We are facing a severe Primary Care Physician shortage (40,000 to 150,000 shortage within the next 10-15 years). Do a little research on it and I think you will find it to be well recognized across the board as an issue. More people to cover and less doctors result in longer wait times.

As for more Hockey players in Canada than Physicians, that to use your term is a "weak" statment………………….from a profession standpoint, there are more Doctors in Canada than professional hockey players

I don't know whether you don't comprehend what I wrote or it is me, probably me.
What I stated previously is that there is no comparison between Boston and Ontario medical care that is to say "weak" comparison.
If you add in the w- hores there are less doctors.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

That's completely wrong. MA has a health care plan for those who cannot afford health insurance. Most people still have traditional insurance like BCBS or Tufts, etc... either through their employer or on their own. The medical system in MA is very good because they treat people who have private insurance, not because of the people on Masshealth. If everyone in the state was on Masshealth, you would find even longer emergency room waits and fewer medical professionals working in the state.

Ontario has public health. It is mostly paid for through income taxes or other fixed monthly premiums for people who can afford it. There is no BCBS or Tufts as we know it in Canada. Because the services are amost completely free to the patient, the rates paid to medical professionals are lower than in the US. That's why there are fewer medical professionals working in Canada and why there are long waits in ER's and for procedures.

Comparing MA to Canada for health care is like apples and bananas.

I don't think the shortage of PCPs is going to be *that* big of an issue. With Nurse Practitioners and an increased utilization of the better-trained Physician Assistants, the vacuum is being filled. Universal Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid are all forcing M.D.'s more into a specialist role.

A single M.D. in a Primary Care office can easily oversee 3-5 NPs or PAs and be able to handle far more patients with practically no decrease in quality of care. The privately owned PCP offices saw this a long time ago. They are doing exactly the above, employing 2-3 NPs or PAs, consulting with them on care and taking any special cases on direct. NPs and PAs can do the more redundant and time-consuming physicals, while the M.D. can see more complex cases.

The nice thing about NPs and PAs is that their salary (ie. "cost") is 20-40% less than an M.D. This is the kind of stuff that should have been addressed in "heath care reform" - lower cost options that don't significantly sacrifice care.

Last I checked, the number of doctors per 1000ppl in Canada is not that far off from the US. On that thought... just looked it up again:
"In the U.S, there were 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people in 2005; in Canada, there were 2.2.[82] Some doctors leave Canada to pursue career goals or higher pay in the U.S., though significant numbers of physicians from countries such as India, Pakistan and South Africa immigrate to practice in Canada. Many Canadian physicians and new medical graduates also go to the U.S. for post-graduate training in medical residencies. As it is a much larger market, new and cutting-edge sub-specialties are more widely available in the U.S. as opposed to Canada. However, statistics published in 2005 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), show that, for the first time since 1969 (the period for which data are available), more physicians returned to Canada than moved abroad.[83]"

The data is definitely somewhat dated, but shows that Canadian doctors aren't running to the US thus causing a large void of providers.

I agree that Boston medical care is one of the best in the world and agree that it is better than that of Ontario's. We have some of the top Schools right here and they do so much research and have a good supply of top doctors graduating each year. My point was that my friends Mom came to the states for medical care mainly to avoid the long wait times she would have had in Canada. You also said we would not have significant wait time for doctors and I disagree based on current trends and the projections that it will get worse.

Not sure what w-hores means but in 2009 there was approximately 70,000 doctors in Canada, with 22 guys per team, that would equal approximately 3,200 hockey teams (Pro, semi pro, etc) in Canada which is not the case.

I know there are different sources for this data and they are probably all over the place, not sure if that came from wiki or not but the statistics numbers I found for 2009 were:
Canada Physicians per 1,000 = 1.61
US Physicians per 1,000 = 2.61

Physicians (per 1,000 people) - Health Nutrition and Population Statistics, Country Comparison, Nations Statistics

Canada physicians per capita - Wolfram|Alpha

Not sure what is valid.......

Do any of you even know what Mahealth is? Do any of you have an idea of what it covers?

TOO BIG TO STOP? What a load of HORSE #^&#^&#^&#^&

Too big to stop? Obama's overhaul lumbers on - Yahoo! News

Covers pretty much everything, sounds better than my employers healthcare that I pay a lot for. :smash: This is a short list of what it covers.

inpatient and outpatient hospital services
doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, and clinic visits
pharmacy services
mental health and substance abuse services
audiologist services and hearing aids
vision care including eyeglasses and magnifying aids
chiropractor services
podiatrist services and orthotics
prosthetic services
abortion and family planning services
rehabilitation and therapy services (physical, occupational, speech/language)
speech and hearing services
renal dialysis
smoking cessation services
x-rays and laboratory work
durable medical equipment and supplies
oxygen and respiratory equipment
dental services including checkups, cleanings, fillings, dentures, and other approved services
ambulance and wheelchair van service

