Doctors are running from Medicare? Who knew?

Of all the complaining, suggesting, name calling both by the attendees and the speakers at the Obamacare town hall meetings, I have not heard anyone mention the fact that many physicians are bailing out (a perfectly good term) of the Medicare System.

I know one case in particular from a writer who said she knew personally more than 30 Ob/Gyn 'providers' who sent letters to all of their MC patients with their new policy of no longer accepting MC and they could pay as non-MC patients or find a new 'provider.' I wonder if they can call themselves 'providers if they no longer 'provide?'

This lady was a patient for many years prior to reaching the MC age and they treated her willingly for a price. There are many other specialties who have refused to treat her as well. For example, a GP; a podiatrist; an orthopedic surgeon; and others. Let me say these did not all refuse to help the same lady. They are different people with different maladies.

'Medicare' is what the Dem liberals are calling the obamacare proposal and calling it 'good.' It is IF you can locate the 'provider' in the specialty you require who will accept it. The complaint heard the most from physicians is the vast amount of required paper work in order to get paid just a small portion of their charges. You may recall the 21 pages of docs necessary to get the taxpayers to purchase your "clunker."

My question is whether or not the 'providers' are going to have less paper work? Are the 'providers' going to be required to accept obamacare? I think that is
"involuntary servitude," isn't it? What ever happened to 'tort reform' to go along with health reform? Will we continue to pay as tax payers for another health care program for our employees - the congremen and women in Washington? Does their staff enjoy the same benefits as the elected?

Lots of questions and even more in the 1017 pages of the very confusing rhetoric and historic errors known as HR 3200. One more question which should be easily answerable is, how many 'ear marks' are included in the confusing pages of this bill and what are they? Do you think we will ever know? Duh!

I have no argument with health-care reform of some type, but not Obamacare. I have heard far more yelling than discussion; I have seen elected officials turn their backs on their constituents; I have seen hyphenated Congress-women bring with them union groups to shout down legitimate concerned citizens and liberal pundits push for the Dem side of the aisle to pass the bill without debate or discussion across the aisle. I do hope you will remember these things when it is time to put them back into your office.

A blogger friend of mine pretty well lays it out in the attached video blog.

Frankie says have a good day, stay healthy, and a special birthday wish to his brother Ron way up in Richmond.

This is an 'old song' with a new singer. Better?

Today's post comes from Star Parker a regular columnist and blogger on townhall.com. Her story is remarkable in that she not only talks the talk, she has walked the walk as well. Star says--

"Six years ago I wrote a book called "Uncle Sam's Plantation." I wrote the book to tell my own story of what I saw living inside the welfare state and my own transformation out of it.

The story of Star Parker is a stunning chronicle of how she left the seductive life of drugs, crime, abortions and welfare abuse through the power of the Gospel to become a leading advocate for the family. She is at the forefront of the Christian conservative movement to motivate and lead others away from the lies of the culture to a life full of grace and truth.

Star Parker’s personal transformation from welfare fraud to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s 20/20; Rush Limbaugh; Readers Digest; Dr. James Dobson; The 700 Club; Dr. George Grant; the Washington Times; Christianity Today; Charisma, and World Magazine. Articles and quotes by Star have appeared in major publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Recently she co-hosted an episode of The View with Barbara Walters, and her testimony went around the world on the television show of the Reverend Billy Graham.

As a social policy consultant, Star Parker gives regular testimony before the United States Congress, and is a national expert on major television and radio shows across the country. Currently, Star is a regular commentator on C-Span, MSNBC, and FOX News. She has debated Jesse Jackson on BET; fought for school choice on Larry King Live; and defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Star has written three books, “Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats” (1996), "Uncle Sam’s Plantation” (2003), and “White Ghetto” (2006), works in Washington, DC, resides in Southern California and has a beautiful two year old grandson, Mr. James.

I said in that book that indeed there are two Americas. A poor America on socialism and a wealthy America on capitalism.

I talked about government programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), Emergency Assistance to Needy Families with Children (EANF), Section 8 Housing, and Food Stamps.

A vast sea of perhaps well intentioned government programs, all initially set into motion in the 1960's, that were going to lift the nation's poor out of poverty.

A benevolent Uncle Sam welcomed mostly poor black Americans onto the government plantation. Those who accepted the invitation switched mindsets from "How do I take care of myself?" to "What do I have to do to stay on the plantation?"

Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems. The kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others.

The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools, and broken black families.

Through God's grace, I found my way out. It was then that I understood what freedom meant and how great this country is.

I had the privilege of working on welfare reform in 1996, passed by a Republican congress and signed into law by a Democrat president. A few years after enactment, welfare roles were down fifty percent.

I thought we were on the road to moving socialism out of our poor black communities and replacing it with wealth producing American capitalism.

But, incredibly, we are going in the opposite direction.,

Instead of poor America on socialism becoming more like rich American on capitalism, rich America on capitalism is becoming like poor America on socialism.

