Obama won, Obamacare is the law, and, as my wife says, I will just have to learn to dance to a new song.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Obamacare is awful. Forget all the “free stuff” it provides. Children covered on their parents’ plan until 26 years of age? A scam, making young adults — excuse me, children — pay for complete, comprehensive health insurance when all they need and should pay for is major catastrophe insurance. Then there is the “annual ” or “preventative” exam, which according to Obamacare is “free.”


You gotta love this stuff. I wish I had the chutzpah of the people who wrote Obamacare. What they did not tell you, and I am, is that it covers absolutely nothing more than the bare minimum.

I have now posted a notice in my office and each exam room stating exactly what Obamacare will cover for those yearly visits. Remember Obama promised this as a free exam — no co-pay, no deductible, no charge. That’s fine and dandy if you are healthy and have no complaints. However, we are obligated by law to code specifically for the reason of the visit. An annual exam is one specific code; you can not mix this with another code, say, for rectal bleeding. This annual visit covers the exam and “discussion about the status of previously diagnosed stable conditions.” That’s the exact wording under that code — insurance will not cover any new ailment under that code.

If you are here for that annual exam, you will not be covered if you want to discuss any new ailment or unstable condition. I cannot bait and switch to another code — that’s illegal. We, the physicians, are audited all the time and can lose our license for insurance fraud.

You, the patient, will then have to make a decision.

Do you want your “free” yearly exam, or do you want to pay for a visit which is coded for a particular, new problem? You can have my “free” exam if you only discuss what Obamacare wants me to discuss.

This happened to me personally, as a patient, when I went for my physical. It is the law. If you are complaining of a new problem, then you have to reschedule, since Obamacare is very clear as to what is covered and what is not. Obamacare — intentionally — makes it as difficult to be seen and taken care of as possible.

Patients can be very tricky. I have had patients make an “annual” exam, only to want to discuss and be treated for another ailment. I can’t do it.

I can hear the complaints from you guys already — I become the bad guy. “Why don’t you just take care of the problem, and not bill out any different code? You’re a rich doctor, and we are entitled to free stuff.”

It doesn’t work that way. First, doctors are not rich and, like most of you, actually work terribly hard for a living. Second, Obamacare is the law — and as I said earlier, we are audited all the time now.

Also — I don’t ask for free gas when I go to the gas station, or ask for free food from the supermarket. Additionally, Obamacare has a 23% cut in Medicare reimbursement to doctors and hospitals.

These lower payments won’t cover the cost of staying in practice to take care of the patient.

Private doctors are becoming a thing of the past. By 2014, less than 25% of physicians will be in private medicine. Obama was right in stating you can keep your doctor if you want to — the problem is he or she will rarely be available.

On top of all of that, doctors will be obligated — that’s right, obligated — to talk to you about things you may have no interest or need to talk about.

You may just want to have a pap smear or check your cholesterol. However, I am now mandated by the government to talk to you about your weight, exercise, family life, smoking, sexual abuse(!), and even to ask if you wear seat belts. And I am mandated to record your answers.

I am a physician. But I need to tell you to wear a seat belt and then record your answer.

I have received interesting responses from my patients since I put up the notice. Almost all are supportive and totally understand. The very few who complain? The same patients who always ask for free samples, who always complain that we do not validate parking. These are also the same patients who call my office and ask for free samples even when they are not even being seen.

Obamacare and its 2,000-plus pages are here to stay. I will still give my patients 100% of my time, energy, and knowledge. I still love being a doctor — my patients’ doctor. I will, however, abide by the law and follow it to the letter. I will have to learn this new dance. “Free” has its price.

Relapse wrote:Thank you for pointing out what has been said by conservatives, but denied by Obama, that Obamacare is a tax. It is the single biggest tax increase in U.S. History.

 youbedead wrote:
Relapse if it really bothers you then don't pay the fine, as the IRS was not given authority to enforce collection of the tax/fine.

 azazel the cat wrote:

Relapse wrote:Thank you for pointing out what has been said by conservatives, but denied by Obama, that Obamacare is a tax. It is the single biggest tax increase in U.S. History.

I didn't call it a tax. I used the word "fine" as the alternate to Obamacare. However, that is beside the point.

Thank you for pointing out what has been demonstrated by conservatives: a lack of any understanding of your own country's history. Even if you do consider Obamacare to be a tax, it is not the "single biggest tax increase in US History".

