A doctor in support of health care reform

I am a mother. And a doctor. And I support health care reform.

As a girl in high school, I watched "The Doctor" starring William Hurt. The open heart transplant scene? Took my breath away. It was painstakingly beautiful, as was the story of empathy discovered.

My aspirations of becoming a writer took a backseat.

I shadowed my family physician, one summer, to see what it would be like to practice medicine. He worked in a multi-physician practice that churned through patients, it seemed, in rapid succession. He wore sneakers to race from one room to another, and I, tried my best to keep up with him, sprinting. On his rare breaks, he would sit at his desk, drink some of his generic grocery store soda, before racing off again. It was not a glamorous lifestyle, but he loved practicing medicine. He didn't have to tell me; this was evident in his every interaction with his patients. He loved knowing them, interacting with them, having long-term relationships with them. He loved caring for whole families, from the husband, to the wife, to the two children. That summer, I felt The Calling.

This is what I'm meant to do.

Like many in medicine, I went to medical school, not because I wanted to become rich, but because -in my heart- this was my calling. I picked a specialty, internal medicine, that was not glamorous or highly paid, in fact it had a reputation for requiring you to work the hardest, know the most, and get paid the least. Why? Because I loved it. I loved the complex problems, the long-term patient-physician relationships, being a coordinator of care, and being the patient's advocate.

Yet, while medical school fully prepared me to take care of patients, my education did very little to prepare me for practicing medicine in our current health care system. You just don't learn about insurance companies and reimbursements and billing. I saw uninsured patients using emergency rooms as their primary care, resulting in worse outcomes for simple problems. I saw wealthy patients from other countries who flew in on private jets to get an extra-special room and special consultations.

And, I've grown increasingly frustrated that people, US citizens, don't have access to health care. It seems barbaric to me that we are the only wealthy country who feels health care is a privilege for those who can pay. (A corollary to this is how we are among the very few industrialized nations to not provide government-provided paid maternity leave - don't get me started on that.) There are serious health disparities due to differences in economic status. This is barbaric. The lies about health care reform meant to scare vulnerable people is barbaric.

As a doctor, I dream of universal health care so that all people, not just those on the right side of luck, can get access to care. If it meant accepting a pay cut or salary caps, I would. But, clearly, that alone will not solve our health care problems. Costs can not keep going up. Malpractice reform has to occur. We can't keep turning our backs on 46 million uninsured Americans.

This is the closest we've ever gotten. Can we, as a nation, get there? Will your children have to fear getting sick since it might financially ruin them?

I, for one, want a better system in place for mine.

Original DC Metro Moms Blog post. KC also writes at www.mothersinmedicine.com.