05/05/2014    Tip Sullivan, DPM

Government and the Healthcare System

Recently, in Mississippi several rural hospitals
have been forced to close their doors. The reason
that they have had to shut down is complex, but it
can be boiled down to a simple concept. They
cannot afford to stay open. It costs them more to
open the door every day than they take in. These
hospitals with all their rules and regulations
have only been able stay open with money from the
system manufactured by our government and now that
is not even enough.

My prediction is that the government will continue
to attempt to centralize healthcare, probably
starting with rural areas so that they can take
complete control not only of the financial aspect
of paying doctors and facilities but also of
owning the facility outright. Ultimately, even the
big companies like HMA and Keiser will be forced
out of business or taken over through pressures
imposed by our government via rule and regulations
and perhaps even legislation. The government will
eventually own all the facilities, employ all the
doctors and all the ancillary employees similar to
a larger VA system.

The oak tree is falling and we in the medical
community are directly under it. I am generally
not a paranoid type of person, but this writing is
on the wall. In the past I have had faith that “we
the people” are the government and I will always
preach that the only way to change the system is
to educate yourself on the issues (whatever they
may be) and vote. Our problem as individual
physicians is that the number of voters who are
currently using government programs for their
healthcare is on the rise and we are relatively on
the decline.

Until we can organize and bring the power that we
have as physicians via our knowledge and training
to bear on the political decisions (i.e.: form
some sort of collective union) we will continue to
be washed around the toilet bowl and eventually
end up in the sewer. Even if we are able to make
enough noise to alter some decisions –if the
number of voters continues to increase that feel
like there is a great advantage in the government
system and that the “system” will take care of
them-- we will be flushed.

I am not smart enough to make any great
suggestions that will make this go away. This is
just how I see it. All I can say is we need to use
more toilet paper!

Tip Sullivan, DPM, Jackson, MS,
tsdefeet@msfootcenter.net

Other messages in this thread:

---

05/06/2014    Cedric Cooper, DPM

Government and the Healthcare System (Tip Sullivan, DPM)

This is not a political issue. If we continue to
try to place the issue of healthcare delivery in a
political basket we as health care providers will
continue to be controlled by the big money
handlers such as the insurance industry. Placing
political blame will continue to allow us to
blindly fall into the traps set up by both
political parties. Yes, in Tennessee many small
hospitals are closing or becoming urgent care
centers so that they will not be forced to provide
healthcare to uninsured patients and they are
closing because of the loss of federal Medicaid,
Medicare, and uninsured money. However, doesn’t
this force those same patients to come to your
office for that same care. This will be a boom
for the small individual practitioner.

Why? Our overhead is small and we do or don’t have
to continue to fall into the trap of borrowing to
purchase these ridiculous " new technologies" that
does nothing for our ability to provide
healthcare. If you continue to borrow to support
these ridiculously habits of employing a largely
staffed inefficient office and if you continue to
borrow to buy these overpriced "new technologies"
that do not differ from what they were in the
past and if you continue to bolster a large ego
that says that I don’t have to be hands on with my
patients just pay somebody then you will perish.

However, if you become efficient, lean, and drop
your ego and work hard for a change then you will
flourish as a group and as an individual
practitioner. The days of waste are over pay your
taxes, treat your patients, and drop the ego and
everything will be fine. An older podiatrist (Dr.
Lawrence Burns) told me a long time ago. "Just try
your best to do what is right and everything will
work out all else is just none sense." As a
podiatrist I have three offices. I or my children
provide the excellent appearing lawn care at all
of these offices. I am janitorial, maintenance
(within my God given abilities), and I open my own
office. Every damn day. Get your act together -
the days of arrogant king are over. However, the
days of increasing profits have just began.

Cedric Cooper, DPM. Humboldt, TN,
y2kcedric@hotmail.com