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I don't know why doctors receive so much ire. Most of the billing issues come from hospitals and insurers.

munk-a 7y ago
They don't actually - some doctors are great but others are pretty bad actors that will bemoan the pricing publicly while advocating for higher prices privately. In our healthcare system no element is innocent of driving up those prices. Also, next time you're in your doctor's office ask if they accept medicaid or medicare - a lot don't because they end up with less take home for such patients.
- wetpaws 7y ago
  Most doctors don't event have an idea of how much the patient will pay, even if you ask them directly and they wish they knew the answer
Gibbon1 7y ago
Doctors and their lobbying organizations have be complicit in all this. Despite not getting that the over class sees them as 'the help' That said it's really only most but not all of the older generation of doctors that happily sold out their patients and younger doctors to the medical industrial complex.
avocado4 7y ago
Medical cartel (i.e. doctors) have successfully convinced the public to blame insurance, pharma, government, and whoever else for high prices of healthcare. The reality is that since the days of Flexner Report doctors are the supply side of healthcare by law, and a variety of medical associations and medical boards tightly control that supply on all levels of the system. Doctor is the one charging $1000 for a 10 minute consultation. There are enough leeches downstream too but the root issue is medical cartel. https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/10/25/doctors-salaries-pay-disparities-000557 https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/10/25/doctors-sal...
- jorblumesea 7y ago
  That's for specialists appointments and procedures. I agree that there's some of that going on. But the majority of your costs, if you look at your bill, is $100 aspirin, $50 band-aids, etc. That's not the Doctors. That's the hospital/insurer complex.
  - avocado4 7y ago
    Hospitals / insurance can do these things because of state legislature that's written or influences by doctors. Check who's sitting on your local Medical Board. Doctors "only" collect <20% of all medical expenses as salaries, but they enable the rest because they control (directly or indirectly) the top of the funnel through scope of practice, medical education, generics designation, and other laws. If you cut down the root of the problem by removing MDs from decision making on supply side legislation, the rest of the malignant vegetation (insurance, hospital admins, pharmas, PBMs, etc) will starve consequently.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]

They don't actually - some doctors are great but others are pretty bad actors that will bemoan the pricing publicly while advocating for higher prices privately. In our healthcare system no element is innocent of driving up those prices. Also, next time you're in your doctor's office ask if they accept medicaid or medicare - a lot don't because they end up with less take home for such patients.

wetpaws 7y ago
Most doctors don't event have an idea of how much the patient will pay, even if you ask them directly and they wish they knew the answer

Gibbon1 7y ago

Doctors and their lobbying organizations have be complicit in all this. Despite not getting that the over class sees them as 'the help' That said it's really only most but not all of the older generation of doctors that happily sold out their patients and younger doctors to the medical industrial complex.

avocado4 7y ago

Medical cartel (i.e. doctors) have successfully convinced the public to blame insurance, pharma, government, and whoever else for high prices of healthcare. The reality is that since the days of Flexner Report doctors are the supply side of healthcare by law, and a variety of medical associations and medical boards tightly control that supply on all levels of the system. Doctor is the one charging $1000 for a 10 minute consultation. There are enough leeches downstream too but the root issue is medical cartel. https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/10/25/doctors-salaries-pay-disparities-000557 https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/10/25/doctors-sal...

jorblumesea 7y ago
That's for specialists appointments and procedures. I agree that there's some of that going on. But the majority of your costs, if you look at your bill, is $100 aspirin, $50 band-aids, etc. That's not the Doctors. That's the hospital/insurer complex.
- avocado4 7y ago
  Hospitals / insurance can do these things because of state legislature that's written or influences by doctors. Check who's sitting on your local Medical Board. Doctors "only" collect <20% of all medical expenses as salaries, but they enable the rest because they control (directly or indirectly) the top of the funnel through scope of practice, medical education, generics designation, and other laws. If you cut down the root of the problem by removing MDs from decision making on supply side legislation, the rest of the malignant vegetation (insurance, hospital admins, pharmas, PBMs, etc) will starve consequently.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]