How many of you can choose your own doctor?

[Critters2]

I heard some commercial for a right wing group blathering on about how health care reform would mean some bureaucrat would choose your doctor. Well, some bureaucrat chooses my doctor NOW!!

I used to go to a really great woman with her own independent office. She knew my name, my health issues, and her office wasn't full of drug advertisements. Then, for some reason, she got dropped from my PPO, and I was expected to go to this corporate clinic. I went twice, once for my yearly exam/pap smear; the second time for the nasty flu I had in November. I saw two different doctors who barely spoke to me. In the waiting room, I was accosted with drug ad brochures, notepads, pens, even a screen on the wall playing one drug commercial after an other.

When I had a bad chest cold in March, I went back to my old doctor, even knowing my insurance wouldn't pay as well, and might not pay at all. They did pay, but at a lower rate, and sent me a nasty letter about the "risks" of going out of network.

So, now I'm curious as to how many people actually DO get to choose their own doctor. Do you? Do your family members, friends, neighbors?

And finally, who would you rather have choosing your doctor--a government bureaucrat, or an insurance company bureaucrat? Me, I'll take the government 'crat. I've already dealt with the insurance types!

[rurallib]

1. We live in a small town serviced by a clinic from a hospital from a larger city

we get whomever they send. And if we had single payer I doubt things would change one whit.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. This isn't really an issue for me...

I'm on Medicare. I sure as hell choose my own doctors!

But back in the day, I wanted to choose my own, and generally I was able to...

Let's hear it for government bureaucrats!

[Lasher]

7. That's a good point, Peggy.

You're on Medicare and you choose your own doctors. But the insurance industry is saying if we get Medicare for all we won't get to choose our own doctors. Hmmmm...

[Old Codger]

20. ME too

Also on medicare and also choose my own Dr.

[whoneedstickets]

79. Medicare for Everyone! Wasn't that a policy slogan once...

...what happened to that? Somehow it got shot down? Where?

[Lasher]

84. It is in the process of being shot down again right now.

Where? In Congress. By whom? By corporate lobbyists and the elected representatives who do their bidding.

[nichomachus]

42. I'm on Medicare too -- and I choose my own doctor -- Medicare for all!

[rwheeler31]

3. Our Employer keeps changing plans, our doc is never in

network unless we pay more.

[ejpoeta]

4. i chose my doctor.... she was on the list, so.... and she has been great.

but as she has grown, built a new office and added more patients.... i feel rushed in and out. she definitely doesn't test for things my family history tells me she should. and she has three siblings and their kids from the same family!! we have diabetes big time in our family. i don't remember her ever testing me for that! and my dad just died from cancer a month ago.... apparently another thing i have to worry myself about as his brother has cancer and my grandma had cancer. uggh. but i digress. i did notice the sign on the door comng in that says that drug reps are no longer allowed in the office. that's good news. but then, i also saw the sign saying there are no more samples available, which when i didn't have health insurance was a god send.

something really needs to be done! the doctors have to have so many patients every day just to pay the bills, i would imagine... there isn't much time to get more than five minutes with them.

[nichomachus]

43. But the point is "she was on the list." If she's not on the list tomorrow -- it's over

That's happened to several friends of mine.

[ejpoeta]

48. exactly. i think that happened to my sister. she had to change doctors

after they changed insurances because the doctor they had was not on the list. so it's not how good the doctor is or anything... but that they are on the list. ridiculous.

[sendero]

93. Really...

.. you should get another doctor.

Your doctor is probably a good person and a good doctor, but once they get into "rush mode" I move on. My doctor will spend 10 minutes talking to me about whatever health issues I wish to discuss, he will also listen to my ideas and consider them without treating me like a moron.

It takes looking around, but there ARE good doctors out there, I would add that the better ones are usually younger (50 or less) because most of the older ones were trained with the God Complex.

[Mudoria]

5. Our company plan let's us choose our own doctor.

Every week they bring in an RN to the plant to take care of minor problems to save money. A prtty good arrangement for us all the way around.

