"Can you, doctor, be our 'yes man?'"

The decision to opt out of Medicare is often a difficult one for doctors, but for this primary care physician, the decision was worth it (via Instapundit):

This decision meant I might lose my shirt and put my home and small life savings at risk, something thousands of Americans in other professions do everyday. If they could take the risk, then my risk is nothing less than a trivial American story.

The United States was built on this: a country of immigrants fleeing an “old establishment” to build something new. It’s a group of people declaring: “You can’t tax us without representation!” It’s a government that permits us to challenge established norms, challenge power without being jailed or shot. The question today in health care for all of us as patients is will we stampede towards the utopian ideal of “free care” while ignoring the predictable consequences that nothing is free.

The question put to primary care doctors by Medicare is clear at the moment: Will you let us at Medicare regulate care, dictate “best” treatments and control individual health and choices since we know what’s best. Can you, doctor, be our “yes man?”

Eight years ago I cast my vote and opted out of Medicare. Predictably my journey has not been easy but I have never regretted the decision.

Me neither, about a year or so ago, I opted out of Medicare (no easy feat!) due to the paperwork, lack of control, frustration at having trouble getting paid, the regulations and a myriad of other reasons. It was a good decision that I do not regret. If Obamacare comes in, then doctors will have to decide to be "yes men," or "Go Galt" as many health providers are doing.