Mercenary Medical Insurance and Mercenary Medical Doctors

The Medical Insurance Companies are “supposed” to be the advocates between patient and doctor! Surprise! They are not. They are in the same bed.

Oregon Consumer

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - On June 3rd the Oregonian printed a headline Regence (Medical Insurance) Raised Premiums 22%. One hundred and fifty victims came to a “Bitch session” asking WHY? WHY? WHY? I’m here to try and explain what’s going on but certainly not to endorse it.

My comments come from some 75 years of experience. As a life long victim, Medical School Professor, Medical Student, Medical Intern, Physician, and Medical victim of the whole enchilada including the Marijuanaphobic Oregon Medical Board. This whole MESS is so unbelievable it is a wonder that it has persisted so long and is getting worse.

I guess most patient/victims know that some, if not many, physicians make between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per year or more. A close friend made $350,000 per year, some lower paid doctors will wince at this but they know that it is regrettably true.

O K, so what is going on. One patient victim at the hearing, Vic Baker said, “This is such a flawed system, such a flawed business model”.

Well it is not flawed for Regence et al and certainly not the very high paid doctors. This is a very incestuous financial system.

Why?

The Insurance big-wigs, of which there are many layers, seem to think that their medical “bean counters” are entitled to as much money as the high priced surgical specialists.

After all the bean counters HAVE the money.

Even the Oregonian reporter “smelled the rat” and wrote, “Regence has lots of money and pays its executives big salaries and is part of the problem of rising costs, says Margaret Butler, Executive Director of Regence.”

This price rise will affect 56,000 Regence client victims and probably force 43,000 to quit paying, raising the uninsured of 40,000,000 patients in the U.S. Regence is probably the lead company on a trial run. More would follow.

The Medical Insurance Companies are “supposed” to be the advocates between patient and doctor! Surprise! They are not. They are in the same bed. Make that cast register or money safe.

There must be a new revised pay scale/system for necessary surgery et cetera. If a patient wants elective plastic surgery let them pay whatever the traffic will bear. They are the natural prey of those surgeons.

By the way Medical Insurance is one of the most lucrative businesses. For any losses they just raise the rates or reduce pay to the doctors.

Don’t feel sorry for the doctors or the Insurance companies. This insurance company, Regence, has $500 million in reserve…where do you think THAT came from???

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More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier