Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine

Anton:

Why shouldn't patients have some leverage as to how much they pay doctors according to the QUALITY of care that they receive?

They should, but they don't because current health insurance regulations have taken that option away from consumers. Most states have regulations that mandate employers offer health insurance benefits to their employees, so consumers are at the mercy of their employer on which health insurance company they have. Ask yourself why doesn't the state mandate your employer offer car insurance plans? How competitive would car insurance companies be if that was the case? Many states also have laws that prevent health insurance companies from excluding doctors and hospitals from their coverage based on how expensive their fees are, this results in no incentive for hospitals and doctors to offer cost-efficient services and they can run their operations as expensively as they want. Also community rating laws exist in many states, which require insurance companies to limit the difference in premiums it can charge to patients, so high risk and low risk patients pay relatively the same amount of money, which discourages young healthy consumers from opting for health insurance, which drives up cost for health insurance in general since these young healthy patients don't contribute to the pooling of resources. There are also some state laws that don't allow for catastrophic coverage for young health patients. Ask yourself why do so many health insurance plans cover expenses that are well known in advance like prescription drugs, eye-care, and even paying for just a 10 minute doctor's visit? Does your car insurance cover oil changes and refueling the gas tank? No, insurance is about smoothing out risk, guarding yourself from future unknown catastrophic expenses. And the fact that the majority of health insurance consumers only pay the same co-pay for these basic services, where is the incentive for the consumer to find cost-efficient health care or for doctors to compete for patients? Imagine this for oil-change car services, why bother picking Jiffy-lube over some other company if you pay the same amount?
(Edited by John Armaos on 7/21, 12:33pm)

Post 21

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 6:42am

Obama is pushing Congress to have a bill out by July 28th--6 days from now!

They are hell-bent on shoving this down our throats.

What can you do at this point? I encourage everyone to at least do at least one of these four things to pressure Congress to protect individual rights against the onslaught of statism:

1. Call or email or fax your legislators with a message to protect individual rights.

2. Call or email the Blue Dog Coalition, an influential group of fiscally conservative democrats who may have the power to defeat ObamaCare.

3. Sign online petitions: Protect Doctor-Patient Rights ((http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html), Patients First (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/patientsfirst.html), Free Our Health Care Now (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/ freeourhealthcare.html). There are others (if you Google).

4. Get as many of your friends, family, and acquaintances to do these same things, including #4.

Our website (www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides resources to help you do four things.

I encourage you to sign our new petition (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html):

ACTION ALERT: Doctors on Strike is sponsoring a petition to protect doctor-patient rights that will be submitted members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives:

GO TO: http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html

SIGN THE PETITION TO PROTECT DOCTOR-PATIENT RIGHTS

This petition is brought to you by: www.doctorsonstrike.com

The Declaration of Independence formally acknowledged that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that our government was instituted to secure these rights, and that government itself derives its powers from the consent of the governed.

As citizens, patients and doctors have the right to make private health care decisions without governmental interference. As traders in a free market, we have the right to voluntarily negotiate mutually acceptable terms and conditions in our dealings with one another.

Consistent with these moral and constitutional principles, we oppose and urge Congress to vote against legislation that provides for any:

Public plan option,

Mandates that force individuals to buy insurance coverage,

Mandates that force employers to provide insurance coverage,

Surcharges that force some groups to pay for the healthcare of other groups,

Mandates that force doctors to participate in public plans.

We support and strongly urge Congress to preserve, protect, and defend the rights of doctors and patients in any healthcare reform bills under deliberation.

Please - sign the petition and forward it to your circle of friends, family, and acquaintances. Post it to blogs and discussion forums.

We will be submitting the petition to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as they debate healthcare reform.

Sign the petition

Fields marked * are required.

* Name:

Comments:

Profession:

US State:

Country:

Should doctors "go on strike" by refusing to participate in any new government-run healthcare plan?:

Yes

No

If ObamaCare is approved, should doctors "go on strike" by stopping their participation in other government-run healthcare plans? :

Yes

No

Display my name as anonymous on the signatures list

Post 22

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 7:47am

Steve:

I sent out your link of post 15 by e-mail and have had several responses that indicate that the recipients are questioning their former dedication to the proposed US revision of health care.

Thanks.

Here's the Ontario Government's own assessment of their performance on wait times. I suggest that anyone who doesn't believe these stats should have brain surgery (in Canada.)

