Lately, I've been hearing a lot of people trying to speak for me. You, too, may have heard the often repeated words, "Doctors don't want health care reform." Well, I feel it's finally time this doctor set the record straight. We need major reform now, and if we don't achieve it, the health of our economic recovery and of all Americans will suffer.
As a volunteer at our local free clinic, I have seen hundreds of people crying for help. They are delaying much-needed care because they simply can't afford it, and it's costing them dearly. We've had a patient die because a delayed colonoscopy didn't catch his cancer in time. We've had a farmer go bankrupt because he couldn't get his hip replaced in time to plant his crops and milk his cows. I suspect most everyone in this area knows someone who has been victimized by the high costs of our health care system. The problem only is getting worse. Who will be next?
If there is anything to fear, it is the prospect of doing nothing. While most of you may be satisfied with your current health insurance, the chances of you having the same premiums and benefits next year are shaky, at best. Imagine 10 years from now: Your premiums will be doubled, your benefits reduced to catastrophic coverage, your deductibles so high that you think twice about even seeking medical care when you need it. Amid all the myths about health care, the fate of the status quo is clear - doing nothing about health care will leave us one job loss or one major illness away from medical bankruptcy or death.
This is the moral test of our time. We spend the most money of any nation, yet we rank near the bottom in quality. Each of us must ponder the question: Are we proud of our health care system? All Americans deserve access to reliable, affordable health care - period. Whether the government or a private company or a combination of the two achieves this goal, we spend enough money on health care to get the job done. We need to figure out how to do it, and we need to do it before it's too late. What can you do? Call your representatives, and tell them your story. Give them this simple message: "We need major reform, now."
So, now you know where this doctor stands on health care reform. While many doctors disagree on how to fix the problem, there is consensus that our current system is unsustainable. If you really want to know how doctors feel about health care reform, call yours up (if you have access to one) ... and ask.
As a volunteer at our local free clinic, I have seen hundreds of people crying for help. They are delaying much-needed care because they simply can't afford it, and it's costing them dearly. We've had a patient die because a delayed colonoscopy didn't catch his cancer in time. We've had a farmer go bankrupt because he couldn't get his hip replaced in time to plant his crops and milk his cows. I suspect most everyone in this area knows someone who has been victimized by the high costs of our health care system. The problem only is getting worse. Who will be next?
If there is anything to fear, it is the prospect of doing nothing. While most of you may be satisfied with your current health insurance, the chances of you having the same premiums and benefits next year are shaky, at best. Imagine 10 years from now: Your premiums will be doubled, your benefits reduced to catastrophic coverage, your deductibles so high that you think twice about even seeking medical care when you need it. Amid all the myths about health care, the fate of the status quo is clear - doing nothing about health care will leave us one job loss or one major illness away from medical bankruptcy or death.
This is the moral test of our time. We spend the most money of any nation, yet we rank near the bottom in quality. Each of us must ponder the question: Are we proud of our health care system? All Americans deserve access to reliable, affordable health care - period. Whether the government or a private company or a combination of the two achieves this goal, we spend enough money on health care to get the job done. We need to figure out how to do it, and we need to do it before it's too late. What can you do? Call your representatives, and tell them your story. Give them this simple message: "We need major reform, now."
So, now you know where this doctor stands on health care reform. While many doctors disagree on how to fix the problem, there is consensus that our current system is unsustainable. If you really want to know how doctors feel about health care reform, call yours up (if you have access to one) ... and ask.