Uncle Sam has welcomed our banks onto the plantation and they have said, "Thank you, Suh."

Now, instead of thinking about what creative things need to be done to serve customers, they are thinking about what they have to tell Massah in order to get their cash.

There is some kind of irony that this is all happening under our first black president on the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Worse, socialism seems to be the element of our new young president. And maybe even more troubling, our corporate executives seem happy to move onto the plantation.

In an op-ed on the opinion page of the Washington Post, Mr. Obama is clear that the goal of his trillion dollar spending plan is much more than short term economic stimulus.

"This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending-it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care, and education."

Perhaps more incredibly, Obama seems to think that government taking over an economy is a new idea. Or that massive growth in government can take place "with unprecedented transparency and accountability."

Yes, sir, we heard it from Jimmy Carter when he created the Department of Energy, the Synfuels Corporation, and the Department of Education.

Or how about the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 -- The War on Poverty -- which President Johnson said "...does not merely expand old programs or improve what is already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes, not just the consequences of poverty."

Trillions of dollars later, black poverty is the same. But black families are not, with triple the incidence of single parent homes and out of wedlock births.

It's not complicated. Americans can accept Barack Obama's invitation to move onto the plantation. Or they can choose personal responsibility and freedom.

Does anyone really need to think about what the choice should be?"

This a more relevant story now as constituents are called ugly names by the likes of barney frank, arlen spector (elected as a conservative and became a left wing liberal in order to get re-elected),etc. They are so sure of getting elected by the same people who keep putting the in power that they have lost all respect for the people who put the there.

Frankie is having a real problem with the 'go along to get along' congress who are taking the lowest road ever in our history. They don't even pretend to read the atrocious bills that are proffered by Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod. If you don't know who those two are, you will be well served to find out.

On Friday, August 14, 2009, Colonial Bank, Montgomery, AL was closed by the Alabama State Banking Department, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Receiver. No advance notice is given to the public when a financial institution is closed. Who will it be this Friday? Go here to see your bank and others which have failed.

"All You Can Do Is All You Can Do. Right"

Art Williams coined the phrase "all you can do is all you can do but, all you can do is enough." That became his motto, his avatar, his feel good mantra, etc. He sold his company to Primerica and became a motivational speaker.

You may have guessed by now that Frankie is a bow tie conservative and never even turns left even in his truck. He has been called a "racist," an "anarchist" a "patriot," "a great American," and other things which he chooses not to quote. It depends on who is making the call as to whether or not it is hurtful or disappointing.

Frankie takes the position that anyone who just sits and sulks or sits in the background and snipes at the people who are trying make a difference have very little, IF ANY, legitimate right to complain if things are not as they would like them. It is not necessary to become vituperative to be heard, but it is necessary to at least take a stand on something.

The problem with the constituents in every district and political area is a lack of interest. "I don't get involved in politics," is a sentence I hear a lot. People don't get involved until they have a real leader get involved and to lead the way. Then, they decide that maybe I need to take a stand one way or the other.

Frankie wants you to get involved and to represent what you stand for and let other people know about how you feel and how you perceive things to be and how you believe they should be. Some of Frankie's best friends are left wing liberals and they have their right to be that way. Frankie just hopes they are correct.

Sure, you will be called names such as "artificial turf" instead of "grass roots." You may be called "unpatriotic" or "un-American" by some the elite media or even by representatives like barney frank or arlen specter who was conservative until he became a left winger in order to get reelected. That is the very first and most important task of a politician, to get reelected.

If the U.S.A. does wake up one Saturday morning and discover that we are no longer a capitalistic government, but rather have slipped socialism without realizing it, you should be concerned when one day your children want to know what you did to keep the "change" from happening. One of their favorite stories they will want to hear is about the days when the world was free and you were allowed to choose how you would make a living and how you could see the doctor of your choice and might not have to wait but a week or so.

We received a note from a good friend, Sheila, who lives in the United Kingdom telling me about the wait for medical tests:

"Subject: Healthcare

I have been reading your posts with interest on the latest healthcare proposal. We had a program over here on the TV which was showing the comparison that is being made to UK and Canada as a sort of how not to do it. I do think the US needs healthcare which is like ours but from what I am to understand those who can get private healthcare still must. I am not sure that will work though cause you will have a two tier system again and then will the government spend enough to provide public care to those who cannot afford it. Over here the biggest problem is waiting time especially for test results. I had to wait 4 weeks for results of tests that in the US took a week and that was because they were posted to me. It can be life and death waiting for results. It is quite a hot button subject as I see from other friends who are also posting their opinions. Good luck with whatever is adopted over there."

You don't have to be right, but be involved. Frankie

Could These Things Happen In America?

