PrintNovember 13, 2009
Pelosi Health Care: Drill, Baby, Drill
Over the years, there have been numerous movie scenes and skits portraying dentists and their patients -- some humorous, some bloodcurdling. Picture yourself nervously waiting in a dentist's chair. How would you feel if instead of your regular dentist, in walked Dr. Pelosi?
The average adult mouth contains thirty-two teeth (including wisdom teeth). Our teeth are of four types. We have incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Each type of tooth has a role to play. The incisors specialize in cutting. The canines are best at ripping and tearing. Premolars are the transitional teeth between the canines and the molars, and the molars crush and grind. Each tooth is unique unto itself. Some teeth have fillings, some teeth do not, and some adhere better to their gum line.
I take good care of my teeth. I floss, brush, and use a mouthwash every day. I also get them cleaned and checked twice a year. I had a wonderful dentist for many years. When that dentist retired, the business was taken over by a dentist that I did not know.
My first appointment went fine. It was, no doubt, a getting-to-know-you appointment. At my next appointment, however, my dentist told me I should have all my old silver fillings replaced over the next couple of years. He said their days were numbered, there might be decay beneath them, and that this was sound preventative maintenance. Even though I admired him for his capitalistic entrepreneurship, I still made sure that appointment was my last.
I asked around and finally made an appointment with a new dentist. He told me I had great teeth. I asked him what he thought about replacing old fillings as "preventative maintenance." His answer was that I should take care of my teeth, have them checked by him twice a year, and if a problem arises with a specific tooth, we will deal with it.
The difference between my last dentist and my present one is that my last dentist wanted to replace all the old fillings, whereas my present dentist wanted to deal with each tooth on an individual basis.
The way I see it, the Democrat health care plan is like a dentist hustling to pick up some extra bucks. Dr. Pelosi tells you to open wide and she, with her fingers and sharp instruments in your mouth, tells you about your "old filling" problem and says that you must have a lot of work done. In fact, Dr. Pelosi's plan does not aim at just your old fillings, but at drilling every tooth in your mouth.
If Democrat health care is like a hustler dentist probing in our mouths, then our teeth would no doubt typify the American people as a whole. Just as the health of one tooth may vary from another, the health of every American varies, as does his coverage.
Like a bad tooth in one's mouth, there are times when certain aspects of health insurance coverage need addressing. This can be done without working on every other tooth. Sometimes even drilling is necessary (meaningful tort reform, dealing with preexisting conditions, etc.). Such issues should be addressed individually, and not by what I believe to be one of the most dangerous phrases in the liberal lexicon: comprehensive reform.
The problem with the Democrats is that they believe they are the only dentists in town. They also think they are great orthodontists as well. By the time they finish making our teeth healthy and straight, the few teeth we have left in our mouth will be leaning so far left we will not be able to chew, and come 2010, we will not be able to fix anything.
