I'd like to enter into a discussion without politics or arguing about how to lower the costs of healthcare for everyone.

Some ideas I've thought about include:

1) Have new doctors give X amount of time per week for X amount of years in exchange for a percentage of student loan forgiveness. After 5 years, a higher percentage is forgiven each year, with a max of 35 years, at which point the debt would be paid for in full.

2) True tort reform

3) End the practice of having prescription drug reps pushing pills in doctor's offices.

What are your thoughts and ideas?

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Will the new doctors have free staff, free rent, free malpractice insurance coverage during this freebie period? Or do you believe that running a medical practice isn't really like running a business, where income better exceed overhead, or the doors close. You've left "x" undefined, but if you're bandying about a 35-year term of indenture, you clearly want to ripoff the medical professional, who, assuming that he isn't a total dolt, should be free and clear of tuition debt in a much shorter period of time.

A phrase so broad as to be meaningless. Elaborate, please.

Anti-business tripe.

My thoughts are that this so-called reform is just an individuals way of securing a personal financial bailout. If an individual isn't making enough money to cover their personal necessities and little luxuries, he should get a better job, much better insurance coverage, or take a long, hard look at their business plan and/or operating practices. Stop looking for handouts.

Single payer system, seriously. Intensive capitalist competition is never going to get you a system that keeps people healthy without lots of gov't intervention/regulation.

Also this: Ben Goldacre: What doctors don't know about the drugs they prescribe | Video on TED.com

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Remember, Safety Third!
'99 E300 Turbodiesel, '82 300TD, 1996 12V Cummins Turbo, '94 Neoplan - Detroit 6V92TA

Increase the visas for foreigners with MD's.

Increase the number of physicians in med school.

Increase the schools that accredit nurse practitioners.

Remove interstate barriers for insurance.


Remove the health insurance deduction.

Remove company and gov health insurance (except military).

Competition will increase between insurance companies.

Doc hourly rates will decline.

Wait times to see a doc will decline.

No monopoly has every improved product and reduced prices.

As for the X of time, I'm thinking of 5-8 hours per week of providing care for those who can't otherwise afford it. GPs, specialists, etc.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

That is some uber free market shyt right there ..

#1 is NOT free market. That is enslaving one class into the service of another.

#2 is NOT free market.

Both are typical big gov interventionist "solutions" to problems created by the congress during WWI that abridged free markets.

I look at it as a way for some medical doctors to pay off their federal loans over time. Instead of making it mandatory, make it voluntary. Coming up with 5-8 hours a week should be fairly easy to do.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

yeah..it was sarcasm should have used my sarcasm font..

Have you anything to add to the conversation, or are you just here to sit the pot?

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

By without politics, do you mean:

A. Politicians shall not be referred to directly?

B. I want to talk about how to get the best health care, even if the solution conflicts with my political ideology.

__________________
Remember, Safety Third!
'99 E300 Turbodiesel, '82 300TD, 1996 12V Cummins Turbo, '94 Neoplan - Detroit 6V92TA

Get rich.

Correct! And leave the free market alone. What crazy, crackpot anti-free-market scheme will JP come up with next? Obamacare?

You lower it by better education about healthy living; you lower it by taxing the ***** out of fast food; you lower it by making people move; you lower it by preventive instead of post-active health-care...

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

You might lower overall individual costs if a way could be found to make the whole system transparent. There is so little chance of anything like that happening it should be discounted.

Instead I would tend to expect and brace for even yet more upward costs.