Medicare for All? Fixing the ACA? How would it affect me?
When I moved to New York, I got new doctors. Some are gone from my list. My gastroenterologist is one. He fired my wife. She has a chronic condition that flared. He said he prefers doing tests. I preferred someone who didn’t fire my wife. My ophthalmologist is another. When I decided I wanted to get my glasses from an optician who was available more than two days per week, he thought I was leaving the practice. Gave me a battery of unnecessary tests (which I should have rejected). I left the practice. My next ophthalmologist solved the problem of making his practice work under current conditions. He retired.
Until recently, I was with my GP/cardiologist. I am still with my ent doc, and my urologist. Men ten or fifteen years younger than I am. Men who are unhappy with their work. They like being doctors. They love being doctors. They hate the oversight of insurance companies. The forms they have to complete. Will something get filled out wrong and still get paid. Would the money get clawed back? They have lost control of their work. Testing pays. The insurance companies and the government appears to value testing.
I’m still with the ent doc and the urologist. The ent’s audiologist has fitted me with hearing aids. The urologist has fixed my minor problem, not that I don’t have new ones. I am not a complicated patient for either practice.
My GP/cardiologist changed his practice to concierge. Should I have paid thousands to stay with him? I did. He took his concierge into a giant practice. I didn’t. I told him I didn’t like the contract, which I did not. As I reflect, I didn’t like paying this company because I couldn’t figure out what they were doing for the money.