Let me begin by stating that I may not be a typical doctor. My political leanings are much more liberal than most, as evidenced by my votes for Mondale, Dukakis and Clinton. I am a medical subspecialist at a time when the emphasis is moving toward primary care. I am not a member of the American Medical Assn. and I freely admit there are many poor quality doctors practicing poor quality medicine. I am also perfectly willing to see radical changes in health care delivery even to the point of major reductions in my income.
However, I am increasingly uneasy whenever I watch news programs on the health care crisis or read about Hillary Clinton's circle of advisers. They typically include several Ph.D.s, hospital administrators, sociologists, insurance company executives, senior citizen activists, consumer group leaders, and government officials. They might include an occasional physician who represents organized medicine or is in some academic position. I worry that most of these people just don't have the right "feeling" for what is really going on in my office or at the patient's bedside.
