What’s up doc?

A national opinion poll this week found that 67 percent of the
respondents were “confused” about health care reform. That’s no
surprise; we all should be confused. Our health care system is
highly complicated as it exists. Adding the jumble of unspecific
reform ideas on top of it can only increase the confusion. Without
a final reform proposal yet in place, how can anyone claim not to
be confused?
So, where can one find some objective facts and level-headed
advice?
Private insurance companies don’t want competition from a public
plan. Any advice these corporate behemoths give will only be
self-serving to support their shareholders profits.
Almost nobody wants a Big Government plan, but seniors and
others don’t want to lose their single-payer Medicare coverage
either. The minority Republican party is playing “attack” politics
against Obama over the health care reform debate. GOP leaders
believe they “win” when the amount of confusion goes up and the
American public is persuaded to vote against its own best
interests. (Witness the screaming crowds at Town Hall meetings,
supporting the status quo of unaffordable private insurance and
lack of coverage for millions of citizens.)
Perhaps, the best person to ask for a diagnosis and opinion in
all of this is the same person you would call if you became
terribly sick or injured. Why not ask your doctor?
Most Americans “trust” their doctor’s opinion, perhaps even
above their own when it comes to heath care decisions and public
health care policy.
So, what do most doctors say about the current health care
reform proposals?
Several recent regional and national polls of physicians found a
large majority in support of a public option plan to provide health
care to the currently uninsured, low income and for small business
owners.
The American Medical Association, which fought the creation of
Medicare in 1973, now calls the Obama initiatives a “good
start.”
These polls found that patients trust their doctor more than
they trust politicians. Finally, we’ve found a poll result that is
not confusing and with which we can all agree.