Physician: Check
Practiced medicine both before and after the advent of Medicare: Check
Provided primary care to patients who had lost their health insurance: Check
Professionally and personally acquainted with our local Republican member of Congress (also a physician), and thus uniquely positioned to effectively knock down said Congressman's anti-health care reform, pro-corporate talking points: Check!
There's no way for me to adequately sum up the good doctor's words, so follow me over the fold and I'll let him speak for himself:
Here is the doctor's letter to the editor from this morning's Baton Rouge Advocate, the daily newspaper in the Louisiana capital:
Letter: Rep. Cassidy and health care
My comments concern a fund-raising flier I recently received from U.S. Rep. Dr. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.
I have known Bill for many years; in fact, his hepatitis clinic was across the hall from my arthritis clinic at Earl K. Long Medical Center for several years. I like, admire and respect him as a person, physician and as a citizen who puts himself on the line to serve the public (and be open to criticism from those who disagree with his stand on issues).
His letter starts off reasonably enough — "I think we all agree that health care reform is needed," but immediately goes downhill from there, to "but it should be market reforms which strengthen the physician-patient relationship."
We do not "all" agree that health-care reform is needed. During their eight years in power, no Republican president or Congress has ever advocated comprehensive health-care reform. Next, and throughout the letter, he refers to the "patient-physician relationship," which he does not define or discuss, as being threatened by the Democrats’ health plan.
After 40-plus years of medical practice — in general practice before Medicare was enacted and in practicing internal medicine and rheumatology after Medicare — I believe I understand the patient-physician relationship, and especially the impact that "government medicine" has had on it.
The clinics that Dr. Cassidy and I staffed are all attended by patients who have no insurance, many of whom were sent by their previous physicians because they lost their insurance (along with their patient-physician relationship). That makes it crystal clear that to give these patients a choice, they need insurance.
Medicare, which has never interfered with the patient-physician relationship, has, on the contrary, immeasurably improved the patient-physician relationship for the elderly. Nevertheless, most physicians vociferously opposed "government medicine" prior to Medicare, predicting irreparable damage to the patient-physician relationship, and are now recycling their "bureaucrat between you and your doctor" fright wig for today’s audience, hoping that past predictions have been forgotten.
The remainder of Dr. Cassidy’s letter is standard Republican boiler plate, including unexplained and/or meaningless catchphrases such as "patient centered approach," "market reform" and "antitrust issues." I find it insulting to my professional colleagues to suggest that they don’t practice "patient centered" medicine. His best suggestion is liability reform, which is shunned by the Democrats.
None of these Band-Aids suggest recognition of the enormity of the health-care problem or the obvious conclusion that only the government has enough clout and resources to deal with it. In view of Dr. Cassidy’s ideological approach to the problem, I believe he can contribute more to health care by returning to Baton Rouge and resuming his outstanding medical practice.
Herbert Dyer
retired physician
Baton Rouge
I diaried last week about how my own pro-health care reform letter that appeared in this same paper, received a direct response from someone who flatly stated he believed President Obama is the anti-Christ. That gives you an idea of the kind of wingnuttery/teabaggery we have here in the Baton Rouge area—so in this environment, a letter like the one above is particularly noteworthy and the points it makes so effectively, particularly needed.
In my opinion, this letter has so much to offer, it really merits a far wider reading than just here in our area. So my hope is that by posting about it here, it will be picked up and carried along on the winds of the internets. Thanks for reading.
Update: Regarding the doctor's statement that our Republican congressman's "best suggestion" is liability reform...
Looks like they tried that in Missouri. Guess how much of an effect it had? Apparently, none. h/t zaynabou.
Update 2: Medical malpractice awards capped in Texas, with no cost savings resulting for patients; h/t BlueSue. 57andFemale makes a good point as well.