But I don't really feel like dragging this tired old threat off-topic: why don't you just answer the question I asked in my previous post, rather than attempt to dodge it?

Relapse wrote:

 azazel the cat wrote:

Relapse wrote:Thank you for pointing out what has been said by conservatives, but denied by Obama, that Obamacare is a tax. It is the single biggest tax increase in U.S. History.

I didn't call it a tax. I used the word "fine" as the alternate to Obamacare. However, that is beside the point.

Thank you for pointing out what has been demonstrated by conservatives: a lack of any understanding of your own country's history. Even if you do consider Obamacare to be a tax, it is not the "single biggest tax increase in US History".

But I don't really feel like dragging this tired old threat off-topic: why don't you just answer the question I asked in my previous post, rather than attempt to dodge it?

It actually is when all the fines and everything else is figured in. You compared it to a tax in your earlier post by asking if the people who are bothered by this piece of legislative bs pay taxes.
I pay a lot of taxes, but that doesn't make me want to pay them to the point where my ability to support my family becomes seriously eroded.

 Peregrine wrote:
Solution: fund education properly so that schools aren't constantly in a budget crisis and forced to cut expenses anywhere (except football, of course) they can just to survive.

djones520 wrote:
How is forcing people to buy insurance, or taxing them if they don't, thereby removing personal choice on the matter, a step in the right direction?

When did a person making a decision on what they wanted to spend their money on become wrong?

 sebster wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
Solution: fund education properly so that schools aren't constantly in a budget crisis and forced to cut expenses anywhere (except football, of course) they can just to survive.

Higher education in the US is very well funded. Unbelievably well funded, actually, when you look at the amount spent per student compared to other developed nations. The problem is where that money goes.

When I was working at a university over here one of the guys from the national reporting section told me that when they wanted to make a political claim to the Federal government to protect the funding we recieve, they'd always use the average costs in the US, because we outperformed universities that spent twice or three times as much as we did - it made our system look incredible.

And it wasn't like we were even slightly efficient. The amount of waste in that system was incredible... so I shudder to think how wasteful the US system is.

 Peregrine wrote:
Solution: fund education properly so that schools aren't constantly in a budget crisis and forced to cut expenses anywhere (except football, of course) they can just to survive.

 whembly wrote:


EDIT... yup, they're exempt:

the Amish are exempt because they rely on a community ethic that prohibits government intervention. Their communities pay for the costs of their health care.

Still trying to find the actual clause...

 whembly wrote:
Are we talking about Elementary/High School education or Colleges?

As to the Latter... oh hell yeah, colleges are getting asininely expensive. In fact, there's a worry that those who graduate will carry such a high school loan balance that they'll be unable to purchase a home, thus extending the depressed housing market even further.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Peregrine wrote:
Solution: fund education properly so that schools aren't constantly in a budget crisis and forced to cut expenses anywhere (except football, of course) they can just to survive.

Common Misconception, Football if funded from mostly the parents AND local businesses.
what upsets me is that i know the school next to me is having a budget crisis, and what do they buy? Solar panels and an electronic board on the street, which is not needed.

 Fafnir wrote:

It likely depends on the school. At my highschool, they spent a tonne of money financing our losing hockey and football teams, while every other department got sorely neglected. I remember taking my computer-based design courses on machines that were well over 4 years out of date.

 sebster wrote:

 whembly wrote:
Are we talking about Elementary/High School education or Colleges?

College. Over here higher education mean tertiary education. I think it's the same over there.

As to the Latter... oh hell yeah, colleges are getting asininely expensive. In fact, there's a worry that those who graduate will carry such a high school loan balance that they'll be unable to purchase a home, thus extending the depressed housing market even further.

Yep. And given the importance of tertiary education and middle class debt in defining the strength/growth in a modern economy, I think after healthcare it is probably the most important issue to solve in the US economy.

 Cheesecat wrote:

Honestly I think a lot of countries are having problems with tertiary education I mean it's expected that you'll be collecting large amounts of debt from it and even then you're not guaranteed to be qualified for future careers.

 Testify wrote:

 Fafnir wrote:

It likely depends on the school. At my highschool, they spent a tonne of money financing our losing hockey and football teams, while every other department got sorely neglected. I remember taking my computer-based design courses on machines that were well over 4 years out of date.

