Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Like so many things in life, medicine is so much more than finding out why someone is sick and how to treat the disease, albeit that may be a complex mystery in and of itself. Today, like so many other days, I attended a talk to get free food. Since I voluntarily agreed to come to the meeting, I really shouldn't have qualms, but this talk hit a nerve. The subject was SB 840, a bill to provide health insurance for all Californians. Having lived the majority of my life uninsured, I am familiar with the struggles that entails. Avoiding hospital visits although they're necessary to avoid high medical bills, fearing the worst whenever someone gets sick, etc. Don't get me wrong here, I agree that everyone should have access to quality health care. I was just really irked by this particular presenation, although I'm not sure what I was exactly expecting in the first place.

The offices of Senator Sheila James Kuehl sent out some tool to sell the bill. Of course, she exaggerated the benefits, skirted all legitimate oppositional arguements and basically avoided answering all questions that hurt her cause. Typical politician. Maybe if I met her on the street, she'd be a pleasant woman to talk with. However, in that setting, she was just another sell-out politician. Very one sided and narrow-minded. So obsessed with the goal, more likely too stupid, to really understand the ramifications of what she was selling. I hate one-sided talks...but I digress.

Although I don't inherently disagree with most of what she presented, I think things like this really need to be presented in a more honest fashion. I don't want shit to be sold to me. Don't tell me that everything is going to be dandy when you don't know shit. Don't lie to me. If I'm going to take a paycut in order to support more people, then fine. But don't lie to me about it or sugar coat it with crap about more autonomy, because that isn't what's going to happen. Who is going to support this bill? Where are the doctors coming from? The government short-hands us already. Tacking on an interest to the payment isn't going to solve the problem when the problem is that there isn't enough money there to begin with. It's just going to compound the problem. Bullshit that the doctors are going to be well-represented by a union. We'll have a voice...how are we a union when we can't strike? She countered that by saying look at the nurses...they shot down all of Arnold's bill. Gee whiz...good for you. I didn't agree with The governator's agenda, but sometimes the propositions can help people. We can't just shoot stuff down based on politics and not getting what we wanted. I realize that in reality there's a whole log of log rolling going on and that we can't win every battle if we're going to win the war. But seriously people, I'd like to think that we're all in the same camp. We want to help each other, while simultaneously helping ourselves. Lets not shoot ourselves in the foot just to make a point. Please don't turn this into another trivial, well the Republicans are evil, the Republicans don't support this. Just STFU.

I admit, I did have a real guttoral response to the talk. I think I was partly playing devil's advocate because I was so disgusted with the speaker. I loved how everyone else was so enamored by her polished style and her oh so succint analysis of the situation. So simple...we've got money. Lets just spend it like this and it'll solve all of our problems. Perhaps I was getting defensive...What am I so afraid of? Maybe I just hate myself for selling out. Maybe I just want a nice happy practice where I can control my hours, see nice patients who are educated and will listen to reason, live in a comfortable home in suburbia with 2.5 kids and a dog and a white-washed fence. Maybe I don't want to be dealing with poor people who can't afford to pay their bills. I'm sorry, but I've been paying dues my whole entire life. I work my ass off, pay my taxes and all that good stuff. Med school is full of socialists. A nice swift poll of the AMA will suggest that most of the old school docs agree with me, but the AMA is the devil and is full of suits and racist old white men. I'm so sick and tired of the labels and the mud slinging. I'm re-registering as independent. I agree with most social democratic ideals, but people in general are really dumb. They're easily manipulated and will shoot themselves in the foot if you package it right. There are just as many dumbass narrow minded Democrats as there are stupid red-neck Republicans who think that John Kerry is Stan's Spawn. That's Satan's spawn you idiots.

Bender needs help...