Today I'm super excited to be skipping town and heading to the DC area. I'm off to see my best friend Katie and this could not come a better time - seriously, I need a girly weekend of shopping, pedicures, movies, and the like. And, though flying generally sucks these days, it does provide at least two uninterrupted hours of catching up on my beloved Vanity Fair.
But back to my destination and departure cities: DC and Chicago. A lot happened in DC this week, as you may have heard. Healthcare reform. My only consistent political commentary on this subject is that I think it truly should be called health insurance reform, as that's where the major changes are rooted. I'm kind of a stickler for truth in advertising.
But anyway, I'm not going to get on a soapbox for anyone or any party about this because I think I could genuinely stand up for both camps. (Yay for eliminating pre-existing condition clauses! Boo for surely adding more layers of bureaucracy, which goes directly against the original intentions of cutting out inefficiencies! Damn! I just can't help it.) Yet while laws were passing in DC, others were having conversations here in Chicago, and, I don't know, I thought they were worth sharing. Maybe I need to get out of the hospitals more but when you work in one every day it's kind of hard not to talk about what's happening on The Hill.
Chicago is chock full of outstanding hospitals, medical schools, tons of other health-related groups, providers, organizations, and is home to the American Medical Association. As you can probably deduce, there are loads of doctors here. I have the distinct pleasure of meeting with lots of them day in and day out. And here's where I get to the point of this rambling post. I don't know how many MDs I crossed paths with this week but there were surgeons, specialists, general practitioners, OBs, neurologists, family doctors, etc. It was the whole spectrum of physicians, from the top of the reimbursement food chain on down. Normally these dudes (yes, almost all are men) love to challenge each other's opinions and to get a lively meeting going. The locker room comes to the conference room! So you can bet your healthcare dollars (all 16%+ of GDP!) that each one of them had something to say about what happened in Washington this week.
For once, they all were in agreement.
They don't like it.
And, I can assure you, they're not all card-carrying Republicans.
Hmmmm.
This struck me.
Feel free to weigh in if you want.
Peace out!
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Edited to add:
Just got back to my office, which involved walking through the women's hospital. I happened to pass by as a new dad broke the happy baby news to the waiting family of grandparents , aunts, and uncles. There were tears. There were squeals. There was actual jumping for joy. That's the best way to leave a hospital on a Friday.
Peace out, again!
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