An email sent to Hugh Hewitt:
"Dear Hugh Hewitt and Co.,I own a medical billing company specializing in anesthesia billing. I would like to point out something of grave concern in the new healthcare bills that nobody seems to be talking about. Medicare pays anesthesiologists about 20 cents on the dollar compared to private insurance companies. The healthcare bills set reimbursement rates at Medicare rates plus 5%. That might be fine for most specialities, where Medicare rates and private insurance rates are fairly close, but it will destroy anesthesia. What doctor is going to take an almost 80% pay cut? My doctors are talking about staying home with their kids or going into real estate as a profession. There is already a shortage of anesthesiologists in America. Yes, yes, CRNAs are wonderful, and can do a lot of what an anesthesiologist can do - but there aren’t enough CRNAs either. And, frankly, when you have a preemie having heart surgery, or an 88-year-old with three different conditions who is on a host of medications, you want a doctor handling that case.So good luck finding someone to put in an epidural when your wife or daughter is having a baby, or give you propofol for your next colonoscopy. You’ll have to just tough it out.
"Sincerely,KW"
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