Sam

(Edited by Sam Erica on 7/22, 8:39am)

Post 23

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 11:33am

Sam,

The fact that the Ontario Government's web-site reflects so much effort in tracking, measuring and talking about the "wait time" tells the story. They were clever to use just 9 out 10 visits to create their averages - throwing out the worst time is a big help in making things look better than they are. And they don't mention how many times the given visit isn't the end, that is when they make the patient come back later, or tell them to go elsewhere. And even with that, I notice that their times are measured in hours - here in the states, as bad as our ER's are, it would be more likely we would measure wait times in minutes.

Post 24

Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 8:08am

"They were clever to use just 9 out 10 visits to create their averages - throwing out the worst time is a big help in making things look better than they are."

Yeah, those that are in the 1 out of 10 are the ones that died waiting.

Sam

Post 25

Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 8:43am

I apologize for not responding to Jay's comment earlier (Post 9). I've been preoccupied with getting the message out.

Jay, I have been reflecting intermittently on what you said about "catching more flies with honey" and the weight carried by my professional title (actually, I'm a doctor of psychology not psychiatry). And I agree with you.

Right now our audience is not a general one and our most pressing mission is not to educate and persuade. Our audience is doctors and patients who are predisposed to champion freedom and individual rights, in general, and in healthcare, in particular. Our most pressing mission is one of activism--mobilizing these people to pressure Congress to protect the rights of doctors and patients to make private healthcare decisions without governmental intrusion. It is something like a "get out the vote" drive.

When the sense of urgency subsides, either in victory or defeat, I will re-examine the strategy and tactics we have been employing.

Right now--in the face of the imminent destruction of the private practice of medicine and allied professions like my own--I've been guided by the maxim, "Lead, follow, or GTF out of my way!" Some people were not leading very effectively. Some people were reluctant or refused to follow. Some people were getting in my way. There comes a point when you say enough of this BS already and you choose to follow your own judgment. That is what I've been doing. If, after I have some time to reflect, I made any mistakes or misjudgments, I'll take full responsibility and do the right thing.

(Edited by Gregory L. Garamoni on 7/23, 8:46am)

(Edited by Gregory L. Garamoni on 7/23, 8:48am)

Post 26

Friday, July 24, 2009 - 2:33pm

Here are the results so far on The Petition to Protect Doctor-Patient Rights:

Signatures (First and Last Names)
Total number 32
Total number today 10
Total number within last week 32

Answers to questions

Should doctors "go on strike" by refusing to participate in any new government-run healthcare plan? 32
Yes No
31 1
96.9% 3.1%

If ObamaCare is approved, should doctors "go on strike" by stopping their participation in other government-run healthcare plans (Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, SCHIP)? 31
Yes No
30 1
96.8% 3.2%

Please take a minute, go to this website, "sign" the petition, and email your family and friends to get them to participate in this campaign to tell Congress to reform healthcare without violating the rights of doctors and patients to make private healthcare decisions.

Do A Quickie So You Really Don't Get Royally Screwed!

http://www.doctorsonstrike.com/petitiontoprotectdoctor-patientrights.html

Post 27

Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 12:45pm

Doctors Support Proposed Florida Amendment to Protect Rights of Doctors and Patients

Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine today applauded the Florida State legislators who proposed an amendment to the State Constitution that would thwart Washington�s plans to impose socialized medicine.
�
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) � Jul 29, 2009 � Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine, a private organization that champions individual rights and freedom in medicine, today applauded the several Florida State legislators who on Monday proposed an amendment to the State Constitution intended to stop the federal government from taking over medicine.

�Washington politicians are poised to inject a massive, lethal dose of statism into the heart of healthcare--one that would violate the rights of doctors and patients to make personal, private, and independent healthcare decisions,� said Dr. Gregory Garamoni, founder of Doctors on Strike. �This 'statist medicine' would induce grave waves of arrhythmia - inflation, price controls, lower quality, doctor shortages, waiting periods, and rationing.�

�Doctors, patients, and law makers must stand together now to bring a halt to this leftist-led, lemming-like leap into healthcare hell,� Garamoni said. ��We urge legislators all over the country to follow Florida�s lead by creating political firewalls in every state to protect us from any further federal infringement on states� rights and individual liberty. �

State Senator Carey Baker (R-Eustis) and State Representative Scott Plakon (R-Longwood) filed legislation (HJR 37- Health Care Services) on Monday to amend Florida's Constitution �to prohibit laws or rules from compelling any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system; permit person or employer to purchase lawful health care services directly from health care provider; permit health care provider to accept direct payment from person or employer for lawful health care services; exempt persons, employers, and health care providers from penalties and fines for paying or accepting direct payment for lawful health care services; permit purchase or sale of health insurance in private health care systems; and specifies what amendment does not affect or prohibit.� �

"Today, we're drawing the line in the sand. It is bad enough that our federal government wants to choose your doctor and ration your treatment," Senator Baker said. "But to do so virtually in secret and in such a rush proves that the goal is not to get better health care but to get socialized health care."

