Socialized Medicine Has Arrived

Everyone has an opinion of ObamaCare but few truly understand the implications. The Affordable Care Act is forcing doctors into; retirement, corporate partnerships or to sell their private practice. Reducing Medicaid payments through reduced federal reimbursements gives physicians zero incentive to treat patients on Medicaid.

Obama’s Broken Promises

We all remember Obama’s promise, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” He used that as a voting mechanism to get elected and he used it as a carrot and stick bait for doctors.

People didn’t get to keep their doctor, specialist or even their insurance plan. As plans were terminated by the federal government because they didn’t meet certain criteria such as birth control, pre-term care or other ridiculous requirements that not everyone needed. Certainly a man in his 60’s should not be forced into a plan that is geared towards a woman and her unborn child. The options disappeared and federal mandates were etched in stone.

As people lost their insurance, they were forced to seek other options. America’s poor was pushed to Medicaid. Medicaid as all government managed programs is a failure. Think – Amtrack, the Post Office, the IRS. All failed agencies.

Literally millions of Americans were forced into Medicaid.

Physicians were offered a financial incentive to treat Medicaid patients. The increase as with all Obama promises was released with an expiration date. Those incentives were only for years 2013 and 2014. We are on the cusp of 2015 and the carrot is gone. The stick now comes into play.

Pushed Into A Corner

Doctors have challenged the level of reimbursement from Medicaid and Obama pushed back. Their financial concerns and building their practice is no concern of his. His push for socialized medicine just went from a walk to a trot and he isn’t looking back. His only concern is to have single-payer become an institution in his dream of the Socialized United States of America.

A study by the Urban Institute estimates that “doctors who have been receiving the enhanced payments will see their fees for primary care, but by approximately 43%”.

Imagine having your incentived pay reduced by 43%. Imagine being forced into the choice of not treating people because they are on Medicaid. Imagine being pushed into a corner by a government so big and out of control that no one can hear you protest. Imagine not being able to run your business effectively because this legislation has hamstrung who you treat.

Dr. David Fleming, the President of the American College of Physicians has stated that it does not make sense to reduce Medicaid reimbursements, “at a time when the population enrolled in Medicaid is surging”.

The carrot of “Free Health Care” and “you can keep your doctor” was penned with severe consequences that affect the very patients that believed Obama’s promise that you can get something for nothing. It is classic bait and switch and people should be used to the broken promises.

How Can American’s Be So Dumb?

Voters got so caught up in the promises that they failed to ask the question, “At what cost?”

They got what they paid for, and now they are stuck with ObamaCare. Unfortunately, so are our doctors and specialists.

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