Big Frick Dot Com

I hate to admit it.

Maybe Obama is correct. Maybe our healthcare system is broken and in need of an immediate overhaul from top to bottom. Maybe all those greedy, rotten drug companies are just in it for the money and need to be brought under government control. Maybe ObamaCare is the only answer.

I had my own experience in dealing with our current broken healthcare system over the past few days. I will not bore you with all the gory details but suffice it to say that what was a minor annoyance became a full-fledged medical emergency for me this week.

I am not one to go to the doctor for every ache and pain. I take a daily barrage of prescription drugs for existing conditions and get the usually prescribed series of tests to monitor my overall health and well being. But for Big Frick to see the doctor for something other than routine maintenance it’s got to be something pretty serious. Maybe it’s my Bohemian heritage; take a couple of aspirin or Tylenol and let it run its course. Maybe it’s my false sense of machismo. Or maybe it’s because the cure is often worse than the disease and involves me actually having to make changes in my lifestyle. At any rate the situation that presented itself this week was not one that could be ignored.

It broke down like this: After spending a few days in discomfort it became eminently apparent that I needed to seek medical attention. I called my doctor’s office when they opened at 8:30 AM. My doctor had a full schedule of patients for that day so seeing him wasn’t possible. The receptionist connected me to his nurse and after a brief discussion explaining the problem, she arranged for me to see one of his associates in the practice at 11:00AM. That’s a two and a half our delay in getting treatment. I can certainly see how one could draw the conclusion that our healthcare system is broken.

I arrived at my doctor’s new, very high tech office at the agreed time and was immediately taken in for some tests. All the tests necessary were conducted right there and the results were ready within 20 minutes. 20 minutes! Can you imagine having to wait 20 minutes! Broken, broken, broken.

I have a great relationship with my doctor. He is remarkably bright and has a personality that fosters the deep trust I have placed in him since he finished his residency and opened his general practice years ago. His associate was equally personable and articulate. Even though my doc had a full schedule he took some time to check in on me and had a brief consult with his associate regarding my condition and treatment. With healthcare like that I can see why Barack Obama would want to completely revamp the system.

The doctor treating me called in a few prescriptions directly to my pharmacy so they would be ready when I got there. He then went through in detail all the things I needed to do and what to do if I’m not significantly better in a few days. I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks. Wow, talk about broken, huh?

I began taking the drugs the doctor prescribed that afternoon. These drugs were developed and manufactured by one of those big drug companies that Obama says must be stopped. The pills made by the money hungry, profit driven, uncaring drug company began to work within 4 hours and by that evening, about 12 hours after I originally called my doctor’s office, my condition was greatly improved. More treatment may be necessary, but I have doctors that I trust to handle all that.

I sure can see why we desperately need to completely abandon this broken and ineffective healthcare system. I can see why drug companies and healthcare need to be put under the direction of Congress, who did such a stunning job with the comparatively miniscule Cash for Clunkers Program. I can see why doctors need to be reined in and their fees need to be governmentally mandated. I can also see that under ObamaCare I can go back to my old Bohemian remedy of take two aspirins and ride it out.

No wonder ObamaCare includes end of life counseling.