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ObamaCare and the Disapearing Practices (Coming to a state near you)

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posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:05 AM
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I need some help. I've noticed something odd and I'm wondering if other's are having a similar experiance and/or seeing the same trend in there states.

I wish my thread was about something more constructive but a las I need some more eyes~

I live in Chicago. I work in Dispatch and have a lot of 1 on 1 time with the customers as I'm the one scheduling the appointments to keep. (Service with a smile) =/

Recently, I mean within the past 2 months i've noticed an abnormal amount of calls coming in from Doctors. All cancelling service as they are no longer continuing there practice at all. No change of address no continued service et cetera~

I need to add that my family (Immediate Family, Sister, Mom) both use the same Family Practice doctor. Upon last visit, our Dr. went on a Rant on how ObamaCare is going to destroy a Doctor's practice, by the Gov't telling them who they can and can't treat. (Example: Let the Elderly and Sickly die) Rare that I never heard of my Doctor ranting or even upset for that matter.

I cringed when I heard this, and became very saddened at the same time. As I don't believe everything Western medicine stands for, I have however ran accross many Doctors who I would trust with prescribing or diagnosing me.

I do believe there are many individuals who need to see a Doctor regardless of Status or Financial inability to pay for there services, should still be treated. I know a lot of Doctors out there that would help these type's of people as well.

This thread is not about Free Health Care and you will be promptly reported for any responses trying to de-rail this thread.

So who else out there has been noticing Doctor's abandoning ship before the Sails of Obamacare take full wind?



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:09 AM
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I lost my doc last year. We finally found a great family practitioner, he was perfect for our family.
He chose to leave state because of hospital politics. That is the only reason he gave. I haven't even bothered to find a new one at this point.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:12 AM
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Originally posted by sulaw
So who else out there has been noticing Doctor's abandoning ship before the Sails of Obamacare take full wind?

My father's cardiologist has already warned he will probably have to close his office. I think he is waiting to see what the full effect is before shutting down. It's a sad situation because he has taken excellent care of my dad, it's so hard to find good doctors.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:15 AM
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reply to post by woodsmom
 


Loosing a Solid/Dependable Doctor can be Devastating especially when, I feel 60%~75% of the Doctors out there would rather have Kick Backs from the Meds they prescribe than actually treating the patient. I would have a hard time finding a new Doctor too.

So your Doc didn't set up shop anywhere else either? Just a cancell of practice?

Just thinking of how long it takes to become a Doctor in America w/ all the additional schooling and training that is literally never ending. It's really a shame.

Thank you for posting~



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:48 AM
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Old people who have already contributed so much to society that society now owes them? Yeah, give em some aspirin for that heart problem, send them home and let them die.
Newborns and young kids with a rare disease? Nah, they haven't contributed enough to society yet, just euthanize 'em or something.
Teenagers/young adults who have a problem? We've already invested in them, we'll save them so they can contribute. As long as it isn't too expensive.
Middle agers? Well, I guess; I mean they DO still work... As long as it won't cost too much.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:51 AM
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I have been wondering about my own doctor.
I saw him at the beginning of 2012. (found a bill)
I tried to get an appointment a few weeks ago, but was told they had no record of me, so it must have been three years. I told them I had a bill from 2012, but she continued to say they had no record. So I asked if I could just make an appointment and she told me that I would be considered a new patient, and he was not accepting new patients.

Our whole family had been seeing this doctor for over 10 years!!!!

My first thought was maybe it had something to do with the new healthcare.
Trying to find a new one is no fun!!!



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:52 AM
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reply to post by CrisMajor
 


I'd have to say that is the message i've been receiving via: ObamaCare~

Dr. Kavorkian is checking in soon w/ Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde~

All the while "Good" Doctors/Physicians/Cardiologist et cetera are being shut down, never again to re-open there practice.

Makes me wonder if we will go back to when Doctors did "House Calls" And if Doctors will go Rogue with there practice and still help those that need it.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:52 AM
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I can speak to personal experience. My other half has chronic and degenerative nerve as well as muscle conditions which make doctors a simple fact of her life. We've seen a 'churn' within the clinics she attends of older doctors just dropping off entirely. Her current ones also have changed their attitude on a number of things without explanation offered or given in any sensible way when asked. Almost vicious on some points of care and approach.

I'll be a little less vague in saying the site I'm a mod at has among it's members a Doctor down in Texas who isn't all that far from a point in life for retirement, regardless of Obamacare. However, he's railed about the new things dumped on him and doctors in general for requirements, dictates and paperwork. Endless flowing paperwork by the truckload to hear him tell it. If he's still in the profession by the end of the year, I'll be shocked...and he hadn't intended it this quickly.

If people are having trouble with pain management all the sudden....that's also Obamacare and/or federal dictates. NO ONE among my wife's medical "team" would address or talk to us about why she's being put through what she is regarding chronic pain management.....until I talked to him, as a friend and not a patient. I don't blame doctors for pulling the plug personally. I'm awfully glad I don't have 6 figure student loan debt for an M.D. that is nothing like what Doctors today went into medicine for.

edit on 5-2-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:56 AM
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reply to post by sulaw
 



Im in Illinois.
It started several yrs ago with the malpractice insurance being over the top because the settlements had little to no cap... and people sue for everything in Illinois. Now its on a downhill slide due to Obamacare issues.

www.wifr.com...
illinoispolicy.org...



