As you consider for whom you will vote in the upcoming election, I urge you to think seriously about who is more likely to help address a social justice and ethical issue more urgently impacting our area and many others across this nation: healthcare.
Facebook “blew up” here recently when word leaked out that doctors in one of Sussex County’s oldest and largest independent practices were opting to move to a “concierge” model of practice. Yes, this year. During a pandemic. As flu season approaches. When many have lost income or seen costs rising. And at yet another time in its history when new home sales and growth in population in eastern Sussex County have again created a shortage of doctors accepting new patients here. Panic ensued in many circles as people scrambled to get information and understand what this meant for them and their loved ones. Many, already concerned about maintaining their health, or their insurance or jobs, heading into cold and flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic, were very frightened by the news.
The American healthcare system is woefully broken. As primary care physicians move to “concierge” or “hybrid models” to help those with money, there is little left (despite reassurances) to ensure others will have good, thorough basic preventative care. As thousands of patients here are now learning they must pay $1,800 or more out-of-pocket to remain a patient of their current doctor (on whom many have relied for as many as 10 to 20 years), most are looking for new primary care doctors out of necessity. They don’t have the money to pay the required membership fees for those concierge services. Several seeking alternatives reported contacting over 20 doctors’ offices only to find none that were accepting new patients.
A healthcare system which drives doctors wishing to avoid growing administrative costs and paperwork, and hoping to spend more time with patients and/or their own families, to “pay to play” concierge practices, is broken. A healthcare system that enriches pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and squeezes those on fixed or low income out of the system for a primary care doctor, is broken. A healthcare system that results in dedicated, caring PAs and urgent care facilities seeing far too many patients than they can adequately serve, due to shortages of doctors, is broken.
In the end, all of us (whether we can afford concierge care or not) will pay in one way or another when vast numbers of people no longer have ample or affordable access, or opportunity to practice, preventative medicine, and end up in expensive and overwhelmed emergency rooms because their once-minor problems weren’t diagnosed or treated early on resulting in medical emergencies later.
A fair and equitable way to ensure that all people have access to basic healthcare that includes less costly preventive care is sorely needed in this country. Our healthcare system is broken, and the problems with it are impacting more and more people every day, including the middle class. As you cast your presidential election ballot, please vote for the candidate most likely to move the needle back in a direction that benefits “We, the people.” If not your own life today or tomorrow, the life of someone for whom you care surely depends upon it.
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