I’ve written before about our experiences with doctors and so I’m pretty sure most of you know my general feeling about the health care ‘industry’ at this point. That feeling does not translate to individual doctors who do their job. I absolutely love the OB/GYN that Andrea has been going to see for the last 6 years. He is patient and pleasant to talk to. I also love our pediatrician. We can sit and talk with him like a friend and he listens to us–and has even CALLED AND APOLOGIZED PERSONALLY for not listening well. They are exceptional doctors and make our lives better.

But I can’t say this about our general experience with “Health Care” — and I don’t think it has anything at all to do with our insurance and has a heck of a lot more to do with their fear of being sued. There is almost no point in calling the pediatric nurses after your first child unless you want to be told that you need to bring the child in to be looked at. When you have your first child, there are many occasions when talking to the nurse keeps you from bringing the child in because it is a common problem. Then you learn what to look for and you call for “bigger” problems. Instead of working on the phone to try some things and give you clues about what to look for, you get told to come in.

And when you get in, the doctor says “she looks fine. Not much we can do. Come back tomorrow if she’s still bad off.”

Thanks.
For.
Nothing.
You.
Prick.

Now, many of you will say “at least you have peace of mind.” But where I’m annoyed is the lack of enabling patients to help do work themselves that CAN be done themselves. The nurse could have easily given us specific things to look for in the situation yesterday with Rachel vomiting. She could have told us dangerous signs of dehydration. She could have told us LOTS OF OTHER THINGS. But she didn’t. Their practice is so afraid of missing the little things that they ask for $100 for a doctor visit where the doctor doesn’t listen to my wife’s concerns and says “bring her in if she continues to vomit and is lethargic.”  You mean like she’s doing RIGHT NOW?

All this gives me a GENERAL distrust of doctors and Health Care and makes me want to avoid them as long as possible which is NOT A GOOD THING! Doctors need to be the person you’re ready to turn to, not the person you avoid.  Affordable healthcare is the healthcare I can pay for (during office hours, for a 30 minute visit) WITHOUT insurance.   It’s a $20 well check–no insurance required.   It’s a helpful nurse.   It’s doctors that aren’t afraid of being sued when they give you all the information you need and give their recommendation.  It is keeping people out of the hospitals and doctors’ offices when they don’t need to be there.

We don’t need “Obamacare”–but I don’t care about the ’socialist’ propaganda that’s all over the media.  We need reform of a deeper and more rudimentary nature–providing health care the RIGHT way, not just figuring out a way to pay for what’s broken.