Let the Republicans have their way until our entire medical care system collapses and we are all left without health care. Then, perhaps, people will finally realize that what Obama proposes makes sense, after all. If we had taken Hillary more seriously sixteen years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we're now in.

I hate to inrude on your reverie and I DO try to avoid too much partisan ranco... BUT, it was a Democratically-controlled congress who, in July 2008, reduced Medicare payments to health providers and reimbursements to Health Plans **over President Bush's veto**. It is also a Democratic congress & President who are now proposing to reduce Medicare reimbursements even further.

Mayo may do well to close the Florida and/or Arizona sites and drop back to their established core in Roch. The expansions were well and good when the economy was flush and growing. Sadly, those days are over, and it is again time to hunker down for a cycle of economic reckoning. Considering what the real estate values are doing in both Florida and Arizona, I dunno how much wealth is going to be left down there after the dust settles.

When the discussion of health care comes up the focus seems to turn to where to find more money. The analogy would be to discuss heroin addiction by discussing where to find more herion. Doctors, hospital adminstrators, pharmacutical companies and suppliers are addicted to money. The addiction is uncontrolled and solving the problem is not finding more money for the money addicts or more heroin for the heroin addicts. Deregulation has not worked for essential services. Dregulating banking, utilities and transportation have all failed to produce the affordable high quality service that the proponents claimed would materialize. An unregulated medical community is proving to be just as bad for the consumer. They claim to be concerned with the patient and to a certain extent that is true. They are very concerned with getting every last dime they can from the patient and then turning them away when they are bled dry.

I wonder how that will look next year if Obama does go through with reducing the level of charitable donations from "The Rich" allowed as deductions

Good Point! What demographic population is in AZ and Florida? Spring chickens! oops maybe not.

What a novel idea. Maybe Mayo can hire better accountants so they can juggle the numbers and show how more surplus money doesn't really exist. Gosh, I'll bet Bernie Maddoff or Tom Petters are available. I'll bet the number of Lexus's parked in the staff parking ramp wasn't any fewer last year.

The Congress voted against a 10% medicare cut in July 2008, which would have also included a 5% cut in Jan of 2009. I'm a physician. But, after Obama passes his new healthcare plan, there will be no motivation to work. So I'll see, 1, maybe 2 patients a day.......depends how I feel.

Ever been at the Mayo Clinic? Unbelievable decor and expense. Time for health care to receive a gut check and reduce expenditures. If wages and unemployment are in a downward spiral then hc coverage, clinic charges, hospital stays should all be reduced. You will notice that hc professionals and hc entities seem like they're untouchable regarding wages and cost. Does anyone seriously believe that their cost for monthly hc coverage will be reduced in this recession? If jdamerg only wants to see one patient a day he's a real professional isn't he and probably is only reducing his current output 50%. Maybe it's time to realize your not better then any of us, you just have a specialty like all of us. Time for hc people to start acting like the rest of us and not the notion they are extra special and deserve a special parking spot for their lexus!

The One, His Most Perfectness, The Most Brilliant Teleprompter will save us. Soon only rich white people will get sick. And it is about time! For too long now, only poor people, especially minorities, have disproportionately become ill and died. Things will change soon.