PookieMD's Blog: Where Physicians Learn About the Business of Medicine

Last night, as I worked out at the Y on the elliptical, I watched Larry King Live, hosted by Wolf Blitzer.  The topic for the evening was  (drum roll): health care reform.  Special guests were the following physicians: former U.S. Senator Bill Frist, cardiothoracic surgeon, Michael Roizen, “Chief Wellness Officer” at the Cleveland Clinic, anesthesiologist/internist, James Rohack, president of the AMA and cardiologist, Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and Andrew Weil, founder of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

Does anything strike you about the panel? Yes, they are all specialists and physicians to the rich and entitled.  Not one of them actually practices primary care amongst real people.  I found it ridiculous that these are the “experts” the American media uses to explain why we need health care reform, and particularly reform in primary care.

The only one that actually spoke up about Americans taking responsibility for their own health care was Dr. Roizen.  He pointed out that Americans eat too much, exercise too little, smoke and don’t wear seat belts.  He was promptly dismissed by Dr. Frist, who stated that healthy habits can’t be legislated.

Wrong, Dr. Frist.

We can legislate seat belt laws, tobacco taxes and physical education requirements in schools and government jobs.  We can follow New York City’s example on trans fats.  We can encourage walking and bicycling by offering tax credits.  Our entire country can become healthier almost immediately and our health care bills will drop.  However, fewer of us will need by pass grafts and carotid endarterectomies.  The rich can still go to special clinics and get health coaching and the latest treatments, however.  The rest of us normal folk would get healthier by default–forced elimination of the nasties of obesity, sugar and fat highs, tobacco and couch potatoism will go a long way to making us healthier.

Works for me! What do you think?