I can also comment, as you were asking what happens to new patients coming, that doctors cannot be put in the position to be the border guards. People get to the clinic and seek medical attention long after all these safeguards have been put in place.
So part of our concern is that some of our tools are taken away from us through these cutbacks. People who come really need health care, and some of that health care can be very important to the community at large. They will not be able to access that any more.
As doctors, the program right now is in such disarray that we're only told to call Blue Cross and find out if this particular diagnostic procedure or drug could possibly be covered for a specific person. Obviously it takes hours to get that information back, and the person is there. Currently, as things change, it's a moving target, where most clinics now are in a very bad way when they see new patients come to them. I have no control over who comes to the clinic.
If they have a problem—in my case, an infectious disease problem—I feel, as a physician, it's my duty to provide them the best care that I can. Saying “I'll have to check to see if I can provide you with any care” is difficult.