Union? Probably not as this is not in the nature of many independent docs. But you are definitely correct that the 3rd party payers currently hold the cards relating to reimbursement. The system has to change starting with medicare.
The Heritage Foundation has a very good article on this topic.
Check out this link:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/wm1931.cfmThe primary problem from their (and my) perspective is the artificial price controls put in place by Medicare and then logically followed by most insurance companies. If we could balance bill, then docs could start charging market rates and finally be back on the same playing field as plumbers, lawyers, electricians, etc. Medicare could still be a stingy payer but at least physicians will have ability to recoup their costs and be paid appropriately near what the market will bear.
Price controls were long ago shown ineffective in the USSR...now we just need our politicians to realize this is exactly what they are doing to medicine with Medicare.
P4P should not be implemented until these price controls are removed by allowing balance billing.
Will balance billing ever happen again? If anyone has actually written their senator or congressman on this topic...then maybe, but I doubt many have. Until we push for this both individually and as a group, we will continue to see the negative effects of price controls on medicine.
