For the record…
No. I have a better idea. Let me just ask. At what point have I actually stated whether I support or oppose Obamacare?
Go ahead. Take your time.
Need some more? No problem. I can wait.
In the meantime this is something everyone should read. Yeah yeah I know. Violates my own principles concerning reason and logic – because this is the testimony of just one person. But I would suggest it is a single testimony that carries significant weight.
“ObamaCare and me” by Zane Pollard MD.
I have been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching all of this national debate on healthcare. It is time for me to bring some clarity to the table by explaining many of the problems from the perspective of a doctor.
First off, the government has involved very few of us physicians in the healthcare debate. While the American Medical Association has come out in favor of the plan, it is vital to remember that the AMA only represents 17% of the American physician workforce.
I have taken care of Medicaid patients for 35 years while representing the only pediatric ophthalmology group left in Atlanta, Georgia that accepts Medicaid. For example, in the past 6 months I have cared for three young children on Medicaid who had corneal ulcers. This is a potentially blinding situation because if the cornea perforates from the infection, almost surely blindness will occur. In all three cases the antibiotic needed for the eradication of the infection was not on the approved Medicaid list.
Each time I was told to fax Medicaid for the approval forms, which I did. Within 48 hours the form came back to me which was sent in immediately via fax, and I was told that I would have my answer in 10 days. Of course by then each child would have been blind in the eye.
Each time the request came back denied. All three times I personally provided the antibiotic for each patient which was not on the Medicaid approved list. Get the point — rationing of care.
Read the whole thing at American Thinker.
And for the record – I still have not come out and stated whether I support or oppose ObamaCare. Because frankly that for me is not the primary issue. For me the primary issue is how people think and talk. And yes I would rather deal with someone who supports a “single payer national health system” and
- knows what he/she is talking about
- does not insult or defame people who disagree
- argues honestly and consistently
Than with someone who opposes the same but
- does not know what he/she is talking about
- uses inflammatory or hyperbolic language
- insults and defames people who disagree
Let me also remind people where I stand by quoting myself from an earlier post:
Do not misunderstand me. I strongly support the idea of healthcare reform. Not just in terms of “containing costs”. But also in terms of helping all or most Americans receive adequate insurance coverage.
(Quick important point. People talk about “universal health care”. That is not really the issue. The issue is “universal health insurance” or “universal health coverage” yes? What we are debating is the extent to which you receive healthcare and do not have to pay for it out-of-pocket.* I am pretty sure that is what we really are talking about. I also think the current situation – where we depend upon our employers for health insurance coverage – is not a healthy one. It means too often Americans will not look for new/better jobs because they are afraid about losing/changing their health insurance coverage. I would like to think this is of concern to all or most political conservatives.)
And from a yet earlier post:
By the way at the risk of disappointing some of my conservative friends as much as I vehemently oppose the Obama-Pelosi-Reid “stimulus package” I am less unsympathetic toward changes in the American health care system. Quite frankly I wish we did have some sort of national health insurance or national health service. Yes I know what the potential problems are. I know about Canader. And I lived in Great Britain for five years. But it does bother me when people suffer and/or go broke because they are between jobs or whatnot.* If there was some way to provide basic health care for everyone without sacrificing quality and availability I think we should explore it. (That does not mean what Obama-Pelosi-Reid have in mind is the right answer.) I am fairly sure I have seen conservatives express concern about the whole “you have health insurance only because you have a job” thing – because it discourages job mobility.