[achtung_circus]

6. I choose my own

and if I require a specialist my GP gives me options.

And I live in Soviet Canuckistan and the Socialist nightmare never ends.

[MadMaddie]

8. Knock on wood my company paid insurance gave us options

and I chose the option that I could pick any Dr. no referrals needed.

[Orangepeel]

9. I can.

I think the copay might be different depending on who I pick. Sometimes it is $5 and sometimes $25.

[MrModerate]

10. I'm in kind of an unusual situation . . .

In that I live overseas and my US-based, company-subsidized health coverage has no choice but to consider all doctors in this country in-network, since there's no network at all.

However, when I was based in the States, I had to select an in-network doctor or suffer significant reductions in benefits paid. This in an environment where the doctors were dropping the insurance company (not the other way around) because they were fed up with the administrative overhead required to get paid. I lost two good doctors that way, and the ones I switched to were not as capable.

My best experience in the States was with a not-for-profit HMO that was its own hospital/clinic/specialist cluster, all colocated (so you could walk to all providers -- no running around town for different appointments). However, I've heard horror stories about other HMOs (even hospital complex-based) restricting care.

Bottom line, until we get the no-value-added ghouls out of the equation -- the health insurers -- progress on this issue is going to be very limited.

[muntrv]

11. Sure I can choose any doctor....as long as it is on the list provided by my

employer's health care provider.

[newinnm]

12. I pick mine!

I don't have insurance so I go to this walk in clinic. No appointment needed. I pay on average 50.00 (some times less and sometimes more depending on the length) for a visit and don't have to use any damn insurance company. Its between me and my doc. The clinic does take insurance but they prefer cash because its so much easier than fighting with the insurance company for payment. I save the money that I would have paid for outrageous premiums and put it in the bank. I know I'm living on a knife edge and if i have something catastrophic i will go tits up but its better than feeding a corrupt system.


nnnm

[Mike 03]

13. I believe I can, but it depends on his availability and my ability to say "I can pay in cash."

NT

[Creena]

14. I chose mine

I finally qualified for county insurance after being denied state and federal help. They gave me a list of contracted doctors and I picked the nearest one. My generic prescriptions and blood work are mostly covered. If the doctor prescribes it, they'll cover it so long as it's not a psychiatric medication because that's a different county division.

When I had private insurance, I went through flaming hoops to see my doctors. Every time I wanted to see the allergist, hematologist, or endocrinologist (yeah, I'm kinda broken), I needed to go through my GP. They constantly questioned my medicines and outright refused to cover a very expensive one even after pleading from my hematologist. They deemed it necessary to my health. Even though if I didn't get it I would end up in the hospital. Only then would it be covered.

So, I agree. The government plan, even my piddly county one, is much nicer to me than the insurance company plans.

[MercutioATC]

15. I'm already part of a government plan (FEHBP) and I choose my own doctor.

[annabanana]

55. Which option lets you chose whatever Doc you want?

We are also covered by FEHBP, and ALL the HMO options strictly limit to "within" the plan.

[MercutioATC]

59. True, but if you can't find your doctor in one of the plans, he/she doesn't accept insurance.

There are so many plans available from major carriers that I've never seen a doctor that wasn't part of at least 2 or 3 of the plans.

[annabanana]

63. Once you're in the plan, you're stuck until the following year... If you have

to see a specialist (podiatrist, gastroenterologist, dermatologist, opthamologist ANYTHING) your choices are severely limited.

There is ONE podiatrist in our Medical Group.. It takes months to see him.

[truedelphi]

16. Paying $ 1,000 a month for us as a couple

Okay I am exagerrating - it was a mere $ 957 for Cobra so we could belong to Kaiser Permanente - a group that my husband's employer choose for us. I got to choose between a group of equally really lame doctors on a long long list.

