[Dan Semko]

Bill,
I understand your passion but you're missing the point. If you want quality medicine, it is and will be your responsibility to seek appropriate care, thanks to insurance companies. I've been in practice in this small town for 23 years and for 23 years I've heard the same frickin lecture from our accountants who we pay $125 per hr. to tell us that we should a) see twice as many patients per day to increase our incomes or b) get the hell out of Dodge and move to a larger city where our incomes will double over night. My wife and I BOTH practice at the same location at the same time because it's the way WE want to practice medicine. If a patient has a concern they will be addressed and they'll always be treated like family. Our income COMBINED is less than a single practitioner makes per year. The difference is I love my job and really still care for the well being of my patients. I still "barter" or exchange services with patients that are under insured or uninsured. You enjoy statistics, how about this one. The greatest increase in patients that have NO insurance last year was in the group making $87k or greater per annum.
Something is not right when people that make that kind of income cannot get adequate health insurance.
Another thing, we don't accept Medicare, Medicaid or ANY insurance policies. We will help patients submit to their insurance company but our fees are the same regardless of patient coverage and income, so if you're a millionaire or a pauper, the fee will always be the same. The sliding scale that most hospitals and some offices utilize gravels my butt and should be an anti-trust violation!