Mr. President, your patient is waiting: A Doctor's Commentary
This guest post is a commentary from Dr. Sanjeev K. Sriram, MD, MPH a member of the National Physicians Alliance.
Like many physicians, I have had rough days in my office where my patients have been angry with me about long waits, difficult diagnoses, and therapies that don’t match the pretty commercials they see on TV. On days like these, I have to take a deep breath, remember the oath I took, and focus on my patients.
The President and Congress face a similar situation right now as their patient, the American public, waits covered only in the flimsy hospital gown of our inadequate health care system. They have been waiting with anxiety over insufficient insurance coverage, waiting with frustration over skyrocketing insurance premiums, waiting with confusion about the right treatment for this broken system. And this reality did not change after the vote in Massachusetts.
Instead of giving in to frustration, Congress and the President must redouble their efforts to find a cure for our ailing health care system and stand by their patient. During the past year, I have been impressed by the dedication of members of Congress, their staffs and the White House to, once and for all, help all Americans get meaningful health care coverage. Just as a doctor doesn’t walk away from a suffering patient with a difficult diagnosis, our political leaders must complete the job that Americans elected them to do. And the thing is, they are really close.
The Senate and House bills are similar in many core elements: they eliminate the worst of the insurance company abuses; create consumer-friendly insurance markets; help people afford insurance; change the way doctors and hospitals are paid to encourage high quality health care; increase the number of primary care doctors; and encourage prevention and wellness.
The two bills differ in some important ways including how we pay for reform, how much help low-income Americans will get, and how the new insurance exchanges will be structured. There is, however, time to work out these differences later through budget reconciliation or in the 3 to 4 years before the legislation is fully implemented.
This is where President Obama and Congress need to take a page out of the overworked doctor’s playbook. Patients come to their doctor because they trust them. But that trust starts to waiver when they are kept waiting unnecessarily.
The American people have waited long enough. Right now, we have the opportunity to give them so much more than that flimsy hospital gown. Congress can take a big step forward for patients and their families by passing the Senate bill, and then work on strategies to fine tune that legislation. To our President, Senators, and Representatives: it’s time to live up to the oaths you took. It’s time to answer to voters’ demand for affordable, accessible health care. Instead of giving in to frustration or political expediency, it’s time to prioritize patients over politics and finish health care reform right. Our patients can’t wait.
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- What's your State of the Union wishlist?
- Help ProPublica with their Super Bowl Blitz
- Trafficking Worries Amid Haiti Adoptions - Lily Bixler
- Sri Lanka Goes to the Polls
- Commentary: Roe v. Wade turns 37 - Lily Bixler
Like many physicians, I have had rough days in my office where my patients have been angry with me about long waits, difficult diagnoses, and therapies that don’t match the pretty commercials they see on TV. On days like these, I have to take a deep breath, remember the oath I took, and focus on my patients.
The President and Congress face a similar situation right now as their patient, the American public, waits covered only in the flimsy hospital gown of our inadequate health care system. They have been waiting with anxiety over insufficient insurance coverage, waiting with frustration over skyrocketing insurance premiums, waiting with confusion about the right treatment for this broken system. And this reality did not change after the vote in Massachusetts.
Instead of giving in to frustration, Congress and the President must redouble their efforts to find a cure for our ailing health care system and stand by their patient. During the past year, I have been impressed by the dedication of members of Congress, their staffs and the White House to, once and for all, help all Americans get meaningful health care coverage. Just as a doctor doesn’t walk away from a suffering patient with a difficult diagnosis, our political leaders must complete the job that Americans elected them to do. And the thing is, they are really close.
The Senate and House bills are similar in many core elements: they eliminate the worst of the insurance company abuses; create consumer-friendly insurance markets; help people afford insurance; change the way doctors and hospitals are paid to encourage high quality health care; increase the number of primary care doctors; and encourage prevention and wellness.
The two bills differ in some important ways including how we pay for reform, how much help low-income Americans will get, and how the new insurance exchanges will be structured. There is, however, time to work out these differences later through budget reconciliation or in the 3 to 4 years before the legislation is fully implemented.
This is where President Obama and Congress need to take a page out of the overworked doctor’s playbook. Patients come to their doctor because they trust them. But that trust starts to waiver when they are kept waiting unnecessarily.
The American people have waited long enough. Right now, we have the opportunity to give them so much more than that flimsy hospital gown. Congress can take a big step forward for patients and their families by passing the Senate bill, and then work on strategies to fine tune that legislation. To our President, Senators, and Representatives: it’s time to live up to the oaths you took. It’s time to answer to voters’ demand for affordable, accessible health care. Instead of giving in to frustration or political expediency, it’s time to prioritize patients over politics and finish health care reform right. Our patients can’t wait.
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- What's your State of the Union wishlist?
- Help ProPublica with their Super Bowl Blitz
- Trafficking Worries Amid Haiti Adoptions - Lily Bixler
- Sri Lanka Goes to the Polls
- Commentary: Roe v. Wade turns 37 - Lily Bixler
