Disappointing editorial in todays paper

I read the following editorial with increasing dismay this morning.
apparently all those promises of NO CUTS TO MEDICARE we were
promised were once again false campaign/ presidential promises.

  While this may not affect many of you in other states, it has a huge impact on Florida.
Many retirees have chosen to make Floridas warmer climates their homes in later years.
With these cuts those reitrees who are not in perfect health and the disabled all which are
ineligible for a Medicare Supplement will be hit hardest.

  Once again, those who can least afford it, will be the ones to be made to pay and struggle.
I have been in situations where I had to juggle finances to achieve the unthinkable.
Pulling my hair out, and wringing my hands in total despair was not my idea of fun.
Why should the disabled, organ transplant recipients, and seniors who have been denied a Medicare supplement once again be forced to choose between life and health care, prescriptions, etc.
And why, can someone tell me, why should a physician have to feel the brunt of watching their patients suffer due to financial difficulties and Medicare cuts?




More Medicare pressure



I have been a practicing internist in Venice for 10 years. I am writing concerning Medicare cuts in physician reimbursement, not to make readers feel sorry for doctors, but to let people know how these cuts will affect them.



Physician payments through Medicare are based on a formula called the sustainable growth rate. This has resulted in yearly cuts in physician reimbursements, which have been delayed by last-minute acts of Congress. These fixes, for the most part, have resulted in fees remaining the same while expenses continue to rise. This year, Congress put a two-month patch on the problem. It expired March 1 and physician reimbursement was cut by 21.6 percent.



What will happen as a result? Physicians will drop out of the Medicare program en masse or, if they're able, they will retire. Many will go out of business. Florida physicians will leave for areas with fewer Medicare patients, resulting in Medicare patients losing their doctors or paying them out of pocket. The doctors who remain will cut costs by cutting staff and services such as after-hours care. This will result in further pressure on emergency rooms. Doctors will also begin charging patients for things such as phone calls, prescription refills, etc.



Readers, tell your congressmen to fix the problem. If not, you'll have other chances, because reimbursement is supposed to be cut further to a total of 47 percent by 2012. But, by that time, there may not be any physicians left.

Eric Lough, M.D.
Nokomis, FL

Memories

I can still recall how my life transpired from 17- about 25. Before the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) anyone with a disability feared applying for a job. Even worse you were afraid to admit you had any form of medical issues. There were organizations that employed ONLY the disabled, so I tried one of those for a few months. It only took a few months long to realize:
1. I was not that disabled.
2. I would never achieve the few dreams I had left.
Sitting in a bare office, trying to tele-market light bulbs was not for me. It was great for those who truly needed it . Just not me. I guess this is why to this day I'm on the Do Not Call List.
I decided to try finding a job in my chosen field at that time: medical.
I went back to school and became a Medical Assistant, but symptoms began to show and it was difficult maintaining the low-pay, hectic office where I was at the time.
So I went back to work at the hospital and became a Pharmacy Technician. It was a slower pace, I was not in the public arena where germs ran rampant, and I had found my niche. For awhile.
I eventually took a job with the county health department which afforded me better benefits. It was at this point I began asking what the benefits were as opposed to negotiating a salary. I could always get a 2nd job to cover bills, BUT good health insurance coverage was mandatory.
It was also around this time I began to cough up blood. I think my cardiologist, David Chinoy MD (at the time) was going to have a coronary himself when I casually mentioned it during a visit.
I was quickly informed this was a major red flag!
From what I remember: the pressure gets so high in my heart and lungs that the arteries were bursting and I was coughing up fresh blood. He scared me to death when he mentioned I could eventually hemorrhage (?). I was also quickly becoming a CHF (congestive heart failure) patient with all the fluid build up happening in my heart. I still wonder to this day if he was doing this mainly to scare me into behaving. After all I was only in my early 20's and rebelling.
My rebellion is another story all in owns right, which I'll attempt on my next writing. Until then stay safe, stay healthy, and please don't be like I was -Listen to your doctor. After all it's your money you give them for your care.