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Scott Martin is a semi-retired family medicine physician associate (previously known as a physician assistant) and has been practicing medicine for the past 20 years. His previous career was in academia doing research and teaching at the University of Georgia. He and his wife enjoy traveling and spending time with family.
Sports Fan by Scott Martin
37 replies
AUTHOR: Scott Martin on 2/10/2025
FIRST: Jeff Bond on 2/10 | RECENT: Scott Masters on 2/18
My Limitations by Scott Martin
15 replies
AUTHOR: Scott Martin on 6/22/2024
FIRST: Jonathan Clements on 6/22/2024 | RECENT: Ed Hanson on 6/29/2024
FOR THE PAST FOUR years, I’ve been dealing with both a revocable and irrevocable trust that my parents created decades ago. In 2020, I knew little about trusts, and my elderly parents weren’t willing or able to share much information with me. In retrospect, I don’t think they fully understood the details of either trust, instead relying on attorneys and financial advisors.
Since then, I’ve learned a lot about trusts. I’ve come to feel they’re unnecessarily complicated and allow unscrupulous advisors to take advantage of well-intentioned,
I GOT MARRIED IN 1980 at age 22. After 29 years of marriage, my wife and I went through a contentious divorce in 2009 and 2010. We’d grown apart and, during our last few years of marriage, discussed parting ways.
I moved out of our marital home of 16 years into an apartment. It was strange to be living by myself again. I was 51 at the time.
While adjusting to my new reality,
I’LL BE TURNING 65 this year, so I’ve been researching my Medicare options. Even though I work in health care—and many of my patients are on Medicare—the task of choosing a plan is no less onerous for me.
I’ve read the information provided on Medicare.gov and watched numerous YouTube videos from insurance brokers. These brokers tend to support two types of Medicare coverage. Retirees might opt for a bundle that includes Medicare Part A,
AS A FAMILY MEDICINE physician associate, I frequently meet with patients early in the new year who are upset. The reason: They just learned their medications are no longer covered by their insurance or will cost significantly more than before. Many times, the insurance company will send them a letter providing other options to consider. I work with patients to find a generic substitute that isn’t as costly.
Several years ago, I had an elderly gentleman in our office one morning complaining that he was having difficulty urinating.
IN SOME FAMILIES, adult siblings work together to take care of their aging parents. But many times, one adult child ends up doing most, if not all, of the work—which is how things have played out in my family.
I’m the oldest sibling, and my wife and I took on the task of caring for my octogenarian mother and stepfather after they moved to Georgia from Colorado in 2017. I have a brother and stepbrother who live in other states.
HIGHLY INTELLIGENT people sometimes don’t know much about investing. Still, they can have a misplaced confidence in their own abilities and feel certain they require no help. In the end, it’s often their adult children who sort things out—which, in this particular case, meant me.
Five years ago, my 84-year-old mother and 85-year-old stepfather moved from the mountains of Colorado to Georgia to live closer to my wife and me. For more than 20 years,
Comments
Interesting post! As a PA who has worked in family medicine for 20 years as well as emergency medicine for seven years, I can appreciate many of the comments. To answer your questions in the title of your post, no not all surgeries are necessary in my opinion. I also don’t agree that we have become “the college tuition bank for the Doc’s children.” One thing that strikes me in these types of discussions is that many people think that medicine is an absolute. There is a reason why it is called “the practice of medicine.” Medical providers try and use the information that we have learned over many years of education and working with patients to help our patients. Unfortunately, there is no such thing yet of “absolute medicine” and 100% positive outcomes. In all fairness, the main goal of everyone I know and have known in medicine the past 20+ years is to try and help people to the best of our ability. We all have sacrificed in one way or another to get trained in a profession to help people. I never took a class or clinical rotation in my training that taught me how to cut corners, harm people, or rip people off. People that choose to practice in medicine invest many years and dollars for this training. In the case of physicians, they are required to complete four years of medical school. This is followed by many years of advanced training in whatever specialty they decide to work in. In the case of family medicine and internal medicine, this is usually three years of residency. General surgery or orthopedic surgery requires at least five years of residency. Neurosurgery usually requires 6 to 8 years after medical school. Based on my experience with a variety of specialists over the years, they all deserve the income they receive based on their level of expertise and the sacrifices they have made to obtain that specialized training. Someone mentioned in a post that they hated their nephrologist. I would recommend trying a different nephrologist perhaps in consultation with your primary