Doctors For America

Submitted as a Letter to the Editor:

To the Editor:

I am a family physician in Tribune, Kansas. Health care reform has dominated national news for months. As a physician, I work in this broken system every day and know we cannot afford to give up on health reform, nor can we baby-step our way through partial, incremental bills. We need to move forward and we need to do it quickly.

I have seen untold human suffering caused by payment issues. One patient has a debilitating but easily treated condition that makes normal daily activities painful, and yet the insurance policy carries a specific rider that prohibits me from treating this \"pre-existing condition.\" Another patient, hardworking but uninsured, waited almost 3 months for a definitive cancer diagnosis, paid for surgery out-of-pocket, then waited another six months before someone finally agreed to provide chemotherapy. Finally, I will never forget the diabetic patient who could have been treated with a simple toe amputation but was turned away for not having the right insurance; this patient later developed a life-threatening infection and lost an entire leg instead.

Every one of these patients was a responsible individual who sought care appropriately and suffered only because of insurance problems. There are countless stories like these across Kansas and in every state in America. The answer to their problems does not lie in small changes that might happen some day, but in total system reform that must move forward this year.

This is why I am fighting for health care reform with Doctors for America. The medical profession has a responsibility to protect and care for all Americans. Likewise, I need our government representatives to listen to doctors and lead in Washington. We must pass health reform so that together we will begin to build the better health care system that we all need.

Sincerely,
Robyn Liu, MD, MPH
Kansas State Director, Doctors For America