 A Doctor and Small Business Owner, But Not Immune to our Broken System-
Doctor Eric Buchbaum's Health Care Story
I'm a podiatrist in private practice, and as a physician and business owner with 6 employees, I constantly see the problems that the current health care system is causing for patients, small business owners, their employees, and physicians. After 11 years of school and training, I wish I could devote more of my time and energy to dealing with the health of my patients, and less time maneuvering through the red tape of the insurance industry.
Just this month, we had a 20% increase in health care costs for the coverage we offer employees, and that's on top of a nearly 40% increase in costs over the last couple of years. Aside from premiums, our employees weren't spending very much out of pocket on health care because they haven't had serious health issues. That may seem like a good thing, but because those covered by our plan weren't reaching the deductible, the insurance company raised our costs. I found this pretty offensive, not to mention counter-intuitive.
Five years ago we were able to pay not only half of the individual's policy, but also half of the family policy. Due to the unprecedented increases in cost, today we are only able to pay for half of an individual's plan; any family members are completely paid for by the the employee. Of our six employees two purchase family plans, two opt out of insurance coverage all together due to the high costs of co-pays and deductibles, and the other 2 are covered through their spouse's plans. I find it embarrassing that as a medical office which provides healthcare for others, we have uninsured employees. It's an embarrassment not only personally, but to the whole health care system.
In an attempt to be competitive and attract quality employees, we want to offer good coverage because prospective employees clearly consider benefits when looking for a job. The rising costs have forced us to choose less expensive plans, which have much higher deductibles for our employees, so it essentially serves only as catastrophic coverage. Furthermore, we're considering moving from the not for profit Blue Cross Blue Shield to the for profit United Healthcare, which we never thought we would do but are now forced to consider because of rising costs.
In addition to the problems I see as a small business owner, I also see the problems from the provider side. We have a situation where consumers are paying more, the coverage they receive in return has diminished, and physicians are being compensated less for the care they provide. All of this is happening while insurance companies are making record profits.
The insurance companies have been stymieing doctors in their ability to ensure that patients get the care they need. Doctors receive years of training to be able to make educated decisions in the best interest of the patient, and the insurance companies are making it difficult for us to do our jobs by putting up roadblocks in diagnosing and treating patients. This may not be happening every day in our office, but the idea that it can happen at all is disturbing.
When we see people with little or no coverage unable to afford the treatment that they need, and people with coverage being denied access to treatment by their insurance company, it ultimately costs everyone more. It costs the community more when people are forced to use the local ER as a primary care facility. It costs the patient and his or her employer more because of lost productivity and wages for missed work. And yes, it costs doctors more when they need to spend more time treating their practice as a business than as a doctor's office treating patients.
I love what I do, but the bureaucracy can be extremely frustrating, and I often get discouraged with the system as a whole. My fear is that this will only get worse in a slowing economy as people continue to lose their jobs and their health care. These are real problems that effect all of us, problems that we all need to work together to address.
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