$800 Billion Ain’t Hay

I read with delight Dr. Lonnie Matlick’s response to one I submitted a few weeks back on the expenses of medical treatment. It’s a discussion that everyone should be involved in. I would have been more delighted, however, had he been a bit more accurate.
For example, I never said that just about anyone can perform ear wax removal. I said, “competent nurse.” Nor did I use the term “fat cat” doctors. I never said that doctors net $1,000 per hour. I said some charge an average of $1,000 per hour. I’m surprised that Matlick didn’t notice the differences.
On the issue of charges and expenses, I appreciate Matlick’s candor. However, let’s examine the figures he presented. He said that he makes an average collection of $59 per patient and sees four patients an hour. This is a collection of $236 per hour.
He said that his overhead costs are 50 percent, so that means that he nets $118 per hour after costs. If he works 36 hours per week that means he earns $4,200 per week. On a 48 week basis, that means he earns approximately $200,000 a year.
Matlick said, furthermore, that that amount is comparable to what “other skilled professionals, electricians and plumbers” make. I suspect that the vast majority of plumbers and electricians would take exception to that. To give some idea of what the average person makes, the median household income for South Jersey is around, $50,000 per year, what he makes in three months by himself.
But all that aside, I would like to offer Matlick a challenge. Since I am not interested in casting blame on anyone for our spiraling health care costs, how about if he writes another letter and lays out his proposals for how we can lower the costs of our health care to that of all other developed countries, countries with the same medical outcomes as ours?
If we could do that, the U.S. would save $800 billion per year. Every year. That’s $2,600 per person per year. Every year. I would say that is a major issue and I await Matlick’s informed solutions.