[handmade34]

17. scare tactics...

very few people choose their own doctor. One good idea is many local health centers. When I was living in Vermont, for 20 years, when I needed, I went to the same health center in town. I don't have many health concerns and I didn't go often but when I did I knew all of the office people, the nurses and the doctors there. There were even a couple of times that I called with my concern and they knew me well enough to call in a prescription or take care of my concern without me going in.
When I started my present job(ytraveling) and had real BCBS for 3 years- I had to search the website or call and ask who I could go to. And then there were piles of paperwork to manage and refusals and arguments. I figure I paid BCBS about $50,000+ during that time, got a couple of thousand in benefits and last December during enrollment called it quits. I would be more than happy to pay my taxes- extra for health care... just give me single-payer health care. I have had it with insurance companies. This is worth fight for.

[Critters2]

25. Indeed it is. I have BCBS, too. Talk about bureaucracy!! nt

[sandnsea]

18. Our clinic assigns them, more or less

You can request a doctor but the best ones are never taking new patients. To get a different doctor than the one you have, you have to fill out a form and it has to be reviewed by some clinic team. The next nearest clinic is 30 miles, but I don't think my state subsidized insurance will let me go there anyway.

So yes, I know what the concerns are. But it doesn't matter because it already happens anyway.

[quiller4]

19. The PPO list from our insurance company is pages long

and every doc I've seen in the last 30 years is on it. Somebody new coming to my community would have problems choosing a doc not because they aren't on the list but because so few are taking new patients. When my husband becomes Medicare eligible in 2 years, he'll have to find another doc because our family doc will not take on more Medicare patients.

[lib2DaBone]

21. I have to choose nothing. I have no health insurance. Socialized health insurance.. GREAT!

Something is better than nothing... and nothing is what most of us have. Lots of nothing.. big empty balls of gaseous space filled with vacuous mounds of rhetoric and political hot air.

The only problem... my arthritis hurts and I need to see a doctor that I can not afford.

I am such a slacker.... maybe I can go to Cuba and receive some type of humanitarian not-for-profit health care? Of course there is always Canada.. but No, their health care is so messed up... it is not even as good as the big Nothing that we receive here in the U.S. (according to Fox News)

I don't need a breast enlargement. I don't need a face lift or a tummy tuck. (well, on second thought.. I could use a little tummy tuck)

What I need, is to see a doctor. The problem is I do not have $100 an hour. I make Federal Minimum wage.. $6.71 an hour. So I will continue to hurt while Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh masturbate and massage the psyches of the American public to the benefit of the large insurance companies.

I wonder.. do wealthy people who work in in large insurance companies , ever suffer from arthritis or a sore throat? No, I guess not. All they ever require is an occasional breast enlargement, a massive dose of Viagra or an infusion of taxpayer money into their hedge fund.

[jtrockville]

22. I have an HMO. I've never seen my doctor. I see a PA.

I don't even know "my doctor"'s name.

[tammywammy]

23. I've had the same doctor since I was 10, so 18 years now

I've changed my insurance 3 times.

[likesmountains 52]

24. I have good insurance but could only get an appointment with my doctor of choice because

I happen to be a nurse at the hospital they practice at...otherwise they don't take new patients. One of only two Family Practice groups in my smallish town.

[Atman]

26. I actually have an HSA...and I like it so far.

I like it because I have a good employer who contributes most of the money to my account.

It's weird at first, to be sure. I have a separate checking account, and even and ATM card, just for the HSA. If/when I buy stuff at the pharmacy or have to pay a doctor (or optometrist, or dentist) I use the HSA card. I have zero deductible at any doctors office; I get a bill after the visit which reflects the standard insurance company beat-down on the provider. I pay the bill from my HSA checking account. Once I hit $4,000 in out of pocket expenses -- yes, $4,000 -- my insurance carrier covers everything else. BUT...my employer contributes most of the money to my HSA. Any money I contribute is PRE-TAX.

This is all new to me. I've been self-employed for most of my life, so having ANY insurance program is nice. But the HSA thing is obviously a Republican concoction. It assumes that I have "leftover" money in the first place, like rich Republican lawmakers do. It assumes I can afford to take a portion of my paycheck and put it in this HSA. It assumes correctly, because I make decent money. But I don't see how this is supposed to work for regular Joes. If I was a low-wage line worker or something, the idea of setting money aside for my HSA -- because it's pre-tax dollars -- would seem ridiculous to me. I'd rather have the cash in my paycheck and gamble that no health issues arose. As most regular wage-earners do.

