Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The President’s Health Care Proposal: Trying to Get Blood From a Stone

By Dr. Elaina George

If the goal of the President’s proposal was to drive doctors into hospital-based practices or community health centers; or if it was to break the spirit of providers and bend them to the will of the government that holds the threat of criminal prosecution over their heads if they are found to be Medicare cheats; or if the goal was to dumb down the practice of medicine by ramping up the power of the HHS secretary and the evidence-based medicine posse, then the President’s proposal for health care reform was successful. However, we as physicians are individuals. There approximately 890,000 doctors currently practicing in the U.S. Those of us who want the autonomy to practice medicine the way we were trained, those of us who run a private practice who are entrepreneurs at heart, those who are tired of being pitted against our patients and other physicians, and those who are just sick and tired are NOT going to take this. Those of us who can will retire or leave medicine all together. Those within the system will simply opt out. [more…]

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