Texas Town At Center Of Healthcare Debate

(CBS)  For the South Texas border town of McAllen, it's unwanted criticism.

First it came from an article in the New Yorker that highlighted the area's sky-high medical costs, and now, reports CBS News correspondent Don Teague, it's coming from President Obama who today suggested McAllen's doctors are part of a national problem of physicians ordering unnecessary treatments.

"Treatments they don't really need," said Mr. Obama, "treatments that, in some cases, can actually do people harm by raising the risk of infection or medical error."

Doctors here say the criticism is grossly unfair and have written an open letter to the president, asking him to meet McAllen's doctors face to face.

"I don't think anybody wakes up in the morning saying they're going to defraud the Medicare system or Medicaid system," said Dr. Carlos Cardenas of South Texas Gastroenterology. "Come to McAllen, Texas and come visit us. I would love to show him this facility. I would love to show him the people of the Rio Grande valley."

But doctors say McAllen faces unique healthcare challenges.

It sits in the poorest metro area in the nation with the lowest number of doctors per capita. It also has one of the unhealthiest populations with high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Add to that a large number of uninsured patients - from Texas and Mexico - and medical costs soar.

Still researchers say other cities face similar challenges and their doctors manage to keep costs down while still providing quality care.

"We need to think about reforming the payment system to start rewarding providers for providing better value not just for doing more services," says Dr. Elliott Fischer.

Back in McAllen, Ruben Ramirez, who sees four different doctors per month, says he should have all the care he needs for his bad back, diabetes and erratic blood pressure.

He told Teague he wants more care, not less.

"That's what I would like," he says.

Where to draw the line between enough health care and too much - with a Texas border town at the forefront of the debate.

[boxoftruth]

I have been in a doctor's waiting room here in McAllen and many of the clients were American citizens with medicare who live in Monterrey Mexico or other places in Mexico in order to live comfortably on their retirement pensions. Mcallen is a convenient place to go in that situation.

[starleo146]

I think we all should drop insurance these insurance companies are there and the medical field just charge them with bad claims and the insurance company raise the rates to compensate for that payout. Well they will have to do something for sure without insurance, it will drop then no paper work filing no rate change I am for no insurance LOL I get so mad when I walk into a doctors office they shove all this paperwork for me to fill out if I had no insurance nothing to fill out yea and they would not see me either Insurance Co lobbyist need to do something as well AArp is involved here and I pity the seniors they screwed them with the donut hole they authorized in the last update of the medical reform under the Bush regime. Can you tell me why all the congress Republicans and Democrats knowing the American people want this health care system changed instead of criticizing come up with something and not by giving the Insurance co. all they want

[starleo146]

I think we all should drop insurance these insurance companies are there and the medical field just charge them with bad claims and the insurance company raise the rates to compensate for that payout. Well they will have to do something for sure without insurance, it will drop then no paper work filing no rate change I am for no insurance LOL I get so mad when I walk into a doctors office they shove all this paperwork for me to fill out if I had no insurance nothing to fill out yea and they would not see me either Insurance Co lobbyist need to do something as well AArp is involved here and I pity the seniors they screwed them with the donut hole they authorized in the last update of the medical reform under the Bush regime. Can you tell me why all the congress Republicans and Democrats knowing the American people want this health care system changed instead of criticizing come up with something and not by giving the Insurance co. all they want

[vielmann]

Do not click "Reply to this comment" on any of the posts as your comment will not appear.

[vielmann]

I don't think the comment section is working. I posted a comment earlier and I have yet to see it here.

[iam4honesty]

Are you afraid of long waits for medical care? Try living without any healthcare coverage, the wait is eternal!

[Beyond-The-Spectrum]

It astounds me to no end how so many Americans are so willing to think or vote contrary to their own interests simply out of fear of an ideological Boogy Man like the notion that creating a system of affordable and/or universal health care coverage (despite the ballooning and prohibitive costs of health care in this country) is akin to "Socialism." Their arguments are flawed...they say government-run health care will be "inefficient" and "long waits will result (by THAT logic, the postal service, police department, the military, and public schools should have all been entirely privatized a long time ago).

[sjc_1]

Doctors are practicing CYA. The more tests that they do the less they will be questioned when something goes wrong.

[DefendLiberty]

"bad back, diabetes and erratic blood pressure"
------

Want to bet this guy is sedentary, obese, and eats garbage all day?

This country has a huge problem with grotesquely unhealthy behavior creating chronic health problems. As much as I hate to see any government intrusion into our personal lives, I wonder how we can afford health care when we are eating and "couching" ourselves into the hospital? A country of cigarette smoking, obese, diabetic, hypertensive couch potatoes simply cannot be cared for without bankrupting us. Something must be done, even if it means regulating fast food and mandating exercise to qualify for reduced health care premiums.

[oldhippie68]

I am a medicaid patient. I have seen a doctor play like he was running a sonic scan on my heart for two minutes to charge Medicaid. I have had it done several times and know it takes longer than two minutes. Doctors at medical centers cover for the bad doctors and until they stop we will just keep going down hill. Watch Sicko

[vielmann]

You are exactly right. I have regular insurance, but in my case my doctor offered a better procedure which was going to be not only safer for me, but even cheaper than the usual procedure. The results were fantastic, but my insurance decided that even though I saved them thousands of dollars, and the results avoided complications that I would have had with the more customary procedure, they weren't going to pay for the better procedure (I'm still fighting them on this). Go figure. Our healthcare industry in this country is the worst I have ever seen. People complain about the government getting between the patient and the doctor, but they sure don't seem to mind that the insurance company does exactly that.