This is sad but true. I've heard of insurance companies cranking up the premiums on all kinds of insurance for people with things like ADD.
We have a friend who was on an HMO from her husband's job. Her husband died and the shrink prescribed antidepressants to get her through the rough period. When her COBRA ran out she applied to get private health insurance from the same HMO. She was denied since she had been previously prescribed antidepressants.
Pure Propaganda at its finest. The word I have, is the following: One of my Private Equity Clients is sole owner of a 155 million Medical Device Company. They design and distribute all kinds of med devices. This is a private company. He told me that the word on the street is the following. Free Health Clinics will be put up nation wide under the OBAMA administration. Currently, the agenda is to force all "Medical" persons. Docs, Nurse, etc to contribute X hours a week at these "Free Health Clincs". Of course, the "Tax Payers" will pay for these clincs. Obama is saying that the DOCs, Nurse, etc have a moral obligation, without pay, to work X hours at their nearest clinc. This "Law" or "Bill" is to be passed for sure. No doubt in Steve's mind. This is a hush hush push.....but it isn't the total socialized Med. It will come in waves. What I have posted on this...is phase one of many others to come. So, let the Games begin. OBAMA NATION ....the fastest road to Socailism in America.... R you ready?
Not sure how he would be able to do that unless we go to a universal medicare system (like in the UK they can force docs to work public and private unless they opt out of public altogether, which in the US as long as there are insured patients many docs are already doing). One thing I do recognize is that the doctors and nurses and anyone who does the labor of healthcare is about to be thrown under the bus (and no doubt many of you ignorant of the travails of the providers will cheer, you will no doubt get the quality of care you deserve in the end). I know this because David Cuttler who is Obama's healthcare architect is very pro health insurance companies (he and the CEO of Kaiser P are practically in bed with each other) and sees them as part of the solution. They will be squeeze and they in turn will squeeze their workforce, while at the same time snowing them under with new paper work so that quality of care can supposedly be assesed. I also know this because Howard Dean, a Physician and who's wife is also a Physician, who wanted the HHS job was cast aside for some Insurance Czar from Kansas of all places! The next shoe to drop for the medical community is Obama somehow circumventing the state medical societies so that a flood of foreign docs will be allowed in to set up shop and without any additional US training. Having seen enough of these guys operate, even after a US residency, I would say that the level of care is about to take a major dive.
Sounds like a load of scare mongering nonsense to me. Conscripting medical staff. That's a good one ! I live in Australia, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Australian population would not swap our mixed public/private system for the US system for all the tea in china. Free, unlimited heathcare is available to all. There are some co-payments for prescription drugs and some GPs and that's about it. Not perfect or anywhere near perfect but way, way better than the US system. Australia also has a significantly higher life expectancy than the US.
No offense Dcraig but in Austrailia they still think that chelation therapy works to lower cholesterol (and spare me the links to the quack sites please).