overheard online medical stuff

to be sure doctors have high salaries, but speaking as someone with relatives and friends in the medical profession, don't forget that the doctors and hospitals have expenses just like everyone else that they have to pay. The cost of obtaining a medical degree is not just $10k or $20k...it frequently runs up to and over $100k. That loan has to be paid off. The doctor has malpractice insurance to pay each year to protect himself against frivolous and excessive lawsuits. That doesn't cost $1k or $2k per year, but approaches $100k per year, and I can't even begin to guess at the cost of hospital malpractice insurance. The doctor prescribes more tests than are necessary, but it's largely to protect himself and/or the hospital against frivolous lawsuits in the unlikely event that something unanticipated happens and they get sued and need to show that they considered everything humanly possible. Doctors have paperwork that because of the excessive overregulation requires him to hire people just to keep track of medical records, insurance records, and regulatory paperwork.

@John, Over-regulation is root of the problem, not the AMA or anyone in the medical profession. Why in God's name would any intelligent person want to take up a profession these days where you have to attend college for years and years to learn all of the basics, practice at a hospital for several years before they'll even let you call yourself a professional, then have to deal with regulations so draconian that you need an accountant and a lawyer to make sure you don't go afoul of the law, pay exorbitant fees for malpractice insurance, people expect perfection from you but will sue you for ridiculous sums just for looking at them crossways, you have to hire people extra people to manage your paperwork, and if you're unfortunate enough to work for an HMO (which sprang up because of govt regulation and interference in the free market), you are pressured to treat people like carbon units on a conveyor belt so you can bring in enough money to support yourself and the hospital. And after all that, have people heap scorn and hatred on you for charging for the cost of running your business plus have enough left over to live comfortably on.

The problem is not doctors, pharmaceuticals, lawyers, or even the AMA, it's the govt and their willingness to regulate anything that's not dead that is enabling the bad behavior that you attribute to everything but the govt. The one law that govt never considers is the law of unintended consequences. Doctors, hospitals, lawyers, accountants, etc, all adjust their behavior to deal with the regulation and laws put out by govt. That creates more problems and more regulations to deal with those problems...and the cycle continues to spiral downwards. Remove the laws and regulation that created the unwanted behavior in the first place and you remove the bad behavior.

@Michael and John, why else would you face a critical shortage of workers when there is a desperate need for them? For more and more people, it's not worth it to go into the medical profession with all of the regulation and scorn pushed on the profession. You couldn't pay me enough to work in a field like that. Building more medical universities or even give them free education to become doctors is not going to give you more doctors in that kind of climate

Grief is a journey not a destination

Grief is a Journey, Not a Destination By: elaine williams There are days you sit in a chair and stare out the window because living seems to take too much energy. Even to think about what to make for dinner is an all-consuming task. It can be daunting, feeling as if there is nothing in this world that will ever hold your interest again. The mail order catalog with the Valentine's Day gifts is a reminder there won't be any lover's keepsakes. No hiding in the cabinet those chocolate and peanut butter eggs my husband, gone two years, used to enjoy. How small and silly a thought, but how big a rip in my heart. I had always been versatile and open to new ideas, but following my husband's death, life became a narrow focus of work and children. The joy had flown from most of my days and I worried if this consuming disinterest in the world would be permanent. Time could move excruciatingly slow, and yet other days I couldn't account for the hours I'd lived through. On the dark days, I lamented that no one cared anymore about my worries, dreams or desires. I hated being an empty vessel, and as I began dating, I expected that special someone to come along, fill me up, and make me happy. At that point, I mistakenly thought, things would return to normal. I'd be my old self. Little did I know at the beginning of my grief journey, my old self was forever gone. However, I wanted verification that I mattered to someone in some way. I wanted affection and caring, craving what I no longer had. My heart remained ever hopeful that I would find a happy ending, but due to some poor choices, I kept throwing myself on the rocks of dating disappointment. With the loss of someone integral to mine and my children's lives, my sense of normalcy had changed. Sometimes I wallowed in uncertainty about my life, and the tears would leak out of my eyes to run down my cheeks. I kept those emotions hidden most of the time. I couldn't bear to have others see me so weak; it seemed too private to share. On rare occasions, I allowed myself to express my pain and anxiety. I wish now that I shared my grief more often. One day I awoke and realized my life had never been a shipwreck and now was not the time to start. I was ever mindful that I was an example to my children, so I gathered my strength and took control of my destiny. Knowing the future was all in my hands was frightening and yet liberating. Becoming myself once more wasn't an easy process, but a slow, methodical movement forward. I am no longer the woman I was, but then having gone through this journey, how could I expect, or want, to return to who I had been? Indeed, as the years folded one into another, I had no need to rehash the past. It was behind me as it should be, neither forgotten nor dwelled upon. I now avidly pursue the future as I welcome life's unexpected joys and experiences. A new life and outlook has emerged, and it is interwoven with bits and pieces of my former life. I am thankful to have found myself again. Elaine Williams ©2008 Author Bio Elaine Williams is a widow and author of A Journey Well Taken: Life After Loss will be available June 2008, http://www.ajourneywelltaken.com Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content