This is my first day reading on the website. I must say this is fascinating stuff! Most of it machismo and ego, but very interesting rhetoric.
I read the previous post in this thread and it struck a chord with me.....the part about CRNAs having acquired through legislation what they did not earn through education....what a fascinating observation. How do think the rules supporting the practice of medicine or nursing, or any business entity came about?? Divine intervetion??
The laws regarding the "practice of medicine" were BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY THE AMA at the state and federal levels. This is not cynicism speaking, although after being in the anesthesia profession for 30+ years, I have seen and observed a considerable amount disgusting behavior in health care.
All the AANA and its membership and the ASA and its membership are trying to do is to be the last man (woman) standing when the dust settles. Society has a champaigne taste on a beer pocket book and John Q. wants the best of health care but doesn't want to have to pay for it. Legislators are worse prostitutes than the ladies of the night in Harlem, when it comes seling out for vote....and they are selling US, the providers out, DAILY!!
When I moved back to Missouri from Texas in 1974, as an example, Medicaid in Missouri paid $5 per unit....when I moved from Missouri to my current location in 2004, guess how much the legislature in Missouri thought of anesthesia providers in their great state..................take a guess.............$5.70 per unit!!!!
Anesthesia providers in Missouri are the best bargain going!
MediCARE through CMS has once again reduced the pay for all anesthesia providers, across the board. And it hasn't stopped.....there is scheduled to be a FURTHER 27% drop in reimbursement between now and 2012.
That's 25% folks....someone on another thread was asking about a 5-10% per annum increase from their starting salary of $100K .... don't think so!!
And here we all sit trading wittisisms and barbs....and the insurance industry is LOVING IT FOLKS....just keep on fighting amongst yourselves. Keep letting the MDAs make a million per year off your services....'cause that's what the senior partners are making. That's not YOUR problem you say???? Who's problem will it be when they retire in 2011, take off to the Bahamas and live like kings while you're trying to figure out how to pay for the kids' college..............
We better wake up and stop with this bickering and spitti' on each other and recognize who the real problem is in this equation.....and I'll give you a clue-----IT'S NOT THE PEOPLE SITTING ON THE STOOL PASSIN' GAS WHO'S THE PROBLEM.
And in case you're wondering, or give a shit, I'm 61 years old and am ready to retire today....and when I wake up and decide I don't like this job no more...that's exactly when I'll retire.... In the mean time, y'all better figure out a way to get along without "the Man" feeding you....'cause he REALLY don't give a shit whether YOU make it or not, so long as he gets his gazillion dollars set aside for HIS retirement.