"Rich without Money"

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great story, but i wonder why they didn't interview his family.
 
Ironically, 800 children experienced perforated esophagi due to sharp pieces of scrap metal falling into his previous employers' cereal packing machine, that went undetected by the new supervisor.
 
That video definitely made my eyes water. It's great to know that a doctor can be satisfied while making so little. I hope his family is behind him in this pursuit.
 
Not to take away from what this guy has done, but if I had kids and lived in "the worst neighborhood in Albany" I'm not sure I'd feel happy with myself.
 
Great story, great doc, but we still have a bad health care system.
 
Thanks for sharing.

It's encouraging to see doctors that focus on others rather than stats or status.
 
Despite working 24 hours a week to help support his family during the first two years of medical school, he managed to graduate "Cum Laude," was named AOA, was President of his class for three years, and received the most honors and awards in his class upon graduation.
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+1

The man is amazing.
 
And if you believe SDN, he should never have gotten into med school cause he took a spot away from someone with better stats....
 
It's such a damning indictment on our healthcare system that US citizens must resort to this.

What an inspiration. I hope I can be 1/10th the man he is.
 
ahhh so many great things people are saying about him, i dare not to oppose.

do note tho, as a doctor, he did good, he put his knowledge to good use, although as an investor, or rather a capitalist......heh i fear for my life on SDN so i will not comment any further.

interesting guy and story tho i must say.
 
Cleavername said:
ahhh so many great things people are saying about him, i dare not to oppose.

do note tho, as a doctor, he did good, he put his knowledge to good use, although as an investor, or rather a capitalist......heh i fear for my life on SDN so i will not comment any further.

interesting guy and story tho i must say.
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Not to justify your fears but...

He was only trying to be a doctor, and as you said he has done very well. He lives in a capitalist society, but in rejecting it as a broken system, he only needs to sustain himself, and he does. He is not trying to be a successful investor or capitalize and become wealthy, and I would say that's his prerogative.
 
Wow. That's quite an impressive story. I wonder what his spouse does and how he's feeding the family. I also wonder who's paying the donations.
 
Truly Inspirational 👍
While he's working on 'no salary', I'm sure there are county, state and federal safety net programs for the uninsured that he can bill to pay for malpractice insurance, rent, utilities, etc...
 
I can only say that I stand humbled by this man. Thank you, OP, for posting this.
 
Only one in a generation...
 
Narmerguy said:
Wow. That's quite an impressive story. I wonder what his spouse does and how he's feeding the family. I also wonder who's paying the donations.
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Read the link.... he founded a non-profit clinic and I suppose that operating expenses come out donations and billing. His wife is a nurse. His kids are grown. (He's about 56 and his eldest kids are in their 30s having been born while he was in college). His blog hasn't been updated in years but it appears that he has chosen to live in radical poverty for what might be considered a religious calling.
 
Great story, great doctor. I go to college near Albany but I've never heard of him before.
 
LizzyM said:
Read the link.... he founded a non-profit clinic and I suppose that operating expenses come out donations and billing. His wife is a nurse. His kids are grown. (He's about 56 and his eldest kids are in their 30s having been born while he was in college). His blog hasn't been updated in years but it appears that he has chosen to live in radical poverty for what might be considered a religious calling.
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Read the link...even more wow.
 
gettheleadout said:
Not to justify your fears but...

He was only trying to be a doctor, and as you said he has done very well. He lives in a capitalist society, but in rejecting it as a broken system, he only needs to sustain himself, and he does. He is not trying to be a successful investor or capitalize and become wealthy, and I would say that's his prerogative.
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I honestly do not think so. i came from a socialist country, lived there for like 12 years, and ill tell u first hand this country has it real good. altho on a side note, i did not receive as harsh of attack as i anticipated, may be i should push it further......🙂
 
Its not broken if you have good insurance. It's laughable to say it's not for those that can't afford it - like the people this doctor sees in his clinic.
 
Cleavername said:
I honestly do not think so. i came from a socialist country, lived there for like 12 years, and ill tell u first hand this country has it real good. altho on a side note, i did not receive as harsh of attack as i anticipated, may be i should push it further......🙂
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What you honestly think is your opinion and you have the right to live accordingly, as does he.
 
Lokhtar said:
Its not broken if you have good insurance. It's laughable to say it's not for those that can't afford it - like the people this doctor sees in his clinic.
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its not really laughable, its just sadness really. insurance is a luxury, food and water and shelter are much more necessary than insurance. If those people can't pay for insurance on top of what ever that they are spending on then its prob time for a little thinking.
 
Cleavername said:
its not really laughable, its just sadness really.
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That's where you and I differ. I think healthcare is a necessity.

Cleavername said:
If those people can't pay for insurance on top of what ever that they are spending on then its prob time for a little thinking.
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Yea, like how to make an insurance company take you on if you have cancer and your work doesn't offer health insurance. I'd like to know your strategy.
 
