kirks5oh

see above comment.

everything is speculative at this point, and that's part of the problem. i can guarantee you that the plan has no intention on paying specialists (like me) more. obama has specifically said he's looking to decrease the number of specialists, and their role in medicine, and increase primary prevention, eliminating the need for more specialized care---there's no speculation in that statement. what he hasn't figured out is that people are not interested in primary prevention----people will not become healthier if they are given free insurance. it won't happen. people don't like going to the doctor, because they are told they're fat and unhealthy. so they wait until they're beyond primary prevention. that's what i've learned in over 10 years of seeing patients.

i don't think there will ever be a single payer system. but keep in mind, i do surgery on patients with many different types of insurance, and some without insurance. every one of these companies pays different rates for the same work---medicare pays the least amount, and presumably the gov't plan would pay close to medicare. that means my office gets flooded with gov't plan patients, and i end up operating on less patients with favorable insurance. right now i operate on everyone who needs it without considering insurance, but it might not always be like that, which is a sad truth. as far as quotas, who knows what will happen. my surgeries do not directly extend someone's lifespan, or save someone's life. so, financially speaking, the government could save tons on healthcare by puting a limit to how many of these surgeries i do. that's fine, people will be suffering so much, they will pay cash for the surgery---i won't suffer. but those unable to pay will suffer. the bottom line is that patient care will be compromised in the name of (trying) to save money---surely, the gov't will piss away any potential savings on making the system extremely inefficient

no, he's not lying. insurance companies play all kinds of games---they will send you a bill, and you have to argue with them to get them to pay--this happens all the time, its nothing new. tons of insurance companies will withhold payment to the surgeon until the surgeon's office nags them. even if its 20-30 days, the fact that the insurance company has kept that money for that extra time, and earned interest on it, is one way insurance companies make money

no, they don't. the surgeon makes the call. the insurance company decides how much they will pay you to do the surgery. the insurance company is at least assuming that the surgeon is not doing unnecessary surgery. in canada, surgeons are limited as to the number of elective surgeries they can do. that's why there's such a long wait for an elective surgery. 'elective' can be anything from a knee replacement, to acl surgery in a young athlete, to a hernia repair, etc. etc. these surgeries greatly improve quality of life, but aren't absolutely necessary for survival. imagine tearing your acl, having your knee give out on you every other step, and then obamacare coming in and telling you there's a 2 year wait for your surgery--that's what happens in candida, and that's what's coming here. some canadian total knee surgeons work 6 months in canada (fulfill their allowed quota of joint replacements), and then go to the US, or the caribbean and work the other 6 months there.

yeah, i'm not a resident physician either. i'm a fully licensed private practicing surgeon. my job will be impacted to a much, much larger extent then the surgeon you talked to. i can almost certainly guarantee that he is a salaried employee of the hospital---doesn't matter how much surgery he does, who he operates on (those with and without insurance), he will make the same amount of money, and see the exact same patients that he has been all throughout his career. i'm also fairly certain that if he's on the board of the hospital, he's been in practice for quite some time, and may even be close to retirement. these doc's are much less concerned about health care reform, because they've built their retirement up with years of practice---especially in the 80's and 90's where doctors really made good money. they're on their way out, and don't really care about what happens next, they're just happy to be leaving. these are the docs that raped medicare back in the 80's, making 3-4 times as much as docs do these days---they bankrupt medicare. people that will be affected the most are young physicians (like me), who are in a private practice (like me), who get paid based on what they produce--the more you operate, the more you get paid (like me), and who primarily do elective procedures (like me) that aren't absolutely necessary for survival--i.e.--obama can tell you that you don't need a knee replacement, you can take medication and hobble around the rest of your life. so, how is this pediatric surgeon going to be affected much more than me by the new bill???? oh, he might have to attend an extra meeting every month--wow, that seems like a huge burden for him. it wasn't dr. king was it?

maybe i'll have to trade in my gto on one of these, we'll see.

the replies are strong in this thread

yes, without question.

yes, everything you do is scrutinized--by the patient (as it should be), but also by the hospital, insurance companies, etc etc. i never had a huge problem with heartburn until starting my practice. i do elective surgery--its not absolutely necessary for survival, but it improves peoples' lives. if something bad happens (infection, heart attack, etc.), you can imagine how it feels--it absolutely sucks, even if you know it was not preventable. doctors do not have unions (pretty sure its illegal in the healthcare industry), but we may have to form them. you can laugh all you want about physicians getting paid less---it will only hurt patients in the end. the good physicians will be good enough that they can start 'cash only' practices. the bad ones, well, they'll be the ones that take government insurance plans. think of your worst trip to the dmv. that's what it will be like to go to a doctor's office. family physicians already have to see more patients just to turn a profit. this means less time per patient, and things get missed. or they have to hire physician assistants to help with the work--either way, the physician has to work much harder for the same reimbursement, and the patient is the one who suffers in the end. i love helping people, but my family (being able to provide for them, and be happy when i come home from work) comes first.

yes, it is a surprise to me as well. this is a problem that will affect both of us in a negative way.