Addressing the OP...the only issue I've had with "out of network" bullshit was with my dentist, who totally gouged me for everything. If my insurance paid $200 for a procedure, she's charge me another $100 because I was "out of network." Fuck that. My HSA covers anything health-related now, and so far it is working okay.

.

[handmade34]

27. HSAs are good only

if you have expected health expenses. If someone pays in and bets that they will need it may lose bigtime if they don't --as in most cases you lose it if you don't use it within the year.

[Atman]

29. No, you don't "lose it."

It is pre-tax income, put into an actual checking account which can only be used for health care expenses. At the end of the year, any unspent money is still in my HSA, still in my bank account. It remains there, and remains untaxed as income, and I can use it next year. I believe you're thinking of an FSA, or Flexible Spending Account, which I also used to have. With an FSA, you had to use the money by the end of the year or it just vanished. Not so with an HSA.

There is a $4,000 deductible. IOW, if I spend $4,000 from my HSA, my insurance company will pay any amount after that. But, as I said, my employer contributes a good deal of that first $4,000, and what I contribute comes off my salary pre-tax. Admittedly, not all employers are as generous as mine. But that's not germane...addressing your post, no, I don't lose a penny at the end of the year. It's still in my Health Saving Account, and I can use it next year. The $4,000 deductible still applies, though.

.

[handmade34]

31. I had a HSA a couple of years ago

one that was lost if not spent. I didn't know some were carried over: I would participate if that option were available to me.

[Atman]

32. I had the same thing you probably had...and was equally confused.

A few years ago they were called "Flexible Spending Accounts." Not the same as HSAs. The similar abbreviation probably accounts for a lot of the confusion.

As I said, the HSA is an actual physical checking account, with a book of checks and an ATM/Debit card. When I go to the pharmacy I use the HSA account. When I have a doctor's bill, I use the HSA account. Like your regular checking account, no one can take the money back at the end of the year just because you didn't use it. That was the "Flexible Spending Account." I don't think they even exist anymore.

.

[Critters2]

34. If they'd include the critters on that, it would be a great idea!

I also think they should be tax deductions.

[AllyCat]

52. Oh, they exist alright. We have one through work to allow us to pay for

stuff pre-tax. You have to estimate how much you'll spend that year and pay up front, then, as you use health care (co-pays, other bills, meds) they reimburse us. If we don't figure it right, that's just tough. The first year, I spent the last month of the plan year running around trying to "spend health care dollars" just so I wouldn't lose it. The past two years, we've used up the whole thing in a matter of months.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

72. FSA's do exist but if you have an HSA you are limited as to what

you can fund with an FSA. More than likely, just dental expenses. They are a good way to finance orthodontia for the kids since the total amount you elect has to be available to you at any time you can pay the orthodontist early in the year and you get to "pay it back" to your FSA account pre-tax over the rest of the year. Or not, if you leave employment since they can't take it back.

I have a deal similar to what you have, Atman - high deductible ($1500) health plan(HDHP) but my employer puts 85% of it into my HSA. I put in the max I can since it is exempt from all taxes (unlike 401(k) contributions) and is not losing money (unlike my 401(k) contributions)

If we don't use our HSA funds for medical expenses while employed, we can use it for COBRA premiums and for Medicare Part B premiums.

Properly structured, I think HSA's are a good alternative for employer provided health care . They are also probably good for individual coverage for someone who is in good health when they start one. You pay a lower insurance premium but you can put money aside tax free in the event that you do need it.

[Q3JR4]

28. I can choose whatever doctor I want.

Trouble is, since I don't have insurance, I also get to pay through the nose for the privilege.

Q3JR4.

