I had an interesting...
...Q&A with a doctor the other day that left me a tad perplexed politically. I had chosen my questions very carefully before the doctor even came into my room. I was sick, I had a killer headache that went away for 20 minutes at a time every few hours. So, I was a little slow on the uptake. But while sitting in my room trying very hard to not see lights of any sort, it occurred to me that this was a huge, "What's wrong with this picture?" moment.
Now, doctors may be doctors and kudos to them for that. But being a doctor, especially Doogie Howser, does NOT grant you certain skills that say, a 51 year old smart ass chick who was raised by an attorney and then grew up to raise her OWN attorney might have accrued in her lifetime...most likely before Doogie was toilet trained. So, I readied myself with a list-O-questions designed to evoke confirmation of my suspicions.
The back and forth went something like this, the docs' words may not be verbatim but mine are. Remember, I practiced them. But the sentiment is the same nevertheless:
ME: So, I have an aneurysm?
DOOGIE: Yes, you do.
ME: Could something like this kill or permanently disable me?
DOOGIE: That is a possibility, yes.
ME: And the angiogram showed that the aneurysm was coil-able? (Meaning it could be fixed.)
DOOGIE: Yes.
ME: If a person with insurance had the exact same condition, would he be discharged without the surgery?
DOOGIE: Well...
ME: That's OK, I'm just asking for the truth, I can handle it.
DOOGIE: Well, yes...a patient with insurance coverage would stay here to have the surgery, unfortunately...
ME: I'm aware of my unfortunate position, thank you for your candor. My head hurts, increase the Dilaudid please.
Now, what confounds me is the fact that I have never supported the FEDERAL government usurping the role of the health care business in this country. The States perhaps, if they so choose. But not the Feds.
But, as I sit here with my sunglasses on and my headache REALLY on, suddenly I just want that sucker fixed, I don't care who pays for it.
Remember what Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption? I have another quandary here, don't I?
To paraphrase Patrick Henry:
GIVE ME HEALTH CARE OR GIVE ME DRUGS!
...Q&A with a doctor the other day that left me a tad perplexed politically. I had chosen my questions very carefully before the doctor even came into my room. I was sick, I had a killer headache that went away for 20 minutes at a time every few hours. So, I was a little slow on the uptake. But while sitting in my room trying very hard to not see lights of any sort, it occurred to me that this was a huge, "What's wrong with this picture?" moment.
Now, doctors may be doctors and kudos to them for that. But being a doctor, especially Doogie Howser, does NOT grant you certain skills that say, a 51 year old smart ass chick who was raised by an attorney and then grew up to raise her OWN attorney might have accrued in her lifetime...most likely before Doogie was toilet trained. So, I readied myself with a list-O-questions designed to evoke confirmation of my suspicions.
The back and forth went something like this, the docs' words may not be verbatim but mine are. Remember, I practiced them. But the sentiment is the same nevertheless:
ME: So, I have an aneurysm?
DOOGIE: Yes, you do.
ME: Could something like this kill or permanently disable me?
DOOGIE: That is a possibility, yes.
ME: And the angiogram showed that the aneurysm was coil-able? (Meaning it could be fixed.)
DOOGIE: Yes.
ME: If a person with insurance had the exact same condition, would he be discharged without the surgery?
DOOGIE: Well...
ME: That's OK, I'm just asking for the truth, I can handle it.
DOOGIE: Well, yes...a patient with insurance coverage would stay here to have the surgery, unfortunately...
ME: I'm aware of my unfortunate position, thank you for your candor. My head hurts, increase the Dilaudid please.
Now, what confounds me is the fact that I have never supported the FEDERAL government usurping the role of the health care business in this country. The States perhaps, if they so choose. But not the Feds.
But, as I sit here with my sunglasses on and my headache REALLY on, suddenly I just want that sucker fixed, I don't care who pays for it.
Remember what Morgan Freeman said in Shawshank Redemption? I have another quandary here, don't I?
To paraphrase Patrick Henry:
GIVE ME HEALTH CARE OR GIVE ME DRUGS!
posted by Meg Kelso | 9:32 AM
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