Healthcare rationing

The Republicans would have you to believe that healthcare rationing would be the order of the day under a public option (or any option that doesn't allow their friends in the insurance industry to skim off the top). Let me disabuse you of that notion, courtesy of columnist Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ms. Tucker just relocated to Washington and sought referrals from her friends for a new doctor for her baby daughter. One name came up repeatedly: "Dr. Amy." Ms. Tucker was able to get an immediate appointment for "Dr. Amy," but the doctor is out of network for the AJC's insurance carrier, Aetna.

Here's the rest of the story:

Called Aetna. They explained I would pay several hundred dollars a year extra for the privilege of taking my baby girl to Dr. Amy.

So, I called another pediatrician who is “in-network.” She said she could see my baby at the end of October.

I have a choice to make: Pay through the nose for a highly recommended doctor who can see my baby immediately. Or, go to the doctor my insurance will pay for, which would mean my child would run months behind on her vaccination schedule. This isn’t a disaster, but it is certainly frustrating.

I think the president has been fudging on the absolute truth about your relationship with your insurance and your doctors under his proposals because he wants to satisfy those people who have perfect health insurance right now. I wonder how many people that could possibly be.

Why, Ms. Tucker, I think that'd be nobody, except for congresscritters, senators and the president. I haven't run into this problem myself, but I have run into the problem where I'm being nickled and dimed to death because this year my health insurance isn't covering all the charges being sent in for lab testing. And the cost of medications keeps going up, up, up. *facepalm*.

Something's gotta give.