With the impending changes on the horizon and the looming Medicare cuts hanging in the balance, it seems that many of our clients are hanging their decision to hire in the balance as well. What the government has failed(as usual) to realize is that their dithering has done nothing but drive unemployment up and job security down.
We work with hundreds of physicians every year and continued to hear that plans are being put on hold and strategies are being realigned to cope with whatever may happen in Washington. It is true, there is a problem with some areas of our healthcare system. The fixes that are being voted on do not really fix anything, they will just create a larger mess to clean up later.
It reminds me of taking my vehicle in for an alignment and to replace my tires. I can visibly see that they are not wearing correctly and are causing my vehicle to drift at highway speeds. After I drop my car off I get a call where they explain to me that the engine is causing the tire issue and that I first need to replace my engine. My common sense kicks in and tells me that an engine problem would not cause my tires to wear unevenly. I know there is something else going on but every attempt to make them see my reason falls on deaf ears. In the end, they refuse to comply with my requests and I have to find another dealership to take care of my needs. They were so afraid of admitting that they were wrong, they not only lost a customer but they really tarnished their reputation.
I know that others may view things differently and everyone should have their own opinion. I just feel that they need to take their time with this kind of overhaul. The proposed healthcare bill is not a job creating measure but it will most certainly destroy many private sector jobs. You would not believe how many people were laid off last year by insurance companies and there only seems to be more of the same in the future. We not only see it in the insurance sector but physicians have also really tightened up their budgets and have slowed down in bringing on new associates and expanding to new locati0ns.
My suggestion is to keep the budgets tight but look for opportunities to invest in your future. If you are planning on retiring in the near future, I would suggest you start to look now for someone to take over or start thinking seriously about your exit strategy. Whatever you do, don’t rush into anything but also don’t be afraid to Carpe diem.