Lokhtar said:
That's where you and I differ. I think healthcare is a necessity.



Yea, like how to make an insurance company take you on if you have cancer and your work doesn't offer health insurance. I'd like to know your strategy.
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ha u caught me. do tell me tho, why i have to pay for ur cancer? cuze i assume its going to cost alot more to treat people with cancer and if they can't efford them, its very likely to come out of my pockets or rather non-cancer people.
 
Cleavername said:
ha u caught me. do tell me tho, why i have to pay for ur cancer? cuze i assume its going to cost alot more to treat people with cancer and if they can't efford them, its very likely to come out of my pockets or rather non-cancer people.
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it's no different from car insurance. i've been paying off everyone else's car accidents for years, because i've never caused one. why should i pay for their negligence? because i know that, if i ever need the help, they'll pay for mine. so we all put into the insurance pot, and those who need it get to take out. and if you never need it, although the money went to "waste" (since you didn't see any benefit personally), it's better to never need insurance and have, than to need it and not have. i'd rather be grateful that i'm healthy with a functional, accident free car and living situation (like no flood or fire), and consider it money well spent to benefit me if something goes down, or others when it happens to them.
 
Cleavername said:
ha u caught me. do tell me tho, why i have to pay for ur cancer? cuze i assume its going to cost alot more to treat people with cancer and if they can't efford them, its very likely to come out of my pockets or rather non-cancer people.
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I do wish you could write in complete standard English sentences as it would be so much easier to understand you.

Here's the facts of life: only the very richest Americans could afford to pay for health care out of their pocket. Even the ultra-rich buy insurance with the thought that it will cost them less than paying out of pocket in the event of a catastrophic illness (the same goes for collision insurance, fire insurance, etc).

So, if you buy insurance, you and other policy holders pay premiums and the insurance company pays the bills of the unfortunate 1 in 1,000 (or whatever the number is) needs cancer treatment this year (and treatment for heart failure, liver failure, brain injuries, etc). If someone is aged, disabled or destitute, they are covered by government plans (Medicaid and Medicare) that uses federal and state taxes (your money) to cover the cost of their care. Those who do not qualify for government assistance and who need emergency service must be provided it at most hospitals in the US (arcane federal laws). Hospitals will try to get the patient to pay at least part of the bill but they may write it off as bad debt or as charity care. Where does the hospital get the money to cover those bad debts and charity.... some comes from investment income and charitable donations from the community but some comes from charging you and me a litle more than what it costs to take care of us in order to cover the people who can't pay their bills. So, one way or another we all pay for anyone who gets cancer (or something else).

Now I don't see your beef with the physician who establishes a safety net clinic for the poor folks who either can't find a private practice physician who will accept Medicare/Medicaid, don't have employer provided insurance or who can't afford individual insurance. (These government plans are very stingy in what they will pay for care and many physicians will not see patients who have this type of coverage or they severely restrict the proportion of patients in their practice who have this type of coverage. As they say, "when you lose money on every patient, you can't make it up in volume.") A non-profit clinic accepts donations and donors are sometimes those who are somewhat responsible for the uninsured: employers of housekeepers, nannies, restaurant cooks and waiters, and people who want to make it possible for the poorest Americans to have access to at least some primary care (getting big time - expensive - treatment for major illnesses is very difficult for the uninsured).
 
LizzyM said:
I do wish you could write in complete standard English sentences as it would be so much easier to understand you.

Here's the facts of life: only the very richest Americans could afford to pay for health care out of their pocket. Even the ultra-rich buy insurance with the thought that it will cost them less than paying out of pocket in the event of a catastrophic illness (the same goes for collision insurance, fire insurance, etc).

So, if you buy insurance, you and other policy holders pay premiums and the insurance company pays the bills of the unfortunate 1 in 1,000 (or whatever the number is) needs cancer treatment this year (and treatment for heart failure, liver failure, brain injuries, etc). If someone is aged, disabled or destitute, they are covered by government plans (Medicaid and Medicare) that uses federal and state taxes (your money) to cover the cost of their care. Those who do not qualify for government assistance and who need emergency service must be provided it at most hospitals in the US (arcane federal laws). Hospitals will try to get the patient to pay at least part of the bill but they may write it off as bad debt or as charity care. Where does the hospital get the money to cover those bad debts and charity.... some comes from investment income and charitable donations from the community but some comes from charging you and me a litle more than what it costs to take care of us in order to cover the people who can't pay their bills. So, one way or another we all pay for anyone who gets cancer (or something else).

