RHS is right, abuse will occur because the system is already being abused.

Currently in regards to Medicare/Medicaid there is no difference between the copay that is being paid between a visit to the Doctor's office and a visit to the Emergency Room. SO what does that mean??? Someone like me who has insurance coverage will pay a $50 copay for a doctors visit or a $20o copay for an ER visit. So if I get sick on Monday, and the doctor cannot see me until Tuesday, I can pay $200 and go to the ER of I can wait a day and pay $50 to go to my doctor. Someone on Medicare/Medicare who gets sick on a Monday but cannot get in to see their doctor until Tuesday will go to the ER, because there is no difference in the charges they will incur. As a result, our ERs are turning into nothing more than Acute Care Clinics, tell me is a sore throat at 2 AM an emergency?????

But this is the problem, the ER visit will cost anywhere from 5 - 10 times the cost of a Doctor office visit. That cost is paid by the tax payer. Everytime someone comes to the ER for a cold, or sore throat or some minor problem because the have no financial incentive not to, they are costing the taxpayer thousands of dollars in unnecessary benefits. Magnify these few people at each hospital by the thousands of hospitals, and we see the untold millions that are being wasted on treating the less fortunate.

Universal health care will not fix the problem, but only make it worse. There are already too few doctors, nurses, and other medical related specialists in this country. I live in a small island community, and even here there are not enough doctors to serve the community as a whole. Some doctors have so many patients on their roles that they are not accepting new patients. As a result, these patients without a primary care physician (PCP) are forced to use the ER as their PCP.

Medicare/Medicaid dictate to providers what they can charge for certain procedures, what procedures they can offer for specific diagnosis, and if they do not cover these costs, the costs are then passed onto the patient. Often times, the costs are ultimately covered by the providers themselves. Since it is against federal law for a provider to deny someone treatment, they have no course of action against those who do not pay for the services rendered.

People wonder why medicine in this country costs so much, simple, in order to survive doctors and hospitals must charge more to those who pay their bills so that they can remain in business. Not only do those of us who pay our bills pay more for our medicine, but then we must also see our taxes go to pay for the treatment of those who do not pay their own way.

There is a simple fix to the problem. Place a financial incentive on the recipients of free health care. Increase the copay of ER visits and force the recipients to make a financial decision like the rest of us do. We would immediately see a decrease in the cost of the program.

Tonight alone I have been at work for 6 hours and in that time, of the 10 patients that we have seen in the ER only 1 (one) has been a true emergency, the rest have been here because of colds, and sore throats. Surprise, surprise, all 9 of those patients are Medicare/Medicaid recipients. Go figure.

The current system under government control is broke, and no we want government to control it all. We would not see better healthcare for all, but rather worse. Because once government controls something that means they set the cost for the items. That would mean a decrease in salary for many in the field, and as a result, we would see a decrease in the number of people who enter the field as well as a decrease in the number in the field because there is no longer a better pay off for our services. Less providers, longer wait times, and a less healthier country.

There are several things I find amazing when it comes to healthcare. The United States alone pays 50% of all cost with medicines in the world. Perhaps that explains why all new drugs in the most recent years have been founded in the US. We pay a higher percentage of our GDP for healthcare than all other nations, perhaps that is why most new technologies and procedures are developed in this country as well.

But if those of you who want our healthcare to mimic those of the rest of the world, well, why not. But becareful for what you wish for, you may just get it.

Remember, in the end you get what you pay for......the same is true even in medicine.

dmk