What if you had been told in October 2008, before the last presidential election, that before Barak Obama's first 100 days in office, the federal government would be in control of both the mortgage and the banking industries? --- that within Barack Obama's first 100 days in office the federal government would be the largest shareholder in two of the US Big-Three automakers: GM, and Chrysler and appoint hand-picked executives with zero experience in the auto industry and that executive compensation would be determined, not by a Board of Directors, but by the government? --- that Barack Obama would appoint 21 Czars, without congressional approval, accountable only to him, not to the voters, who would have control over a wide range of US policy decisions. That there would be a Stimulus Accountability Czar, an Urban Czar, a Compensation Czar, an Iran Czar, an Auto Industry Czar, a Cyber Security Czar, an Energy Czar, a Bank Bailout Czar, and more than a dozen other government bureaucrats with unchecked regulatory powers over US domestic and foreign policy. --- that the federal deficit would be $915 billion in the first six months of the Obama presidency - with a projected annual deficit of $1.75 trillion - triple the $454.8 billion in 2008, for which the previous administration was highly criticized by Obama and his fellow Democrats. --- that the Obama Justice Department would order FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high-value detainees captured on the battlefield and held at US military detention facilities in Afghanistan. That Obama would order the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility with no plan for the disposition of the 200-plus individuals held there. That our returning US veterans would be labeled terrorists and put on a watch list. --- that Obama would travel to the Middle East, bow before the Saudi king, and repeatedly apologize for America 's past actions. That he would travel to Latin America where he would warmly greet Venezuela strongman Hugo Chavez and sit passively in the audience while Nicaraguan Marxist thug Daniel Ortega charged America with terrorist aggression in Central America . --- that the Obama Justice Department is doing everything it can to limit your Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. That the federal government wants to reinstate the so-called assault weapons ban which would prohibit the sale of any type of firearm that doesn't require the shooter to pull the trigger every time a round is fired. --- that the Obama plan is to eliminate states rights guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment and give the federal government sweeping new powers over policies currently under the province of local and state governments and voted on by the people. That Obama plans to control the schools, energy production, the environment, health care, and the wealth of every US citizen. ---that the president, the courts, and the federal government have ignored the US Constitution and have seized powers which the founders of our country fought to restrict. That our last presidential election may have been our last truly free election for some time to come. I know, I know what you will say. "C'mon, that will never happen in America" Frankie believes if we don't do everything in our power to stop this madness in the 2010 mid term elections... May God have mercy on our worthless souls.

Is National Medicare The Answer?

There is some evidence that the majority of the voters in the U.S. do not approve of the health reform being proffered by the Obama administration. There is also evidence that the majority of the electorate believe that some form of health reform is necessary.

Frankie believes some health reform is necessary, but he does not want the FEDERAL government to be in charge of it. It makes more sense for the states to be the administrators of the reformed health care system with an advisory board made up of a cross section of legal citizens. That is not a perfect solution, but I believe it would be easier to control when the corruption creeps in, and it surely will. Whenever there is that much money involved there will be corruption.

Medicare Insurance is very good. Frankie and his wife both paid for the insurance coverage for many years of their working life. It is like any other insurance in that you pay the premiums and you receive the coverage for which you paid if you need it. The difference is that the government controls the premium and the premium never stops, the government decides what is covered and what is not covered, the government decides how much the provider gets paid for the procedure provided, and the government changes the coverage each year and also the amount of payment.

A major problem is that the physicians are not required to accept Medicare patients. They are not required to accept "assignment." More doctors than ever are refusing to accept Medicare not only because of the very deficient payment schedule, but also because of the vast amount of paper work involved in the doctor applying for payment. Many doctors have been forced to hire extra clerks to prepare and file the documents required to get paid thus reducing even further the gross profit the physician could make on the reduced fee.

Under HR 3200, are the doctors going to be forced to accept Medicare or National Health Coverage? I am going to look that up in the House Bill and see if I can figure out the paragraph which applies to involuntary servitude by the physicians.

"nobody is talking about reducing Medicare benefits."

Don't believe what the politicians say, watch what they do.

Frankie has sat by watching for the "change we can believe in," but we haven't seen any 'change' which we feel will benefit the nation. The Obama administration has carried on the spend thrift ways of the Bush administration and raised them to a new level. That is 'change.' Is it good 'change?' Can we believe in it?

Oh, it is for sure, we can believe it. Our elected representatives are approving bills without having read them. Is that 'change?' I doubt it! Our representatives have been approving bills and parts thereof for many years which were not read. For example, the 'earmark' for the "bridge to no where" in Alaska. I prefer to believe that they did not read it rather than to have read it and still approved it.

Today Frankie heard about Obama appealing to the clergy -(like the Reverend Wright?) - to make an appeal from the pulpit for the approval of national health care, HB 3200. Does that not fly in the face of the insistence by the left wing groups that there must be a "separation of church and state?" Does that mean that the ACLU will be filing legal actions against the churches who participate in this message? Or, does it mean that the government will penalize those churches who do not carry Obama's message?

There is an article at Emax Health which does speak to this Presidential appeal.

Don't believe what the politicians say, watch what they do. Frankie