Now I don't see your beef with the physician who establishes a safety net clinic for the poor folks who either can't find a private practice physician who will accept Medicare/Medicaid, don't have employer provided insurance or who can't afford individual insurance. (These government plans are very stingy in what they will pay for care and many physicians will not see patients who have this type of coverage or they severely restrict the proportion of patients in their practice who have this type of coverage. As they say, "when you lose money on every patient, you can't make it up in volume.") A non-profit clinic accepts donations and donors are sometimes those who are somewhat responsible for the uninsured: employers of housekeepers, nannies, restaurant cooks and waiters, and people who want to make it possible for the poorest Americans to have access to at least some primary care (getting big time - expensive - treatment for major illnesses is very difficult for the uninsured).
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u cleared a few things for me. so its basically you can take government healthcare if you qualify for it or you can pay for your own private insurance if they(P-corporation) offer it to u?
 
indya said:
Your opinion loses most of its credibility when you cant spell "though", "you", "your", "because", "it's", "a lot", or "afford". Anyone with a fourth-grade education could come up with your Randian egoist ideas. However, it takes a higher understanding of the world to see that the human race can not survive in the ways you are suggesting.
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meanie.
 
Cleavername said:
u cleared a few things for me. so its basically you can take government healthcare if you qualify for it or you can pay for your own private insurance if they(P-corporation) offer it to u?
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Due to the US tax code it is better for a person to get insurance paid for in full or in part by their employer than to buy the same policy out of their own income. Therefore, most Americans are happy to forego some wages in exchange for health insurance coverage from an employer. (Money paid by the employer for health insurance is not taxed, if the employer gave that same money to the employee, the money would be subject to income tax and the employee would have fewer dollars to pay the insurance premium.)

Those who are self-employed or who are retired and under the minimum age for Medicare coverage for the aged can buy private insurance, if an insurance company will sell it to them. These folks tend to be in a higher risk pool than employed individuals and their policies tend to cost more. Furthermore, they pay for it with "after tax" dollars. Some folks with a chronic illness or a prior condition are expected to be at such high risk of a big medical bill in the short run that an insurance company will not sell them a policy (they would sell it but who could afford $40,000 a year for health insurance?).
 
Cleavername said:
u cleared a few things for me. so its basically you can take government healthcare if you qualify for it or you can pay for your own private insurance if they(P-corporation) offer it to u?
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And millions of people don't qualify for government insurance, and don't have jobs that offer it. Personal policies are notorious for getting canceled at the first sign of trouble - it's happened in my experience many times.

We call these people 'screwed'. Some of us think, as a first world country, that they shouldn't be.
 
People get screwed over all the time by their insurance company when they decide to drop clients who are filing claims for thousands of dollars of medical care for cancer, etc... At the same time, people as a whole make a lot of bad decisions about their health, and a lot are uneducated about it. Can we all agree that:

1. Insurance companies need to be more regulated by federal/state government to make sure they actually take care of their clients.

AND

2. People need to make better lifestyle choices to maintain good health, and this would only help the insurance situation.

Agreed? Maybe?
 
I think this man's selflessness is really admirable, but some of it is unnecessary. It says on his blog that many of his patients are Medicaid-eligible, but not enrolled in the program, so he's not getting any reimbursement for their care. That's crazy. (At least this was true as of 2006--don't know if it's changed since then.)

If he assigned one of his staff members to help patients enroll in Medicaid, he could bring in a lot more revenue for his clinic and not have to rely so much on donations.

I totally respect what this guy is trying to do--I just think he should be smarter in the way he goes about it.
 
student1799 said:
I think this man's selflessness is really admirable, but some of it is unnecessary. It says on his blog that many of his patients are Medicaid-eligible, but not enrolled in the program, so he's not getting any reimbursement for their care. That's crazy. (At least this was true as of 2006--don't know if it's changed since then.)

If he assigned one of his staff members to help patients enroll in Medicaid, he could bring in a lot more revenue for his clinic and not have to rely so much on donations.

I totally respect what this guy is trying to do--I just think he should be smarter in the way he goes about it.
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Some of these patients may be nuttier than a fruitcake ... it is hard to help someone enroll if they are so paranoid or disorganized that they won't or can't provide workers with their social security numbers and other necessary information. It isn't as easy as saying, "sign them up!"
 
Sorry to post so late in the conversation, but I have a question. I do think every American should have access to healthcare. But I'm not quite sold on the proposed solution by the President Obama administration---but I'm also beginning to think that I might not understand the proposed bill properly.

Under a universal HC system, where exactly does the money used to cover everyone come from? Is it soley from people's income? Everyone pays the fed gov't money based on their income level, and then the gov't uses the money to cover everyone's healthcare---is that right?
 
Paladin7 said:
Sorry to post so late in the conversation, but I have a question. I do think every American should have access to healthcare. But I'm not quite sold on the proposed solution by the President Obama administration---but I'm also beginning to think that I might not understand the proposed bill properly.

Under a universal HC system, where exactly does the money used to cover everyone come from? Is it soley from people's income? Everyone pays the fed gov't money based on their income level, and then the gov't uses the money to cover everyone's healthcare---is that right?
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😕

ps. are you unfamiliar with google
 
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