LETTER from R. SCOTT DUNCAN

Annual Checkup May Be

Matter Of Life, Or Death

To the Editor:

The phone rang early this morning. It was a call from my doctor’s office. They canceled my “annual appointment.”

You would think the annual visit would be important to keep on schedule. I was looking forward to working with my prime care doctor to get tests to compare to last year. The next available appointment will be in three months. That puts it in next year!

I had a major illness last year. The hospital wanted $20,000 a year to “cure” me. I did it in six months for less than $1,000. But it would be important for me to monitor my health and fine tune imbalances to prevent problems.

Should I take this personally, or are they just so messed up they can’t provide the care they claim they give?

Maybe I am taking too good care of myself and they are waiting for me to have major problems that generate lots of money. Or maybe I am not challenging enough. They can’t make money if I am healthy.

It is hard to find a doctor. They are not all the same. You should be able to interview doctors to see if one is simpatico.

It’s around $300 for an office visit, plus money for the room. You don’t even know if you will like the doctor or that the doctor will be of any help.

The older I get and the more informed I become, the less and less I trust the American medical system.

It is a system based on monopoly and profit.

We, the patient, are last on the list of importance…or so it seems.

R. SCOTT DUNCAN
Hartwick Forrest