Dangerous Doctor Dilemma
Our oldest son will graduate from medical school in two months. His graduation will be just a milestone, albeit an important one, on a long journey of dedication to his field. Now, after 8 years of college and med school, he will spend the next 5 years in an Ear, Nose and Throat residency program in the Midwest.
Dave called us last night and he is concerned. He’s worried about the impact the Obama health care bill will have on doctors’ professional freedom and the quality of care in our country.
Dave has spent the last two years in what they call “rotations”, where the students work side-by-side with doctors in various specialties, usually for a month at a time. He’s been to Detroit for Ear, Nose and Throat, Hawaii for Radiology, is currently in Ohio for Cardiology, after which he will go to Wyoming for his final rotation, Dermatology.
I tell you this because Dave says that wherever he goes lately, he listens to the doctors talk in the lounge, on their breaks, and he has heard increasing concerns about the fate of health care if the Obama bill is passed. Now it has. Yesterday, in the doctors’ lounge, the conversation was tense. The older doctors were talking seriously about getting out fast; they said they will retire as soon as possible. The younger docs were quite uneasy and could not understand how or why this bill was passed. And they all looked at Dave and said, “By the time you get out of residency, Dave, like it or not, you’ll be working for the government.”
Did our Congress ask the medical community about their opinion of this health care bill? No. The President and congressional leadership did not even ask the dozen or so doctors who are IN the congress, because many of them are from the minority party. Obama says the bill has the endorsement of the AMA (American Medical Association), but my own doctor told me the AMA has less than 30% of the practicing doctors in its group, and even those were not asked, so they are dropping their memberships rapidly.
Recent polls show that 33% of doctors say they will retire early if this bill is passed. It takes 11-15 years to educate a new doctor. The Obama administration claims this health care bill will bring 30 million previously uninsured people into the system.
How does any of this make sense? You do the math. How will one third fewer doctors care for 30 million more people? It all adds up to terrible care for everyone.
They have tried this type of system in Massachusetts. Premiums did not go down, they went up. And now it takes an average of 42 days to get a doctor’s appointment there. “Got some stomach pain? Hold on. We can see you in a month and a half.”
The only sense this health care takeover makes is POLITICAL sense. The Obama administration just bought 30 million votes with our future money. This bill was never about the quality of health care or even the cost. If it had been, they would have acted differently. They would have listened to the doctors, nurses and other health professionals. They would have paid attention to the people of this country who said, in poll after poll for the last 6 months, that we don’t want THIS bill. Yes, we want health care reform, but not this mammoth mess of political paybacks and manipulations.
The process by which this bill was passed says it all: They pulled out every political gyration in the book, and made up some new ones, completely ignoring their promises for fair, accountable and transparent representation of WE, the People.
So now our quiet, non-political son Dave, and every other doctor, nurse and patient will have to stand up and speak up. No more time for professional courtesies or arm’s length distance from the political problems. No more letting Congress handle it. This affects everyone. And whether we like it or not, it’s time to take action.
What action can we take? Get involved in something. Choices will be different for us all, but I, for one, will be attending the gathering of the Tea Party Patriots of North Idaho on April 14th, the day before tax day. It will be indoors at the Greyhound Park events center and will feature Mason Weaver, a phenomenal, nationally recognized, highly rated speaker. He is a radio host, author, candidate for a California congressional seat and a deeply patriotic man of color. You can click here for more information on the event and on Mason Weaver: http://www.idahotea.net
I know I’m tired and you probably are too, but what’s the alternative? We can’t let our country, and our freedoms, be taken away. The time to stand is now. Let’s take action to save our country for our children. Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
********************
Mary Souza is a 22 year resident of CdA, local small business owner and former P&Z Commissioner. Her opinions are her own. To sign up for the free weekly newsletter, or access a free archive of past columns, visit www.marysouzacda.com Comments can be sent to marysouzacda@gmail.com. Please visit the local issues web sites www.thechrg.org and www.OpenCdA.com for more discussion.
Here’s my Obamacare Haiku:
Debate is over
Already I feel better
Obamacare works!
Comment by Dan — March 24, 2010 @ 9:01 pm
Mary, I’ve been told from a dependable source that medical schools are about to start going beyond being Grade A or Grade B institutions. Medical schools will become Grade C or D, such as law schools are now, in order to confer a degree with lower skill sets; in other words a dumbing down of the medical profession and a resulting lower skill to treat patients. This is in the works, I’m told, in order to increase the number of physicians because of the phenomenon you describe of the emptying of the profession due to government control in the Obama Health Takeover. The need for more physicians will become increasingly critical as the patient load increases.
This can and will become very ugly, if true.
Please let me know if you can confirm, if in fact, this scenario is being planned.
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 24, 2010 @ 9:12 pm
This legislation is so wrong for so many good reasons that people are tired of discussing them. As we have witnessed in the few days already passed the bill as signed by law Professor Obama failed to meet parliamentarian rules. Voters will show their disdain this November and from there on out. The Dems really do not understand the scope of their willful breach of public trust. From now on any lofty Dem campaign ‘promise’ will be framed in Obama’s performance. In street parlance they really screwed the pooch on this deal.
