 | Dr. George R. Watson, D.O. is certified in Preventive Health, Occupational Medicine, Bariatric Medicine, and is the first physician in Kansas to be a Diplomate of the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Watson has served in the Air Force as a Weapons Systems Officer, Electronic Warfare Officer, and Flight Surgeon. Dr. Watson is located in the Park City Medical Center, 425 E. 61st St. North. #2 and can be reached at 316-744-3400 |
Health & Medicine
2006-11-01 08:56:00
What is the opinion of AAPS
QUESTION: What is the overall opinion of AAPS regarding single payer?
ANSWER: As I have mentioned in previous discussions, it would be a disaster. There is NO WAY that bureaucrats can take YOUR money, then dole it out through insurance companies, and you get the full value of YOUR DOLLARS.
QUESTION: So, why do people keep demanding universal health care?
ANSWER: They simply have not stopped long enough to THINK about the answer to the previous question. It would make as much sense to pay higher premiums to your auto insurance company, and then expect them to pay for your oil change. What would the oil change cost? At least THREE times as much.
QUESTION: What do your MEDICARE patients say about this?
ANSWER: It may surprise a lot of people, especially doctors, to know that I see a LOT of Medicare patients. They pay cash at the time of service, can NOT be reimbursed by Medicare, and yet, they come back when they have a problem, because they appreciate being charged a FAIR price, which THEY determine by the amount of time that THEY NEED. I don’t waste valuable time with CPT codes (if the AMA didn’t sell new versions of the CPT codes, they would have to raise the dues of all their members). I spend ten, fifteen, or even thirty minutes with them, depending on their need.
One gentleman, in his seventies, asked, “What do you think would happen if Medicare collapsed?” I told him I had an idea, but what did he think. He responded, “All the costs of medical care would go down!!” And he is CORRECT!
QUESTION: What about the proposed cuts in Medicare payments to physicians?
ANSWER: If we could all remember that the purpose of Congress is “to provide the common defense”, nothing more, nothing less, we would stop looking to government to solve our problems. IF more doctors would OPT OUT of Medicare, and every other insurance company, the FIRST thing they would notice is how much more they enjoy the practice of medicine. If our legislators would stop trying to make everybody dependent on them, and would make it unlawful for insurance companies to require hospitals and doctors to charge the UNINSURED the same high prices that they charge the insurance companies (who then enforce contracted discounts), we wo
ANSWER: There is an excellent position paper, “White Paper on Medical Financing” by Andrew Schlafly, Esq., and Jane Orient, M.D. The entire paper can be read at www.aapsonline.org I will try to summarize some of the main points with feedback I have had from some of my patients.
QUESTION: What is the overall opinion of AAPS regarding single payer?
ANSWER: As I have mentioned in previous discussions, it would be a disaster. There is NO WAY that bureaucrats can take YOUR money, then dole it out through insurance companies, and you get the full value of YOUR DOLLARS.
QUESTION: So, why do people keep demanding universal health care?
ANSWER: They simply have not stopped long enough to THINK about the answer to the previous question. It would make as much sense to pay higher premiums to your auto insurance company, and then expect them to pay for your oil change. What would the oil change cost? At least THREE times as much.
QUESTION: What do your MEDICARE patients say about this?
ANSWER: It may surprise a lot of people, especially doctors, to know that I see a LOT of Medicare patients. They pay cash at the time of service, can NOT be reimbursed by Medicare, and yet, they come back when they have a problem, because they appreciate being charged a FAIR price, which THEY determine by the amount of time that THEY NEED. I don’t waste valuable time with CPT codes (if the AMA didn’t sell new versions of the CPT codes, they would have to raise the dues of all their members). I spend ten, fifteen, or even thirty minutes with them, depending on their need.
One gentleman, in his seventies, asked, “What do you think would happen if Medicare collapsed?” I told him I had an idea, but what did he think. He responded, “All the costs of medical care would go down!!” And he is CORRECT!
QUESTION: What about the proposed cuts in Medicare payments to physicians?
ANSWER: If we could all remember that the purpose of Congress is “to provide the common defense”, nothing more, nothing less, we would stop looking to government to solve our problems. IF more doctors would OPT OUT of Medicare, and every other insurance company, the FIRST thing they would notice is how much more they enjoy the practice of medicine. If our legislators would stop trying to make everybody dependent on them, and would make it unlawful for insurance companies to require hospitals and doctors to charge the UNINSURED the same high prices that they charge the insurance companies (who then enforce contracted discounts), we would level the playing field.
QUESTION: So what is your best advice?
ANSWER: Go to the www.aapsonline.org website, read the entire White Paper on Medical Financing, and become a part of the solution.
