Possibly because they are a for-profit facility and those concerns are always the most important when it comes to health care.

Then WHY did he word his statement to the contrary?? I’ve been watching the TV news spots and reading the newspaper articles and the BMC staff members that were interviewed were being less than honest. BMC should NOT state that at the time they phone to cancel the “in arrears” patient’s appointment that the patient is advised they can keep the appointment IF they make a payment toward their past due balance. That is just an egregious lie. I’ve asked friends on the receiving end of that phone call and none of them were made aware of that BMC policy. SHAME on you BMC! How about making these kind of decisions case by case? Your actions (or lack of) are essentially a death warrant for some of your patients. Where is your community spirit??

If BMC is not an in-service provider with Blue Cross, you will be responsible for 40% of your charges. You have options. Contact your insurance company (or go online) to find a list of Blue Cross in-service providers in Central Oregon…

We should as Americans all have free nationalized health care. In the USA we spent as much as 20% of our gross income on health care, deductibles, getting shafted by the insurance companies that are just plain greedy and jack up our policies whenver they feel like it.

We are lured into some belief that a good job pays for our health care, but on the companies books the company is paying for us, so there is nothing free about it.

BMC has gone downhill for years and they are all about the money, no different than The Center. the temple of greed and no accountability. I am a victim of their incompetent staff, one of who kept me in a cast for 14 months due to his utter incompetence, resulting me having to go to a seperate and different surgeon who did a fabulous job once instead of three times before.

I chose not to sue The Center as it was throwing good money after bad and after having spent 14 months unable to do my job I was stuck almost in bankruptcy. I challenged the doctor on his own turf and they simply did not want to accept any responsibility. It apparently happens all the time there. It is all about the money. Nothing more or less. A very few docs have pride in their professions and it is sad when a surgeon makes close to a million bucks a year and has no accountability. It is like being George Bush, spending all of our money and having no accountability.

Our neighbors across the border in Canada spend about 2% in taxes on health care, not perfect by any means, but EVERYONE has access to health care. We spend 20% and our politicians are so deep in bed with the insurance companies that it will take a major crisis like the one that has happened here in our country to wake up society.

The movie Sicko should be viewed by all who are paying for health care either as individuals or paid thru their companies.

In looking at an American Company online looking for a job, the same job was offered in Canada, in US dollars. the one in Canada paid almost 18% more in wages based on the US dollar. So this means that in Canada you as the employee choose what you spend your money on, in the USA you have that choice made for you in your benefits package. The word Benefit is no benefit to any of us. It is forced spending. Have you ever asked the company if you can choose your own health care provider and make the extra money?

I would think not. The current crisis in America with the Banks, Investment companies is just the tip of the iceberg and the Insurance companies are next, including health care companies as with no one working, health care insurance is going to be the first to go for most households.

Why is it that a country like Cuba can have better access to health care than us folks living in Bend, Oregon? Why is it that every American Citizen pays Isreal 1200 dollars each per year in foreign aid? In Isreal they have nationalized medicine as well as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Great Britian and most civilized countries.

If all of us called by the end of this year and cancelled our health insurance on a personal as well as corporate level, then watch as the prices of premiums drop to record lows. Look at gas prices being at a record low. While the greedy oil people jacked up the prices artificially people resorted to wind, solar and water energy and now they are all wondering why they are not selling as much oil…..WOW…people actually woke up…..the bottom line is that it is our dollars that support their businesses, not politicians and not greedy hospitals like BMC. IF you have good insurance, then boycott BMC and go to St. Charles or some independent doctor. That would be the best choice as to send the message loud and clear. I stopped using BMC years ago.

“Just don’t ever get sick or hurt and you’ll be fine.”

Or be a billionaire like Dick Cheney. I wonder how many millions of dollars worth of medical care has gone into keeping that bastard’s carcass alive.