Why can I not spend my own money on medical care. You make it seem like I want to buy somehting illegal. Since when has it become illegal to buy medical care? and why?

It is my expearance the answer is YES you may not spend your own money.

My Doctor stoped taking medicare. At that time he droped me.

He said he could no longer treat me , by law....

Yes, Secretary Sebelius, why on earth should we be precluded from using our OWN MONEY, not medicare, to pay for any service whatsoever, of our choice? Be it lfe-threatening, or cosmetic?

And furthermore Ms Sebalius what exactly is the problem with a patient coming into my office and receiving a service for whatever price we agree on when the patient pays directly and we do not involve Medicare. By what authority do you restrict free Americans from doing that.

Medicare is a Ponzi scheme. Inusrance is a Ponzi Scheme. Our financial system is a Ponzi scheme. Ponzi schemes are backed by the full faith and credit of the participants. Sibelius and Obama are useful morons otherwise they would not be where they are.Their job is to not let any participant out of the scheme unitl the looters have left the country and our assets are secured in overseas vaults. So the question with all due respect to Dr. O is moot.

I think that Medicare probably will prohibit physicians that accept Medicare from providing experimental or uncovered services in the near future. Right now, we can still have the patient sign an advanced beneficiary notice and receive direct payment. Who knows, we could go the way of Canada and all private medicine will be prohibited in which case only a trip out of the country will allow the patient to escape these restrictions. As Medicare declines in terms of quality and access, I believe that many seniors will get care out of the US and even retire overseas for that very reason.

Dr. Orient:

Why should your hypothetical patient have to use "her own money" for a life-saving procedure? Shouldn't Medicare cover that cost--at least to the point of customary fee for the doctor(s)? Your repetition of "My own money" is frankly disturbing to me. You sound like Ms Sibelius!

The question is: why should I not be ALLOWED to spend my own money? One never HAS to buy treatment; one could always do without, or settle for whatever the Secretary's IPAB will buy with taxpayers' money. I sense some resentment about anybody having her own money.

Why are we even needing this discussion? Isn't this the land of the free???

Just as the Gentleman before me stated."Richard Mackool Posted: May I, as a Medicare enrollee, use my own money to buy any medical service that I wish?
Do you support my ability to do so? If you do not, on what basis do you deny that support?"
I will take this 1 more step, why if according to medicare I have freedom of choice must it be their doctors, where I can't find a doctor that is willing to take me because of medicare? To me that is Socialism at its finest.
I want to use my Doctor that does not want to enroll in medicare because of their poor payment practices.

May I, as a Medicare enrollee, use my own money to buy any medical service that I wish?
Do you support my ability to do so?
If you do not, on what basis do you deny that support?

If IPAB passes...and...if I go into an emergency room in the middle of the night...does that mean that a board of unconcerned,non medical elites will determine if I will get care?? In the middle of the night I bet they are not going to be concerned at all! Who cares then?

Your recent statement about limiting children is outrageous. This is not China and how dare you or anyone in the government tell me how many kids to have if I can afford to take care of them. Now if you are talking about the girls who get pregnant for the money from welfare that is a different story and that should be looked into. A decent law abiding citizen should do what they please and not have to pay for some girl who is looking for a handout from your government. GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR STUPID MOUTH.

Are we only to have one chile ????And what about women that are older, we can't get pregnet but yet still have to pay for everyone that is still child bearing. If these young people want to play around with sex then they should pay for contraceptives themselves...And what about illigals ???? we've been paying for them forever. Why don't you leave Washington and get a real job???one that is for the people, not just for yourself and Obuma.....

Can you and all in the practice of running this once wonderful country, please leave us alone, stop taxing and hidden feeing us literally to death...

How does it feel to be a raving lunitic? There is no way you can make the whole country believe that contraception will pay for itself because of a decrease in pregnancies. AND how is that a positive?? Whether we agree with abortion or not, the people of this country WILL have to pay for those costs if we intend to have insurance! I will not pay the premiums for some jane doe who wants to have an abortion because it's an easier fix than having the child. There are other options. I am Catholic, but whether I am or not, I will not break my belief system or the constitution for Obama or you.