Health Care Reform and Cash For Clunkers are Conflicts of Opinion

Did some one mention "I saw the PA at the doctor's office today"?

Did you even realize that the person who treated you at Med Express or Urgent Care did not have Dr. before thier name badge on thier white lab coat? Was your care experience satisfactory or not? Did you know that the PA who saw you only owes the bank $100,000 for his/her schooling instead of the $300,000 of debt that an 8-10 year med student accumulates. Some quick math will tell you that the PA can work for less money, will be less stressed about how much he/she must make to service that student loan debt, and frankly, might be more like you when it comes to thinking about economical health care.

Check the parking lot at the doctors office next time you are there. If you are at the cardio thoracic surgeons office, I hope that he is driving a $75,000 Cadillac or Lexus that comes with a 10yr no maintenance service package, and free pickup of the vehicle when it needs service. I hope that the Doctor is making plenty of money to afford that Cadillac plus one for his/her spouse to drive as well. Why? I can't afford for the doctor to be late due to car trouble when I'm the one laying on the table having a heart attack. If his car has a dead battery at 4:00am he can jump in his spouses car to get to the hospital istead.

Now the last time I needed medical care I did not need to see the heart surgeon, I had a rash on my leg that I though could have been fungus or staph infection and I went to Med Express. The PA that I saw there, who said that the condition was eczema, was driving an 8 year old Jeep Cherokee instead of a Lexus or Cadillac. The medical care that I got was good enough to be serviceable, just like most of the 26,000 Jeep Cherokee's that were traded in on Cash For Clunkers. It got the job done, for the simple cost of an office visit that might have only been billed at 85% of the costs because I saw the PA.

It seams funny how on one side of the arguement we are getting rid of the workhorse Jeep Cherokees to replace them with the disposable vehicles that we make today. And on the other hand we are looking for Mid-Level workhorse medical practicioners to significantly contribute to health care reform as a less expensive alternative to the doctor. I'd rather have a 10 year old Jeep Cherokee because it might last 400,000 miles and never need to see the heart surgeon for an engine transplant, and the local handy mechanic (who is a dying breed), can change the brakes and service the belts and hoses just like the PA did for my rash when I was at Med-Express.

I'm OK with seeing the PA. I drive a Jeep Cherokee. I hope to be a millionaire by the time I retire... and since I dont think I'll ever retire, I'll be driving a Jeep Cherokee when I die and loving every mile of it. When I need to see the heart surgeon, I want the best one money can buy. Perhaps our economy would be a little better if we treated cars like we treat people if we try to keep them alive as long as possible an keeping mid level mechanics in business.