Eligibility:
To be eligible for MassHealth, you must live in Massachusetts, have low to medium income, and meet certain general eligibility requirements. Eligibility requirements differ depending on your age, family situation, work history, immigration status, and health care needs.

a family living with children under the age of 19 years
a pregnant woman with or without children
a Dept. of Mental Health client who has been out of work for a long time
a disabled person
an adult who is working for a qualified employer
a person who is HIV positive
a child under the age of 19 years
an adult caretaker relative living with children under 19 years of age when neither parent is living in the home
elderly (65 or older)
a woman with breast or cervical cancer
a person in need of long-term care
a young adult under age 21 who was in the care and custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF/DSS) on his/her 18th birthday

Ok so that's what you THINK it does. Now ask people who are ON IT for what it's REALLY like. It ain't pretty.

Do you realize that you have to go to Boston ONLY for doctors visits?

For the record I missed qualifying for it by $600 LOUSY #^&#^&#^&#^&ING DOLLARS LAST YEAR. :smash:

At $1k a month right now for a catastrophic policy that gives me diddle#^&#^&#^&#^&....next year we won't have insurance. It will now be more than my mortgage.

And Ma health isn't any cheaper! They consider $1k a month "AFFORDABLE"

Bullsh it.

I pulled it from the Mass Resources site . I don't know if the above is 100% accurate or not but it's what was listed.

MassHealth: General Eligibility

http://www.massresources.org/pages.c...&DynamicID=563

I actually do know someone currently on Mass Health and their Doctor is NOT in Boston. You have to call Mass Health and THEY find you a doctor in your area but they have doctors all over the state that take it.

As for the $600, It can be argued that Mass Health could "de-motivate" people on the cusp to work/earn less so that they qualify. This is not directed at you so I don't want you to think I'm saying that about you but there is an argument that people within a certain $$ range might toss in the towel so they do not earn more than the required threshold in order to gain coverage. That in my eyes is a demotivator.

I hope you find a way to get insured. What is the penelty by the state for not being insured?

ALOT less than what health ins would cost for sure.

I don't believe this for a second.

If you don't believe it go on their site. Try to sign up and look for doctors. There isn't ANY outside of Boston.

NONE

They have them all over the state, you have to call Mass Health and THEY find you a doctor in your area but they have doctors all over the state that take it.

Yes there are. Call your PCP and ask if they accept it. The website may not list all the doctors, but there are plenty in the suburbs and out in Western MA that accept it. My deadbeat sister on the South Shore has been on it for years and the only time she went into Boston was for a surgery.

OK. i'M WRONG THEN. gOING by what was on the site.

stupid caps lock

I know that the medical network my doctor is in accepts MAHealth - they are in Foxboro.
My Dentist accepts MAHealth - he's in Plainville.
I believe my eye doctor accepts it too.

maybe you can get a waiver...everyone else is :rotf2:

February 03, 2011
773 Obamacare waivers...and counting
Ethel C. Fenig
In August, 2009, as he was extolling the virtues of his proposed Obamacare, President Barack Obama (D) famously promised "If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." And if you're a union member you certainly can; if you're not, well...

The Health and Human Services site Helping Americans Keep the Coverage They Have and Promoting Transparency (sic) conveniently lists the 773 waivers approved to date. Scroll through the list; notice that most of the waivers, more than 650 went to unions exempting well over 2 million employees.

Whoops, looks like the CBO underestimated the cost of Obama Care
by $500 Billion. What else is new. :huh: :(

In addition the NYT reported that most Pharma is cutting Research and Development because of the govt pushing generics, which do zero R+D, and
the many govt. regulations.
Pfizer is cutting 30% of it's R+D as a generic Lipitor will be available in November.

There goes the future miracle drugs that so many younger people were
looking forward to extending their quality of older life and the best medical
care in the world.

[QUOTE=Fly Rod;796543] If you have private insurance being offered by your employer it may be coming to an end with the higher premiums the employer or you may have to pay.

QUOTE]

Yup, I heard on the news that according to a recent Mcleary Poll 30% of companies polled will drop healthcare coverage in 2012.
Of course the CBO said that # is high, but we all know how accurate the CBO is.

Looks like the statement, " If you want to keep your current insurance you can" is being phased out. :(

Healthcare at it's finest

Man attempts surgery on his hernia with butter knife, police say - latimes.com
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63 and put on a psychiatric hold.
what exactly does that have to do with healthcare?

your location, 30 mile radius, found 10.

lurn2internets. :rotf2:

Cuz I'd be willing to bet the guy couldnt afford to get it fixed......not all have cushy jobs with health insurance

HI TED :wave:

Oh trust me it took the better part of 5 hours to locate a pcp online that accepted Ma Health Comm Care.

What a website says and what a doctor actually ACCEPTS for insurance is night and day. I don't know why half those people are listed.