now spending on managed-care issues.”
Will paused to let the notion sink in. He still had no clear idea how he was going to wrap things up, but he sensed that desperation had led him to the path he should have been traveling all evening—that medicine must be, at its core, always and ever, about each individual patient. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and initially thought that either Roselyn Morton was coming over to give him the hook or Boyd Halliday was about to turn the forum into a free-for-all. Instead, Tom Lemm approached and handed him a typed sheet.
“I think this might be just what you need,” he whispered.
Will scanned the paragraph and immediately understood.
“So, where does this leave us?” he asked the crowd. “Fee-for-service has been deemed too expensive, and managed care is too, well, managed. Under the one system, lots of doctors were felt to be making too much money. Under the other, managed-care executives are pocketing tens if not hundreds of millions, while searching daily for ways to further cut services and payments, as well as ways to weed out from their coverage those who are most in need of proper health care—the old, the infirm, and the poor. In Europe and Canada, nationalized health care has been at least as successful as the system we have in place. If nothing else, all of the citizens of those countries have access to care. Whether it is their system, or a hybrid of theirs with our own, changes are needed and needed desperately.
“I want to close with this note that we received at the Hippocrates Society and that my trusted cohort Dr. Tom Lemm just produced for me. It’s from a man who works in an auto-body shop north of Boston—one of those regular guys I was talking about. I seriously doubt we’ll ever be seeing Vic Kozlowski in any promotional videos. He doesn’t suffer from a dramatic, life-threatening illness. But believe me, Vic has something to say to all of us gathered here tonight. So here he is, in his own words.”
For emphasis more than any physical need, Will cleared his throat again and took another sip of water.
“I don’t think it’s really appropriate for my doctor to do,
Vic writes,
but every time I visit him he tells me about how the HMOs are dictating every move he makes and ruining his practice. Then he tells me he shouldn’t even be saying such things because he might get in trouble. It makes me so sad. He is a wonderful doctor, but he’s scared to speak up against the HMOs.
“It’s bad for me, too. I can’t get an antibiotic that I need because it’s not on the HMO-approved formulary, but the ones that are in there either don’t work or make me so sick they don’t stay in my body. So, if I do what’s best for me and get the medication that works, the payment is more than fifty dollars. Well, I don’t have to tell you that to a family of four with one income, that is a hard chunk.
“We already pay sky-high rates, and they keep rising while our copays keep rising as well. The bottom line is I feel I might as well be uninsured. The doctor doesn’t make me feel confident and the circle is never-ending. The patient is the butt of the whole thing. I truly believe that America is helpless. I am so nervous every time I get sick. This probably seems totally trivial to you, but believe me, most of the patients in this country feel the same way I do. Thanks for reading this.”
Will walked back around the podium and replaced the microphone. “And on behalf of myself, Dr. Lemm, and the Hippocrates Society, thank you all for caring enough to attend tonight.”
The huskiness in his voice was as surprising as it was unintentional.
Several silent seconds passed. Then the applause began, building like the sound of a river churning downstream toward a falls. Then, with Gordo leading the way, slamming his huge hands together, most of the crowd rose, cheering out loud. Thoroughly drained, Will nodded sheepishly and returned to his
Will paused to let the notion sink in. He still had no clear idea how he was going to wrap things up, but he sensed that desperation had led him to the path he should have been traveling all evening—that medicine must be, at its core, always and ever, about each individual patient. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and initially thought that either Roselyn Morton was coming over to give him the hook or Boyd Halliday was about to turn the forum into a free-for-all. Instead, Tom Lemm approached and handed him a typed sheet.
“I think this might be just what you need,” he whispered.
Will scanned the paragraph and immediately understood.
“So, where does this leave us?” he asked the crowd. “Fee-for-service has been deemed too expensive, and managed care is too, well, managed. Under the one system, lots of doctors were felt to be making too much money. Under the other, managed-care executives are pocketing tens if not hundreds of millions, while searching daily for ways to further cut services and payments, as well as ways to weed out from their coverage those who are most in need of proper health care—the old, the infirm, and the poor. In Europe and Canada, nationalized health care has been at least as successful as the system we have in place. If nothing else, all of the citizens of those countries have access to care. Whether it is their system, or a hybrid of theirs with our own, changes are needed and needed desperately.
“I want to close with this note that we received at the Hippocrates Society and that my trusted cohort Dr. Tom Lemm just produced for me. It’s from a man who works in an auto-body shop north of Boston—one of those regular guys I was talking about. I seriously doubt we’ll ever be seeing Vic Kozlowski in any promotional videos. He doesn’t suffer from a dramatic, life-threatening illness. But believe me, Vic has something to say to all of us gathered here tonight. So here he is, in his own words.”
For emphasis more than any physical need, Will cleared his throat again and took another sip of water.
“I don’t think it’s really appropriate for my doctor to do,
Vic writes,
but every time I visit him he tells me about how the HMOs are dictating every move he makes and ruining his practice. Then he tells me he shouldn’t even be saying such things because he might get in trouble. It makes me so sad. He is a wonderful doctor, but he’s scared to speak up against the HMOs.
“It’s bad for me, too. I can’t get an antibiotic that I need because it’s not on the HMO-approved formulary, but the ones that are in there either don’t work or make me so sick they don’t stay in my body. So, if I do what’s best for me and get the medication that works, the payment is more than fifty dollars. Well, I don’t have to tell you that to a family of four with one income, that is a hard chunk.
“We already pay sky-high rates, and they keep rising while our copays keep rising as well. The bottom line is I feel I might as well be uninsured. The doctor doesn’t make me feel confident and the circle is never-ending. The patient is the butt of the whole thing. I truly believe that America is helpless. I am so nervous every time I get sick. This probably seems totally trivial to you, but believe me, most of the patients in this country feel the same way I do. Thanks for reading this.”
Will walked back around the podium and replaced the microphone. “And on behalf of myself, Dr. Lemm, and the Hippocrates Society, thank you all for caring enough to attend tonight.”
The huskiness in his voice was as surprising as it was unintentional.
Several silent seconds passed. Then the applause began, building like the sound of a river churning downstream toward a falls. Then, with Gordo leading the way, slamming his huge hands together, most of the crowd rose, cheering out loud. Thoroughly drained, Will nodded sheepishly and returned to his
Similar Books