care provider. While nephrologists may not have the best bedside manner, they are some of the smartest people that I have met in medicine. While non-medical people usually graduate from an undergraduate program and start a career, medical professionals delay their career goals and incomes for many years in some cases. What is the main goal of the majority of these future healthcare providers? Help other people. I have learned over the years working with patients that not all neck or back pain requires surgery. In addition, not all neck and back surgery cures neck or back pain. This is not due to most specialists doing unnecessary surgery in their professional opinions. The spine is a very complicated part of our anatomy. It is mentioned in the original post and several other comments that “no weight loss or exercise regimes were progressed prior to surgery.” Do you know for a fact that this was not recommended by the surgeon and his team? Did these people follow all of the recommendations of their physical therapist after surgery? Do you know how many times I recommend weight loss and exercise on a weekly basis? All I get in response is a glassy eyed stare from most patients. There needs to be a bit of self ownership by the patients and not just blame this on the surgeon or other healthcare providers. Most patients that I see rave about the results of their knee or hip replacement. Unfortunately, in some cases when they have the second knee or hip replaced by the same surgeon, the recovery is not as smooth and takes longer. No one really knows why this occurs. Are there mistakes made by medical providers? Yes. Are they intentional or just for the goal of making money in the majority of cases? No. Do you know that the average cost of ob/gyn medical malpractice insurance can be $46,000 per year (https://griffitheharris.com/cost-of-medical-malpractice-insurance-by-state-and-specialty/)? In addition, neurosurgeons also pay steep annual premiums and nearly 19.1% face lawsuits annually. What happens when these specialists get tired of this and leave the profession? Imagine sitting in an exam room one-on-one with an obese patient who is in tears about their knee pain. Imaging has revealed bone-on-bone arthritis. They have tried several knee injections with the goal of delaying surgery without any significant relief. They are requesting knee replacement because they are tired of the daily pain. What would you do? My two cents…
Post: Screw politics, let’s talk health. Are all surgeries necessary or have we become the college tuition bank for the doctor’s children?
Link to comment from April 20, 2025
I would strongly recommend contacting a good estate attorney. Here is an article I wrote last year detailing my experience with irrevocable and revocable trusts (https://humbledollar.com/2024/02/details-matter/). I learned that dealing with trusts can be like dealing with a barrel of fish hooks.
Post: Change trustee on irrevocable trust
Link to comment from April 20, 2025
Thanks Rick! Congratulations to your Eagles and your winnings. I would not be surprised if online sports betting wasn't more than $12 billion today. I used to do "pick em" online for NFL game winners for no money years ago and I rarely was correct 50% of the time. I break out in a cold sweat and get nauseous whenever I walk into a casino which isn't very often. I worked too hard for my money to just throw it away.
Post: Sports Fan by Scott Martin
Link to comment from February 10, 2025
I couldn't agree more. I like your "Futz Factor."
Post: My Limitations by Scott Martin
Link to comment from June 23, 2024
We bought and sold the mobile home for $10,500 in the early 1980's in a city you are familiar with (Davis, CA). Per Zillow, similar single wide mobile homes are now selling for $200,000+. Go Braves!
Post: My Limitations by Scott Martin
Link to comment from June 23, 2024
Bill, this link details how I got out of debt: https://humbledollar.com/2023/09/finding-hope/ I would recommend against a 401k withdrawal or home equity loan. I did use a zero interest credit card balance transfer and I paid off the debt long before the zero interest rate expired. The snowball method worked great for me. Best of luck on your debt-free journey. It is so worth it!
Post: 401k withdrawal, 0% cc balance transfer or home equity line of credit
Link to comment from June 22, 2024
Thanks Jonathan! You have made posting on the Forum very easy.
Post: My Limitations by Scott Martin
Link to comment from June 22, 2024
Stay out of debt!
Post: What advice do you wish you were given when you were in your late 40s?
Link to comment from June 22, 2024
I can identify with your frustrations. One would expect better results from attorneys and accountants that are being paid for their expertise and supposed attention to detail. I have also learned a lot throughout this process. Thanks for sharing.
Post: Details Matter
Link to comment from February 23, 2024
I appreciate your comments Rick. I have come to the same conclusion. I find trusts to be a barrel of fish hooks. I have a three ring binder full of hundreds of pages of legal jargon for the revocable trust. The only important information, in my opinion, is how the assets should be distributed to charities and the beneficiaries (1 or 2 pages max). Fortunately, I have not found the probate process to be overly cumbersome or long here in Georgia.
Post: Details Matter
Link to comment from February 23, 2024