When I was about four, or it could have been six or seven, my mother told me it was very important to have a good reputation. She said it was especially important not to have a police record. She seemed very fearful that I might get one, so I took this advice seriously. My father was more of the type, “I’ll do what I think is right, and if anybody doesn’t like it, that’s their problem.” So, I have at times been insensitive to other people’s feelings, to my regret.
Since I joined the medical professional I’ve been disappointed in the direction in which health care has evolved. Though recent legislation may have corrected some problems it probably created others and it left the two biggest problems unsolved: a practical mechanism to control the costs of care and medical liability.
No one really knows how the legislation will change the system until it is implemented. It is unlikely a literal interpretation will be achieved. No one can predict the future, so those who make predictions today may look foolish tomorrow, if their predictions are remembered.
As a profession we must find a way to achieve a massive correction in course, or politicians and bureaucrats will continue to guide our ship. But how shall we do it? Put on our war paint and join those who cry, “Repeal and Replace?” Or, follow in the footsteps of Marcus Welby?
What? Marcus Welby never said a political word in all his episodes. Exactly! But Marcus Welby is what people, voters, want doctors to be. If we want voters to support our mission we should maintain that image. We don’t have to go back to wearing stethoscopes on our necks instead of over our shoulders, but we do need to communicate to people that their welfare is our primary concern, not your own.
We want health care savings accounts so patient will have easy access to the means to obtain the care they need without paying extra to support insurance companies and without the hassle of dealing with them; not because that will make it easier for doctors to get paid without the hassle of insurance companies. We want liability reform so patients will be promptly and adequately compensated for injuries due to medical errors and so we will have the transparency needed to identify the errors and eliminate them as soon as possible; not so doctors won’t get sued and won’t have such high liability premiums.
If our proposals benefit doctors too, that’s an accident. Leave your war face at home. Speak softly, but to everyone you meet. Encourage them to start an HSA. Spread the gospel. Don’t get discouraged, you know, it eventually caught on.
