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Current State of Healthcare in the US - A good read


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Current State of Healthcare in the US - A good read
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MBHockey
skates=grafs
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: New York
 
2008-03-11, 19:27

I found this article extremely interesting and disappointing. I'm pretty sure we all knew that the malpractice lawyers and insurance companies govern the actions of professional medicine to some extent, but to read the article and read the comments from many practicing physicians who offer their own extremely pertinent points of view and personal anecdotes made the whole situation hit home pretty hard...especially since i'm considering getting out of engineering and into medicine:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/he...ml?ref=science
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2008-03-11, 19:45

Thanks for posting that. You want my opinion? Aside from lawyers and profit-hungry pharm and insurance companies... the 1B problem is patients. Patients who feel that to be healthy, they need medicine, need procedures. "Oh my friend got that, I'll go get that." People irresponsibly diagnose themselves before they ever step foot in the doctor's office, and like the guy said, when the doctor doesn't give in to them, they go somewhere else.

We live in a hypochondriac society, plain and simple. Everything needs a drug. Weak streams, twitchy legs, skin conditions. I actually saw a commercial for some skin rash drug... and the noted side effect was "may cause some types of cancers". ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??!?????

The very fact that the drug company feels safe in putting that out there, is proof positive how badly people want drugs for everything now. "Yah this will reduce (not cure) your outbreaks, but uh... it may cause cancer too. You know, only about a 3% chance. Not very much."

I had to laugh but wanted to cry. I know I beat on the US a lot in our conversations but I feel so strongly that more than just the usual suspects of any generation, we are a nation of weak-minded, soft citizens. We want anything and everything to make sure we don't feel a moment of discomfort. And it's going to end badly IMO. It's scary as hell.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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ronmexico
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2008-03-11, 21:31

Moogs...I agree with you!

MBHockey, you are considering medicine? I'll tell you a little about me. I was seriously considering going to medical school. I had a 3.7 GPA at Virginia Tech with a double major in Biochemistry and Chemistry. I taught Organic Chemistry to MCAT students as a part time job, and had high test scores. My father is a physician. I could have easily gone to medical school, but decided to go to dental school and love it. As a dentist, orthodontist, oral surgeon, ect. your life is not dictated by insurance companies or administrations and the material is very challenging and always changing. According to Forbes, prosthodontic dental practices (like mine) are more lucrative than most medical specialties. The amount of school, debt, and ass kissing is less. As an owner I control my overhead, who I see, what insurance companies I affiliate with, if any (I don't), and I can get great tax benefits.

Having a background in engineering is a huge benefit in dentistry particularly in large cosmetic cases and implantology. The mouth is a very mechanical environment with large forces being applied on prosthetic and natural surfaces. Designing an beautiful mouth that can withstand the muscles of mastication for decades is very challenging and fun.

My advice: consider alternatives to medicine. Avoid the specialties in medicine where you are not your own boss or subject to higher liability...particularly ER, pediatrics, anesthesiology, radiology, OB ect. Consider plastic surgery, dermatology, ect where you control your own overhead, are not at the beck and call of the insurance companies.
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MBHockey
skates=grafs
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: New York
 
2008-03-12, 05:15

That sounds highly appropriate -- I'm a mechanical engineer. I'm going to send you a PM later when I'm not at work so I can pick your brain if that's ok
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ronmexico
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2008-03-12, 11:07

thats fine
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Wrao
Yarp
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Road Warrior
 
2008-03-12, 12:50

Quote:
Originally Posted by ronmexico View Post
The mouth is a very mechanical environment with large forces being applied on prosthetic and natural surfaces. Designing an beautiful mouth that can withstand the muscles of mastication for decades is very challenging and fun.
This almost makes me respects dentists *feels fucked up filling made by a dentist a few years back*... nope.. not yet.
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