I didn’t watch the ABC news special regarding President Barack Obama’s government financed health plan. I recognize that anything in its early stage will need tweaking.
But the argument that the Republicans should have had a voice is needless.
Some persons picketed ABC stations across the country. Their argument is invalid. I would much rather hear from the consumers and doctors. Their concerns may more closely mirror my own of what is needed or missing than any of our elected officials.
I feel this way even more strongly since yesterday's the revelation from The Triangle Business Journal that a recent report by Common Cause states that NC elected officials are being paid thousands from the insurance industry:
"Health-care industry participants are giving members of Congress $1.4 million a day to influence the debate over the industry’s future, a report released Wednesday by Common Cause says.
"North Carolina’s Congressional delegation has received $192,450 this year, the report said. The biggest beneficiaries have been Sen. Richard Burr, receiving $85,000, and Rep. Bob Etheridge, who got $24,150. Sen. Kay Hagan, who was elected in 2008, has received $12,500."
So I believe all Congressional opinions on healthcare reform should carry a disclaimer.
Anyone who has sat in an emergency room knows that staff interpret ‘emergency’ differently than the victim. I witnessed a gentleman bleeding from what appeared to me to be a severe cut in a Durham hospital emergency room. He had been there a couple hours when I arrived to check on a family friend with dialysis complications.
The gentleman, escorted by his wife, eventually gave up and left. I’m concerned that a national health plan may leave us with the same problem.
When my 95 year old neighbor requires medical treatment, his wife calls an ambulance. Being I'm right next door, I offered to take him. She says not to worry. That a patient arriving by ambulance gets faster service than sitting in a waiting room. Come to think of it, we rarely see patients climb out of an ambulance and wait for service.
Imagine if hundreds of us require medical treatment at the same time. How long might a referred service take? One colleague says upon his doctor's orders he received an MRI the same day. Another colleague says she can't get certain shots until October. The appointment was made just shy of 8 months ago.
If a required test means a patient waits several months one thing will happen: the patient dies while waiting, the condition worsens, the condition will remains the same, or it goes away.
So I appreciate ABC television’s approach. Just a few of the outtakes show the concern from a variety of studio participants. These Americans will be affected more than elected officials who already enjoy their own healthcare. At our expense.
I won’t reject the proposal without doing some serious research on my own. It’s destined to be costly, but we must insure that it doesn't cost lives.
By the way: my neighbor is also a Republican as are many doctors. And I'm an insurance broker.
But the argument that the Republicans should have had a voice is needless.
Some persons picketed ABC stations across the country. Their argument is invalid. I would much rather hear from the consumers and doctors. Their concerns may more closely mirror my own of what is needed or missing than any of our elected officials.
I feel this way even more strongly since yesterday's the revelation from The Triangle Business Journal that a recent report by Common Cause states that NC elected officials are being paid thousands from the insurance industry:
"Health-care industry participants are giving members of Congress $1.4 million a day to influence the debate over the industry’s future, a report released Wednesday by Common Cause says.
"North Carolina’s Congressional delegation has received $192,450 this year, the report said. The biggest beneficiaries have been Sen. Richard Burr, receiving $85,000, and Rep. Bob Etheridge, who got $24,150. Sen. Kay Hagan, who was elected in 2008, has received $12,500."
So I believe all Congressional opinions on healthcare reform should carry a disclaimer.
Anyone who has sat in an emergency room knows that staff interpret ‘emergency’ differently than the victim. I witnessed a gentleman bleeding from what appeared to me to be a severe cut in a Durham hospital emergency room. He had been there a couple hours when I arrived to check on a family friend with dialysis complications.
The gentleman, escorted by his wife, eventually gave up and left. I’m concerned that a national health plan may leave us with the same problem.
When my 95 year old neighbor requires medical treatment, his wife calls an ambulance. Being I'm right next door, I offered to take him. She says not to worry. That a patient arriving by ambulance gets faster service than sitting in a waiting room. Come to think of it, we rarely see patients climb out of an ambulance and wait for service.
Imagine if hundreds of us require medical treatment at the same time. How long might a referred service take? One colleague says upon his doctor's orders he received an MRI the same day. Another colleague says she can't get certain shots until October. The appointment was made just shy of 8 months ago.
If a required test means a patient waits several months one thing will happen: the patient dies while waiting, the condition worsens, the condition will remains the same, or it goes away.
So I appreciate ABC television’s approach. Just a few of the outtakes show the concern from a variety of studio participants. These Americans will be affected more than elected officials who already enjoy their own healthcare. At our expense.
I won’t reject the proposal without doing some serious research on my own. It’s destined to be costly, but we must insure that it doesn't cost lives.
By the way: my neighbor is also a Republican as are many doctors. And I'm an insurance broker.
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