The Doctors Are In

This is my favorite Rolling Stone magazine cover. Yes, I enjoy reading Rolling Stone magazine. I may have gray hair and wrinkles, but I’m a hip old broad.

I'm sure that some of you hate Howard Dean, the originator of the “Dean Scream,” and the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee, but before you start throwing tomatoes at me, let me tell you why I’m so fond of this cover. Ready? There’s a DOCTOR on the cover of this magazine! Now that’s newsworthy. Go Howard!




Did you know that there are doctors and nurses serving in Congress? My favorite doctor currently serving in the House of Representatives is Jim McDermott, a psychiatrist from Washington. I think we need more psychiatrists working on the Hill, but I digress. Representative McDermott re-introduced a bill last month that would improve access to health care. He said, "Access to affordable health care coverage is the single biggest domestic crisis facing America today. The health care crisis gets worse every day and, because of it, more Americans get hurt every day." He is also a cosponsor of a bill that would create the Office of the National Nurse. Thank you, Dr. McDermott.



Another doctor working on the Hill is Senator Tom Coburn, a family practice doctor from Oklahoma. He just introduced a bill that would also improve access to health care. In a recent press release, Dr. Coburn said, “Americans are tired of out of control medical costs, gatekeepers blocking access to the doctors they want to see, being denied coverage of medically necessary care, and health plans that they don’t understand. This bill addresses all of these problems and does so without creating new government programs or bureaucracies. In fact, this bill removes government and insurance bureaucrats from the doctor’s office by providing patients with federal tax rebates that will ensure that every American can purchase the health care coverage that best meets their medical needs.”


Dr. McDermott is a Democrat and Dr. Coburn is a Republican. Doctors from both parties are promoting health care legislation on Capitol Hill. We need more doctors and nurses in Congress.





We also need more doctors on magazine covers.