Doctors For America

Submitted as a Letter to the Editor:

When I am called to see a patient in the hospital I only am told a name and a room number. Sometimes I hear a symptom or a preliminary diagnosis. Those of us suspected of responding to such a call only after investigating insurance status are held in very low regard. We need to be paid for our work but our professional ethos demands we care for anyone. Since we live by this principle, we cannot turn our back on any reform which allows the 46 million Americans to have the health insurance they deserve. Health insurance is not health care but without insurance millions of Americans suffer medically and financially. It is a tragedy for a family and a country to determine health care based on insurance status and to bankrupt those who cannot afford to ignore the pain of an untreated illness.