GUEST OPINION: We Need Doctors Who Are Out of Control

We Need Doctors Who Are Out of Control

By Alieta Eck, M.D.

We constantly are told that “while ObamaCare might not be perfect, the right has not come up with a better plan.” Is it possible that we do not need a “plan” at all?

Think about it. Has the federal government set up a food plan for all? A housing plan? Is the Secretary of Whatever empowered to decide what and when we eat? What kind of house each of us lives in? Of course not. We work, we plan and we buy what we need, saving up for the big-ticket items. Government does not control us, nor should it.

So why is health care different?

“Health care” begins in the home— when moms and dads teach and model good health habits and good nutrition. In grade school the health teachers show children the basic food groups and explain why eating right and exercising is the road to a healthy life. Avoiding the use of toxic substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs is part of early training. Early learning of the proper role of kindness and generosity is the best way to teach good behavior and the structure of a healthy family and community.

So while staying healthy is the first step, next we need to learn how to detect illness early. A fever, a localized pain, a cough, or simply knowing that something is just not right ought to prompt one to seek medical attention. That is where it would be good to have a relationship with a physician who knows us, or at least knows the right questions to ask. His education is geared to picking up the signs, symptoms, and physical indications of disease. He is also prepared to handle 92% of what ails us and can get us back on our feet. We ought not need health insurance for routine care, as running these visits through an insurance company will make them more expensive.

Of course, despite our best behavior with inevitable slip-ups, 8% of us will come down with a serious injury or illness. This is where we will need the expertise of those who have made this country the go-to place for the best care in the world. A tumor, blood disorder, cancer, diabetic complications, or a broken bone—these are instances where purchasing health insurance—affordable, high-deductible health insurance is a wise decision.

No government is needed. No control of physicians by bureaucrats looking at a computer screen. Instead, we all need to be empowered to make our own enlightened decisions.

And what about the poor? Those who do not have the means to care for themselves? Again, we do not need federal control here, but instead local communities pooling their talent and resources to help those who cannot help themselves.

The year 1965 ushered in Big Government in health care, and the outcome has not been good. A recent Gallup poll stated that 72% of the people feel big government poses a greater threat than big business or big labor. This is a record high since they began asking the question 50 years ago.

The rocky rollout of ObamaCare is only a distraction, as if a perfect computer system would have made the program work beautifully. No, the very idea that the federal government can micromanage our lives is the lie that must be exposed. Physicians should be our trusted coaches and skilled professionals that we enlist to help us when we need them. A Big Government program cannot be trusted to make the decisions that should only be made between a patient and his doctor.

Dr. Alieta Eck, MD, (New Jersey), graduated from the Rutgers College of Pharmacy in NJ and the St. Louis School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. She studied Internal Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ and has been in private practice with her husband, Dr. John Eck, MD in Piscataway, NJ since 1988. She has been involved in health care reform since residency and is convinced that the government is a poor provider of medical care. She testified before the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress in 2004 about better ways to deliver health care in the United States. In 2003, she and her husband founded the Zarephath Health Center, a free clinic for the poor and uninsured that currently cares for 300-400 patients per month utilizing the donated services of volunteer physicians and nurses. Dr. Eck is a long time member of the Christian Medical Dental Association and in 2009 joined the board (and is a former President) of the Association of American Physicians. In addition, she serves on the board of Christian Care Medi-Share, a faith based medical cost sharing Ministry. She is a member of Zarephath Christian Church and she and her husband have five children of which one is an ophthalmology resident in St. Louis in NJ. Dr. Eck ran in the Special Republican Primary for the US Senate from New Jersey in August, 2013, garnering 27,000 votes in a 2 month campaign. She is contemplating a second run in 2014.