�The federal government and its bureaucracies dictating who, when and what kind of treatment you receive is not reform at all,� said Representative Plakon. �We believe this unprecedented power-grab by President Obama and Congress is clearly not in the best interests of the citizens of Florida.�

�The proposed constitutional amendment may be the only way left to prevent the destruction of the independent practice of medicine that has served us so well for so many centuries,� said Dr. Garamoni.
# # #
Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine has the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting freedom in healthcare. Our organization�s most pressing goal is to defeat HR3200 and other statist healthcare reform proposals now circulating in Washington. To this end, we are actively encouraging doctors and patients to put intense political pressure on legislators during their deliberations on healthcare reform. We supply doctors and patients with the intellectual and political ammunition to do this. We are calling on doctors to be prepared to go on strike against more government-run healthcare. We want doctors to let the country know - now - that if the President signs any legislation that establishes another government healthcare plan, they will "go on strike": Doctors will refuse to participate in any new government healthcare plan, and they will resign from all government healthcare programs, including, but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.

Post 28

Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 12:46pm

Doctors Publish "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" on Health Care Reform Bills

Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine today issued an "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" on the health care bills now brewing in Washington, finding 10 violations of the individual rights recognized in The Declaration of Independence.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) � Aug 01, 2009 � Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine today issued an "Inalienable Rights Infringement Statement" ("IRIS") on the health care bills now brewing in Washington--bills they dubbed "PelosiObamaReidCare" ("PORC").

The IRIS, posted on the homepage of Doctors on Strike's website at http://www.doctorsonstrike.com, cites PORC for the following 10 violations of individual rights:

1. Forcing people to buy health insurance.

2. Forcing employers to provide health insurance for employees.

3. Forcing one group (wealthy, soda-drinkers, etc.) to pay for the health insurance of another group.

4. Forcing future generations to pay for the healthcare of the present generation.

5. Forcing patients to participate in a government-run plan.

6. Forcing doctors to participate in a government-run plan.

7. Forcing hospitals and other healthcare providers to participate in a government-run plan.

8. Forcing insurance companies to compete with a government-run plan.

9. Forcing insurance companies to write policies that offer coverage for specific conditions.

10. Forcing one group (older Americans on Medicare) to accept reduced benefits in order to fund other public health care plans.

Dr. Gregory Garamoni, Founder and Executive Director of Doctors on Strike, said, "Doctors, patients, and business owners all have the same inalienable individual rights recognized by the Declaration of Independence - the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The purpose of government is to secure our rights, not violate them. �Our rights impose limitations on government." �

Dr. Garamoni said, "PORC's unprecedented intrusiveness into the doctor-patient relationship and other aspects of our health care would violate our rights on a massive scale unknown in the history of America."

Doctors on Strike urges doctors, patients, and business owners to work together to put intense political pressure on Washington politicians to make sure they protect individual rights while reforming the healthcare system. �Dr. Garamoni said people need to send the following message to our elected officials: �

"Earth to politicians: Healthcare is not a right, doctors are not your slaves, businesses are not your banks, the wealthy are not your wet nurses, and patients are not your pawns."

The website for Doctors on Strike (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com) provides doctors, patients, and business owners with the "intellectual and political ammunition necessary to win the war against statism in medicine." �

Activists will find links to an online "Petition to Protect Doctor-Patient Rights" and other petitions with similar messages. �They will also find links to elected officials, including the influential "The Blue Dog Coalition," �and sample messages of varying length.
# # #
Doctors on Strike for Freedom in Medicine (http://www.doctorsonstrike.com) has the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting freedom in healthcare. Our organization�s most pressing goal is to defeat HR3200 and other statist healthcare reform proposals now circulating in Washington. To this end, we are encouraging doctors and patients to put intense political pressure on legislators during their deliberations on healthcare reform. We supply doctors and patients with the intellectual and political ammunition to do this. We are calling on doctors to be prepared to go on strike against more government-run healthcare. We want doctors to let the country know - now - that if the President signs any legislation that establishes another government healthcare plan, they will "go on strike": Doctors will refuse to participate in any new government healthcare plan, and they will resign from all government healthcare programs, including, but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.

Post 29

Sunday, August 2, 2009 - 12:02pm