[Oldtimeralso]

30. Thanks To Managed Care, I Lost Most Vision In One Eye

I went to my Primary Care Physician that was part of my companies managed care group, He referred me to an Optimalogist that was part of the network, next available appointment was 9 days later. Saw the Specialist on a Saturday afternoon as I had to beg to get the 9 day appointment. The Specialist sent me to a Retina Specialist immediately and at 5AM Sunday I was having eye surgery as my retina had 3 tears. Had my rear chewed out by the retina specialist as to why I did not go to him first. The insurance "reasonable and normal costs" nowhere near the amounts billed. After 8+ hours on the telephone the scammers agreed to pay the hospital bill at their contracted amount. The retinal surgeon agreed to take any amount the insurance company paid him as he was sympathetic to the hoops that I had to jump through.
Bottom Line one eye 20/100 vision with max correction and no peri phial vision.

[Patiod]

49. so sorry to hear that, Oldtimer

Your PCP should know that you can't mess around with the eyes!

[MercutioATC]

That wouldn't change under single-payer...or ANY system.

Unless you're paying cash and can go to absolutely ANY doctor with no gatekeepers, there will be occasional scheduling issues.

Was this due to an injury? I might have tried an ER visit during that 9-day wait.

[demodonkey]

62. A torn retina would be covered ASAP under single-payer, no gatekeeper needed.

A person who has symptoms of a torn retina or other serious problem goes right to ER or the specialist of his or her choice. No referral needed, and that is as it should be, it's medical emergency.

Stinking "managed care" plans!

:grr:

Single-payer healthcare for ALL. We can't afford NOT to do this.

[MercutioATC]

66. It really depends on how "single payer" is implemented.

It's not going to be a completely gatekeeper-free program, there are too many who would abuse the system.

Permanently losing one's vision...even partially...is a terrible thing, but situations like this will occur regardless of whether we get single-payer or not.

[glowing]

75. That's not correct, she/ he could have gone to the ER and not worry about

an enormous bill for going to the ER. Once at the ER, they could test and schedule a surgeon within the next day or so.

[eridani]

87. Single payer permits any doctor with no gatekeepers

That, however, does not mean that your first choice will be taking any new patients.

[Doremus]

33. We can choose our docs but if they're out of plan the coverage is less. nt

[W_HAMILTON]

35. I choose my own doctor.

But to give credit to the evil socialist machine known as Medicare, my mom (who now is covered under Medicare) also gets to choose her own doctor as well.

[emilyg]

36. I choose my doctor.

[JDPriestly]

37. I have Kaiser. I like my doctor, and I sort of "chose" him, but

the list of choices was extremely short.

[nichomachus]

50. I have a good friend in Kaiser

He has been diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer. He was been waiting six months for a referral to an oncologist. He is kind of frantic about it.

Good thing he's not in Europe or Canada where he'd have to "wait" to see a doctor. :sarcasm:

(At least in Europe, he wouldn't have to pay $550 a month for the privilege of waiting.)

[subterranean]

38. Their claim, of course, has NO basis in reality.

In most, if not all, countries with universal health care, you are free to see any doctor you want. The government does NOT tell people which doctors they can go to! It is ONLY in the United States that your choice of doctor is limited (by some insurance plans) -- exactly the opposite of what the Republican'ts want people to believe.

As for me, when I need a doctor, I choose one from the Yellow Pages who specializes in whatever I need done at the time. I've never seen the same doctor more than once or twice.

[Wednesdays]

39. K&R

:kick:

[progressoid]

40. I get to pick from the list they give me.

If I want to go to doctor I choose, I'll have to max out another credit card.

[AllyCat]

41. We have a Cadillac plan with a large poolf doc, so it feels like choice

but isn't. When our son needed skull reconstruction due to a birth defect, we were lucky one of the best teams in the country was at our local kids hospital. We could have gone out of network, but had to pay about 50% of a $100,000 surgery. That's not choice for most people.

[nichomachus]

51. Yes, the illusion of choice

You can have any color you want -- as long as it's red.

