Re: Have You Hugged Your HMO Provider Today?

cynic? you? well, as i said before, you're in good company, then. i'm sure you've already figured out by now that i work in the healthcare industry, and it befuddles me to no end when i see doctors and nurses who are republican. i naively went into the field with a desire to HELP people, but soon discovered that THAT is not the main agenda of the majority of these people - making money is. well, la-dee-da, right?
i love to hear people bitch about their hmo's and even ppo's being restrictive. basically, a hired bureaucrat, trained to create a truckload of red tape, decides whether or not you "need" that chemotherapy. then, when i mention that it would be better if we had socialized medicine, they flip out and start in on how that would limit their choices, etc.. well, i like to have them explain to me just how free they are having an hmo. until age 15, i had socialized medicine, and i do realize the validity of the argument that what works for a country of just under 9 million may not be suitable for a country of nearly 300 million, but there HAS to be a happy medium. doctors in sweden are not wealthy, but they're not poor, either. hell, when i tell people that i grew up spending every summer in italy or spain (about 6 weeks), 'cause my dad had all that paid vacation, they usually assume my father owned his own business or was independently wealthy. fact is, he was a simple pipe fitter who busted his ass 9 months out of the year on an oil platform off the coast of norway, and the company could appreciate his efforts and reward him accordingly. can you see an american company do that? well, i haven't yet. for nearly 4 years i worked for a not-for-profit hospital where the ceo drove a navigator and wore armani. the "lucky" ones would get a 2-3% annual raise (which amounts to pennies when you only make $9/hr to begin with!), and for christmas, we'd get our $20 gift certificate to target. talk about a slap in the face!
so, you see, you're not the only cynic. i think this forum is full of 'em, some of us less conspiracy-theory oriented than others. personally, it helps me get through the day just knowing that there's others out there just like me :) gatekeepers, indeed... Tweet