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 11:58 AM
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reply to post by Wrabbit2000
 


Chronic pain is awfull, your wife is lucky to have a man that cares for her so much, as I could not watch my own Wife in pain and would do anything I could to make sure she is happy.

My mother has Arthritis in her whole body, every joint. She can't take normal Arthritis meds. So she now smokes Marijuana and can move now without all the pain. (Just an example, true story)

Wrabbit I've seen you around ATS for a bit now, and never had the chance to say Hi.... Until now. Hello Good Sir~ And thank you for sharing.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:04 PM
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Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
If people are having trouble with pain management all the sudden....that's also Obamacare and/or federal dictates. NO ONE among my wife's medical "team" would address or talk to us about why she's being put through what she is regarding chronic pain management.....until I talked to him, as a friend and not a patient. I don't blame doctors for pulling the plug personally. I'm awfully glad I don't have 6 figure student loan debt for an M.D. that is nothing like what Doctors today went into medicine for.

edit on 5-2-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)


Thats really interesting rabbit, as I have been experiencing this very thing. Until I found a decent doctor, I havent been able to find one that would even accept the fact that I have a broken back. They either didnt read the radiology reports at all, or did and discarded the info.

They kept repeating that "we just dont know what is causing the pain." They talked me out of a bone scan (initially) saying that someone my age just wouldnt benefit from any results it would yield. I was able to find a doctor that finally thought it was a good idea, and I had a z-score of -3.9 in my spine (DEXA bone scan, look up that score!).

They told me to just meditate and do yoga, and have repeatedly tried putting me on anti-depressants (
) saying that it would help dramatically with the pain that they also said they dont believe exists (
).

I have Kaiser Permanente as my insurance..

It sounds like we are having some similar stories here, and I have found my treatment to be extremely strange. I would like to speak with you a bit more, perhaps, and see if there are any more links. I understand not wanting to do it with someone you have never met, much less a public forum, but its interesting to me. Feel free to send a U2U..



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:08 PM
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Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Her current ones also have changed their attitude on a number of things without explanation offered or given in any sensible way when asked. Almost vicious on some points of care and approach.

Wrabbit, do you know if it has anything to do with the Accountable Care Organization system?

An article I found makes it sound kind iffy:

ObamaCare will worsen the current physician shortage. The law will also drive physicians to become hospital employees or to join large Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), where their treatment decisions will be monitored with mandatory electronic medical records. Government and private insurers will increasingly link payments to adherence to “comparative effectiveness” practice guidelines.

Physicians will face significant conflicts-of-interest when their patients might benefit from treatments outside the guidelines, but the physician risks nonpayment (or losing his ACO contract) as a result.
forbes.com

The part that concerns me is pay according to statistics.

Sorry to hear about your other half. I struggle with some chronic and degenerative issues myself and I know how painful and frustrating it can be.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:09 PM
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What do you expect.

When doctors cant take bribes under the table to prescribe medicine its a direct pay cut.

Strange how the only evidence of how "obama care" is changing things is lots of "paperwork".



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:10 PM
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reply to post by sulaw
 
Actually in my smallish town over the last few years we have had 4 new doctors open practices. They do not accept insurance or Medicaid/Medicare and work for cash, check or credit card only. Their prices are very reasonable (Ex: $45-75 for an initial visit and $25-50 for visits thereafter). We also have at least one pharmacy that accepts private insurance or cash only, and if you don't have insurance gives you the medicine at their actual cost.

We don't have any medical testing facilities in our town, but in the nearest larger city most testing facilities offer far reduced prices when paying with cash. I just took my daughter for an ultrasound on her gallbladder, liver, pancreas, stomach and kidneys this morning and paid $103 cash- and that includes the specialist's reading and report.

I have heard it mentioned by staff at one of the doctor's offices and at a couple of different medical testing facilities that part of the reason they are doing this is directly because of "Obamacare" and the people who will not be able to afford it.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:15 PM
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reply to post by sulaw
 


I think he was going to try and start a new practice out of state, free of the hospital affiliation so that he could practice as he chose. He was a great doc, someone who spent the time to talk with his patients, and never pulled out his script pad unless absolutely necessary. I only had a brief visit about this before he left though. He obviously wasn't happy about being forced to be a worse doctor just to placate the superiors. He never mentioned Obamacare specifically, but since it was passed last year our hospital (who runs alot of the doctors in town) jumped right on the bandwagon and starting implementing changes before they needed to.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:36 PM
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reply to post by littled16
 


Wowzer, that is Awesome! Star for you! I knew that a lot of Doctor's do accept Cash in Chicago though the price is more like $125-225 pending who you go to.

Those prices are much more feasable and made me feel less like "Humanity Exited Stage Right".

