Comments on: Career decisions shed light on health care crisis solutions

By: FatBurningFurnace

FatBurningFurnace — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:32:02 +0000

One way to understand the possibilities for solving the US health care crisis is to take a better look at how people make career decisions.

By: Rosie

Rosie — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:27:59 +0000

Clare,
People in the US are turned away from doctor's offices every day for lack of insurance. That is why so many uninsured end up in E.R.s with conditions that could be treated much more economically through a regular doctor. And even E.R.s don't always take the uninsured – just a few years ago in Chicago there was a news story about a gunshot victim left to die outside a hospital because he had no id or proof of insurance.

By: watch online movies

watch online movies — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:48:05 +0000

Thanks alot for the article, i like your articles alot, espeically this one, keep it up..: )

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:37:08 +0000

As a Canadian, I can tell you that it is a misconception that Canadians routinely run south for procedures. I can't think of a single person in Canada who is unhappy with our health care system's "socialist" aspects, although I am sure these people exist. In fact, most people I know, myself included, would like to see it go the OTHER way – to covering prescriptions and dental care as well.

In Canada, we are much amused by Americans and their utter terror at the idea of the government controlling health care. They do it with your police service, firefighting, etc and no one complains because that is how it has always been done. Americans need to man up, take the leap and consider the long-term time horizon.

I should also mention that as a Canadian med school hopeful, I am more aware than the average person about the shortcomings of our system. But even with this knowledge, I still feel incredibly thankful to live in Canada and not the States.

And on a related note, Canadian doctors are paid significantly less than their American counterparts, but our med school tuition is also substantially less.

By: Mark W.

Mark W. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:46:44 +0000

There's a relatively small healthcare outfit in upstate NY (Cooperstown) named Bassett Healthcare (25 health clinics, 13 school-based clinics, 4 hospitals, and a nursing home) where costs are lower than 90 percent of the hospitals in NY while quality of care ranks among the top 10 percent in the nation. Bassett Healthcare controls their costs by paying their doctors by salary rather than a fee for service business model. They also employ what they call an integrated health care delivery where primary care physicians and specialists work together as a team for the patient. They are not for profit and their missions are to employ doctors, teach nursing students, and conduct research. There's a good New York Times article on them at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/health/policy/25doctors.html .

By: mysticaltyger

mysticaltyger — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:36:31 +0000

Thank you for saying this, Bob! I've been saying this forever but no one believes me!

By: Bill Mitchell

Bill Mitchell — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:35:30 +0000

Your perspective is a bit off base. First, the cost of education, esp. for attending a medical school is huge. And as you pointed out, the time spent in internship and residency add to the time, hence the expense, devoted to education. The preparation physicians devote in terms of time and money is balanced by significant incomes in most areas of medicine. But when you consider the amount of time spent in education before a physician is able to practice, along with the expense of education and the short life span many physicians enjoy, the return is not as significant as it may appear. Unfortunately, public perception plays an important role in determining incomes, often not valid. Your perception is that an attorney makes a larger income than a physician because of the less time spent in education. That is not true either because the majority of lawyers are not making that much income. What Americans need to do is study what really is happening in America rather than basing their opinions on past assumptions. We would all be better off.

By: William Frost

William Frost — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:49:12 +0000

I love my family Doctor. I actually feel bad for the guy as it seems like he is always working, and the job must be stressful dealing with people who are looking for help all day long. Especially the patients that are in pain and he just has to tell them he can only do so much.

He has shown up to see me in the hospital at 7am one time when I had a kidney stone, he works every other weekend. He must have had a ton of student loans he had to pay off, there is all the insurance and support staff that he pays, plus the paperwork nightmares.

I think some specialties can pull in some hefty dollars, but Ido not think the family physicians pull in their worth. All the healthcare money goes toward test that are required to prove everything possible was done in case a lawsuit erupts.

Will

By: Dentist Mesquite

Dentist Mesquite — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:17:13 +0000

All jobs requires dedication and hard work, but there are some jobs which can't be replaced with money or can't be equate with money. Like being a teacher, you work with this career because you think it's a fulfilling job. Some set aside the monetary value of it, but of course it is important as well in order to live. We just hope that government's decisions on revamping health care system is better than before, because this will help the citizens to have a privilege to maintain their healthy body.

By: reanna

reanna — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:28:47 +0000

Malcolm Gladwell's take on what teachers should be paid, and who should be accepted into med school. Teaching isn't altruism, it's a job we need done better.

http://www.gladwell.com/2008/2008_12_15_a_teacher.html