Diamond District: Health Care Push Is On

" All right time now for the diamond district that big health care bush is officially on. We've talked a lot about the -- plan to paper covering everyone in America out with some kind of health insurance. Senator Max Baucus proposing to tax employer sponsored. Health benefits paid -- all of it but liberals are worried the president is giving much the private industry by allowing them to take part in government sponsor. Plan put simply some of the Bartlett thank you can't trust health insurance companies can't you do you like your health insurance company. Doctor mark that's a loaded question I've known doctor Marc Siegel is making another bar called the disease courtesy Rebecca. Let's talk about is how -- it. -- Employer sponsored health care have a network because. Employers what they paid or something my health insurance I -- it's mop floors in the water covers the bigger question that they get a tax break that."

" Totally and you know the idea of taking that tax breakaway. Which they've had since Eisenhower's time. The problem with that is. You know employers are going to figure out a way to make employees pay anyway so maybe even if you take away their tax break to raise more revenue to pay for all of this employers are going to say well okay I'll lower your salary or I'll take away another benefit. I think employers are in the business of making up."

" Profit now than I would take the money at a rapid assay that aren't salary yeah. I think it's that good isn't I mean this actually work paying -- a 100% of it anyway because it -- what the employer pays. They get a tax break we'll the government needs it. Raising revenue to make up for that lost that they're giving the tax break to the company. We're getting taxed everybody else getting -- and make up that."

" Source -- I think -- we should go to the opposite direction which is -- figure out how to give tax advantages to pour un -- yeah. -- thing or. Letter in the uninsured people that are underinsured. You know if we're going to talk about the government getting more involved we need to do -- in a way where there's less pressure on us and by the way. The one thing I agree with Paul Krugman on -- in his article in the -- times -- insurance companies are in this for a profit let's make no mistake about it. But how much that either I could double that in the but I think all this talk about a public option is probably misguided because I don't think it's gonna happen. I mean art insurance companies have very powerful in Washington they don't want the public option and frankly I'm not sure if there was a public option how much it would help because. The public option is also going to be very expensive. And it's gonna pick a lot of taxpayer dollars we already have a public option it's called Medicare and it's going bankrupt and -- the only way to keep them from going bankrupt is to restrict services. Then I get involved as a practicing physician. I don't want my services restrict."

" Although there's a lot that can be done as far as you know the forms it. You have to fill out all standardizing the warm up. Completely making it off computer -- completely that you can increase the productivity to save costs if hospitals would be more efficient and not charge you know fifteen bucks for volatile paper something that I agree that. I mean you've brought it up the New York Times article that you wrote today. You know the one thing I do see that he makes a good point in there is that. Private health insurance companies will. -- don't have any competition they're all equally expensive people are all equally somewhat dissatisfied the only. Nice thing I -- about the government option is -- wood floors and health insurance companies it would be actual competition to -- and force them to get their act together and be better to let consumers. I think that's -- that's fighting -- third of them are paid for it and they're not acting that way."

" Rebecca I think that that's a little bit on the theoretical I think it's a great idea of an actual practice. Insurance companies the real problem is they're too far reaching I want to get the doctor and the patient back into the equation more. Instead of the insurance companies deciding who gets a test and who gets. Care I want doctors involved and I want to patients have to negotiate directly with doctors. That's what health savings accounts are about and that's why high deductible insurance may be a better option insurance is too pervasive so just creating another pervasive insurance. Public insurance he may be right about this and an actual practice what you -- Medicare now. It may not -- more competition I'm not sure about that it's certainly should be discussed more but in the end you know what happens the big guys are at the table they keep their profit."

" What I mean if you haven't you doctor's office you're own practice you're going to want to charge me for every single test you can say yes you need -- at this -- this you know I wouldn't -- I -- your -- but the yeah maybe the doctors are also dared to make a profit in they're going to ask for every what retest that happened that you -- really neat."

" Great point that's defensive practices it's because of fear of malpractice that's gotta be looked at. Just make a buck right productive as small businesses that we often overlook that but doctors are not really being considered in this equation as small businesses they're being asked to see more and more patients get less and less reimbursement. What's going to suffer it's going to be quality of health care so as we reform the health care system we want to keep more. Of an eye on quality of care and what role the doctors."

" Are there actual doctors in any on any of these capital support not hurt it yeah."

" Acquisitions like me you have plenty of bureaucrats and their but not kept practicing physicians who say yeah. What do we have more primary care physicians like can we get incentives for preventive medicine why don't we look at obesity directly you know -- This 460 billion dollars spent every year on cardiac stents and vascular procedures I want to look more weight loss and diabetes before it happened pet nutrition. You're going to talk about nutrition later in the show I want nutrition -- yeah."

" Yeah unfortunately our -- nutrition is a -- hey I don't -- fat yeah right now but. Got to -- golf great discussion thank you need it very -- have a."