I don't write about this too terribly often, but I'm really somewhat of a news/political junkie. While other may find themselves watching endless hours of reality TV, I find the drama of the news and political to be all the reality I need.
The presidential primary season seems to be building to a crescendo this Tuesday and health care is again getting frequent mentions (though lagging behind Iraq and the economy which probably means that health care will be as important as a third place issue as a third place candidate is). In watching the endless coverage, I am not terribly optimistic that 1) any of the candidates really have a lock on what the problem with health care is and 2) even if someone did, couldn't they get it passed through Congress and implimented.
What no one seems to want to mention when discussing health care reform is the dreaded "R" word--rationing. They say that EHR's and preventive medicine will lower health care costs--yeah right. Few physicians who use EHR's believe that it will ever pan out as a cost savings plan although if done correctly could still be a good idea. If preventive services ever shows itself to be a cost saver it won't until five or ten years after changes are implemented and by then the attention span of the American voter will not tolerate the wait.
What no one wants to talk about, including my candidate, is sacrifice. If we are going to cover all of the uninsured and elevate the underinsured, people are not going to be able to receive every test, every medication, and every service they would like to have. We are going to need to stop going to the doctor for every cold or ear infection and every ache and pain. Everyone knows they should stop smoking and most, though certainly not all, understand what a healthy diet is. Common sense. Personal responsibility.
We'll see what super Tuesday has to hold. My caucus is in one week and for the first time we may actually have something to do with who gets nominated. It's better than reality TV.
The presidential primary season seems to be building to a crescendo this Tuesday and health care is again getting frequent mentions (though lagging behind Iraq and the economy which probably means that health care will be as important as a third place issue as a third place candidate is). In watching the endless coverage, I am not terribly optimistic that 1) any of the candidates really have a lock on what the problem with health care is and 2) even if someone did, couldn't they get it passed through Congress and implimented.
What no one seems to want to mention when discussing health care reform is the dreaded "R" word--rationing. They say that EHR's and preventive medicine will lower health care costs--yeah right. Few physicians who use EHR's believe that it will ever pan out as a cost savings plan although if done correctly could still be a good idea. If preventive services ever shows itself to be a cost saver it won't until five or ten years after changes are implemented and by then the attention span of the American voter will not tolerate the wait.
What no one wants to talk about, including my candidate, is sacrifice. If we are going to cover all of the uninsured and elevate the underinsured, people are not going to be able to receive every test, every medication, and every service they would like to have. We are going to need to stop going to the doctor for every cold or ear infection and every ache and pain. Everyone knows they should stop smoking and most, though certainly not all, understand what a healthy diet is. Common sense. Personal responsibility.
We'll see what super Tuesday has to hold. My caucus is in one week and for the first time we may actually have something to do with who gets nominated. It's better than reality TV.
The Country Doctor