Caring for the sick

Donald Trump recently said that healthcare is complicated.
He is correct.
He is also wrong.

It's complicated in that changing one part of any healthcare plan changes many other parts.
It's almost like the gears on an old fashioned watch.
You move one and they all move.

But it's incredible simple in this regard.
Ask almost any doctor, nurse or other healthcare provider and they will tell you.
We have an ethical responsibility to care for the sick and to do what we can to help the well stay well.
I really don't care if you agree with me that healthcare is a "right."
To myself and others in the field, it is a responsibility.
Show up for care at an ER and we will not turn you away.

Nor should we.

The current plan being rushed through congress as a "repeal and replace" is nothing more than a tax cut for the rich and a tax increase on the middle class.
It provides tax shelters and repeals several taxes on the upper 1%, that were enacted to help pay for the care of middle and lower income workers, and it shifts costs to the middle class in the forms of cuts to states, increased costs to older Americans, increased costs to those with increased medical problems or who live in areas of the country where the cost of living is higher.
While it technically retains the ability to get insurance with pre-existing conditions, in increases the cost to the point that people may not be able to afford it and while it eliminates the "mandate" to have insurance, it imposes a penalty if one drops insurance and then at a later date re-acquires insurance.

Many experts predict that it will increase the deficit and strip healthcare insurance from millions of Americans.
The AMA, ANA, AARP, hospital groups, unions, community organizations and others have raised concerns and spoken against it.
Congress is now trying to rush passage of the bill before the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office can evaluate it's cost and impact.

We can stop that.
Please contact your representatives and senators and express your concerns.
Please sign petitions, make phone calls, send emails, and attend rallies.
Obamacare isn't perfect, but lets not make it worse.
"Primum non nocere" is a Latin phase taught in med school. It translates to "First do no harm."

The ethical responsibility to care for the sick is not just held by healthcare professionals.
It is something we all are held to.