By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC Editor@Blogfinger
As many of you know, my main concern regarding Obamacare relates to how it will affect quality of care. But all we hear is about insurance and economics. But even with that, we can begin to see the effects on quality, because some people will be left naked on Jan 1 when they no longer have coverage. Obviously, if you don’t have health insurance, the quality of your care will be reduced. But I am certain, as you know, that quality will be negatively impacted in many ways and I recently reported on the situation with practice guidelines potentially interfering with the doctor-patient relationship.
However, on Jan 1, as people actually seek care under the ACA, I suspect we will hear many horror stories having to do with the deterioration of quality care. In today’s Wall Street Journal we find an opinion piece by Marc Siegel, MD, and Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Siegel says he has awakened “to the harsh realities of our medical future.” His piece rambles a bit, but you can see from his observations that you don’t need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind is blowing. Here is Dr. Siegel’s “The Death of the Bedside Manner” *Wall Street Journal, Dec. 27, 2013.
BOB DYLAN: