting economically.”

Oh yeah… let’s not blame the health insurers. The CEO of UnitedHealth Group makes about 100 million a year, according to Forbes.com. (http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/12/ceo-compensation-11_Stephen-J-Hemsley_NBHE.html)

Forgive the monsoon of sarcasm when I say “oh yeah, that really sounds like representing the voice of policy-holders who are hurting economically”. Come on!!

By: steve

steve — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:49:01 +0000

If docs are going broke, it is largely because of their entrepreneurial endeavors, not from a pure practice of medicine.

Steve

By: Dr. Mike

Dr. Mike — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:09:16 +0000

“Let’s not blame health insurers. They represent the voice of their policyholders who are hurting economically.”

So says the consultant who helps design health plans – insurance.

Why any thinking person can see how concerned the insurers are about their clients, can’t they? I mean the list of insurers who have stated their intent to limit profits by holding premiums in check is how long?

Yes, the list of industries that have the potential for bankruptcy is inclusive of any industry, health care included, but surely the fact that more physicians are going bankrupt should lead to a reasoned discussion about why. May they deserve it because of poor decisions they have made, but maybe there is something else to be learned. What I don’t need is for some leech to be telling me what to think. “You guys make a lot of money and shouldn’t be going bankrupt” is not a helpful take on the issue.

By: BobbyG

BobbyG — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:53:16 +0000

The physician in the CNN article photograph, Dr. Gorman, is one of my REC clients. I wrote about this in my Jan 8th REC blog post.

I live in Ground Zero of the latest burst bubble – Las Vegas.

The larger economic picture going forward is pretty dicey.