health care reform

[aladdinboy12]

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With health care being reformed, what is the best and worst case scenario for optometry? How will private practice be affected? Lastly, what do most professionals believe will happen with health care?

 

[KHE]

With health care being reformed, what is the best and worst case scenario for optometry? How will private practice be affected? Lastly, what do most professionals believe will happen with health care?

The worst case scenario would be that optometry is excluded from the program or limited to providing "routine" vision care. Being limited to routine vision care only is unlikely because it's unlikely that any government plan would cover routine care in any meaningful way. So the worst case is that we are excluded entirely.

The best case scenario would be that optometry is included and the reimbursement is at the current medicare rates. Medicare for office visits and office based procedures generally pays very well and that's pretty much all optometry does. The reason most physicians and hospitals hate medicare in general is because medicare really screws over hospitals and surgical procedures.

As to what will happen? Who knows. The final bill, if there is even a bill will likely be modified in so many ways that the final version will likely bear little resemblance to the current one.

 

[Doc2020IE]

The worst case scenario would be that optometry is excluded from the program or limited to providing "routine" vision care. Being limited to routine vision care only is unlikely because it's unlikely that any government plan would cover routine care in any meaningful way. So the worst case is that we are excluded entirely.

The best case scenario would be that optometry is included and the reimbursement is at the current medicare rates. Medicare for office visits and office based procedures generally pays very well and that's pretty much all optometry does. The reason most physicians and hospitals hate medicare in general is because medicare really screws over hospitals and surgical procedures.

As to what will happen? Who knows. The final bill, if there is even a bill will likely be modified in so many ways that the final version will likely bear little resemblance to the current one.

vvv

 

[Jason K]

With health care being reformed, what is the best and worst case scenario for optometry? How will private practice be affected? Lastly, what do most professionals believe will happen with health care?

Let's be clear on one thing - the ACA is absolutely not "healthcare reform." That was a buzzword created by the leftist media to get you think otherwise. Obamacare is a giant set of taxes and reguations. If you read it, you'll see that the name "Affordable Care Act," is actually quite humorous, since the affordability only applies to the primary insured. There is no mention of affordabilty for dependents, just the primary.

You can be sure that the last people who will suffer under this bill are the insurance companies, although Obama loves to posture as if he's sticking it them. The money will be paid out in order of power. That means insurance companies will lose little or nothing, while doctors and hospitals pay out more, and patients get the shortest end of the stick.

Just wait, it's all in there. People just haven't seen it yet. It'll all come out in a year or so.

 

[thiaeyemd]

I think the health care reform will limit and decrease the incomes of all doctors...eye surgeons, optometrists, everyone... The average american considers a doctor or surgeon of any type to make around 100K..no more, no less. There will be no sympathy from the public unless the income goes down below six figures. I would estimate everyone's income is going to go down about 20%.

 

[pinipig523]

I think the health care reform will limit and decrease the incomes of all doctors...eye surgeons, optometrists, everyone... The average american considers a doctor or surgeon of any type to make around 100K..no more, no less. There will be no sympathy from the public unless the income goes down below six figures. I would estimate everyone's income is going to go down about 20%.

I think you're wrong, the public's not going to care even if docs make below 6 figures. You actually think the public cares about anyone other than themselves?

It's everyone for him/herself in this economy.

 

[Jason K]

I think you're wrong, the public's not going to care even if docs make below 6 figures. You actually think the public cares about anyone other than themselves?

It's everyone for him/herself in this economy.

Agree 100%. The public already considers all doctors to be vastly overpaid. For ODs, it's even worse because we're on the low end of the income scale, but we're lumped in along with the neurosurgeons rolling around in Ferraris. We're just milking the system, and they're paying for it, according to the average joe. Oblamer has capitalized on this sentiment, and crammed through the ACA, which will be paid for, in large part, by cuts to reimbursements. Many specialists will take a 16.8% pay cut, spread out over three years. That's just the beginning. The forecasted budget will run short, as it always does, and they'll just reach deeper into doctors' pockets. The best part is, there will be an unlimited supply of cash to take from doctors and hospitals, since public opinion won't help us until we're all riding the bus and living on food stamps. Even then, the only thing that would sway public opinion in our favor would be if we abandoned Medicare in large numbers. That's not likely to happen since a large percentage of docs would be unable to do so due to loss of hospital privileges.

Everyone needs to get ready for the new Obamerica, in which those who've worked hard for what they have, will hand over a lot more of it to those who haven't.

 

[thiaeyemd]

You guys are probably right. If doctors made $50K no one would care. Only problem is that you would have subpar people going into it.

 

[KHE]

You guys are probably right. If doctors made $50K no one would care. Only problem is that you would have subpar people going into it.

One of the odd things is that while the public has a very low rating of doctors in general, they rate their own doctors very highly.