cry me a river justin timberlake. my comments are equal to the ones you made, so don't get all salty with me. this country has been shitting all over their physicians for years, and this bill is just the cherry on top why do you keep bringing up money?? obviously, you have no clue what i do, how hard i work, or what i've done to get to this point in my life. i have no beach house, no boat, no rolex, no fancy clothes. just the cars in my sig, and a house that's well under my means. every day for me is overtime. i take call every 3rd or 4th night---that means i can get called any hour of the night and be expected to work--and then work a normal day the next day. even if i get a simple call at 3am, its a phone call that wakes me up. i'm not whining about my job---right now, i'm well compensated. plenty of other docs are not---i'm whining for them. nothing personal, everyone has back pain. everyone gets into medicine to make money--its called a job. no one works for free. what do you think a physician should make??

how do you know?? so many diabetics don't properly check they're feet on a daily basis. did someone physically cut her foot while she was in the hospital?? did she scrape it on something while at the hospital??

honestly, if i didn't have to contribute 40% of my earnings to overhead (malpractice insurance, office rent, office staff, everyone's benefits, etc), i'd take you up on that offer. indefensible errors, such as operating on the wrong side, are covered by a physician's malpractice insurance. as hard as this is to believe, it still happens today, and can happen to absolutely anyone--i can explain how it happens if anyone cares to know.

nice ride, welcome to the site

my wife's daily driver has over 400 hp. great comments guys. welcome to the site. good build, i have to respect that.

diabetics have weak immune systems. they also have decreased sensation in their feet, and are constantly getting foot infections. you honestly think someone in the hospital was responsible for causing an infection in her foot?? seriously??

yes. people are human, and if you operate on enough people, a mistake will happen---its just the law of averages. just because a patient dies after a surgery doesn't make it the surgeon's fault. 20% of people will die within 6 months of having a broken hip repaired with surgery---that's a fact that hasn't changed in 25 years of surgical/medical improvements. you can't predict when someone will have a heart attack. not everyone's body follows the anatomy books. sometimes arteries and nerves are not located where they are in 99% of the other population. some people have compromised/weak immune systems--when you make an incision on them, they are more likely to develop an infection, regardless of how well the surgery was done---does that mean they should not have surgery?? no, you inform them of the risks of surgery, you treat them as if they were one of your family members, and if a complication happens---you treat it. hospitals don't cover the cost of ACCEPTIBLE complications---those that can happen even under ideal care. if the complication occurred as an oversight of the hospital/nurses or physician, then yes, the hospital will cover the treatment of the complication.

you'd be pissed too if you got a pay cut at mcdonalds. and its going to be a lot more than that. the average pediatrician makes $110k per year---take into account the $200k in medical school loans they have to pay off, malpractice, and getting paid less and less each year by medicare. also, they start their career at 30, while others can start building their worth right out of college. i'm glad you're in favor of the health care bill though. so when you march into my office (or another surgeon) looking for a back surgery, or a joint replacement---guess what i'm going to tell you?? i'm sorry, i don't operate on people with the government plan---its not an emergency, and the surgery is not absolutely necessary for your survival. you can take pain medication, and you'll live. here's the door. now if you're willing to pay cash, i'll do your surgery for $5k. the american public will suffer greatly, but surgeons are actually intelligent--we're not going to get fucked by the idiots in washington. so no, i won't make $450k, i'll make $800k regards, kirk

'05-'06 ftw. mine's got around 25k miles on it. bought it almost 3 years ago with 10k on the clock for $21k. the hood scoops, and dual exhaust make the car--why else does everyone with an '04 swap in the newer hood and dual pipes??? these cars are comfortable highway cruisers. he'll need at least a cam and longtubes to really wake it up. mine laid down 375rwhp with a catback, intake, and dyno tune http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5594/kirkcobra001editli6.jpg

don't beat around the bush. if this is a callout, then so be it. otherwise, yeah--looks like it could have been done better. is the car not running right??

we've stayed at ocean one in the past. we're going again--maybe even that week, with our inlaws. apparently, they're looking at different places to stay right now

i've seen bullitt rims sell for $400 with tires.

or get a cheap set of 15" weld's or whatever and throw the slicks/drag radials on for the track

this is probably your best bet. i've had the same 315 nittos on my 600rwhp cobra for the past 3 years---about 8k miles. they're done--they readily spin in 3rd gear at 70mph now. i will probably get another set, but will also get a skinny/big set-up as well for the track with some better drag tires. nittos make great, great street tires. mine used to dead hook at 40mph in second gear when warm--- i cut a few 1.75 60's at the bradenton fun ford event last year and ran 11.5 at 128mph. like derek said, that's about the limit for these tires as far as launching goes, and it takes a 'john force' burnout to get them to hook. still, they are much better than a street tire for the track. you can run these tires in the rain if you have to/want to. i also run the nitto 555r 275's on my GTO and i daily drive that car in the summer (accept if its raining). i've been caught in the rain multiple times with the gto and it does fine. you will want the 315's if you plan on making power. my GTO is 375rwhp and can overpower the 275's in first easily. hope this helps