[quote=jpinpb]
That’s what I was wondering. Are folks in UK and Canada paying premiums? Seems much more regulated there and probably fixed pricing for services. Doctors can’t charge the limitless sky, I would imagine.
An ortho surgeon was charging 1k an hour for his treating physician deposition. That’s what he makes. Excessive?[/quote]
Medical care for UK residents (which is true socialized medicine) is generally all provided under the NHS without charge. (I’m not sure about prescription drugs). In Canada, (which is NOT socialized medicine) insurance is paid for either through direct premiums, sales taxes, payroll taxes or a combination of those (it varies by province). Coverage includes most all care, though there are some exclusions for medical supplies and DME. Where it differs from the UK is that in the UK, doctors work for the NHS, in Canada, they do not work for the government. I do believe they still have price controls for both physician services and pharmaceuticals.
Neither current plans in congress call for similar price controls. The plans currently being discussed would be significantly more dissimilar to socialized medicine than is Medicare.
Expert witness fees in most all industries are significantly higher than than the pay rate for actually providing the services about which an expert is testifying. In the industry in which I work, rates for deposition and trial testimony is typically 60% higher than general rates. As outrageous as it might be, it’s such a small part of health care costs, its not really germaine to the discussion.