[lunatica]

44. I have Kaiser Permanente and am very satisfied with it

You can choose your own doctor or one is given to you. That doctor will become your doctor unless you want to have another one. My mother, who has Dementia is also covered with Kaiser. She's had the same doctor for years. I can email the doctor with any questions I have and get quick responses. If I need to I can get her an appointment very quickly. Otherwise it's the doctor's office who calls me to make an appointment for her. They also set up any other appointments they feel she needs. They call the day before the appointment to remind us of any pending appointments. If she needs to do bloodwork her results are entered into the computer and the doctor pulls all her information up on his computer when she's having her check up. Every room has a computer. The Pharmacy is in the same building and they use computers too. It costs $10 dollars for every doctor's visit and $5 dollars for medicine except we're charged $25 dollars for Aricept which normally costs $250.

A few years ago she got very sick and was in the hospital for 2 months followed with a 2 month stay at a rehab center. It cost us nothing and she received excellent care. We also received a wheelchair for free.

After every visit we get a questionnaire in the mail asking us about the service.

[OnionPatch]

45. I can choose.....from a list.

They need to be on the list, just like you say. My beloved OBGYN, who delivered my daughter, was taken off the list not long after my daughter was born so I had to go to a stranger for my post-delivery checks-ups.

[Festivito]

53. Yup, from a list. My doctor's have been on the list though. /nt

[pleah]

46. I had to chose from a list. n/t

[SidDithers]

47. I can...

I've had the same GP for 37 years, but he's easing into retirement. My wife and kids have a different GP, and I'll start seeing her once my doc hangs up his shingle. I could switch any time, however, and could go to any doctor who is accepting new patients.

Yes, that's socialized medicine in Canada.

Sid

[pecwae]

54. I can choose any physician I wish

including specialists. If they aren't a participating provider with my plan (most are) I have a larger copay than the usual $20, but they're still covered for the bulk of the charge. I've never had a problem with my carrier.

[Lugnut]

56. I can choose my doctor.

My choice has to come from a participating provider list which significantly reduces my options unless I want to pay a lot for my care. The insurance company bureaucrats already choose my doctors.

[izzybeans]

57. I can choose a set of doctors my insurance company decides I can go to.

[Canuckistanian]

58. I can. And we have single-payer

No government flunky tells me what doctor I can go to. All government does is pay for my choice.

[demodonkey]

60. I can't choose ANY doctor. No insurance, no money to self-pay, so NO DOCTOR for me. nt

[Critters2]

68. Better that than some govt bureaucrat choosing for you, or so

the Repugs keep claiming. Idiots.

[Mayor McCheez]

77. yeah I resemble

that remark. You are not alone.

[1776Forever]

61. My husband and I are on Tri-Care Military insurance - We have a great bunch of Dr.'s to choose from.

I have never not been able to find a great Dr. from their lists or a Specialist for that matter.

[Gold Metal Flake]

64. I can, if I want to pay for it. Otherwise, I have to pick from a list.

I also have to decide if I want to go to the local facility or travel across town. My "choices" are extremely limited unless I want to pay a lot extra.

The "choice" talking point has always been a straw man. It's just being rerun. Basically, take all of the new Luntz talking points and sub "insurance company" for "government" and you have a perfect reflection of our current system. Behold:

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/05/06/luntz-memo/">"In other words, say there is a crisis but then argue that health care reform would lead to “the government setting standards of care,” government “rationing care,” and would “put the Washington bureaucrats in charge of health care.”

"In other words, say there is a crisis but then argue that health care reform would lead to “the insurance companies setting standards of care,” insurance companies “rationing care,” and would “put the insurance companies in charge of health care.”

See?

[madmom]

65. My doctor happened to be in our network, thank ......, but that being said, my

son tried to get in to see same doctor. He's not taking any new patients. So how does that work?

[guitar man]

67. I can choose from the ones in the book

I can choose from the ones in the book that I get from my PPO. If I choose another doctor that isn't in the book, then I'm "out of network" and I'll get whacked for more charges than I would in network.

