She's struggled. Had her own health issue in the midst of it. Decided to only practice what she likes about medicine. Took a few years, but the practice is growing. By no means a rich woman, nor one wanting or needing to be.

I'm with ya.  I quit my soul-destroying corporate senior management job 20 months ago, and continued the insurance out of my pocket for 18 months.  Then, while going through a budgeting exercise a few months ago to see how I could stretch my dwindling savings further and continue to avoid/postpone returning to a "career" that I had come to despise, I decided to cease being insured. 

The primary reason: my monthly insurance cost me more than my mortgage.  It was the single largest expense: more than shelter, more than food, more than utilities, more than transportation, more than entertainment (cable tv, DSL internet, music purchases) - more than any two of those combined.  The singular ridiculousness of that fact - mostly just in case I get horrifically ill/injured - caused me to cease my insurance coverage.  I only wish I had done so sooner.

So, I'm now marginally employed in a part-time job that has the beauty of an absolute lack of management responsibility, corporate bullshit, corrupt impossible and  irrational executives, and dishonest self-interested ladder climbing weasels - though unfortunately it has me not making enough to cover the cost of living - and now I'm among the uninsured. 

Sure, if something horrific happens, and I'll be wiped out - but if I'd continued to purchase my own health insurance to address that risk, my complete insolvency would've have been a certainty.  So, I'm uninsured and fine with it.  Fucking crooks.

Just curious.  Those started around here about 5 years or so ago, and a lot of people we know had to find new doctors.  I've wondered how it is working out for the doctors that went that route.  My guess is probably pretty well.

Nope.

exactly, who needs doctors?

Does she also charge an annual "subscription" fee?  The "boutique practice" I referred to earlier works as you describe, also charges an annual fee of up to $15,000, depending on the level of service desired.  Hospital and prescription costs are not included.

I'm with ya.  I quit my soul-destroying corporate senior management job 20 months ago, and continued the insurance out of my pocket for 18 months.  Then, while going through a budgeting exercise a few months ago to see how I could stretch my dwindling savings further and continue to avoid/postpone returning to a "career" that I had come to despise, I decided to cease being insured. 

The primary reason: my monthly insurance cost me more than my mortgage.  It was the single largest expense: more than shelter, more than food, more than utilities, more than transportation, more than entertainment (cable tv, DSL internet, music purchases) - more than any two of those combined.  The singular ridiculousness of that fact - mostly just in case I get horrifically ill/injured - caused me to cease my insurance coverage.  I only wish I had done so sooner.

So, I'm now marginally employed in a part-time job that has the beauty of an absolute lack of management responsibility, corporate bullshit, corrupt impossible and  irrational executives, and dishonest self-interested ladder climbing weasels - though unfortunately it has me not making enough to cover the cost of living - and now I'm among the uninsured. 

Sure, if something horrific happens, and I'll be wiped out - but if I'd continued to purchase my own health insurance to address that risk, my complete insolvency would've have been a certainty.  So, I'm uninsured and fine with it.  Fucking crooks.

My wife is a physician, and I hear no end of the ever increasing paperwork and government mandates that interfere with her ability to help patients.

This is why my physician (and friend) practices without a net. No insurance accepted. Meaning: she can spend time and attention with her patients (who can afford to pay up front) and have only an office assistant. Her practice is growing - but not among Medicare recipients, as you'd imagine. One schedules appts. with her by the quarter-hour or more. Our insurance pays a bit towards this. But her attention is priceless. 

My wife is a physician, and I hear no end of the ever increasing paperwork and government mandates that interfere with her ability to help patients.  She says if she had known back in college how bad things would get she would have chosen a different field (and this is from a tireless patient advocate).  She read Hillary's entire health care reform screed and noted not a single clinician (a doctor who sees patients) contributed!  

The government has screwed up medicine, and it will only get worse if they seize more control.

My wife is a physician, and I hear no end of the ever increasing paperwork and government mandates that interfere with her ability to help patients.  She says if she had known back in college how bad things would get she would have chosen a different field (and this is from a tireless patient advocate).  She read Hillary's entire health care reform screed and noted not a single clinician (a doctor who sees patients) contributed!  

The government has screwed up medicine, and it will only get worse if they seize more control.

  My dad  pays a little under $300 a month for medicare and Aetna as a supplemental, but he was an uber geek for  defense contractors during the glory days of retirement funds and has some crazy benefits, the likes of which no American will ever see again.I don't know what the same coverage would cost some guy trying to scrape up the payments out of what is left of his IRA.

There are many doctors in our area who will not take new Medicare patients, even those with private, supplemental "Medigap" policies.   L's doctor left the group with which she had practiced for several years to start her own "boutique" practice.   L discovered that finding a new doctor that would take her was not easy, and practically impossible without the supplement.   Our cost for the supplement plus Medicare part B is about $650 per month.   Makes me wonder what all those MC deductions from our salaries are being used for.

There are many doctors in our area who will not take new Medicare patients, even those with private, supplemental "Medigap" policies. L's doctor left the group with which she had practiced for several years to start her own "boutique" practice. L discovered that finding a new doctor that would take her was not easy, and practically impossible without the supplement. Our cost for the supplement plus Medicare part B is about $650 per month. Makes me wonder what all those MC deductions from our salaries are being used for.

 It's abused by doctors and is difficult for the elderly to understand.

 It's far from perfect, but is a heck of a lot better then the VA ,IRS or SSA in my experience.

This is so well said.

My questions:

- Isn't Medicare a totally successful program?

- Is it really not feasible to run a National Health Care that way?

- What are the current costs to the government, brought on by the uninsured?

United Health Care, located here in the Minneapolis/St.Paul metro. pays it CEO about $100 Million/year. Yes, I have my zeroes correctly counted. Start there. I am a capitalist; a small business owner. I believe in a free market, generally. I believe the source of the problem here lies in the inherent contradiction of having a vendor whose interest is in minimizing costs and maximizing income and profits be the source of care. No system works everywhere, and the free market has not worked here. We have public schools, libraries, roads, bridges, and on. Health care should be available to all. Gov't can legislate proscriptions and rules to avoid abuse. The idea that a free market, and competition that comes with it, will inevitably benefit the consumer has been completely co-opted in the case of health care....and we are all paying.