February has been a hectic month for
women’s health issues. First, there was a fall-out and reconciliation between
the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood. Then, religious
organizations fought back against the Obama administration’s plans to mandate
free contraception coverage through employers. Now, the news cycle has turned
to controversial legislation in Virginia and Alabama requiring transvaginal
ultrasounds for women choosing abortion. I have followed each of these
discussions with interest, but what has really bothered me was another story
that got relatively little attention yet indicates a troubling trend in health
care politics – the “doc fix."
Cancer 1, Doctor 0 (Part 1 of 2)
The doctor leaned in to study the lesion on my
forehead. I could see his easy demeanor fall away into a frown, his brows now
tightly knitted in concentration. The air was suddenly sucked out of the room.
I was afraid I’d vomit on his pristinely ironed white coat. I recognized the
expression on his face. It was the same one I’ve worked to control before
breaking bad news to my patients. I took a deep breath, bracing for the doctor
to substantiate the diagnosis I had already suspected.
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