The Past is Yet to Come

Well it’s not the quite the “Ides’ of March yet but it is the first and a bunch of stuff happens today.

For a start, from today the fees paid by Medicare to participating physicians is reduced by 21.5%. And, before we go any further, and before Obama blames somebody and better yet everybody for everything, this measure comes from the House in the form of HR 4691. His House, His Party, This Friday.

But it gets worse because if a person requires a specialist, consultancy will now only be reimbursed at the regular physician rates instead of according to a table of “Consulting Codes”.

Now will this draconian measure affect only Medicare recipients? Dream on.

Do you believe that Medicaid won’t go down the same path? And don’t overlook the fact that many private insurance plans model their payment schedules on Medicare. So who suffers here?

Clearly the doctors do and though I know they’ll try hard, so will their patients and some of the latter may find it harder to find care.

Now I can hear the scream from the left that I am justifying such monstrosities as the British National Health Service. Well, not really.

I know, on reliable authority, it is now almost impossible to find a dentist in the UK who will accept NHS patients because they cannot afford to do so. And, I feel compelled to ask, would you want to see one of the few whose skills cannot command a better rate of return?

As evidence I know that, upon my first dental appointment in the US, I was asked if I’d been living in a third-world country?

And the answer, in terms of dental care, I probably had been.

As the old adage goes, “Free/cheap advice is worth every penny”.

And this surely is a taste of things to come and that’s before the Democrats try to force feed us their version of socialized medicine which seems to be coming up in the next week or so.

And, when they try it, will it pass?

I heard about 3 takes on that question from 3 unlikely sources on the national TV news shows yesterday. Now all 3 sources were Democrat and liberal and it went like this:

Juan Williams contended that Rahm Emanuel, who is after all the fount of Obama’s pronouncements, had not been able to persuade Americans to eat the “dog food”.

Pelosi, tried to exhort her gladiators to go into the arena and give up their lives for the glory of the Emperor.

And, James Carville simply said “No” and offered a thumbs down.


Before I close things medical, I must comment on Obama’s first official physical exam. The media outlets in this country have made great hay about his low blood pressure readings but they advised he should reduce his nicotine usage.

What was not reported here in the US, but was by the UK Guardian, Obama was told that his doctors, “recommended a modification of his alcohol intake”.

So, while the Ides of March may not have come yet …………..

They haven’t gone yet either ……….


In fact, they may be delayed until November of 2010