I was talking to my dad today. For those who don't know the old man, he's 78, a lifelong Republican and a cardiologist. He technically retired last year but still works 3-4 days a week, 3-4 hours a day at the hospital. Sitting at home doing nothing was more than he could handle.
Dad and I are now both contract workers in the health field. This means that neither of us are technically employees. We have all of the responsibilities of an employee but none of the benefits. He and I are, finally, on a level to discuss things as equals.
Our conversation today started out about my new job, life in general, and finally...money. Dad is having to learn to live on less...as many of us are nowadays. It's frustrating for him. He mentioned that even as a doctor, he has to wonder who, where and how he will be taken care of, medically and insurance-wise, when the inevitable happens. I welcomed him to the world the rest of us live in.
We discussed, at length, what is wrong with the state of medicine in this country. Example: I have a bad ticker. I need to take a handful of pills, every day, for the rest of my life, to keep my heart from giving out. I'm OK with that. My doctor, though, has to force me to come in for an office visit just so he can prescribe the medicine he already knows that I need to stay alive. If he were to continue prescribing these without this visit, he could lose his license. None of this makes sense.
We discussed UPMC. This company started out with great ideas. It was to be run by doctors...the way it should be. Somewhere in the last 20 years, it has become, yet another, megacorporation. It is this area's largest employer. In the Pittsburgh area, over 3500 physicians are employees of this corporate giant. Gone are the days of doing what's best for the patient. It's now business as usual to do what is most cost-effective. This mode of thinking is inconsistent with medicine and is, in general, just wrong.
Dad explained that the type of medicine he practiced originally is long gone. Patient comes to see the doctor, the doctor treats (and when possible, cures) the patient, and payments where made. Doctors could charge as much or as little as they liked. Insurance companies played by the rules. Sure, at times the payments were slow, but they came in.
Now the insurance companies and other mega-corporations run EVERYTHING. There is no part of YOUR LIFE that isn't controlled by them. Land of the free, my ass. We are all living under a dictatorship...but the government is only a pawn. This country and it's people have been bought and paid for. If you think I'm wrong, you're an ignorant ass. It just shows that you haven't been paying attention.
When I was in my early teens, I recall watching the movie "To Sir, With Love". There was a scene in the movie where the teenage students where reminded that they had to fill out paperwork for their National Health cards. As an American, I had no idea what this was...so I turned to the encyclopedia and looked it. It was medicine for everyone, paid for via taxes. I went to the library and read up more and more about it. I was fascinated! It made perfect sense to me then and it makes perfect sense to me now.
My dad and I had many arguments over the years regarding socialized medicine. As an American physician, he was already caught up in the burgeoning corporate nightmare that our health care system has become. He often reminded me that the American health care system, rooted in good ol' capitalism, was what fed and clothed me. I often pointed out that by that point I was already working and taking care of many of my own needs. Every arguing point he came up with, I was able to shoot down. This led to a level of acrimony between us. The Republican capitalist dad and his Socialist son...but as I've never lost an argument yet, I persevered.
Today, dad finally agreed with me. He says that some form of socialized medicine is what will have to happen in this country. It's inevitable and it's right. The corporate world has no reason, whatsoever, to be sticking it's nose in our health care. This includes insurance companies. They should just agree to the terms put forth by the doctors and hospitals (who are providing the actual care) and just take their premium payments and make claim payments. Nothing else. There is no reason for any corporate interest to pursue health care as a profit scheme.
Dad feels that all American doctors need to ban together and say that effective X date, none of them will continue to participate in any insurance agreement. This would, effectively, put all of these businesses under. Sadly, I had to remind him that this particular scenario is unlikely to ever happen...as too many people are little more than frightened sheep.
Dad and I discussed that a group of doctors should form a committee , a think tank of sorts, to figure out how to fix this mess. I even suggested that he start it himself. Who knows...it wouldn't surprise me if he did.
Here it is...March 9, 2013, and my dad has finally agreed with me. Universal health care/Socialized medicine IS the answer. Funny...I've known this for over 30 years.
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