So? Programming languages don't advance nearly as quickly as consumer electronics.

 Testify wrote:
Then you should be doing a proper course every goat herder and his mother can use photoshop.

 whembly wrote:

 youbedead wrote:
Relapse if it really bothers you then don't pay the fine, as the IRS was not given authority to enforce collection of the tax/fine.

Wait... where do you see that?

The penalty will be fully phased in by 2016, when it will be $695 for each uninsured adult or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater, up to $12,500. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4 million people will pay the penalty that year.
The law, however, severely limits the ability of the IRS to collect the penalties. There are no civil or criminal penalties for refusing to pay it and the IRS cannot seize bank accounts or dock wages to collect it. No interest accumulates for unpaid penalties.
So how can the IRS enforce the mandate? Scary letters and threats to withhold tax refunds.
The law allows the IRS to withhold tax refunds to collect the penalty, and most filers get refunds. This year, 77 percent of the 135 million individual income tax returns processed by the IRS qualified for a refund. The average refund: $2,707.

 Testify wrote:

 Cheesecat wrote:

Honestly I think a lot of countries are having problems with tertiary education I mean it's expected that you'll be collecting large amounts of debt from it and even then you're not guaranteed to be qualified for future careers.

In the UK at least a lot of this problem is from the political desire to increase university eductation regardless of employability. It does somewhat gall me that an engineering graduate and a film studies graduate pay the same in fees, despite one of them being much more advtantageous economically.

Ideally one would be free and the other would be unobtainable.

 AustonT wrote:

 azazel the cat wrote:
My answer is almost canned at this point: form unions.

We have unions, we need socialized healthcare.

Plus the first time I read that I saw:

azazel the cat wrote: form unicorns

And also I hear they ration healthcare in Canada.

 whembly wrote:

 youbedead wrote:
Relapse if it really bothers you then don't pay the fine, as the IRS was not given authority to enforce collection of the tax/fine.

Wait... where do you see that?

 d-usa wrote:
If they take your refund, then you paid the tax and they collected it.

 youbedead wrote:

 whembly wrote:

 youbedead wrote:
Relapse if it really bothers you then don't pay the fine, as the IRS was not given authority to enforce collection of the tax/fine.

Wait... where do you see that?

The penalty will be fully phased in by 2016, when it will be $695 for each uninsured adult or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater, up to $12,500. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4 million people will pay the penalty that year.
The law, however, severely limits the ability of the IRS to collect the penalties. There are no civil or criminal penalties for refusing to pay it and the IRS cannot seize bank accounts or dock wages to collect it. No interest accumulates for unpaid penalties.
So how can the IRS enforce the mandate? Scary letters and threats to withhold tax refunds.
The law allows the IRS to withhold tax refunds to collect the penalty, and most filers get refunds. This year, 77 percent of the 135 million individual income tax returns processed by the IRS qualified for a refund. The average refund: $2,707.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20120707/D9VS2E3O0.html

 MrScience wrote:
I don't even know how you guys can mess up implementing health care for everyone properly.

Parts of US politics are so insane or bizarre I can't help but think I'm watching some kind of strange mockumentary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has revived a Christian college's challenge to President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, with the acquiescence of the Obama administration.
The court on Monday ordered the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., to consider the claim by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., that Obama's health care law violates the school's religious freedoms.
A federal district judge rejected Liberty's claims, and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the lawsuit was premature and never dealt with the substance of the school's arguments. The Supreme Court upheld the health care law in June.
The justices used lawsuits filed by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business to uphold the health care law by a 5-4 vote, then rejected all other pending appeals, including Liberty's.
The school made a new filing with the court over the summer to argue that its claims should be fully evaluated in light of the high court decision. The administration said it did not oppose Liberty's request.
Liberty is challenging both the requirement that most individuals obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, and a separate provision requiring many employers to offer health insurance to their workers.
The appeals court could ask the government and the college for new legal briefs to assess the effect of the Supreme Court ruling on Liberty's claims before rendering a decision.
Liberty's case joins dozens of other pending lawsuits over health reform, many involving the requirement that employer insurance plans cover contraception, which are working their way through the federal court system.
The case is Liberty University v. Geithner, 11-438.

 Peregrine wrote:
Solution: fund education properly so that schools aren't constantly in a budget crisis and forced to cut expenses anywhere (except football, of course) they can just to survive.