Vito wrote:
But even then the numbers don't compute. You correctly note that few MDs
work 40 hour weeks. The local *rural* MD charges $100 for a routine visit
lasting *maybe* 5 minutes.

Baloney. If you go to a doctor who sees you for "only five minutes" then
you need to go to another doctor. Most capitation rates are in the 10 ~
15 minute range and that's for those docs under the corporate thumb
demanding high turnover.




... At twice that (10 min) per patient that's
$1,248,000/yr gross. Out of that he pays a nurse and a receptionist perhaps
the $48K and another $25K rent so even if he pays $150,000 for his
malpractiing peers misadventures he still nets $million/yr *IF* he actually
works just 40 hours a week.

Meanwhile, he is also paying an accountant and a lawyer and a collection
agency because the HMOs and insurance companies have written in their
business plan to avoid paying, or delay... add the time & effort spent
on Medicare and Medicaid collections, which is an obnoxious PITA and the
payment rate is so low that it doesn't even cover overhead... Let's not
forget that cool 1/4 mill in medical school debt he's trying to pay
off... and the price of an office full of fancy equipment.. then factor
in the number of people who can't pay and don't have insurance and get
free treatment...

Vito, you seem convinced that doctors have such a cushy life... why
don't you go to med school and try it for yourself?



.... And
if one has research projects on the bench, then usually they work about
twice as many hours per week as their own residents.


That's a whole different problem demonstrating another flaw in a union
controlled system. We've all heard of unions that bankrupt employers or
drove them overseas with impossible demands. Well that is exactly what the
MDs' union (AMA) is doing to MDs - killing the golden goose by artificially
limiting the number of MDs.

???

Where do you get this malarkey? The number of MDs per capita has been
going up for the last two decades...


BTW, would anybody here choose to see an MD who gets only 4-5 hours sleep a
night? Maybe that's why malpractice rates are high.

Maybe you get crappy service from you doctor(s) because you've got a
crappy attitude. Have you threatened to sue your doctor to his face?


(repeat) If you think doctors are the problem, next time you're sick
just cut out the middleman... go straight to a lawyer.


Not really. If you need cheap AIDS medication then I guess the answer is
to move to Africa.


No (Duh-uh) the answer is to buy your drugs from Africa without moving there
(You have heard of mail haven't you?) but GWB won't allow that so only very
rich US victims get to survive.

So let's assume that this law is removed... poof, buy your AIDs drugs
(or any other drugs) from Africa... now you've got some real drugs, some
faked drugs, and some African vendors who simply take your money and
laugh... result... average cost per actual dose goes *up* and
effectiveness goes down.

Next idea, Mr Doctor-Hating Genius?

DSK