Doing well or doing good?

I am not a primary care physician, board certified in family practice. I am, however, on Medicare. I do not belong to a monopoly that charges whatever the traffic will bear.

My research shows that if Dr. Donald Condon (Guest Opinion, Sept. 5) would educate himself and his staff on how to bill Medicare correctly, his charges would be paid much faster than the majority of private insurance companies. Medicare does pursue fraudulent billing practices, but they do not punish innocent mistakes.

Many of us do not mistake Dr. Condon’s concern with Medicare as a concern with Medicare, but as a political statement from the far right. Why do many doctors have so little regard for their elderly patients that they refuse to admit that some of them cannot afford the exorbitant fees? Physicians enjoy the highest of respect and the highest standards of living within our society. Why not repay some of that good fortune with this form of community service instead of complaining of your minimal ills?

You’re right, enough is enough.

Jerry D. Byrd

Spokane