I would only hope to see that trend spread accross the Nation, though when ObamaCare is in full force I thought there is a penalty for not having insurance. /sigh



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:42 PM
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reply to post by woodsmom
 


Amazing that fall's in line w/ what Little was stating about Doctor's openning practices with set prices to see a doctor.

Now actually come to think of it. Let me toss Walgreen's onto the picture. Just because they have introduced within the last 2 years an on Duty Physician or Doctor (not sure which) that will prescribe meds at the time of your appointment. No Insurance needed, I do not know the set price though~ And pending on the meds that alone could be a costly expedition to obtain treatment... (Note that Walgreens doesn't do X-rays or MRI's et cetera, at least not to my knowledge)

So will this be a start of a new Medical type movement where you start seeing the above stated?



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:49 PM
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No, you are not imagining things.

Just like my dad did not imagine the 4 letters he got in early January (all on the same day) that they would no longer be accepting Medicare.

Docs are leaving Medicare in droves.

Coming soon: legislation or executive order mandate that in order to have an MD or DO license in the US, you are required to take Medicare.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 12:50 PM
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reply to post by Serdgiam
 



They told me to just meditate and do yoga, and have repeatedly tried putting me on anti-depressants ( ) saying that it would help dramatically with the pain that they also said they dont believe exists ( ).


It's been a strange experience for her. She's been on opiate based pain management for a period going on 10 years. 'Dr. Feelgood' with an Rx pad is about the extent of what she's had as she's shuffled from one specialist to another and one doctor to another within a series of tests and processes. It's important to note that over the years and with various doctors, we've all but begged they DO something and not just keep writing solutions in a bottle. That solves nothing but to cover the symptoms and leave her in the dark as to how bad it may actually be or not be. She's diagnosed with diabetic related neuropathy in both legs and arms, among a number of things and it's what is at the heart of her pain. ...she's had the tortu...err...nerve conduction tests 3 times to establish it so they couldn't tell her it didn't exist. Although, now? That IS what she's all but been told. It's crazy.

A couple weeks ago she was transferred to a new Doctor and a new attitude that I believe borders on criminal indifference. This new one decided it was a fine idea to take her off the opiate based pain killers. 100%. ....by simply saying 'no more and call us in 4 weeks.' I'm NOT kidding. That was it. Just 'make an appointment on your way out and see us back in 4 weeks'. No referral for support. No help. No counseling. No weaning off. Nothing.

(If I've been an ass at times in the last couple weeks on here, it's because I'm up all hours, day and night to be available in support of someone I love living through a thing no one ever should have to)

That is what prompted me to speak with the Doc I know through the site I work at, as a friend. In just flat out desperation and damn near to the point of crying that night....

Finally...I got my answer and so did she. January 1st brought new regulations and guidelines meant to curb the abuse and street availability of what she's been prescribed for a decade. According to him, those "guidelines" have razor sharp teeth behind them for the Doctors and are as unforgiving as they are brutal to the patients. Basically, *justify* every single case of chronic pain management, as if from scratch or risk their license to practice medicine in the extreme cases......but that threat doesn't need to BE extreme case for a doctor to take it as serious as she's suffering for it.

It's why her doctor's office has temporary computer generated signs all over the walls about how ONLY primary care docs can even DISCUSS chronic pain management or dispensing Rx to treat it. The waiting room had at least a half dozen of these home-printed signs and more in the exam rooms and hallways, lest we would think it was anything personal. Impersonal it sure is. TOO impersonal and brutally so, IMO.

(Anything further in detail to the above I'll be happy to discuss in real time chat here or elsewhere ..or U2U, but indeed...there are issues for getting any more detailed, as you note)

@OneisOne

He *never* (sorry...correction here) mentioned it by name but then, he was sharing information with me as a friend and by no means a formal medical consult or advice (sadly..even he, in THAT setting, felt compelled to say more than once.
) However, it's probably what he was talking about in everything being monitored 6-ways from Sunday and putting their license at risk for second guessing chronic pain management courses and decisions

@Sulaw

Heya! It's amazing how many good folks I'm getting to know fresh over the recent weeks.. Glad to add another to my friends list.



edit on 5-2-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: minor correction.



posted on Feb, 5 2013 @ 01:09 PM
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reply to post by sulaw
 
I don't know all of the specifics, but my state (Texas) is one of the states fighting "Obamacare" tooth and nail. How that will work out at tax time once it is fully implemented remains to be seen. With employers filing for exemptions left and right and the state opting out of providing an insurance exchange and refusing to lower the qualifications for Medicaid I'm not really sure what the future may hold.

Right now I pay cash for my doctor visits, tests and prescriptions as it would cost far more than we can afford to add me to my husband's insurance (his company pays the majority of his insurance but we would receive no breaks in cost to add me to it), not to mention that it is one of those extremely high deductible plans and in the 8-9 years he has had it he has only met his deductible ONCE. For at least the first few years after "Obamacare" implementation it will be cheaper to pay the tax penalty than to pay for insurance, but after that when the full tax penalty goes into effect I have a feeling there will be a lot more "tax evaders" than we have ever seen since the inception of the IRS.



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