[cabluedem]

69. My old doctor ate a bullet after being dropped by the HMO's, so no I dont. nt

[Critters2]

74. Wow! That's awful!

:wow:

[cabluedem]

95. Yes it was. He lost all his patients who had HMO's. He took good care of us. A good doctor for sure.

[sakabatou]

70. My family can chose their own

[Hangingon]

71. We have been able to choose our own doctors.

[uppityperson]

73. my insurance limits me, I can pay for whom I want. It sucks

I had a great endocrinologist, but my ins co dropped her. I searched and searched for another, ended up going back and paying out of pocket for decent care.

Problem with insurance co's chosing is their choice is limited to whomever wants to play their game, accept the minimum amounts they pay, wait for payments, do more paperwork, etc. Insurance companies are out to make money and they make it as difficult as possible for providers to get paid.

[Cleita]

76. I can choose my own doctor and even see a specialist if I want without

going through a primary care doctor because I have Medicare, the government run single payer health care for senior citizens. If we got Medicare for everyone, I'm sure it would operate the same way. Before I got Medicare I had an HMO who took my money gave me a list of participating doctors, who didn't accept me as a new patient because they were pissed off with the HMO, so I got no health care at all that I didn't pay for out of pocket. Needless to say, I dropped the HMO and in researching some other health option I found out that most of the doctors in the area didn't accept the privatized plans, but they do accept traditional Medicare.

[Fire1]

78. Choose my own doctors, dentists and specialists. Wouldn't

have it any other way.

[Mike 03]

80. Just to add

I do believe it is smart to be insured for catastrophic events. My bitterness over my past insurance policies were based on relatively minor differences of opinions about what should or should not be covered. My doctor was not free to practice medicine as he saw fit.

[TWiley]

81. You should make this a poll .... My HMO chose my choices.

[barbtries]

82. i have an HMO

and i chose him from a list. he was about my 4th choice - the others wouldn't see me for months, one even refusing to get me in when i was deathly ill. i got a keeper this time. luck.

[jillan]

83. Me - I am really lucky, my hubby works for the govt and I have great health insurance.

[Broken_Hero]

85. Kinda

I use the IHS(Indian Health Services) over in Oklahoma, the IHS clinic I go to only has three doctors....so yeah, I sorta got a choice. :)

[eridani]

86. I do until my COBRA expires in May 2010

Then it's retiree insurance for me until I get old enough for Medicare, or unless we get single payer before then. My doctor is off of the retiree PPO list. My husband, on the GOVERNMENT Medicare, gets to keep our doctor.

Anyone who is stupid enough to think that just because government pays the health care bills means it chooses your provider is probably stupid enough to think that because the government paid for the interstate highway system it tells you where to drive.

[Prophet 451]

88. Interesting thing about that

I get to choose my own doctor.

I live in Britain, under that scary "socialist" NHS.

[ima_sinnic]

89. w no insurance of any kind, I can choose whomever I want--but can't afford to.

All I can do is hope I don't get sick or injured.

[Tracer]

90. I "chose" out of the Yellow Pages.

Hardly was sick a day in my life ... until I knew I needed to see a doctor.

Had no insurance (couldn't afford it then, but have it now), so I picked up the Yellow Pages.

Luckily for me, when I let my "fingers do the walking", that doc turned out to be a terrific guy -- who subsequently sent me on to two other doctors, who also have turned out to be wonderful and skilled physicians (who, so far, have saved my life).

[Kitty Herder]

91. Ha! None of the doctors around here are accepting patients accept the one who

is so bad that I refuse to see him. I see the P.A. who works under him if I absolutely must.

My mom drives two hours to see a doctor. She was seeing one in this area, but that doc decided she'd rather do cosmetic surgery, so our community lost a g.p. that we couldn't afford to lose.

[Vinca]

92. If you don't have insurance you have to search and search and search

for that one compassionate person in the pile. Personally, I'd be satisfied with a clinic option as long as it was staffed with competent people who actually cared about people.

[Jim__]

94. Doctor? I've been seeing PAs for years.

If I want to see the doctor, I have to make an appointment about 6 months ahead of time.

[CBR]

96. Hubby and I choose our doctor. We are lucky to have

insurance through his job at a University which provides great benefits.