The Medicaid Solution

Many people have asked me what I think about Obama's healthcare plan. The truth is that I still can't comprehend it all. No one can. But I believe our country has a great health care system (doctors, nurses, ancillary staff) and I hate when we get knocked. The problem is that it's just not affordable. As far as the new legislation, I am not convinced it was well thought out. For one, there is no plan to incentivize more students to go into primary care. Secondly, there is no real tort reform. Third, the insurance companies love the legislation (see my last Medical Minute) and that can't be good. Lastly (for now), the plan gets more people health insurance by expanding Medicaid. That will not work. No matter what HHS secretary Kathy Sebelius says, doctors don't like Medicaid because it pays pennies on the dollar. It is also unaffordable to the individual states who are cutting back on Medicaid while the federal government tries to expand it. The result is patients with Medicaid cards but with no doctors to see. And that is the future of our healthcare system?