Our healthcare system does need better controls along with illegal immigration, etc, etc….. Too bad the Republicans failed to implement any solid efforts at these and other crucial issues while they had the watch for 8 straight years. They set the stage for this mess and their cries ring somewhat hollow for that oversight.
Comment by Wallypog — March 25, 2010 @ 9:57 am
What we’re seeing with this legislation and the process is echoed here locally — and in Boise. That’s a disrespect for the rule of law. In Washington DC, Boise, Coeur d’Alene City Hall, Kootenai County, NIC, and elsewhere, money is what’s more important.
Comment by Dan — March 25, 2010 @ 12:57 pm
Yes and no, Dan. Here locally money clearly drives politics. But in DC there’s a real sociopolitical agenda at play. It does not even make much monetary sense. The Obama goal is to shift America to a quasi European social democracy supported by hefty taxation and entitlement laden. That may take money, but it certainly does not result in more real buying power for anyone. Here locally there’s money and it is all neatly going to the few connected power players.
Comment by Wallypog — March 25, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
Yes, there is clearly a sociopolitical agenda, Wallypog. Our son just called me again, asking me to listen to an old audio clip of Ronald Reagan speaking about Socialized Medicine way back in 1961. I was just a little girl at the time, only 8 years old. And now my son, the almost-doctor, is asking me to listen to these words. It is amazing to hear Reagan, who was then just an actor, clearly articulate the problems with the socialist agenda in general and the push for socialized health care in particular. It’s like he’s talking to us today.
Please take a few minutes to listen, then pass on the link to others: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs
Comment by mary — March 25, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
Let the president sign into law, ObamaCare and lets take a wait-and-see attitude. Even tho we may already know what the likely,outcome from HCR may be.If the health care reform bill doesn’t work for most voters, Pelosi’s party will be resoundingly, defeated this fall anyway.It’s not smart to go against the wishes of the majority of voters.
I just wish there was a way of insuring everyone, without having to raise insurance premiums significantly.
Comment by kageman — March 27, 2010 @ 12:44 pm
How exactly will Dr’s professional freedom be taken away? How will care suffer more than it does currently?
Obviously if you can afford care it’s only as good as the depth of your pocket.
So 30 million uninsured will now have insurance? OK so are we to believe that those 30 million have not gotten ill and that once they are insured they will NOW get sick? Are you kidding me!
Those 30 million have gotten sick and went to ER’s or worse just suffered and or died many I bet without dignity.
The 30 million are not extra they are and have been and they will be taken care of without reform the same way they are right now.
42 days to see a Dr.? To see a specialized Dr. today it takes that long or longer so that’s the norm. Unless your in dire need here in our wonderful part of the world you can’t see your primary care doctor right away even if you wanted to. That’s today, right now, so lets not pretend the problems we believe would exist after this bill gets going don’t exist already. No one complains about it now because we have become complacent with the, if you can afford care you get it if not, well tuff.
Ya know I’m going to say it, I have a good job with pretty good insurance and I’m willing to pay some extra so my friends without insurance and their children and their elderly parents can get some health care short of becoming bankrupt.
Lastly are todays Dr’s or future Dr’s going into it for the money or for the good of mankind? What is the true calling?
I would rather go to a Dr,. that is overscheduled that really cares than running into an office where I’m nothing more than a trip to Cabo in their eyes.
Comment by Eric — March 29, 2010 @ 1:41 pm
Eric, do you want the government to come into your business and tell you what you can sell? Do you want them control your prices?
Let’s say you’re in the plumbing biz. Obama might decide that water, sewer and therefore plumbing are essential infrastructure and are critical to our country’s existence, so the government should get involved. Don’t worry, though, the Feds will just open a company that sells plumbing supplies and services for far less than you can. And they’ll tax everyone, including you, to pay the difference. But don’t complain, Eric, because poor people will now be able to go get faucets and toilets for free. Isn’t it their basic human right to have decent toilets and sinks? The Feds won’t take over all the plumbing businesses, though, so you can still run yours. But they can sell for much, much less, and plumbing supplies will be free for millions of folks. Will that impact your business?
Oh, and Eric, are you in business to make money? Since when do Doctors not have the same right? Is there some rule that says Doctors shouldn’t want to be paid well for their services? They spend, on average, about $200,000 and 12-15 years of their time on their education. Are you thinking they should rejoice that the government will now tell them what treatments they are allowed to prescribe for their patients and which they cannot? And that they will be paid an amount set by the government bureaucrats?
You are certainly correct that there are problems with health care now. Problems that need to be fixed. But the government has NEVER been successful at running a complex venture without screwing it up. Medicare & Medicaid are disasters. Why would you trust them with the very involved business of health care?
My favorite part of your post is this:
Good for you Eric! You do that. But don’t force others to do YOUR goodwill.
Comment by mary — March 29, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
Very good Mary. Your logical, clear thinking and non confrontational response is what makes this blog so valuable. Posters like Eric should expect their ideas to be challenged at a forum like this without participants getting personal.
Comment by Gary Ingram — March 29, 2010 @ 4:30 pm