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As Barack Obama gathers the greatest minds in health care together, I thought I would share my personal experiences with the medical community in hopes of helping solve the health care crisis.
I grew up in rural East Texas, in a town where literally everyone knew your name. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and I’m glad to live in the city now, but there are several aspects of that small town lifestyle that I miss, especially my doctor. The small medical clinic in town provided health care for three generations of my family. There was no need to take medical histories, the same doctors that treated me had treated my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. There was no need to waste a lot of time feeling out paperwork, as soon as you walked in the door the office staff pulled your file and you were on your way to being treated.
Once you got inside the examination room, the doctor came by, inquired about the problem and made a diagnosis. Again, there was no need to check any guidelines or recommend any superfluous tests, the doctor made a diagnosis based on the empirical evidence in front of him. Before you left, the doctor asked about your family and eased any concerns you may have about your visit.
I didn’t realize how unique this situation was until I visited the doctor for the first time in Dallas.
True story, two years ago I was trying to flush the toilet and broke the plastic handle. The sharp edges sliced my thumb wide open and since it was a Friday evening I decided to go to an urgent care center. I gave the office staff my insurance information. They informed me that since my carrier was closed for the evening I would be responsible for the entire cost of my visit and they would file claim on my behalf later.
An hour later, I was led back to the examination room. A physician assistant examined my wound, gave me a shot and stitched me up. It wasn’t until I got ready to check out that I experienced the most painful moment of the evening. For an examination by a physicians assistant, some stitches and a tetanus shot, I owed the urgent facility well over $500, out of pocket. I knew that I would get reimburshed for a majority of the cost, but I was still appalled that I had to pay the same price to see P.A. that I would to see a M.D.
So what does this have to do with the current health care problem and what can we learn about the health care I received in my small town?
In my hometown, I was more than just a patient. I had an established relationship with my health care providers, something non-existent in the heavily regulated world of urban medicine. I can only imagine how impersonal health care would be if the Federal government had even more control over it.
What about costs? Obama’s people will tell you that health care costs are outrageous and even I just shared how I get ripped off by an urgent care facility, thankfully I have insurance–crappy insurance, but insurance all the same. When you have a personal relationship with health care provider, money becomes a secondary factor to your care. The clinic that housed my health care providers was very flexible with payments. You and your health care provider figured out what you could pay and how you could pay for it. Again, if and when the Federal government seizes control of the health care industry, they will attempt to destroy this personal relationship with health care providers.
I don’t expect everyone to be able to find health care like I’ve been blessed to have. However, I do think my story illustrates that the health care industry is not as out of control as those on the Left will have you believe. There is very little regulation, in fact many of the health care providers in my hometown violate many of the Federal regulations in place, and the health care I received there is far superior to anything I have received since living in Dallas. If anything, I think it proves that less regulation can lead to a better relationship between patient and health care provider, which in turn will lead to better treatment.