ObamaCare's True Cost: A New York Doctor Reveals What The Media Won't

We recently spoke with Dr. Claudette Lajam, NYU Hospitals for Joint Diseases, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, as well as Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Langone Medical Center. She does pediatric, assisted in the lauded robot knee-replacement procedure, affiliates with Cornell Medical and the Alpha Award Club, and hosts Sirius Radio, Monday evenings. These will do for a start.

Lajam was speaking on “The Myth of Choice” to the NY County Republican Women’s Club. We stayed afterwards to schmooze and exchange views on reproductive topics and related hot-button topics. “Choice” means more than pregnancy termination.

Not inconsequentially, Dr. Lajam -- pert, personable, honey-blonde wife and mother -- is sole female surgeon specialist in her practice field in the city. The hospital in which she plies her skills is No.1 in safety.

To get where she is, she had to stay focused, tough, mindful of her colleagues, ahead of thousands of would-be’s. Not, as anyone knows who has tried to wrest an appointment with an in-demand pro, a breeze.

Thoughtfully, Dr. Lajam referred to the fact that 26 August is the 95th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution -- after a long, bloody fight by incredibly doughty women who suffered jail, torture, humiliation and public shamings.

Because the Feds are so involved in care, micromanaging medicine and its practitioners, all independent hospitals in Queens, she notes, are gone.

Every surgeon generates seven or more support staff: aides, accounting, intensivists, resupply, nurses, and the like. When you cut a hospital, you cut all ancillary staff that keeps it humming -- and patients in standard ameliorative care.

Affordable health care...bwaaaaahhhhhh!!!!

States approving huge spikes in health-insurance premiums

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/08/27/states-approving-huge-spikes-in-health-insurance-premiums/

The part of the article that was posted told me nothing about “things the media won’t reveal”. Maybe there’s good stuff in there but also there’s a lot of wasted words.

“exchange views on reproductive topics and related hot-button topics” - when I saw that I was done.

The general sentiment is correct, but there are a few points to bear in mind that can make all the difference for the individual.

1. EHR rules were a part of the stimulus bill, not the ACA and services using non-electronic records are still paid for by Medicare (albeit with a penalty). However, the penalty is often less expensive than implementing the EHR.
2. For outpatient clinical care it is often more cost effective to go to an independent physician that does not accept 3rd party insurance. Routine follow up visits are often $50 or will vary depending on the time spent. This can be less than a co-pay or deductible especially with 0-care. You can also maintain your privacy because by paying cash, these records will not go to the government, insurance company or a hacker.
3. What we call “health care” is really “sick care” and maintaining health is really up to the individual. Many chronic diseases can be more safely and effectively treated with diet and nutrition.

It’s true that 0-care has been a disaster for patients and the health care system. But instead of lamentations, any individual that values personal freedom must make every effort to opt out of a destructive system as much as possible. I think that many of these articles are nothing more than handwringing devolving into learned helplessness.

Going to an independent physician has its downsides. If you see an independent physician outside your insurance network, and that physician recommends you to see a specialist, the insurance will not accept your out of network doctors recommendation.
You would then have to see an in network specialist, get a referral, and then see the specialist.
A lot of care delivered today is specialty care. People seem to forget that.

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